Knoops

If you like chocolate, don’t miss out on this place. We were fortunate enough to catch them before closing on a Wednesday evening. We arrived at Rye just as it turned 5pm, most of the stores was closed. Knoops closed at 6pm.
We walked in as they were cleaning up getting ready to close. The gentleman behind the bar, asked us a few simple questions on how we normally like our chocolates and within mins, our drinks were made just to our liking. I didn’t even look at the menu on the wall until after I had the drink in my hand. I had a hot chocolate drink & my partner had a chocolate milkshake. When in Rye, indulge yourself to a chocolate drink!

This establishment makes the best milkshakes I have had. Ever! You can choose between different types of chocolate with different cocoa percentages. After that you can add spices, fruits, spirits etc. We chose 34% with sea salt and 53% with orange zest. Truly wonderful. My wife stopped walking in amazement when she took her first sip. Go there. You will not regret it.

Purveyors of fine Hot Chocolate
Last time I was in Rye, this place was a small gallery. It has since been taken over and now sells amazing hot chocolate. When we went in, it had only been open a few days. They serve 3 strengths of cocoa (30, 50 and 70%) with a wide variety of flavourings. But the flavourings are all fresh, not syrups.
We ordered 70%s with chilli and orange & ginger. The owner, from Camber, suggested we start off with 50%. He blended the chocolate with freshly grated ginger before finishing it off with orange zest. Dried chilli flakes were added to the other blend. Amazing. He took the care of a cocktail waiter. At £3.50 a mug, it’s not cheap, but you are getting a quality product. He also sells coffee and hand made cookies. While chatting to him, he asked us to try is hand made marshmallows, shot through with fresh mint. Delicious.
The place is quite stark and clean. It made a nice change from all the exposed timbers and cottagey interiors of the other cafes. Knoops is supposed to be take out only, but there are a few wooden stools dotted around, and the owner spoke of getting an oversized armchair. But he’s not trying to turn it into a wifi zone hang-​out.
We returned the next day for salted hot chocolate. Addictively good.
I’d recommend everyone takes a 20min Knoops stop over.