Address: 100 York Blvd.
Phone Number: (905) 889-9779
Website: https://cacao70.com/en
City: Richmond Hill
Category: Café
Tucked away inside a corporate building off of East Beaver Creek, Cacao 70 Eatery brings the delicious desserts and café experience we love from the downtown core to Richmond Hill. The place is somewhat easy to miss, but inside décor has a vibrant, tropical theme. Teal wood, leaf prints, and black and white woven chairs are surrounded by more plant life and summer colours. On weekdays, Cacao 70 can be pretty empty, which is certainly a welcome change from the downtown locations, where wait times can be around 30 minutes during peak hours and seasons. Weekends are usually a little busier and you might expect a small wait – albeit smaller than Distillery District or Queen St. options.
When we visited, service was a touch slow despite the fact that there wasn’t anyone else in the restaurant, but staff were knowledgeable and friendly.
We started with some brunch-worthy dishes – the Breakfast Sandwich and the Granola Waffle. The fillings of the breakfast sandwich were contained by a chewy sesame seed bagel. Inside was mildly spicy chorizo (perfect for us – we can’t handle too much spice), an egg folded omelette style, melted swiss cheese, green onion spring mix, and fresh tomato slices. The flavors combine very nicely to create a complex and tasty breakfast/brunch/lunch option. Our only suggestion would be to toast the bagel a bit more to give it a crunchy texture and ensure the entire sandwich is warm when served.
On the flip side, those who crave something sweeter while brunching would be happy with choosing the Granola Waffle. It is served as a parfait topped with three waffle slices drizzled in chocolate, sitting atop a helping of strawberries and bananas. The yogurt itself is subtly tart and carries the flavor of the banana, but is not too sweet that it sickens you to have it with the waffles and chocolate. The granola stays crunchy and adds a wonderful texture to the dish. Don’t miss out on the melted chocolate served on the side! It makes what is a relatively healthy dish seem deliciously indulgent. The waffles themselves are decent. Cacao 70 produces denser, eggier waffles. Personally, we like ours on the light and fluffy side.
Of course, no trip to Cacao 70 is complete without committing some undivided attention to their smooth, high-quality chocolate. There are several varieties available for fondue including the classics (milk, dark, and white), matcha, earl grey, chocolate peanut butter, and coffee chocolate. As indecisive as we are, we opted for the mixed varieties – black & white and triple chocolate. Served alongside their delicious melted chocolate are 6 small pieces of Cacao 70’s waffle, 6 small squares of their brownie, and two square bowls of assorted fruit slices (below, you will see banana, strawberry, and pineapple). Everything worked extremely deliciously with the chocolate – except the brownie. It was too sweet to dip into chocolate and masks the quality and texture of both. We recommend eating the brownie separately, which is still a good option – it strikes a balance between dense, fudgy, and cakey and packs lots of rich cocoa flavor.
We recommend pairing the fondue with an unsweetened espresso beverage – the americano and iced latte were quite lovely. However, we’re inclined to recommend hot espresso beverages to add to the warmth and comfort of the fondue experience. It also washes down the chocolate quite nicely, allowing any lingering deliciousness to melt away from sweet to delightfully bitter.
If you haven’t gotten enough chocolate during your visit to Cacao 70 Eatery or are looking to relive the experience in the comfort of your own home (can you say hella cute date night?), there is a table in the center of the restaurant in front of the kitchen area that has fondue pots and chocolate bars for sale. They are a little pricey however, at an average of $12-$18 a piece.
In sum, Cacao 70 Eatery is a great place for everyone – whether you are looking for a new spot for morning or afternoon meals or would like to satisfy a serious chocolate craving, they’ve got you covered.
North of the 6ix 