ACKC Cocoa Bar

So sad to discover this place is closed. Unilocal should have investigated prior to sending out the chocoholic’s guide.

I ventured out to Old Town to ACKC for the hot chocolate and was not disappointed. While the large size rang in at over $ 5, which seemed a little steep for a cup of hot chocolate, I have to say, it was one of the best hot chocolates I’ve ever had. I ordered the Charo, which was Semi-​sweet chocolate swirled with caramel and topped with
whipped cream & Ghirardelli Caramel Sauce. My friend ordered a cup of tea.
We were both impressed with the vibe in the location, it was a wonderful place to sit and grab some hot chocolate and tea and chat as it wasn’t very loud and it was nice and relaxing. The gift shop portion also looked cute and I’ll have to keep it in mind for future gifts as it looked like they had some great items.
From the website, I couldn’t tell what type of restaurant it was, but note it is not a sit-​down service restaurant. It is more like an ice cream/​candy store that also has food items on the menu. You go up to the counter to order and then find a table to sit at.
We came on a really cold night so hot chocolate was definitely the way to go, but I’d love to come back when it’s warmer because the ice cream sundae bar looked like it had some wonderful toppings I’d like to come back and try!

What, I haven’t reviewed this place?!
Anyway, let me just say I LOVE ACKC and I was crushed when they closed their 14^th Street Location in DC back in the day. So thank goodness this location is holding the fort (albeit a smaller one). [Correction: Apparently it’s temporarily closed now. Guess it’s time for me to visit the Old Town location!!!]
You will not find more creative drinkable, slurpable chocolate flavor combinations anywhere else in this area. You just won’t. When I first tried a Ginger Rogers (i.e. ginger, wasabi), I was so inspired I went home and bought wasabi powder. Liz Taylor (lavender, pistachios) and Lana Turner (cardamom, blueberry) are equally as stimulating for the taste buds and imagination. At the DC location I remember they made my diva into an ice cream sundae but at the Alexandria location the only cold formation is in shake form. (Well, at least you got something year-​round!)
Bottom line: COME HERE FOR THE DIVAS. And the cozy atmosphere. And then come back next season to have your favorite diva in a different temperature. And make sure to bring a friend so you can get a slurp of what they’re having. I’m already thinking of 2 divas (I mean, friends…) I need to bring here!

I still feel very blessed to have spent a year of my working life in Del Ray. This neighborhood is so charming and has much to offer within a few blocks.
Speaking of my Del Ray favorites, it would be almost sacrilegious to not mention one of my former haunts, ACKC Cocoa Bar.
ACKC Cocoa Bar’s biggest draw is its impressive hot cocoa menu, with over 15 decadent options to choose from. The hot chocolate drinks are named after classic film stars (e.g., Lana Turner and Carmen Miranda), and they feature exotic and unusual ingredients like lavender, chipotle, and cardamom. I can honestly tell you that I have tried all hot cocoa flavors and loved all of them. You can ask the staff to substitute regular milk with soy. (If only almond or coconut milk were also available alternatives…) Prices are a little higher than, say, Starbucks, but totally worth it in my humble opinion.
Besides their awesome hot cocoa, I would highly recommend ACKC’s chocolate bars and custom truffles. Prices for these treats are also on the higher end, but sweets are meant to be a special occasion purchase anyway, right? And I’d take quality over quantity any day.
Definitely stop by ACKC Cocoa Bar if you’re in Del Ray!

