I WANTED to give this place my business and they made it more or less impossible to do so. My coworkers and I wanted to do karaoke after work on Friday. Since Annandale has so many karaoke spots, I asked for a recommendation from my cousin, and she said Cafe Chocolate has the better music, etc. She said since there's only 5 karaoke rooms, getting reservations is best, and that the rooms were about $40/hour. I called them about 2 days before, and they said they didn't take reservations and that it was first come first serve. Hm, okay. My cousin thought, well, maybe they recently changed that policy. My coworkers decided then that we'd come right after work to make sure we could get a room. Firstly, we get there and they tell us it's $60/hour, no matter if we get the smaller room or the medium sized room. Why are both rooms the same price? Second, the menu is mostly bar food and no actual food. We just came from work and we were really hungry. Not to mention, the prices were terrible. It was like $9 for a plate of fries. The worst is that even though we were already contemplating trying somewhere else to go, the people explicitly suggested to us "maybe you should go somewhere else." They didn't even want us? Our theory was maybe because we weren't planning to get drunk, that we weren't worth using up a room. Who knows. Also, I told my cousin about all of this, and she was pretty shocked. She also went here last weekend, and they definitely only charged her $40/hour. Now I'm pretty convinced they just didn't want our business for some odd reason or other. read more

This is my new spot, thanks to Tina. We both fucking smoke and you can fucking smoke here. I've been about six times in as many weeks. The kimchi fried rice is off the hook, I love soju and they have lemon, grape and mango soju. Beware, the grape is nasty. It's good for the wusses who can't handle plain soju, though. It's totally chill and they have buzzers at the table if you're feeling drunk and sadistic and spendy. Night before NYE, I had a crew a dozen deep; we waited and waited for a karaoke room but none ever opened up (I think they only have three), so we took over the nonsmoking room, which has karaoke and worked out fine because we had a few nonsmokers with us plus there was no hourly fee. Score! The service is great and the bartenders and waiters are super sweet. The first time I ever visited the Cafe, one of the bartenders came up to Tina and me and asked if we needed anything with a shark finger puppet. That's right. A SHARK FINGER PUPPET. This holiday season they had fully decorated, upside down Christmas trees hanging from the ceiling. UPSIDE DOWN CHRISTMAS TREES. There are always lighters in the bathroom. All the guys have amazing hair cuts. This place rules. In a nutshell, if I was Belinda Carlisle, back when I was penning "Heaven Is a Place on Earth," I so would have worked shark finger puppets, service buttons, upside down Christmas trees and free lighters in my lyrics. Just sayin'. read more

Cafe Chocolate - UPSIDE DOWN CHRISTMAS TREES - Korean Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

I really liked the omurice! There were a bunch of tiny pieces of diced peppers and ham that made up for the fact that it took a really long time to get my food. The price was a bit expensive at $14-$15 an omurice The egg skin on top covered the whole rice and was very satisfying! The only complaint I have is it would be nice to eat it without having to inject some second hand smoke but that's probably not able to be changed since this place is a bar where smoking indoors is allowed. In terms of the kareoke experience (I had come for my friends birthday party), I loved it! The song selector was easy to use after we figured out the buttons which were all in Korean (motivation to learn Korean!) and they had a SUPER updated list of songs I love it!! :) read more

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I see that most reviews here are about that you can smoke here. Let me expand by adding what I observed about the other aspects of Cafe Chocolate as I'm sure that point has already been beaten to death and beyond. Cafe Chocolate has ample parking out front. When you walk up to it, it looks small but there is more than enough room for everyone inside. The way it is designed seems to give groups some semblance of privacy to do as they will. The bar is walled off by a low divider from the lounge area and the comfy lounge areas furnished with sofas and love seats are further divided. I really appreciate this layout as the bar is easily accessible yet you don't have to be stared at by strangers at the same time. When I went, the place was full but there was a lounge area in the middle, as if waiting just for our arrival. Cafe Chocolate can definitely accommodate the numbers. Decor is classy yet contemporary in a black and red theme. Very Cafe Chocolate and I'm diggin it. Alochol offerings are tasty, as are the finger foods. Wait staff/service/bartenders are also efficient and friendly, always keeping an eye out on the more rowdy guests. The music, Korean of course, fit the atmosphere perfectly and at the right volume. Expect to be coming back again soon for a relaxing yet upbeat night out with friends! Also gotta try their karaoke and home made Korean dishes next time! read more

We are trying to find a place to sing in the afternoon. This place said it will open at four. However, when we arrive, It actually will not open until 5 pm not 4pm! Watch out people! read more

