Cacao

I believe we had the lemon banana and the meringue key lime tart.
I wouldn’t say it was something to write home about, but they ran for about $ 5 a piece. Not something I would buy again, but this store is worth visiting again to try the other assorted selections.

Their chocolates and macarons are where it’s at!
The macarons are delicately flavored and have an excellent texture. They have a nice level of sweetness too, enough to satisfy a sweet tooth, without being piercing. The flavors seem to be different each time I’m there, but I’m always glad to catch the lavender and pistachio.
Price-​wise, their chocolates are comparable to Godiva’s, but that’s where the similarities end. Their caramels are incredible and have a flowing texture and that burnt-​sugar, homemade flavor. Yum…
Oftentimes, white and milk chocolate taste cloying to me, but not these. The flavors are often a little unusual and always well-​balanced.
I haven’t tried their pastries yet, but I’m eager to!

A wide variety of sweets (macarons, pastries, flavored chocolate truffle squares, and dipped chocolate items). Within each category, the selection is nice, but not huge. For example, the dipped chocolate items (milk and dark) included pretzels, marshmallows, apricots, ginger, and mango. The staff was really nice. The truffles were good — I really liked the mint green tea flavor. It was like having my breakfast tea and chocolate, all in one lovely bite.
The downside was the pastry I bought. There was only one chocolate pastry, chocolate bread pudding, so I tried it. To go, although the seating outside is plentiful and well covered from the rain. The raspberries on top were fresh and tasted great. The chocolate bread pudding was dry and did not taste like chocolate. Dry bread pudding is just wrong.
Some minor issues: I do not love the pedestrian/​car chaos of Bethesda Row. While driving out of the garage under cacoa, two peds literally walked into our car. Also, I tried to find the store’s hours before going, but their web site has been under maintenance for days.

Went in again last week and, of course (sigh), they don’t have the dark choc dipped lemon peel that I have asked for EVERY OTHER WEEK FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS!!!
There’s always someone new behind the counter so the new person tried to explain that because they were moving their chocolate factory, — um… that’s why they were out of it… uh…um…
NO… IT ISN’T!
I gave a (very) brief history of how I’m in there ALL the time and they NEVER have it in stock and, — (I kid u not), — the new sales lady replied, «yeah, we only stock 2 – 3 boxes and they sell out very quickly»…
Well, I replied, — «if that’s the case WHY DON’T YOU ORDER MORE’???
no reply to that one…
the only reason this place gets 2 stars instead of 1 is the quality of what the DO have in stock is excellent…
as other Unilocalers have noted, — the customer service here is well-​meaning but you know what they say about «the road to hell…»
(«…is paved with GOOD intentions»!!!)

Cacao is how I imagine a small little shop in Paris would be. The place is tiny, but packed with various high quality sweets and goodies that are mellifluous but not tooth achingly sugary. As per all the suggestions, I tried their macarons, which were wonderful and delicate. I also decided to buy one of their small cakes to share with Eating Partner later; and it made the best dessert to end a magical meal.
I would love to try their hot chocolate and coffee some time! A regular had stopped by that night and raved about their drinks.

What a delightful Parisian Patisserie hidden away in Bethesda. I go to Paris annually and the macaroons and chocolates here are as good as La Duree in Paris. I thought everything was reasonably priced here too. Craving a French pastry?. Need a café au lait?. Well, you can find that here as well. Charming place!

All I really have to say is holy macaron-​i. These macarons were fantastic. Light, delectable, and oh so heavenly. I’m not a huge sweets gal but these little bite sized treats were perfect. Not too sweet, not too heavy. Juuuust right. They have an array of flavors to pick from which made it difficult for me to decide on which flavors to include in my box set. I’ve only had the hazelnut and pistachio ones so far, I can’t wait to get into the rest when I feature them at a party I’m hosting!
The shop is really small but it’s nestled in a cute shopping area with benches you can sit and enjoy your macarons.

