Montreal-based chocolate bistro Cacao 70 opened its first West-coast location in Vancouver in Dec. 2016. The 2,200-sq.-ft. space, which seats 44 guests, is situated at 1047 Denman St. In addition to its latest Vancouver location, Cacao 70 currently has locations in Quebec City and Sherbrooke, Que. and Ottawa, Kingston and Toronto, Ont. According to Cacao 70’s general director Samy Kadoch, the bistro concept is distinct from other types of eateries. It sits between a coffee shop and restaurant/bar categories and has a more relaxed and social atmosphere with everything made in-house — contrasted by cafés, which usually source their menu items from outside of the eatery. Cacao 70 is serious about chocolate; “Chocolate has unfortunately been destroyed by the commercialization of it so we are trying to bring back that idea that chocolate is not that bad,” Kadoch says. “It was our mission to bring that word out on the market and the best way to do it is by creating a bistro that specializes in it.” Cacao 70 offers chocolate sourced from Ghana, Ecuador, Belgium, Peru, Saint-Domingue and Tanzania, priced at $12.95 for 300 grams. Its chocolates are also served in the form of specialty hot chocolates ($9.25). Cacao is strategically targeting Vancouver’s late-night crowd with the knowledge that few dessert places are open late in the city. From Sunday to Thursday, the bistro is open until 11 p.m., and on Fridays and Saturdays, it’s open until midnight. For the occasional passerby, not necessarily in pursuit of satisfying a chocolate craving, Cacao 70 also serves a daily brunch menu from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, with extensive menu items such as open-faced sandwiches, grilled sandwiches, salads, frittatas, omelets, waffles, oatmeal and granola. The 70 Sweet Salad consists of baby spinach, strawberries, walnuts mixed with poppy-seed dressing, served with mini crepes with a choice of maple syrup or chocolate ($12.50). The sausage frittata features eggs, sausages, spinach, tomatoes and parmesan cheese mixed together and baked in the oven and served with whole-wheat toast, fresh fruits and melted chocolate ($14.50). A second B.C. location is currently under construction in North Vancouver, near the SeaBus terminal. Set for a spring-2017 opening, it will function as a casual grab-’n’-go concept.
1047 Denman St., Vancouver