Cafe Chocolate - Korean Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Maybe for hookah and karaoke it's better, but do not get the food here! We got the seafood pancake and it was so soggy. The fried sampler is a large portion but I'd never get it again. It's cool to find an indoor place you can smoke and drink at, reminds me of a Hong Kong lounge. At your table, they'll leave you an ash tray. Be warned, the ladies bathroom sink doesn't work. read more

Cafe Chocolate - Fried Sampler - Korean Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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They don't take reservations, but the food is pretty okay. I don't understand how you would make patrons take a gamble on room availability on Friday or Saturday nights when you're more likely to fill them. Anyway I'm taking my business elsewhere. read more

Birthday Event for my GF Orange Passion & Blue Hawaiian Loved the cocktails It was really great experience Also we got free cocktails for the event read more

Cafe Chocolate - Korean Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Late night drive from Richmond to NOVA and we were looking for bars near Honey Pig. Cafe Chocolate was our second attempt, and it was the greatest discovery we made. The place looked classy but the atmosphere was casual and laidback. The bartenders are all cute Korean ladies and they were super sweet and attentive. The drinks are yum and STRONG and, imo, cheap (every cocktail we got was $5). The best part was the huge jug of delicious mango soju we ordered on a whim which was only $15. Haven't tried the food or the nice looking karaoke bars ($30/hr), but we will be back! read more

This bar is around annandale are and we barely come here to try, therefore we decided to give this place a try, but OH BOY. I do not like this place. They allowed their customers to smoke inside and it was nasty. The smoke literally made me do not want to stay there and the smell sticked on all our clothes after left. The price is okay but I wouldn't come here if you do not smoke. Overall, I wouldn't come back with friends because we couldn't stand the smoke at all and they literally have ash tray all all other tables. They do not have lounge area anymore, instead they replaced with just a table and four regular chairs around it. It wasn't comfortable like before. They had a room in front of the bar for karaoke and I thought it was cool since you wouldn't associate with the smoke inside the bar. I saw they can fit up to around 10 people in that room, so if you want to try this place, try to get that room and just chit chat with friends there instead. Unless you smoke then go ahead and try inside. read more

Since moving here from overseas, we've craved something different. Yes, yes, yes - stereotypical. Yes, yes - you won't be seen by tons of drunk "I think I can dance - yet uncoordinated" obnoxious strangers; and yes, you won't bump into a group of crazy sexy hotties (If you decide to Karaoke the night away in the back). BUT!!! You will definitely have fun and you won't have to watch your back, or battle through the typical city traffic. The Scene: It's the typical Korean bar feel. It's got a bit of contemporary trendiness, mixed with a high-end IKEA feel. The patrons are mellow, and the staff is pretty friendly. In fact, the guy who took care of our party was pretty good, minus the small mess up with the food order. However, I don't think he had very much experience in food service. Now, whether you prefer the bar in the front; the booths on the side, or the rooms in the back - the evening's pace is really up to you, and whoever you decide to hang with. Chocolate Cafe'has a definite Asian-Bar feel to it; the random groups of "Yakuza - looking dudes", the All-American frat boy with "Yellow Fever", the Slick & Unfriendly looking Korean guy pushing his friends to take shots, and the drop-jaw hotties that steal away a married man's stares every so often. Top it all off with alcohol and a microphone - that's a good night. The Service: Overall, I'd have to say the food service was pretty good. The staffing is minimal, for backrooms (at least, it was minimal for that night) and for booth service, but the bartenders are freakin' hotness - so you won't care if they take their damn time. You can just stare at them and watch them make drinks. With two bar tending beauty queens, a floating manager, a server for booths and server for back rooms - the coverage is optimal for a decent evening of business. The downside is when it gets busy, you may have to wait an extra 10 - 15 minutes for food delivery. They take your orders pretty quickly. It's the delivery that might be an issue to some people. Whatever you do, don't piss them off. The last thing you need is an angry Korean serving you food. The Food: I'd have to say that the raves about the Kimchi Fried Rice are a bit overstated. It was better than average, but for the area - it's pretty good. Our party was a mid-sized group of couples where we each ordered 3-4 dishes per couple. The dishes cost anywhere from $5.00 - $15.00 each. Food Presentation: Who cares! Taste: Way, way better than expected. The Bulgogi was decent. The fried Octopus & Squid - was damn near orgasmic. Now, here's what will blow the Siracha off your pho` - the Seafood Fried Pancakes and the Korean Fried Chicken Wings. Can you say - "@#%$!"??? Some of the best chicken wings I've had here (in terms of Korean Chicken). It's not like Bon Chon. It's a bit greasy for some, but the flavor is f*cking epic. I'm thinking it's the MSG. Who cares - it's so yum! Liquor: Well, if you've ever been to a Korean club or bar - you pretty much know what to expect. As for the pricing - it's actually not that bad. The serving sizes for one order is amazingly satisfying. I've always had a thing for Yogurt and Cucumber flavors, but their Mango flavor is dangerous. Why? You don't taste the alcohol. If you're not careful, and have never had it before, you might wake up the next day in a strangers house with a hangover, and oatmeal stuck to the ceiling (not that it's ever happened to us...just sayin'). Karaoke: So, my wife loves Karaoke. Why? Jeez, she can sing. The large room that we rented was clean, roomy, and organized. On a scale of 1 - 10, in comparing Karaoke rooms across the world - I give this room a solid 6 (Well, when some Karaoke rooms overseas come with your very own female-server, a masseuse, cash prizes, or complimentary bottles of liquor - there's a LITTLE bit to be desired. So, a 6 is pretty good. The selection of songs might surprise you, and once you get a hang of the Korean remote control - it's a party, fo'real. So, don't forget to bring Korean representation. Overall: This is a great place to hang with friends. If you're in search of a hottie (guy or girl), unless you're Korean or you know someone there - I wouldn't bother. There's etiquette that just isn't crossed, as with most Korean, Japanese, Filipino, Mexican, local bars - most people know each other in there. So, if you decide to talk to some "hotness", good luck with trying to get through the barrier of friends with Bruce Lee - like - c*ck blocking techniques. The service is good. The manager was friendly. The staff is personable (if you treat them nicely). The food was better than expected. The alcohol wasn't way overpriced. The rooms were nice and neat. The Karaoke selection was decent, and the crowd was well mannered and approachable. This is definitely a place I'll return to. Next time, I'm bringing Koreans with me to tell me if the bar tenders were talking smack about me, or if they thought I was cute. read more