Food/​Cost: (3.75÷5) Cacao’s Almond Croissant (~$ 2) is awesome. I loved it. I just ate it yesterday and thinking about it now makes me want another. The body was buttery and flakey and the almond filling both on top and inside were distinctly almond and delicious. I also purchased a Berry Bliss cake ($ 4.95), which was lovely as well. Between the fruits on top, cake, fruit jelly, and cream, there were so many layers to the cake I just had to stop and count — 6 total, I think. The crunch of the coconut on the bottom-​most layer was a nice touch. As an amateur baker who once ended up with only a handful of proper macarons after a whole day’s work, I just had to try Cacao’s French Macaron’s ($ 1.50/each) and ended up with a Raspberry one. It was good, but not the best I’ve had as it was a bit too chewy and moist. Basically, not light enough. I appreciated its relatively large size though. Actually, the portions at Cacao are actually quite large for a bakery. Ultimately, I highly recommend the Almond Croissant here — it’s s steal for the price; the other treats are good as well, though not spectacular.
Ambiance: (3.5÷5) The tiny shop is cute and there’s a lot to look at here due to all the brightly colored sweets everywhere. However, know that they have no seating, just the tinniest of a wooden, fold-​out table and 2 chairs in the front. Cacao is where you go to pick up a sweet to eat elsewhere. Which leads me to my next point. As almost all orders here will be packaged, they need to work on their packaging here. Other than the boxes that are stickered shut with a gold Cacao sticker, the other packaging materials here like the paper and plastic bags look and feel cheap, and don’t even have «Cacao» printed on it. It lowered the overall feeling of quality in my purchase, which I did not appreciate.
Location: (⁵⁄₅) Please note that the map currently on Cacao’s website is incorrect as to the location of Cacao. It is actually located in the Bethesda Row Shopping Complex, and on the end of Bethesda Lane, which is a people-​only alleyway within the block demarcated by Bethesda Avenue on the south, Arlington Road on the west, Elm Street on the north, and Hager Lane on the east. You’ll find it across from Le Pain Quotiden. The Lane itself is adorable, with stone walkways and ambiance that made me think of Paris or Italy. There are shops and restaurants aplenty. I came here via the Bethesda metro stop, which is a comfortable 10 minute stroll away. For those with cars, the Elm parking structure is right around the corner. Great area.
Service: (⁴⁄₅) The girl working behind the counter was great. She was patient and gave me some space when I told here I needed a minute to deliberate my purchase choices. She also processed my LivingSocial coupon smoothly and sent me on my way with a bright smile.
Overall: (3.75÷5) I wish I lived close by because I would come here for their breakfast pastries without hesitation. They have a lot of yummy-​looking cakes, macarons, and chocolates to choose from as well. Though I wasn’t terribly impressed with the ones that I got on my visit, they were pleasing enough for me to want to try the plethora of other sweet temptations here.

This review is for the macarons only:
Having become a self-​proclaimed expert on french macarons (or at least eating them), I have to say that I, nor my daughters (junior experts on the subject), were at all impressed with the cookies at Cacao.
After sampling macarons at many bakeries/​pastry shops in NYC recently, I think I have become spoiled at the quality that I experienced up there at a few places. They changed my outlook on the whole macaron concept (all of my finest experiences were at places where the macarons were stored in a refrigerated case. Once they came to room temperature it was cookie perfection). I would have generally been so happy to see macarons in the D.C. area that the quality wouldn’t have mattered much, after all these are tasty cookies in the most basic sense.
Now though, I am more critical. With that said, these were just A-​OK. If you aren’t picky about macarons, you will probably enjoy them.

To summarize this establishment in one word, I would have to say that it is «inconsistent.» Unfortunately, I have developed an addiction to their delicious little macarons, and have found that the quality of both the cookie, and the service, fluctuate day-​by-​day. Some days the macarons melt-​in-​my-​mouth, and other days they are rubbery and dry (sitting on the counter too long, perhaps?) Likewise, I have been served watery espresso with coffee grinds floating on the top, as well as perfectly strong, adequate espresso. What is perhaps the most frustrating part of my collective experience (and what has driven me to this lukewarm review), is that I have sent feedback directly to Management, and received no acknowledgment or response.
Oh Cacao. I keep giving you second, and third, and fourth chances, because when you are good, you are really good. But buyer beware…