Very nice along with a nice staff.
It always feels good to support small business
Yes — I could have gotten my fave salted caramel hot chocolate at The Big S, but I made an exception today and said «let me try out this little place»
The hot chocolate menu takes a couple minutes to read (and I read fast) — so many options! The man behind the counter was very patient and let me sub dark chocolate for milk chocolate with the caramel. Add whipped cream and this was one happy gal. I was surprised they had styrofoam cups (I always feel eco-​friendly and small business go hand-​in-​hand — I don’t know why…), but the chocolate drink was yummy! You cannot go wrong with real Belgian chocolate chips (those of you who know me know that I have a special place in my heart for Belgium!).
Definitely worth stopping by this quaint lil’ shoppe

Cocoa was ok, the fudge and brownies were stale, the truffles were not bad though. Service was nice and friendly

I’ve never had a complaint about the ice cream or other treats here, but the service has always been abnormally slow. If you come in with three or four friends, expect to wait an inordinate amount of time to get what you order.
The last time we went in there was one experienced person behind the counter and a trainee — hopefully this means they’re starting to staff up somewhat to quicken the pace. We’ll probably be back, but mainly because Dairy Godmother has less of a selection and insane lines.

This place was a bit disappointing. Their website kinda markets themselves as being a specialty chocolate shop, but it’s quite far from it. It’s more of a small town candy shop with mostly brand name low end candies plus chocolates that definitely don’t seem like «premium» chocolates.
We came here because we had a Groupon to get a milkshake for $ 3. I’d say we probably got our money’s worth but I would never pay full price ($ 5.75) for one of those milkshakes. It was perfectly fine but not anything special. For a milkshake or some sort of cold dairy treat, I’d recommend going up the street to The Dairy Godmother instead.

While it is expensive for chocolate, it will be the best hot chocolate you have ever had. We buy the bag of it to make at home sometimes. They also make them for you in the store. Service at the Del Ray location is sometimes a bit brusque though; the two women we have seen several times behind the counter don’t always act very friendly. Definitely recommend trying the chocolate though.

Disappointing.
I went to ACKC on Sunday evening to try their hot chocolate, as I had read it being «one of the best in the country». Well, sad to say I was really disappointed. After paying about $ 5 for my Dark Chocolate, Milk, and Marshmallow drink, I sat down with a truffle and tried my warm beverage. It tasted like regular hot chocolate that I would make with say ghirardelli mix and milk. I also tasted the Marilyn w/​Raspberry. Very very average.
Am I the only one with this experience? Is there a different hot chocolate drink from there that I should try that will blow me away? I was expecting something magnificent and instead felt like I got something quite pedestrian. :(
I also got 2 truffles, a dark chocolate and PB cup, and a marshmallow caramel square. The truffles were not as good as Lindt truffles. The PB cup was pretty good, not worth $ 3 or $ 4 though. The marshmallow square was kinda gross to be honest.
TL;DR: You can make equal if not better hot chocolate at home in my opinion, unless I missed out trying one of the more exotic choices, like the chipotle pepper one.

Chocolate is a bit costly, but for an occaisional indulgence, well worth it. As for the Diva Hot Chocolates… I have many more to try, but those that I’ve had have not disappointed.
I tend to come by in the early evening, and the quiet atmosphere coupled with the outdoor seating and indoor seating make this a place to pause from the rush of the day and enjoy a decadent treat in peace.

I happened to be in the neighborhood and decided to check it out. You won’t ever see me eat candy, but I always have a stash of fine chocolates in my home.
I wasn’t impressed by the store, the products, nor the staff. Perhaps I went on an off day/​time. I was the only customer in there, and it felt like an old shop in a ghost town where you wonder, how old are these items, who would buy them, and how does the shop sustain itself?
The chocolate through the dust covered packaging appeared dull and chalky, did not have the solid shiny resilience, making you wonder how long the chocolates have been sitting on the shelf.
Even I can’t believe that I was in a confection shop and nothing looked appealing.

