Chocolate Apothecary

Hubby and I went inside the day before Thanksgiving because we were re-​discovering The Flour Mill, an old hangout when we lived there umpty ump years ago.
We looked at the array of truffles. We ordered espressos. Oh. My. Goodness!!! Some of the smoothest coffee we had ever tasted! Hubby’s mocha and my latte were absolutely delicious, probably at or near the best we’ve ever had! Prices were comparable with Starbucks Seattle.
When we were there, the sign for cheese was just a tease. No cheese here! And, sadly, the gourmet hot chocolates on the board also weren’t quite yet available. But there were a good number of truffles. And they had an extremely delightful coffee caramel that we were convinced should have had a warning label due to its addictive qualities. We also ended up buying some extremely tasty caramel chocolate popcorn, which set us back ~$ 8.
The one young man was very nice and somewhat exuberant. The other, a trainee we were told, was also happy and friendly (albeit a bit nervous-​seeming).
When we return to Spokane, we definitely plan to return.

Our go to place for Hot Chocolate before the hockey game. Really nice employees, who know how to make a mean hot chocolate.
They have a nice array of chocolates in the case and support a lot of the local and regional candy producers. They have a perfect little sitting area inside and out. Great place to try a new truffle or two.

Great cappuccino (only $ 2) and the chocolate gelato is excellent (FYI: ice cream legally has a minimum of 10% fat, gelato is made with a greater proportion of whole milk to cream, so it contains more like 5−7% percent fat.). The selection of chocolate bars is disappointing (should be more for a chocolate store) but past that «Strongly recommended»

ive been here quite often when i lived around there but not since. i was surprised to find they dont actually make any chocolate… the name just sets expectations… expensive commercial chocolate. now they have cheese i guess.
anyway they have this drink. you take a shot of espresso, and in it they drop a scoop of gelato. it is heavenly. really. its 5.50 (or was) but totally worth it
the last time i was there i was not thrilled though. ordered said drink. the ipad tries to charge me 6.50. i say hey, sign says 5.50. she says «but its 6.50, the ipad says 6.50» i point to the sign. she says but the ipad says 6.50. i say but the sign says 5.50 and thats what i am paying. everyone behind me is like… seriously, it says 5.50 can you just charge her 5.50. she says but the ipad… blah blah blah.
just. bad. service. and really not that intelligent. a well trained staff member would know you charge what is advertised.

Chocolates are good, though $$. Their beverages are awesome!

My son and I are visiting from San Diego and my sister took us into this great shop. The sales guy was so knowledgable and helpful. They have the right guy working behind the counter (don’t know his name but he said something about getting his masters). We were so full after a huge lunch, but we bought some anyway. Absolutely delicious! ‘More Chocolate Less Stress’

This is one cute little shop!
The predominate feature was the drink/​gelato/​cheese bar centered in pretty much the center of the store. The barista greeted me warmly and graciously answered all questions. There’s a variety of chocolates, from local, hand crafted truffles, to sustainably crafted, mass marketed chocolate bars. Giift items available included «Chocolate-​Opoly», a chocolate themed monopoly-​like board game, and fresh gourmet cheeses too! As other Unilocalers have already shared, there is a little of everything here.
My cup of «Qat» (pronounced like «cat»), a dark drinking chocolate, was amazingly yummy! It was crafted from melting little disks of dark chocolate with steamed, hot [coconut] milk. It was scalding hot during the first fifteen-​twenty minutes though, so there was a forced, delayed gratification. Luckily, it was taken to go as I still had a couple of driving stops to make, which made sipping this devine liquid chocolate drink last quite a while.
I look forward to returning earlier in the day to try one of their mocha lattes.

Chocolate Apothecary is many things. Artisan cheese shop, café, gelato bar, and home to a wide variety of chocolates and truffles.
The cheese selection is generally pretty reputable, but availability isn’t always consistent. My personal favorites have come to be their Cremeux de Bourgogne, Hook’s Blue Paradise, and of course, Hook’s Eight-​Year Cheddar. Also, their selection of Humboldt Fog has always been on point.
Ask an employee for recommendations when choosing truffles. They can be rather hit or miss. The drinking chocolate is pretty good, but nothing to get excited about.
Their coffee is actually quite good! They currently brew Roast House. Their espressos, lattes, and various iced beverages have been pretty consistently pleasing.
Besides what I’ve already mentioned, they carry a quality yet overpriced selection of wines and beer, some dubious baked goods, and a quaint collection of local pottery. If you’re hungry, the place has nothing for you, but tends to specialise in the finer delicacies. Sort of as if the manager’s vision for the place was to just «Sell classy things!» *tips fedora*
Regardless, it’s a very nice establishment with courteous and helpful employees, and quality products.

