Whenever we are near the Castle District’s Hattyú Street, we always visit Pékműhely, and Café Flore also became a staple on this hilly lane of Buda, in the mornings and afternoons as well. For beers, there’s Beer Company, but the area was missing a sweets-focused place. Cocó7 chocolate shop and workshop recently opened its gates; here they sell handmade specialty bonbons priced by their weight, and they also make French desserts. Hot chocolate is a fall favorite, and their version is simple, but great. And because they have an open workshop, we can even watch the magic happen from the street.

The story of Bernadett, the owner, is one of those people who left their original field of occupation to pursue her true passion. She has a degree in liberal arts, and after graduating, she spent all of her time with her family – she raises seven children (that’s where the “7” in the name comes from), and meanwhile she realized that she’s not only a fan of eating chocolate, but that she also likes to work with it. She took several workshops and trainings, got familiar with top-quality chocolates, and over the years she realized that chocolate-making is her calling. We are pretty envious of the family, who were certainly happy to assist as test subjects.

Cocó7 doesn’t stand for coconut or chocolate – this is Bernadett’s nickname. It took half a year to get everything ready; the venue used to be a run-down pub, but it’s very hard to recognize this now, as it’s very bright inside due to all of the glass surfaces, so there’s not a trace left of the previous place. The open workshop is a great idea; Cake Shop and Chez Dodo on the Pest side also work like that. Those who like sweet treats and are interested in how they are made can stand in front of the window and watch for hours. For example, when it comes to chocolate, a tempering machine operation is pretty interesting. And those who can stand to only look as the thick, sweet chocolate paste is being stirred and formed, well, good for them. One can’t resist entering and tasting these flavors.

The larger half of the shop is where the workshop is, while the smaller one is where we can buy bonbons, desserts, Italian coffee, and hot chocolate. We tried the hot drink first (540 forints) which is made from really great-quality chocolate, and we were happy to taste the not-too-sweet drink, in which cocoa dominates the flavor. Instead of a pudding-like consistency, expect a “chocolate milk” – the best kind. They also serve it with lactose-free milk. French-style mousses, small cakes, and other desserts line up in the counter; they are chilling at 19 degrees Celsius, and will achieve their perfect consistency by the time we get home with them. Their prices start from 400 forints.

The other counter is filled with bonbons of various shapes, colors, and flavors in rows. Belgian beer, orange and cinnamon, red wine and raspberry, passion fruit, coffee, citrus, salted caramel, and plum pálinka are just a few of the flavors. Instead of individual prices, they are priced by weight: the bonbons are all 2,200 forints per 10 decagrams, while the chocolate logs are 1,100 forints.

They also make pastries in the morning; the mini Bundt cakes were just out of the oven when we arrived. We recommend Cocó7 for eating chocolate, drinking a quick coffee, and a little staring.

Address: Budapest 1015, Hattyú utca 1
Opening hours: Monday-Friday: 10am – 6pm, Saturday: 10am – 2pm
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