Chocolat Cafe (Beattyville, KY)

The family-owned Chocolat Cafe near Beattyville, Kentucky, specializes in house-made chocolate bars, delicious pastries, and coffee!

By: Alisha Trenalone

For years, I've heard friends rave about the Chocolat Cafe in Beattyville, Kentucky.

"The desserts!" they said. It sounded like a charming and delicious stop, and happily, I was able to make my way there one fall morning to sample it for myself.

Note: While Chocolat Cafe has been a much loved sweet shop at its current home in Kentucky, the owners recently announced that they are picking up and moving their business to Rushville, Indiana, at the end of the year. So if you're in eastern Kentucky and want to visit, you only have a short time!

Finding Chocolat Cafe

The cafe has limited hours; check their website for specifics. It can (currently) be found on Highway 11, just a few minutes from downtown Beattyville.

There's not really much for seating inside the cafe, but there is a covered patio you can use if the weather's pleasant.

If you're in this area, you're also very close to Red River Gorge! We highly recommend meals at Redpoint BBQ or Miguel's, along with hiking at Hanson's Point and Rockbridge Trail.

Pastries + Chocolate

The pastry display case is full of goodies when you walk in (the earlier in the day, the more choices!). Each morning, a new post on their Facebook page is teeming with all the enticing options for the day.

It can be a little hard to settle on just one item, but I went for an almond pastry that was flaky and full of flavor, along with an Americano. (They roast their own coffee.) It was the perfect midday break.

The friends I was with ordered a piece of chocolate mousse cake, and kindly let me sample it. It was amazing – decadent but not overwhelmingly rich.

In view of the name, I couldn't leave without buying at least one chocolate bar. There are a variety of blends and flavors, many of them with the origin of the cacao clearly labeled.

I picked a 75 percent cacao bourbon dark chocolate and took it home to share with family.

I loved the artisan look of the stamped bar. And the taste was delicious: the bourbon flavoring seemed very subtle, but if you like your chocolate dark (I do!) with a nicely balanced bittersweet taste, this is a perfect pick.