It was my BFF’s solo art show in Baltimore. To do a little something different then the usual cheese and wine, she asked if I could order macarons. Always eager to help out I did a quick check on Unilocal,and did a confirmation with my own personal «Queen of Macaron» expert, Alicia G, and decided upon Cacao.
I called ahead to place my somewhat large order. Then the day before the show, I called again to confirm. When I called to confirm, the lady on the phone had no idea what order I was speaking of, but offered to take my order again. Realizing that I’m placing the same order a second time (and boy, and I so glad that I called to confirm!), and knowing how tight my schedule is, I tell her that the order needs to be ready by 3pm. I even gave her my credit card info so that she could go ahead and ring me up (although, she couldn’t tell me what the total would be, which should have been my second sign that this was not going to go well).
Of course the next day, traffic was awful and I end up not getting to Cacao until 3:15. I walk in and I tell the sales lady that I was here to pick up my order… to which she replied «oh yes, I *just* saw this order, so I’ll pull it together now…»
I think at this point my eyes started to glow red. I was running late, and after calling TWICE and telling the lady the day before that it *had* to be ready… it wasn’t ready. I can’t remember *exactly* what I said, but I’m sure whatever it was that I said, has earned me an extra eon in Purgatory. This was not my finest moment.
The sales lady took so long that I ached to just reach over the glass and do it myself. I then noticed that the box that she was using to put my order of macarons in, was an old, stained white box (with marker notations on it — basically a box that was used for a previous order or delivery)! I’m paying $ 1.50/macaron (and these cookies were only an inch wide!) and I can’t even get a decent box? I was hoping to display the macarons in the box, but there was no way I could use this ragged, stained box! I asked her if she had any other box that she could use, but they were all the same — obviously a previously used box. Not pleased. As the sales lady continued to work on my order, she took forever counting. Instead of multiplying the 9 macarons per row and by the number of rows across — she took the time to count. EACH. ONE. Almost 15 minutes later, she’s about to hand me my order when I had to stop her — the amount wasn’t right! So I asked her again how many macarons was she giving me — only to find out that the lady who took my order yesterday, wrote down the wrong amount! ARGH! Another 15 minutes later (and I’m 45 minutes late at this point), I walk out with my macarons, but seething with each step. ONLY because the sales lady, although slow, was indeed trying hard to rectify the situation, and because I was running so late, that I didn’t try to get the owner on the phone so I could tear them a new one.
I get in the car, and now hit even more traffic, as it’s rush hour (which is what I was trying to avoid with a 3pm pick up!). I’m sitting in the car, fuming and getting so angry over how late I am, that I’m on the verge of tears. As I’m a stress-​eater, I reached over the box, and grabbed a lavender macaron, and had a bite. It was surprisingly delicious! Although a little overly sweet for my own personal tastes, I was surprised to find how pleasant the lavender macarons were — especially as I intensely dislike floral flavored foods (if you’ve worked in a florist, you’ll know why). I ate a few more (OK, over a dozen more), and each flavor was as unique and intense as the lavender.
Although too sweet for me, I did enjoy the macarons. However, when I think of the hassle, the price, and the poor quality of packaging (which is very strange), I would be hard pressed to come back.

Stop by for the free samples. Or…
Enjoy the artistic dessert displays. Or…
Be blown away by the delectable treats. Worth the money. Enjoy them outside atop the beautiful Bethesda Lane cobblestone.
MUSTS
–Coffee, hazelnut, or pistachio macarons.
–Sadly, I do not know the name of this, but it had peanut butter in it and had a large flat piece of chocolate as a wall on it.
–I liked all the items shaped in an oval with long sides.
You can see I don’t usually have fancy chocolates but I liked this place so much that I am describing the way the treats looked just so you can try them.
Please go here. I hardly ever see this place full with customers and I never want it to leave!

I have a new love (akin to the rise of macarons in NYC) for macarons ever since I tasted one at a little shop in the East Village. I thought I’d try one of these and oddly enough a box of 6 wrapped in a ribbon bow was slightly cheaper than individuals. The initial bite into the macaron is what it should be, a deceptively soft «cookie» after an initial thin crust, and then the flavorful creamy inside. They are a little on the sweet side in comparison to my other experience. I enjoyed the flavors, lavender, a classic rose water flavor, chocolate.
As for the chocolate, it was so so. I guess I didn’t know what they were going for or maybe I’m used to more exotic flavors. But they are one of the few places I’ve noted that actually makes the chocolate they sell. That much makes it a place I’m going to return to while I’m in the area.

