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Fortunato Chocolate

4.8 (16 reviews)
Closed 11:00 am - 7:00 pm

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Nut based chocolates
Eva M.

Fortunato Chocolate is an Issaquah company with a singular focus on Peruvian cacao, specifically a cacao type called Nacional. The first farm they interacted with is call Don Fortunato's Farm, hence the name of this chocolate. I recommend read the story online and the sign in the shop (one of my photos) to appreciate the origins of the company and their dedication to fair trade prices of their cacao acquisitions. (The story of the Mother Tree remains me of the family tree at the end of 'A Walk in the Clouds' movie.) The shop is white with brown shelving. An inviting bench seats by the window. The walls and shallow tables are filled with packaged chocolates - bags and bars. They also offer some frozen treats. Midday on a Friday, they had a steady stream of customers, and they invited everyone to sample from the jars. There is everything from plain to nuts to fruits. They don't sell fancy truffles or shiny half sphere type of "presentation chocolates" with cosmic images. They focus on core offerings. In terms of uniqueness, they offer varieties with dates. Like everyone else, they sell a Dubai chocolate that is made with milk chocolate. Their chocolate quality is indeed excellent. The prices lean towards higher end. I have to admit I have paid more for others, so I didn't have sticker shock. For my first purchase, I opted for two of my baselines: Dark Chocolate Almond Toffee ($10.99) and Marshmallow with Almonds Dark Chocolate ($6.99). The almond toffee has a caramel like chew, thin cut, without the characteristic slightly crispy of a typical toffee. I like the thin cut for sure, though the chew instead of crisp is passable, not preferred. The marshmallow ones tasted fresh and well-enveloped by the dark chocolate. They have the potential to become a future Theo chocolate in terms of business scale. For chocolate quality, I prefer Fortunato over Theo. The Fortunato dark chocolate is smoother, while Theo's leaned towards bitter without the smoothness. I will be back. I already know what my next purchases will be.

Dark chocolate covered marshmallow dusted with almonds.

Dark chocolate covered vegan marshmallow sprinkled with toasted almonds! I like my chocolate dark and flavorful, and I don't like things that are cloyingly sweet. A chocolate covered marshmallow was a gamble for me as I normally wouldn't reach for it, but it was SO GOOD! Really warm, inviting atmosphere and welcoming customer experience. I will be returning to this shop.

Chocolate offerings
Hanna S.

Great offerings. New shop. Free samples. Chocolate pretzels to s'mores and frozen chocolate berries and bananas. Even chocolate matcha

John C.

# A Sweet Discovery in Kirkland - Fortunato Chocolate Review **Five Stars** First of all, I am a GENUINE (off the street) customer, first time experience. What an incredible find! I recently discovered Fortunato Chocolate, a new family-owned shop in Kirkland, and I'm absolutely blown away by both their story and their chocolate. The moment you walk in, you're greeted by the warmest, most welcoming family who are genuinely passionate about sharing their remarkable journey. They don't just sell chocolate - they share a piece of history. Their story is fascinating: they rediscovered Pure Nacional cacao in the Peruvian jungle, a variety that was thought to be extinct for over 100 years! As the USDA genetics researcher told them, this was the cacao that "made the most popular chocolate in Europe and North America" before disease wiped it out a century ago. What makes this even more special is knowing that one of the co-founders, Brian, actually moved to the Peruvian jungle for a decade to build a cacao processing facility and work directly with over 500 small farm families. They pay an average of 10 times Fair Trade premiums, creating tremendous positive impact in these communities. You can feel the heart and soul they've poured into this business. The chocolate itself? **EXTRAORDINARY.** I tried their Caramel Peanut Milk Chocolate bars, and they were so decadently delicious that I finished them within 24 hours (no shame!). The complexity of flavors from this rare cacao variety is unlike anything I've experienced - you can taste the difference that this "extinct" variety makes. The family was so generous with samples, letting me taste their range of products. Their hospitality made the experience feel like visiting friends rather than just shopping. After selling exclusively to 5-star restaurants and high-end chocolatiers for over a decade, they finally made their chocolate available to the public, and we're so lucky to have them right here in Kirkland. For a family business that's creating world-class chocolate while supporting farming communities in Peru, all while keeping prices more affordable than most mid-range chocolates, Fortunato Chocolate is a true gem. This is exactly the kind of passionate, ethical business our community needs to support. If you're a chocolate lover - or even if you're not - visit Fortunato Chocolate. You'll leave with incredible chocolate and an even better story. I'm already planning my next visit!

Looking for less sugar? Dark chocolate sweetened with dates!

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2 months ago

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4 months ago

Really wonderful chocolate treats that are unique and reasonably priced! The shop is owned by the nicest family!

