The Hot Chocolate Sparrow is a part of a family owned business off of Main Street in Orleans, MA .Most commonly referred to as just " Chocolate Sparrow" it is a favorite of locals and tourists alike. Its is open year round every single day with the only exception being Christmas !It has very lengthy hours allowing lots of opportunity to indulge in their amazing variety of drinks, sweets and lunch Their hours are as follows
Sunday-Thursday - 6:30 AM- 9:00 PM
Friday & Sunday - 6:30 AM- 11:00 PM
click here to see location on map
The Chocolate Sparrow originated in North Eastham in 1989 as a candy shop specializing in fine hand made chocolates. It has now developed to a very popular coffee spot with locations in Welfleet, Orleans and North Eastham.
Although the location in Orleans is across the street from another coffee shop and a few hundred yards away from a Dunkin Donuts, it is not effected at all and is continuously busy
The coffee shop is Handicap accessible from the back entrance. As pictured here. It has a great variety of handmade specialty candies and chocolates, bakery items, desserts, frozen and hot drinks, sandwiches ( hot and cold),and soups . There is pretty much something for everyone,
I visited the shop on a Monday around 1 pm. It was fairly busy with clients in and out constantly. As tourist season is not in full swing yet it was still manageable to get my order without having to wait too long in the line .
Generally due to a lack of available seating, and no drive through, many customers get their orders to go. Many were seated in the chairs that were available but did not stick around much longer then it took them to eat their meal. The variety of customers is wide, there are couples, families, friends, young and old. It is a fast paced environment with a constant flow of customers .
The Hot Chocolate Sparrow is very well known for its variety of available teas and coffees. It stocks teas and coffees from around the world available for purchase in bulk as well as a serving. Customers may buy coffee beans in bags and have the option of whole bean or you make request that they grind them for you. Many of their coffees are shade grown, and all seem to be advertised as organic. Their buying practices are stated as follows on their company website : "Our Coffees are either certified fair trade or sourced ethically by our family owned roaster who visits the farms to ensure fair treatment of people and land and fair wages." They also make a conscientious environmental efforts such as biodegradable house made tea bags, coffee bags, and a water fountain looking station by the trash for people to dump and rinse their cups for easier and cleaner recycling,
Over all its was a very good experience. I was a little overwhelmed by the variety of options available to choose from. I ended up ordering a grilled cheese with ham and a latte . The coffee was very flavorful and just the right temperature as some places many times the lattes seem to come colder than desired. The ingredients were fresh and the sandwich was very good. In the back wall of the coffee shop there is a section with trinkets and merchandise that will appeal to non locals like the tacky Cape Cod kick knacks. As good as the place is i do feel like over time it is increasingly becoming more commercialized and appealing more to the tourists and the locals. The prices are not outrageous but seemed a little high for a " family owned coffee shop." The staff was not the friendliest , Although I suspect that being busy all day long can become very stressful to the staff. I would recommend this shop to anyone who is in the area on the account that the food is good, the choices are unlimited and the coffee is very good as well. If you come during summer months allow yourself time from the elevated foot traffic from the tourist population.
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