***pastry & hot chocolate review***
Opted for a napolean, a croissant, and some hot chocolate. I was expecting a hot chocolate similar to Locolat — this was NOT the case at all. It had a sour aftertaste and was not made to order. It is also not really a hot chocolate, but more a hot cocoa as in being made from chocolate powder. I’m sure it’s probably a very high quality powder, but I just didn’t like the chalky texture.
The croissant was just ok.
The napolean had way too thick a layer of the white «frosting» and did not have that professional pastry chef appearance, more like pastry apprentice 1^st week. Additionally, the pastry cream was a bit pasty. I got the impression it was not made that day, and napoleans don’t work that way. They *must* be made fresh daily. If you want the best napoleans in the area, go to Stella’s bakery.
I’m gonna try the chocolates next time since I would assume that is the shop’s forte.

I stopped by here over the weekend to to try Cacoa’s infamous macarons.
First off, the store is small but cozy, clean and filled with dainty baked goods and sweets. In fact, some of the treats on display were so beautiful, I wouldn’t even want to eat them.
I must also say that although I’m not a huge fan of macarons, I can still appreciate the quality of the macarons here. Generally, macarons are a little too sweet for my taste, as was the case when I tried the banana macaron and the complimentary pumpkin macaron.
Both were moist, light and fresh. The colors of each popped, but without looking too artificial. They even offer a rose flavor that I found intriguing. I decided to play it safe this time, but will most likely try that one in the future.
Additional, the service was wonderful. The two employees that were working behind the counter were extremely pleasant, patient and friendly. Truly service with a smile.

The macaroons are absolutely divine. Not too sweet, not too small, not too big, creamy but not annoyingly so. Just perfection.
Also, the dark chocolate truffle is a must for any dark chocolate lover.

The macarons here might just actually be better than the ones at Miette in San Francisco’s Ferry Building. Now –that’s– high praise.
How do I describe these little morsels of deliciousness? First off, the presentation in the case and in a box (should you purchase in bulk) is superb. Each flavor has a distinctive color. The texturing is absolutely ideal, with a flaky crust on the outside, moist cakey interior to the cookie bits, and a smooth, light, whipped cream in the center. From the mouthfeel to the flavor, it’s all balanced impeccably.
These will cost you a pretty penny, however. For $ 1.50 apiece, or $ 8 for six, these are worth every penny.
Plus, Cacao offers an assortment of other mouthwateringly-​beautiful dessert items, as well as a whole array of chocolate truffles (although I personally think the ones at Candy Kitchen in Frederick are cuter).
Based on a single visit, this is one joint I’d rather make a visit to over ACKC.

I think this photo speaks for itself:
Yeah. You need to get the macarons. I bought a box of 6 for $ 8 and let me tell you they were worth every penny. The woman also gave me a free «flavor of the day» macaron which happened to be gingerbread.
My favorite is the raspberry. (The other flavors I had were orange, chocolate, green tea, lavender and lemon.) When asked if they’d have PUMPKIN macarons, she said yes — closer to November. Hell-​freakin-​yeah! If they’re anything as good as the other flavors, my waistline is in SO much trouble.

Cacao may be chocolate heaven for some, but for me it’s macaron paradise. I popped in thinking I’d get a tasty pastry to nibble on with a nice, hot cup of tea back home. Sadly, their pastries did not arrive this morning. Then I spied them in a shrine on the counter: A rainbow of French macarons!
How could I choose just one? Well this little piggy that went to the market did not. These 2″ goodies are $ 1.75 each, but I opted for the 5 pack for $ 7.00. Indulgent, yes. Worth it? YES! I choose the hazelnut, pistachio, lavender, mango and chocolate (Employee’s choice). I had the mango and fell in love, then I cheated on it with the lavender. Oh how easily one can be replaced! They are to die for! I may be a piggy, but I can hold off on the others… at least for 45 minutes.
Also, their hot chocolate is like drinking melted chocolate. Thick and creamy goodness is what it is. Pastry chef Jacques Poulain is an artist! I’ve had his truffles, but his macarons have captured my heart.
Je suis amoureux de toi!

Dear Chocolatier/​Pastry Chef Jacques Poulain,
I love your works of art but it is making me very fat. Ever since my boyfriend brought home your napoleon dessert I have been in love and have been getting something from your store at least twice a week.
Every bite of your creations is addictively delicious, especially your tiramisu, vanilla macaroons, and roasted Hawaiian macadamia nut cream.
I have been making an effort everyday coming home to avoid your store, but you have upped your temptation with chairs and tables outside! Today, I could not help myself but indulge in guilty pleasure of eating your desserts.
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Dear fellow Unilocalers,
If you are dining in the Bethesda area and Cacao is still open, skip dessert and head down there. You will be paying the same price for a tastier, delicious treat.