Chocolate Maven Bakery & Cafe

We visited this restaurant twice in July, possibly with great expectations. Some of the food was very good, for example, the quiche, the bread, the salads, the chocolate desserts (!) However, the green chili pozole one of us ordered had absolutely nothing in it but green chile pieces in broth--not even any hominy, no garnishes, nothing. Several of us had fish the next visit that was clearly ""fishy"" and over the line. As we were leaving, we purchased a little bag of Mexican wedding cakes, which turned out to be dry and stale. The parking is difficult, very crowded. Ambience is great, with a huge window overlooking their extensive baking operation, and cozy seating. more

Hands down one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. The staff are super friendly, the food delicious. For lunch I had the Caprese - fresh mozzarella with pesto and tomatoes on focaccia right from the oven. I got garlic-rosemary French fries. These were unquestionably the best French fries in my life. They said it is because they use a better quality oil for frying - not the cheap garbage most places use. Hmmm. For Breakfast I ordered the breakfast burrito, which was perfect, huge, and smothered in red and green chile. The chile was maybe the best I have had in Santa Fe. The desserts put it over the top. They have this huge Belgian Chocolate brownie they serve hot with cream and melted chocolate poured all over it. No cheapo chocolate sauce either - this was the real thing, dark and heady. Excellent cappuccino, too. Pros: Quality of Food, Service, Atmosphere Cons: , Parking lot is tight. more