Chocolatl

My son saw the reviews for this and we stopped in while visiting in Amsterdam. I thought I was going in just to get some good chocolate to take back to the U.S.. When I saw there were not piles of chocolates under glass like the rest of the chocolate shops I was disappointed. What a HUGE surprise an hour later of nothing but pleasure and fun to discover this is far and away the best chocolate shop anywhere, any time. The proprietors of the shop Adil and his lovely wife know more about chocolate than anyone I have met. I am a chocoholic and arrived thinking that I knew a fair amount about chocolate. It turns out I knew nothing. I never knew the cocoa beans were so different, that the way they are roasted is crucial to taste, the time and amount of heat crucial, the region where the beans are from and the company and country who roasts the beans, all crucial to the taste. Dark and light chocolate, one being better for you than the other is more about the roasting not the darkness… this is great news for those of us who love milk chocolate… it too can be healthy and healthier than dark that is not roasted a certain way. Advil takes all the time you need, as you sample the nibs of chocolates from all over the world and really learn how complex, fun and interesting chocolate is. After dozens of tastings it became clear I love chocolate from Madagascar roasted at a certain, heat, for averting length of time by a particular company. Like wine and coffee, there is a complex art and a great deal of knowledge to be learned about chocolate and Adil is generous with both his time and knowledge. I left with a bag full of delicious bars! It was one of the unexpected highlights of our visit to Amsterdam. I will always return to this wonderful shop! Do not miss this!

Chocolate buying experience before Chocolatl:
Buy bread, eggs, milk.
Pass by the chocolate section on the way to the checkout counter
Say no to yourself because the grocery store stuff has too much sugar
Gawk at the little generic chocolate bars while waiting in line at the checkout counter
Pick one
Chocolate buying experience after Chocolatl:
Walk in, hoping to find that cardamom flavored white chocolate bar you last tried
Pick it up
Talk to the owner about other great flavors
Get invited to sample some
Be offered a table to sit down and sip on some tea/​coffee/​other beverage while sampling more exotic flavors and concentrations
Walk out with a bag full of only chocolates
It seriously cannot get any better than this. I love shopping here — and every time that I visit the store I immediately discover something new and even more exciting for my taste buds. Dare I say that I religiously consume about 50gms of chocolate a day?
The staff is really passionate about their chocolate love. They will make sure you keep trying new varieties until you force them to stop. On top of that, it’s really spacious — for a store that focuses mainly on chocolates from all over the world.
I will keep going back.

This minimally-​designed store in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Amsterdam has an excellent selection of organic and free trade chocolate bars, which are supplemented by a few choice other truffles and candies. Coffees and teas are served by a lovely and informational man, who is quick to offer you tastes of any chocolate in house. We had coffee, tea, and took a few elegantly wrapped bars of chocolate with us as souvenirs. The kind of discovery that you always hope to find when visiting a new city.

I’m a bit of a chocolate snob and consider chocolate bars rather than bonbons to be the apogee of chocolatemaking because it’s all about the quality and care of the process from growing cacao to getting the bars to the store. This place has among the best selections of bars I’ve seen outside of New York and London and I bought a few ones that were new to me, while noting their excellent knowledge of good stuff I have had before (a plug for a maker near where I live: Dandelion is excellent)

This is going to be hard: I must try to be not too gushing in my praise.
For the true chocolate hunter-​gatherer: enter paradise, shopping cannot get better than it is here, in this little jewel of a shop, just outside the famous «Negen Straatjes”-area. Here, everything is right: the décor, the cosy seating area in the back, the ever expanding collection of the very best, chocolate makers –literally the world over– have to offer (and, sometimes, if you happen to step in at the right moment, things that aren’t on offer yet!), and first and foremost: Erik and the girls! Take in all the bars on display. Go and collect some bars that tickle your fancy, or, perhaps even better, tell the staff what you like, and let them pick you a challenging collection. Better still: tell them what you don’t like, and be prepared to change your mind, because they will offer you to sample each and everyone of the bars they’ve picked out, and than some… and weep, when you realize you’ll have to leave at some point in time.
Umm, it seems I’ve gotten carried away slightly. This, of course, never happened to me, but heed my warning nevertheless.
So, just to recoup yourself: order a hot chocolate or a coffee, and don’t miss out on the ever evolving, life changing, homemade brownies.
What else can I say? Should I mention the eclectic beer selection? The small selection of teas? Should I recommend you ask for a couple of different bars to go with… well with anything you like, really?
Yes, I should. And they will help you find some.
These people really know their stuff, but they also know how to listen, and will not rest until you are happy with your selection. Go on, go in, you’ll never regret it!

I know I’m echoing the previous reviews in some regard but really… this is as good as it gets. I’ve walked by this store many times and nary gave it a thought until last night when three ladies very passionate and enthusiastic about chocolate woke me up. When I mentioned to Debbie that I lived nearby the store she said, «that’s dangerously close.» That wasn’t a tease nor a threat but an observation and she was right and knew it. She did say that with a grin on her face…
So…I had to check this out. Sure enough Debbie’s excitement and enthusiasm for chocolate I could feel from outside as I gazed upon her grin from outside the store. It’s a small boutique shop on a backstreet in the Jordaan area near the 9 streets on what is considered the 10^th street in addition to the 9 streets. It has all different kinds of chocolate in all the nooks and crannies as well as books about chocolate interspersed throughout. There is a coffee machine/​espresso machine and… they offer tasters. Yep yep they sure do… tasters, samples… There is a long table with seats where they hold tasting sessions for groups, prearranged for 8 – 11 people with a choice on what kind of chocolate, be it dark, milk chocolate or whatever. They also have tasting events that they advertise via their newsletter. You can sign up for the newsletter on their website.
It’s hard not to get excited about chocolate when you are in the company of people whose passion and love for it is so strong and so pure. I’m envious. Debbie had me fascinated with how much she knew and how deep her passion is for chocolate. It’s truly amazing. I wanted to know more and had/​have myriad questions but didn’t want to take up her time. She was only too glad to answer my questions. She more than answered my questions with an impressive fluidity of knowledge. Being expert in her subject she was excited that someone else was interested to hear about and learn more. I’ll just have to stop in more often to ask more questions and to learn more. I love having such a cool store so near to hang out at and to enjoy some chocolate along with an enthusiastic person sharing interesting information about it. Huge kudos to the owners of the store and to Debbie! I’ll be back.

This chocolate shop is AMAZING!
The people who work it are very passionate about chocolate. They are very hospitable as if you were house guests and not customers. They will let you sample any kind of chocolate that you want.
I went in here with my boss and he was saying that the way they were talking about the chocolate was as if they were talking about wine.
I would definitely recommend this chocolate shop if you love chocolate especially dark chocolate.

So far my only 5 star rating. My wife and I were wandering the streets of Amsterdam and stumbled across this beautiful little shop.
You walk in to this clean neatly organized utopia of CHOCOLATE and there is this kind little salesman.
The salesman/​Owner spent the better part of an hour explaining to us the nuanced differences in the chocolates he allowed us to SAMPLE. He was able to provide us with such a memorable experience and knowledge without coming close to being pretentious. He just clearly is passionate about chocolate and his joy is infectious.
He was very concerned that we went home with chocolate that we would love but truthfully I never got the sense he was trying to sell us anything. He just wanted to share his love with others. Had we left with nothing I feel he would have been happy to share his store.
When we where there at the end of May 2011 he was just getting off the ground. I was a little surprised that he did not have a Unilocal page so i made him one. I loved the experience that much.
Even if you possess a passing interest in chocolate GO TO THIS PLACE.
it will be well worth your time.