The short:
–good hot chocolate fix if you are in the area, but not worth a trip out of your way
–if you’re ordering any truffles, stand in front of the truffles counter (not at the register)
–if you want macarons, they are in the refrigerator
–the macarons are tiny and expensive, but really good
–don’t go if you are in a hurry or want to hang out; just get your hot chocolate and head out
–maybe a mile from Braddock Metro and there are buses from other stations
The long:
I went over to this ACKC location b/​c I had never been to Del Ray and wanted to check it out. It was a really nice day, so I decided to walk over from the Braddock Road Metro stop. Nice and quiet street, but really not as cute or quirky as I had expected. I got to ACKC and it is tiny! It was packed, but there were probably only a dozen people/​kids inside.
The two people working there were in a seemingly unnecessary frenzy, which amounted to service on the slow side w/​lots of talking. They were pretty friendly, though. I couldn’t stand anywhere too long w/​o being in someone’s way. The décor was quite uneventful and I wouldn’t have wanted to hang out there; I just wanted to use my groupon and walk back to the Metro.
About three people in front me took over 10 min. A couple people got to cut the line; not sure why. Then another delay b/​c the espresso-​looking machine had to be flushed out or something; took a few minutes. I was really wondering if was all worth it; a couple people left the line… I decided to stick it out. Totally ignored for a few more minutes…
Then I finally got to order! I ordered a bunch of macarons and a Ginger hot chocolate diva. B/​c of the wait, the woman helping me gave me extra macarons and a larger hot chocolate than I had ordered. As my order was being made. another delay for the people behind me… they had run out of milk!
Sooo, not exactly the most efficiently run establishment. Not that easy to get to sans car. Area was not that impressive. My hot chocolate which was supposed to be «ginger wasabi w/​dark chocolate» did not seem to have any ginger wasabi. BUT… it was very good hot chocolate. And the macarons… although seriously tiny… are delicious!

This place is simply heaven for chocolate lovers, which I am. The boyfriend and I were searching for a place to get some dessert one night, and based on the reviews here, we headed that way. We went a night, so parking of course was a little easier, but I would put my flashers on and park myself outside of here if I couldn’t find a space.
First of all, the two girls working could not have been sweeter. They explained the whole menu and everything without even being asked. They offered their own suggestions as well. I got the Marilyn, dark chocolate and raspberry hot cocoa… yum. My boyfriend got the Charro in milkshake form, and they even added some mini marshmallows since he was waffling between one with marshmallows and one with out. I picked up a few of their pocket bars and am working my way through them. And yum.
Del Ray is such a great area to begin with and this place will definitely continue to be one of my faves.

this place is street parking but i didn’t have a problem finding parking.
the chocolate and salted caramel were good. i also got the brownie ice cream sundae, which was good.
they have a sundae topping bar which is unlimited.
i would probably make another trip out here soon.

3.5 — Well, it’s not Kingsbury Chocolates any more, it’s ACKC, so it had to be different. I was just being hopeful, wishing maybe some things would still be the same, but they weren’t. Don’t get me wrong now, ACKC is a cute chocolate shop with spunky décor. It even seems like an alright spot to grab of cup of coffee (or hot coco according to other reviews) and fiddle away on your laptop.
Kingsbury though, back when it was on King St., was something else. It had that small door that one could often miss if not paying close attention, and when you opened that door, you knew from the chocolate scented rush of air you were in a chocolate heaven. A very quaint chocolate heaven.
Although no longer Kingsbury, I would still love to revisit this shop, especially in the winter when it would be more appropriate to have this amazing hot coco I hear of.
You can definitely pass up on the mini cupcakes. I had the red velvet and the carrot, both of which are traditionally frosted with cream cheese but were not here. The red velvet cake was just «alright» and the carrot was decent. Nothing to rave about. Besides, you come here for the CHOCOLATE. With my love for spice and need for sweets, the spicy chocolate truffle seemed like the way to go. Since I believe it needed a little more of a kick to it, this spicy truffle gets an «okay» in my book.
Gah! How could I forget to mention this earlier: Outdoor seating! If I’m not mistaken, the area is covered as well. So if it’s not stain-​your-​arm-​pits-​hot outside, it looked like a very relaxed place to sit back.
ACKC: In the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, «I’ll be BACK!» (to destroy some macaroons and truffles.)

