You have to see what Chocobar Cortés in the Bronx is cooking up in Neighborhood Eats.
"Chocobar Cortés is based off of my family's 95-year-old chocolate manufacturing company, Chocolate Cortés which is based in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic," said Carlos Cortés, the owner. "And the idea was kind of to create a space that was sort of celebrating that tradition of, of our chocolate. Because it's something that you know, a lot of people grew up with our chocolate, they have sort of fond memories, a lot of nostalgia."
He says their business is "completely vertically integrated."
"Meaning that we work directly with the farmers and make the chocolate ourselves and then you know, serve it to here at the restaurant," Cortés said.
Their grilled cheese is made on brioche bread with cheddar cheese and chocolate butter.
"The tacos are mofongo shells and mofongo is a typical Puerto Rican dish that is mashed plantain and then fried," he said. "But we take it a step further and make it into a taco shell. It comes with sort of roast pork, pineapple pico de gallo and then it comes with our chocolate hot sauce to add that chocolate element."
The restaurant also features some unique drinks.
"So the most popular drink is the choco martini. It's really simple. It's just our frozen chocolate mix, it's got vodka, and Irish cream," he said. "And that's it, we shave some white chocolate on top."
The next cocktail is named after the owner's father and grandfather.
"So it's kind of like an Old Fashioned but with rum. And it comes in a glass that has a 70% dark chocolate rim. It kind of melts in your mouth as you drink the cocktail," Cortés said.
Customers say that when they come into the space, it transports them to the Caribbean.
"That's what it's all about, is to really keep that tradition alive. Keep our culture alive. And, you know, give people who don't know about our culture, the opportunity to learn about it and learn about everything that we have to offer," he said.
Learn more at: https://www.chocobarcortes.com/
----------
* More Bronx news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube