Ah, to find yourself in Monaco… And I did! That’s where I welcomed 2024 and enjoyed the Côte d’Azur for the first few days of the year.

I was blessed with beautiful weather, which I maximised by walking everywhere. In fact, the Principality is a great destination to keep fit – you can easy get your steps in by shunning the lifts and taking the stairs in stead in this city truly built on a hill.

The walk up to the Prince’s Palace is a pretty straightforward one and a must-do, even if it’s not your first time in Monaco and particularly nearing dusk. The golden light across the harbours, most notably Fontvieille as observed from Saint-Martin Gardens, soothes the senses and the view effortlessly etches itself on your brain.

This timing wasn’t planned; in fact, I arrived too late for lunch at an Italian restaurant I had set my sights on – the service had ended before I got there. It was that awkward time between lunch and dinner (restaurants open quite late here for evening service) and so I had to find a temporary solution to curb the hunger.

Only a short walk on towards the Fishers’ Gardens I noticed La Chocolaterie de Monaco, still open for another hour. “That will do nicely,” I thought.

For the grandeur of the city, the chocolaterie was rather underwhelming; I was expecting Willy Wonka excitement, but got an average-sized speciality shop. The cafe at the back was even more surprising – it looked like a recent afterthought, with just a few simple tables and little warmth to the decor.

On this occasion I decided not to judge the book by the cover (the proper outer cover made up for it anyway!) and sat myself at the far back, with only one other table available at that time.

As you could suspect, the menu was chocolate-heavy and tempted with many decadent options; but I kept it simple with a mocha and a chocolate doughnut (it was either that or a muffin*, and I’m not a fan of the latter). I have to say, I was expecting to end up in a cocoa coma…

*As noted, I had arrived late, so there weren’t any pastries left that France is so famous for, but, judging by the photos of the menu on Google, I would have been in for a right indulgence if I had arrived earlier…

With it being the end of the working day, the business was slow and so I didn’t have to wait long for my coffee. To a less experienced eye, it might have seemed like a poor attempt at a brew; but it only perked up my curiosity and so I sipped on it eagerly.

As anticipated, it was delicious. I suspect none / little milk was used to make it; instead the hot espresso and maybe some hot water would have been poured over the chocolate and stirred to blend. And it was perfectly blended, resulting in a uniform, rich and silky taste and a notable caffeine kick, but none of the flavours disrupting the balance.

The presentation, albeit simple, was a nice touch, with white chocolate “straws” on the side, a glass of water I hadn’t needed to ask for, and another wrapped chocolate to take away if I wished.

It was a quick visit, but very satisfactory. The shop might not offer a huge wow! factor, but if you’re up on Monaco-Ville and get a sudden urge for some chocolate, the unassuming cafe is definitely worth it!

Learn more about the Chocolaterie de Monaco on their website.