Chocolat Restaurant Lounge

This was my first time here and I must say it was not a good experience. The waitress seemed confused and careless. We waited over a hour and a half for our food. This was after the 30+ minutes it took to get the drinks. So by the time the food came we were on our 2^nd and 3^rd drink. The price is ridiculous for the food and serving size. It tasted ok… but not worth the price at all. I’m sorry but me and my friends will not be returning for dinner. Might try brunch and that’s a big MIGHT!

Visiting from out of town and wanted to go to a hip local spot in Harlem. A friend of mine took me to Chocolat and it was the best experience that I had in NYC. Service was efficient (Sunday brunch around 1), the music was great, and the atmosphere of diners was magnetic. If it didn’t get so cold in NYC, this restaurant alone made me want to move here. Oh and the food was great! I have a few dining accommodations and the staff was very happy to comply. :)

The food was great! A little expensive but it was good. We had a good waiter named Jose who was very professional, it was a little dissapointing that you couldn’t substitute some of the sides, especially for what we were paying. Also you couldn’t even substitute the parts of the chicken. White meat prefered even if we had to pay more. Drinks were subpar. 3 out of 4 of us cleaned our plates. Portions were ok, enough no doggie bag going home. Lol. I would like to try the brunch or the happy hour. Nice place, could be cleaner. Nothing to write home about.

I’ve been here twice and both times I’ve walked away completely satisfied and happy. The shrimp & grits is fantastic. Their drinks are pretty good too. I love the vibe in this place, so welcoming and down to earth with good music in the background. The plus is it’s Black-owned.Really proud of that and plan to support always.

Great brunch place, the red velvet chicken and waffles are amazing! The staff is attentive and friendly and the atmosphere is enjoyable. The outdoor seating is great in the summer, especially with a big group.

The food was not the best but the hostess and our waitress were very kind. The music was very loud and that made it hard to talk to my friends.

Waited nearly 30mins after we were dates for someone to say one word to us. We literally didn’t know who our waiter was the first half of our visit. A couple at the next table over sat down almost 10mins after us and ate and left way before we did.
The food was awesome! Just wish it would not have taken so long for someone to take our order.

Went in for an early dinner (5pm on a Saturday) it’s really pretty, good music playing and our server was attentive. However I will never return, the food was blah & over priced. $ 18 for mac & cheese really???, short ribs sliders ok, steak dry, my sister loved her lamb chops. But for $ 181 bucks for 3 entrée’s 3 drinks, I would have expected to be impressed NOT.

Positive:
Food and most staff are great, a little pricey for atmosphere, but it’s worth it. Great brunch experience too.
Negative:
Overhead music selections can be somewhat Gettofab, raunchy and offensive. day (smh) or night. Definitely wouldn’t bring an elder or family unless there’s a guarantee that the music will be censored.
Recommendation for Mr. L and Ms K:
You guys have come a long way and may you have continued success. Keep your standards high and don’t settle for less. WE deserve a classy spot with standards at all times! The community will appreciate it. For those who would like an uncensored environment should try Mocha across the street or expect to pay a premium on peak days/​nights at Chocalat for no censorship.
There’s a time and place for everything.
Note: I love my Mocha moments too to say the least.

The food was great oi had the jerkk chicken the décor was nice haven’t tryed the night lounge yet

I really wanted to like this place but I simply can’t. I made reservations came on time, one host took my name started setting up the table but another host came and asked who i was how many etc. She gave an attitude and got one back which I guess she wasn’t used to.
Our waitress was very sweet and attentive. We ordered drinks and appetizers and sat over an hour for some Damn shrimp and grits and penne a la vodka. Service like this is horrible especially since the restaurant isn’t crowded. I won’t be back and deff won’t recommend this place.

Service was mediocre and the food could simply be described as okay. Nothing about the service or the food really left a lasting impression with me. My hubby took me here for my birthday and had made reservations. We walked in and the young lady at the desk was looking down playing with her phone. Took her about 40 seconds to acknowledge us and look up from the phone. I guess this was not her place of employment and we were interrupting something important. Regardless, she greeted us pleasantly asked if we had reservations and escorted us to a table.
I liked the overall décor and layout of the establishment. It took a while after we placed our order for the food to reach our table, about 30 minutes. Honestly by time my food came I had already forgotten what I had ordered. Our waitress was pleasant enough but hard to find when we needed anything, guess she was busy. I ordered a slice of cheese cake for dessert and waited another 20 minutes for it to reach my table. Service was so slow my hubby who is usually pretty laid back and patient kept turning around asking «Where is this girl at?» referring to the waitress with the cheese cake we had ordered. 20 minutes for a slice of cheesecake, unheard of, I thought it was already pre-​made but I guess not. We spent more timing waiting than we did eating. Would I return? More than likely not, this restaurant wouldn’t be my first, second or even my third choice.
I also forgot to mention… absolutely no substitutes, whatever the menu said your meal comes with that’s what you are getting. I would have been comfortable even if I could substitute for an additional charge, but no. I wanted to substitute my white rice for mash potatoes, the waitresses gave me a big smile and said «Am sorry, no substitutes» very interesting. Without changing gears the waitress said «But you can order a side of mash potatoes if you want, would you like to do that?» This is the first restaurant I have been to that does not allow its customer to substitute. Kind of backward if you ask me.