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Review Highlights - Fortunato Chocolate

Kirkland finally has a chocolate store with an Issaquah-based company with chocolate sourced from Peru!

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Lady Yum - Kirkland

Lady Yum - Kirkland

4.6
(628 reviews)
0.0 mi
$$

I stopped by Lady Yum last night and had such a great experience. The girl helping me was…read moreincredibly kind, welcoming, and patient while I picked out flavors. Everything looked beautiful and tasted just as good as it looked. I tried the toffee, salted caramel, honey lavender, oatmeal snickerdoodle, and strawberry rhubarb macarons. The honey lavender was light and floral without being overpowering, and the strawberry rhubarb had the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The salted caramel and toffee flavors were rich and indulgent, and the oatmeal snickerdoodle tasted warm and cozy with a cinnamon sugar flavor that stood out from the others. The macarons were fresh, flavorful, and perfectly textured. Definitely one of the best macaron spots locally!

Lady Yum in Totem Lake is such a fun little treat-yourself spot. The shop is bright and beautifully…read morestyled, and the rows of colorful macarons are almost too pretty to eat. One of my absolute favorites is Ding Dong (a chocolate-forward flavor that's rich and nostalgic, like an elevated version of a childhood treat). I also love the chocolate mint for something refreshing, and the oatmeal flavor has this cozy, comforting vibe that pairs perfectly with tea or coffee. They consistently nail the texture: lightly crisp on the outside with a soft, chewy center. I also really appreciate that there's indoor seating. The last time I went, my parents were visiting, and we sat inside sipping tea and chatting. It felt warm, cozy, and just really sweet. It's not just a grab-and-go dessert spot, it's somewhere you can linger. And every time I've gone, the women working there have been genuinely friendly and welcoming. That consistency makes such a difference. Such a cute little gem in Totem Lake. Perfect for gifting or a small afternoon treat!

Photos
Apricot Honey Cardamom and Toffee macarons with 2 rosé bubblies
Apricot Honey Cardamom and Toffee macarons with 2 rosé bubblies
25 Piece Box - Lady Yum Assortment adorning my graduation party desert platter
25 Piece Box - Lady Yum Assortment adorning my graduation party desert platter
Lady Yum - Kirkland

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LizzyKate

LizzyKate

4.8
(109 reviews)
0.1 mi
$$

This is a very accessible and friendly place if you're a tea beginner to expert levels. They sell…read moreteas and tea accessories, as well as loose leaf teas and ready to drink hot/cold teas, lattes, etc. I attended one of the tea classes and I think it was a good experience for beginners. We got to sample five teas and several pieces of chocolate, as well as snacks to clear the palate between teas. We learned about tea and how its harvested, as well as the processing of tea. We also learned about the tea flavor wheel and identified tea tasting notes in the sampled teas. I do wish there was more of a compare and contrast between the teas - it would have been cool to try the same teas but early vs late season, or tea processed similarly but from different regions. If you're new to tea though, the classes are perfect for you!

We visited LizzyKate as we were interested in taking one of their tea classes. We had seen several…read morepop up in the past, but hadn't seen anything interesting in the past few months, so we dropped in to ask about them. Apparently rather than being prescheduled most of the time, they are held on demand. We asked for an Oolong tasting session and was able to get one penciled in a couple of weeks later. The store itself is appropriately decorated for a modern and trendy tea shop. There's a bit of an overpowering perfume that lingers throughout the store. It's not the best setting for a tea tasting, especially when trying to differentiate tasting notes when the olfactory glands are already completely saturated with perfume. LizzyKate has a decent selection of true tea, nothing super unique or rare, but I think they lean towards the more accessible blends and tisanes in the first place. Oolong Tasting Class ($35/per person) - Tasting sessions are held in the bar area, brewed mostly using gaiwan with carefully measured water temperature and volume. The class provides some educational material including laminated papers describing the tea production process, growing regions, anatomy, etc. More importantly, unlike some other tasting sessions I've attended, they actually provide pencil and paper, along with brewing instructions, to write down cupping and tasting notes. It certainly beats taking notes on my phone as I usually do. For this course, we tasted a white tea and four different oolongs. My personal tasting notes as follows (for future reference for myself): Bai Mu Dan - Mild, mellow, sweet and slightly astringent flavor with notes of honey and hay. Light golden liquid that's very easy to drink. Tie Guan Yin - Caramelized sweetness, vegetal leafy with a tiny earthy element. Darker golden color with more astringency and round lingering taste. The leaves smell smoky and roasted. Baihao - The smell is distinctively roasty and earthy, approaching the fermented smell of puerh. It has a brownish color and tastes smoky and earthy like peat. Formosa Oolong - It tastes of malt and molasses, with a certain oxidized toastiness. The color is more dark brown although it's not very astringent given the color. Osmanthus Oolong - This smells more malty and surprisingly not that flowery in aroma. The mouthfeel is extremely creamy and silky, almost like milk with the balanced taste of barley and hops with only a slight osmanthus flowery taste in the background. I think the base used is Jin Xuan given the milkiness. With the tasting also comes some treats including mini muffins and some tea infused bars from a chocolatier in Singapore, Fossa Chocolate. I think LizzyKate is more geared towards people who don't have much experience with tea and want a place that's extremely welcoming and modern. They have lattes and plenty of herbal and fruity infusions to help beginners ease into the complexities of tea, While this shop isn't for me, more tea shops are always welcome in the area. I'd definitely recommend it to my friends who want to dip their toes into the world of tea. Bathrooms - Single unisex room.

