Josh Falcone – General Assignment Reporter
Downtown New Haven has had many spectacular restaurants and bars for Southern students to enjoy, but it hasn’t had anything like Chocolat Maya, located on High Street. Chocolat Maya is a dessert bar that offers patrons a wide selection of sweet eats and delicious drinks.
It is located in the space of the previous chocolate shop, Chocopologie, which closed last June.
Robert Klinger, Chocolat Maya’s proprietor said Chocopologie’s owner Fritz Knipschildt started his string of seven chocolate shops in Norwalk before spreading across the state.
“He closed them all except for the one in Norwalk where he does the production of all these truffles still which we continue to buy,” Klinger said.
Klinger who also owns the Little Salad Shop located next door to Chocolat Maya as well as S’Wings on Crown Street said that when the Chocopologie space became open, he pursued an idea he had to expand on the chocolate motif. “I knew this did really well, it’s just he lives in Norwalk, he’s concentrating on just doing wholesale,” Kilnger said. “So I thought it might be interesting to try to do a dessert bar because some of the other big cities have dessert bars, like New York and Boston.”
Chocolat Maya offers a wide selection of desserts, cakes, truffles, wines, a full liquor bar, specialty drinks, and light sandwiches. I perused the large display of truffles and other delicious delights that greet you when you walk into Chocolat Maya and was intrigued by the interesting looking truffles. I asked Klinger what he recommended and he said the Caramel and Sea Salt truffle is one of the most popular. The dark chocolate, caramel, and sea salt truffle is absolutely amazing. It was the perfect blend of salty and sweet and I can see why it is so popular.
Another truffle that Klinger said was popular was the Coconut White Chocolate truffle, which after trying it myself is no surprise to me. Originally I was torn, I’m not usually a huge fan of white chocolate, but I am a fan of coconut. The light yet strong coating of coconut blended perfectly with the flavor of the white chocolate. This one was a winner.
The Turkish Coffee truffle is another one of the more popular choices as well according to Klinger. This truffle is shaped like a beehive, which was sharp, and it consisted of white chocolate, dark chocolate, and Turkish coffee. Like anything that includes coffee, it was awesome, not too sweet but also not strongly bitter, just the perfect blend of zest. I only had the three truffles because I didn’t want to spoil my dinner, but Klinger said the Bumblebee truffle is another well-liked treat offered by Chocolat Maya. “The Bumblebees, that is really popular, it has organic honey, caramel, sea salt, and milk chocolate,” he said.
Just as with all the Chocopologie truffles presented at Chocolat Maya, the Bumblebee truffles were really amazing looking, if I was one of those weirdo’s that Instagrams pictures of their food, I could have a full blown photo shoot at Chocolat Maya. Everything was presented beautifully. The dessert bar’s overall appearance is also pleasant, offering a cozy mellow vibe. It has tables that are a perfect study escape spot, with the added bonus of tasty treats to eat and drink.
Chocolat Maya has been open for a few months, Klinger said, and it seems to be something people enjoy. “We opened a little before Christmas,” he said, “and we have been doing really, really well.” Klinger said that business is good both during the day and also at night.
“People get the chocolate to go and stuff during the day, but we have a big drinking crowd too,” he said.
I visited Chocolat Maya during the afternoon, so I didn’t partake in the specialty drinks they offer, which include a Chocolate Manhattan and a Salted Caramel martini. I will definitely be heading back to try even more of the incredible delicacies offered by Chocolat Maya, including that Salted Caramel martini, really soon.
So if you are looking for a great place to enjoy desserts and more desserts along with a really great atmosphere, I recommend you check out Chocolat Maya at 47 High St.