I was impressed when I came here with my cousin and her friend. The red velvet pancakes were amazing. The service was top notch as well :)

I enjoyed this spot. Went here for my husband’s birthday and the waitress was attentive and the food was very good. We saw another group of people that came in and sat down and they started to complain about the prices. Unfortunately, they ended up leaving.
I don’t know what they expected. I find that many will pay for restaurants further downtown but for some reason uptown, they want a bargain meal.
For bargain meals, go to BBQs. I want ambiance, good food and drinks.
Chocolat fit the bill for me. We will return soon.

Wow! I was impressed by this brunch location.
Food was great — we got the
— famous red velvet pancakes and chicken: amazing!!!
— Eggs benedict: satisfactory!!! It came with the best house potatoes that I’ve had in the past year. The complimentary salad was ignored because I don’t do fitfam at brunch
— bellini: this was bomb!
Next time I’m here I’m ordering the red velvet pancakes against and the bottomless mimosa ($ 14). Brunch runs until 4pm.
Service is OK here — the waitresses are good looking ;)
Also, I learned that this is a black-​owned business and I’m here for all of that!!! Will stop by next time in Harlem.

I came here 2 days ago to celebrate my friend’s birthday and the food definitely lived up to the hype i’ve been hearing. This was my first time here and I must say that I was very pleased.
My friend made reservations so we had to wait until the whole party showed up before we can head to our seats. The music inside was entertaining while I waited. Once we were all seated, we were in the room to the side. It was quaint for our group. The seats were a bit low though.
The food was delicious and filling. We ordered the calamari and ribs as appetizers. As we waited, the drinks were terrific! I ordered the Blue Chocolate Iced Tea! I definitely recommend this drink but it does cost $ 14. Its great! We all ordered different entrees and we were all satisfied. The food was soooo delicious! I definitely do not mind to come back here from NJ. Fair warning, the prices are high. The waiters were attentive and quick. Everyone in the group enjoyed the atmosphere. They have televisions so we were able to watch the basketball game and the music was to everyone’s liking. We brought our own cupcakes (The restaurant charges $ 25 for bringing outside deserts) but the staff held it in the kitchen and they were nice enough to put candles in it and sing Happy Birthday! It was very nice…
Cons– The parking situation is frustrating. There is a parking garage down the block but I was fortunate enough to find street parking. The party was delayed because it took so long to find parking. Not everyone wanted to pay the parking garage.
When I first arrived, a few of the staff were conversating by the entrance and could have been a bit more professional since customers were coming in.
Despite the few cons, I had a very good time. My friend enjoyed her birthday there and was very pleased. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone. The food was excellent and I loved the drinks. I would have given this place 5 stars if the parking wasn’t such a problem.smh.

Only one word. Sara. She is the sweetest and always makes me and my girls feel welcomed. It’s such a laid back environment and good music. Best dish is the Southern fried chicken and that Godiva chocolate cheesecake is everything. This is gonna be my spot for a looooong time… #iheartchocolat

I have mixed feeling about this place. My family and I celebrated my 35^th Birthday here. I was referred by a co worker and read up on a few reviews. I kinda knew what to expect as far as atmosphere, wait time and food. We went for Brunch.
The Pros: Our wait time wasn’t long, 30 mins. My party of 8, was put in a private area. We had wonderful service. Food was alllll that honey! Grits (with chedder, smoked applewood bacon), are definitely a Favorite for this place.
The Cons: It’s the middle of the day and the music is boooming and uncensored. Kids are eating in the mist of it all. Waiting for food is a bit longer than expected, but at lease its hot when it arrives. Food does not all come out together, you will find some of your party waiting for food while others are half way done.

Absolutely go there if you want to hang around Basketball wives wannabe, wait forever to have mediocre food, watered down drinks and over priced everything.
The fried chicken was very oily. The «red velvet» pancake were okay, I’m sure they were probably just dyed red.
Unlimited mimosa: okay cool but they might as well just say unlimited orange juice.
The chocolate cake tasted like it had stayed in the oven too long.
Our brunch bill came to $ 100 plus tip for 2 people. Some places can justify that kind of price but not Chocolat!

The good: What a nice place to dine in the ever-​changing Harlem to… grab dinner, go on a date, celebrate a birthday, or enjoy a girls night out! Dimly lit and music was on point.
The bad: My one disappointment is the fact that they advertise a free drink/​cocktail with your Unilocal check-​in. The catch is that it is one check-​in per table, which I think is bs. Also, its up to a $ 10 value (when we know damn well a decent cocktail in NYC is at least $ 12!!)
My entrée (lamb chops) was delicious but I also tried the plate of oxtail and it was too salty. Despite the over-​seasoning with that one particular dish it was an overall nice experience. I would eat there again.