Photos
(10/25/24)
(10/25/24)
(10/25/24)
(10/25/24)
View of bar and tea selection

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View of bar and tea selection
Thruline Coffee

Thruline Coffee

4.1
(361 reviews)
0.1 mi
$$

Always a great place to go for coffee and study, unlike lots of cafe the there's never loud music,…read moreand plenty of tables to sit. Though it can be crowded at times. Food and drinks are also very reasonable and fantastic service

THRULINE COFFEE @ DOWNTOWN KIRKLAND…read more Parking is available along the street, and there are also multiple parking lots throughout downtown Kirkland. I ended up parking near the small plaza with the UPS Store and Nothing Bundt Cakes, and it was only about a 3-minute walk to get there. When I walked in around 9:30 AM on a Tuesday, it was already pretty packed. There were a lot of people on their laptops, grabbing coffee, and just hanging out, it felt super lively. I love the overall environment of downtown Kirkland, so I was really excited to finally try this spot since it's been on my radar for a while. I was also meeting a friend, which made the experience even better. I ordered their pizza scone, and it looked so good, and it definitely delivered. It was warm, crusty, and had such a unique flavor combination. I've honestly never had anything like it before, and it just felt perfect for a spring morning. I also got a hot chocolate, which wasn't my favorite. It leaned more on the watery side. The space itself is really nice and spacious. They have plenty of seating in both the front and back, which is great whether you're meeting friends or getting work done. Their menu is also pretty extensive, with options like sandwiches, pastries, drip coffee, matcha, vanilla lattes pretty much everything you'd expect from a café. One thing I appreciated was how fast the service was. Our order came out in less than two minutes, which was impressive, especially given how busy it was. The staff were also super friendly, which always makes a difference. Overall, I really enjoyed the vibe here. Even though the hot chocolate could've been better, I'd still definitely come back and try more items.

Photos
Open seating
Open seating
Interior
Interior
Front entrance

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Front entrance
Hearth

Hearth

3.6
(200 reviews)
0.2 mi
$$

We had a marvelous experience last weekend for Valentine's Day! We were cutting it close upon our…read morereservation time but we made it! I saw that Hearth was having a Valentine's Day 3 course meal! I made a reservation a few weeks in advance and they messaged me a couple of days beforehand to let me know the menu offerings which I thought were really nice and showed quality impeccable preparation! We truly enjoyed the wild mushroom tartlet, both entrees (lobster saffron risotto and the chicken roulade) followed by the desserts of chocolate crème de pan and the basque cheesecake! We also loved the wine pairings with all the courses! My favorite was one of the dessert wines. Our server was fantastic and the team is so friendly! The ambiance is dim lit but very pretty inside. It was a full house by the time we were eating! It's my second time at Hearth but bf's first and he really enjoyed it :) We'd love to stay at the Heathman one day too! We will be back!

Bar and restaurant connected to the Heathman Hotel. Not the experience I was expecting…read more.. Unfortunately, the food and drinks really fell short during our visit. I ordered a glass of wine off the menu, and their choices of wine by the glass were not good. We also tried a few appetizers; they were okay enough that we finished them, but there was absolutely nothing memorable or worth ordering a second time. The actual setup of the place is nice, it has a beautiful bar area and an outdoor seating space for nice weather. However, the vibe just wasn't incredibly welcoming. To make matters worse, the staff was very mediocre and not super friendly, which really dragged down the whole experience. I really wanted to have a better experience here given how perfect the location is, but based on this visit, I wouldn't recommend it. With so many other welcoming spots within walking distance in Kirkland, you are better off looking elsewhere for good drinks and a friendly vibe.

Photos
Hearth
Hearth
Hearth

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Fortunato Chocolate - chocolate - Updated July 2026

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