1. They are not closed Saturdays anymore :)
2. Truffles are pricey :(
3. Great café-​esque atmosphere :)
4. Drinking chocolate-​to die for. Very rich. Don’t underestimate them. A little goes a long way.
I’ve been here many times. They have had new owners for some time now. Maybe 6 months+
They have added a specialized-​gourmet cheese section.
I love truffles so my love for truffles keeps me coming back. It’s a bittersweet feeling because the prices keep me from coming too often. The minus 1 star is strictly for price.
Even though they are high end on prices, not just truffles, I do recommend coming for the chocolate and/​or cheese experience.

If you love chocolate, you MUST stop here when in Spokane. I received very friendly service and the chocolate was amazing!

We meet a lot of our clients here. It’s just a great environment, the staff is wonderful, and we love chocolate! =D

The Chocolate Apothecary is a chocolate lover’s heaven with an impressive variety of brands, shapes and intensity of chocolate, despite the numerous chocolate choices; I was, as always, there for their highly touted drinking chocolate.
I ordered their Spicy Chocolate (it had a unique name — but forgive me I forgot it), the barista took my order and two others and made our drinks. I also purchased a container of their Qat drinking chocolate and because I was in a hurry to get to the airport I grabbed my spicy chocolate and Qat and departed. After allowing what I felt was enough time for the drinking chocolate to cool down, I took a sip and was VERY disappointed. I am not a coffee drinker but my guess is that the barista included a generous shot or two of espresso, and for this chocolate purist’s sensitive taste buds the result was not pleasant. I liked what I was experiencing with the chocolate but the espresso flavor was overwhelming. I pulled to the side of the freeway and dried the tears of chocolate disappointment, composed myself and drove on to the airport.
What gave me courage to go on was all the good reviews I had read regarding the wonderful drinking chocolate at the Chocolate Apothecary, I knew that as a people, Washingtonians are known for their honesty and moved my thoughts to the tin container of Qat in my suitcase and suddenly I couldn’t wait to get home a give it a try. Within an hour of my arrival home I had setup my West Bend Cocoa Maker and had opened the container of Qat Drinking Chocolate; as always, when brewing my own, I took a whiff of the dried chocolate and immediately felt the tremors run from my nose through my extremities — an indication that I am in the presence of the real thing. The final concoction of ¼ cup Qat and 1 cup skim milk (don’t laugh — skim milk foams up much better than milk with fat) was a drinking chocolate lover’s ‘dark chocolate’ heaven. The only drinking chocolates to rival Qat are offered seasonally (winter) by the Allegro Coffee Company and while they are outstanding — I am to giving Qat at the Chocolate Apothecary the nod as my favorite.
The only negative is the speed of service — and I can imagine that if the craving is strong and the need for a fix has one sweating and unable to communicate effectively, that the extra 2 minute wait may seem like an eternity, but is that the condition one ought to be consuming chocolate in? No, chocolate is meant to be savored — like a fine wine or balsamic (don’t get me started on balsamic). My recommendation is to go to the Chocolate Apothecary for the opportunity to be in the presence of greatness, that’s what I’m going to do on March 12, 2012, my next visit to Spokane. For what it is worth, I contacted the Chocolate Apothecary regarding the unpleasant experience with the hot drinking chocolate I purchased at the store and they have taken care of that — hence the five star rating.

Chocolates from all over the world are sold in this small shop in the Flour Mill. They also offer coffee/​chocolate beverages and gelato.
The selection is is varied, there’s something here for any chocolate lover. They have a case full of truffles and other goodies from which I purchased a half dozen to sample and enjoyed them all. They also stock locally produced items (if Seattle counts).

the best thing about this place is that they carry almond milk :) (the only place that I know of in Spokane that carry almond milk).
the service was okay, they weren’t particularly friendly, but they weren’t mean either.
all in all, good coffee.

Chocolate used to be my kryptonite.
Growing up, I was allergic to chocolate (among about 5 million other foods). Of course, one can always find a silver lining if one looks carefully enough. My silver lining to the no chocolate cloud was bribing my classmates with chocolates that I collected every holiday.
Who was always first in line to out for recess? Moi.
Who got picked first for kickball? This sassy gal right here.
Who got invited to all of the most exclusive sleepovers? Who else but the fabulous me!
And then it happened — PUBERTY! Along with all of the other strange things that happened to my body, it also stopped reacting to chocolate as if it were a heaping helping of botulism mixed with ricin.
Thankfully I also discovered that oh so happy feeling you get from chocolate. Oh serotonin release! Oh dopamine release! How I love thee!
So of course I love the name of Chocolate Apothecary! It totally makes sense — I definitely eat chocolate for medicinal purposes. That, however, is the only medicinal thing about this shop. The interior is warm, with wood floors, sunlight shining in from the windows, and shelf upon shelf of a mind boggling array of chocolates — plain dark from Belgium, milk chocolate with cardamom from France, truffles filled with liquors, and on and on.
Call me cured!
FYI, they also serve coffee drinks and snacks, but I was only there for the goods, so I can’t say anything about the café.
Minus a star because, with only one person working there (and she was making lattes for the café customers), I didn’t really get any help beyond ringing up my purchase. I could have used it for some of those chocolates — their labels were only in French.