Journey into Chocolate Bliss: Unveiling the Delights of Kakawa Chocolate House in Santa Fe, New Mexico

I wasn’t looking for anything. I was walking on Cathedral Place in downtown Santa Fe, directionless. The kind of wandering that feels like it might lead somewhere, even if you don’t know where. I followed a creek for a block, then a small crowd up Canyon Road, before something pulled me back. I turned onto Paseo De Peralta, unsure why. There didn’t seem to be anything ahead. But I kept walking.

That’s when I saw it, a round wooden sign, half-obscured by a run-down parking lot. Kakawa Chocolate House. The building looked quiet, almost forgotten. But inside, the line nearly reached the door.

The walkway was low, the interior dim. I stood just inside, letting my eyes adjust. At the counter, a crowd leaned toward a glass case filled with truffles and confections. I peeked into a smaller room off to the side, where drum-like leather chairs hugged the walls, and a small rectangular window cast angled light across the space, revealing handprints and nose smudges otherwise invisible on the glass.

The chocolatiers moved with quiet joy, engaging guests and tourists alike. The menus on the walls offered shakes, confections, and most notably, chocolate elixirs. These weren’t just drinks. They were history. Kakawa’s elixirs are inspired by ancient Mesoamerican recipes, historic European traditions, and a few contemporary interpretations. The cacao seed, revered by the Inca and Maya as “the food of the Gods,” was used medicinally, ritually, and recreationally. That reverence still lingers here.

I tasted a few—one from each era—and settled on the Mayan Full Spice, a less sweet, chili-forward elixir, and a single truffle wrapped in white paper. I sat outside under the trees, sipping slowly. The truffle stayed wrapped, tucked into my bag, following me back to the hotel like a quiet promise.

When I moved to Santa Fe, I returned to Kakawa often. I’d sit beneath that same window, writing, sipping elixirs. The Rose Almond became my favorite, another Mesoamerican recipe I sometimes mixed with the Zapoteca, a pure, unsweetened cacao blend. I spent enough time there that my first New Mexican friend was a Kakawan chocolatier.

I’ve been to chocolate houses before. Most towns have one. But Kakawa is different. It’s not trying to be distinctive. It just is. The recipes span centuries. The truffles are hand-crafted, each one balanced with herbs, spices, and chilis. The elixirs are thick, rich, and layered with meaning. Chocolate here isn’t just a treat. It’s a language.

If you find yourself in Santa Fe, go to Kakawa Chocolate House. Taste the elixirs. Sit by the window. Watch the light shift. And know that some places don’t just serve flavor. They serve memory. Kakawa is one of them.