Yes, this is a chocolate bar. They have ice cream, but go for the hot coco or truffles. They have a nice side patio during the day and have decorated the place with art by local artists. You can by the art right off the wall if you want to. Go and eat chocolate — you can’t go wrong here.

**3.75 stars**
So today I cheated on my sweet love…
I took another mistress, a «part-​time lovaaaaaaaah»
Sing it Stevie Wonder!
Yes, I cheated and I wanted to use this forum to come clean…
I had forgotten that my sweet lover, my Dairy Godmother wasn’t open on Tuesdays… and I fell into the arms of another sweet thing, another sweet lover…
She is dark, silky, lovely and full of cocoa treats that have won me over…
What would my other sweet love say if she knew I had taken a lover just a few blocks down from her, on the SAME street? I’m sure that after all the pulled hair, scratches and yelling they would fall for each other…
It’s okay, I love you both… each for different reasons. There’s a place in my belly for each of you. And ACKC Cocoa Bar, you now own a little bit of real estate in my fat belly… a belly shared by my frozen custard lover and my other DC love Locolat…
I love you all my sweet temptresses… so don’t fret… there’s plenty of this fat boy to go ’round for you all. Just keep the sweet treats flowing and continue to love me no matter how fat I become. Fat means more of me, which means more for you… and then more of you will make me even bigger. Oh this lovely codependent relationship… who wouldn’t love to take on this sweetness?
ACKC Cocoa Bar is neatly decorated with artwork, stained glass and tables created by the owner. The staff at ACKC was a lone young lady who was so friendly to the boss lady and our two monkeys. She happily shared sample of their ice cream (we had gone to Del Ray for ice cream and I wanted ice cream dammit!!) and was one of THE nicest people I have ever met!
My wife and this young lady chatted for quite awhile while the monkeys ran around the shop marveling at all the candy and «kah-​ko-​leh» (chocolate) in the display cases and on the shelves. As I snapped up some pix to post on Unilocal,I couldn’t help but marvel at their variety of chocolates…
We had some ice cream (toasted coconut) and the wife indulged and shared some delicious macarons. The ice cream was tasty, an okay substitute but no replacement for the Dairy Godmother. The chocolate selection was AMAZING and I did my best to control my drooling.
What made this place outstanding was the kind young woman behind the counter who filled us in on some upcoming events and tastings. She treated the boys to some tasty treats and happily engaged them in some playful games with a little desk bell. Apparently ACKC gives free ice cream to local students that get more than four A’s on their report card and often have free tasting of chocolate or pastries to people on their email mailing list.
The wife signed up for the email list and we promised to return very soon. Sometime tasty treats are made even more delicious when the service is so outstanding. Great job ACKC in finding such a wonderful person to run your store as she and your tasty treats are the main reason we’ll return. Ummm… chocolate and tasty treats…

Don’t waste your time ordering anything instead of hot chocolate. You may order something in addition to hot chocolate, but never instead of. Do you hear me? This hot chocolate is perhaps the best you will ever drink in your life.
I would also suggest ordering up a few champagne truffles to take home with you and enjoy with coffee throughout the week. This place is small, artsy, and their hot chocolate is delicious.
Also, if you have toddlers, they have mini-​cupcakes and cute tables and chairs for them to sit at to enjoy their treat. :)

I stopped in today just for the macarons, which are actually from Michel Patisserie. I got 2 of each kind offered today: passion fruit, vanilla, chocolate, pistachio. They were all AMAZING, especially the pistachio and vanilla.
We also got a 12-​truffle box and allowed the super-​friendly owner (I think he was the owner) pick his faves. He did a great job. I just finished a toffee one and one that seemed to have some candied ginger on top. SO good. I wish we’d gotten the tiramisu candy too. Meh, next time — cuz there WILL be a next time.
I love Del Ray and will be back a lot this Spring and Summer, even during my work lunches, like today. I’ll definitely stop by ACKC for dessert each time :)