The service here is outstanding (you generally have to push the button to call them, which I prefer to do anyways), the food is good and the drinks are great. Make sure to try the soju cocktails, I came down here with my friends as a DD and they all enjoyed them. There are karaoke rooms in the back but I did not use them, I am sure that they are just like any other places karaoke rooms. read more

I'm hesitant to rate this place... Only because I want to keep this place all to myself. Is that wrong? Spend $150, get an hr of karaoke free... Or more... Depends on your negotiating powers and how well you can communicate without speaking Korean. Hookah. Exceptionally clean pipes and lots of Flavors to chose from. F'g soju's are off the hook here. Yogurt, mango, grape, pineapple, strawberry, lemon... Etc. I just had the soju's but my friends ordered sex on the beach and whiskey sour and they said it was good too. Great song selection. They actually have updated songs from this summer like Blurred Lines and Sweet Nothing. None of the other Karaokes have a song list as updated as this one. Downside- they are eager to kick you out promptly at 2. They will come and raid your alcohol and turn the lights on. Why can't they open til p3?!?! read more

If you make a reservation there's a discount. They have really good karaoke selections, and the wait staff are incredibly patient and nice. The Karaoke rooms are well appointed. They use a scoring system, and of course, they have a "call button." I had a juice and soda at the bar, my friend just had a water, and even though the waitresses really didn't have to chat on such a "cheap" purchase, they were really nice to me and pretty talkative. My friends swear by their "apple-tinis." read more

10/19/2012 - Birthday Dinner Celebration - Table of 12 1. Ambiance: Dim and filled with smoke. The music that plays overhead made my friends and me vigilant for a house party because it was uncomfortably loud. 2. Food: We ordered Spicy Shrimp and Chicken, Calamari, Korean Ribs and many others. We had a huge group! They have this great option of ordering from Combo A, B and C and you get a certain percentage off your meal. Our table literally ordered half their menu and the food was so perfectly cooked and marinated. Drinks - Yogurt Soju, Mango Soju and many others were so tasty. They're absolutely delicious. 3. Service: There was a button for service and every time we needed the server, we pressed the button. It was great because they showed up immediately. Two gentlemen were our servers and they were absolutely amazing. They brought out everything accordingly and were very attentive. Very nice people. 4. Costs: The price is quite average as many other Korean restaurants around Annandale. $10's range per plate. 5. Overall Experience: Besides the ambiance, everything was great. Such a fun and upbeat place to hang out for Karaoke and good food. Side Notes: Karaoke - The rooms here are so fancy! The karaoke system has been modified to enhance your sound. I know because my girl friends and I sounded quite good. The system is definitely better than a lot of Karaoke places that I have been to. read more

If you are not Korean, do not spend your money here.... or maybe it's, if you are Black, do not spend your money here. I came to Cafe Chocolate for a friend's birthday. We were in a private karaoke room (which was nice). There's a button to push for service and the server came shortly after; however, he did not know much about the menu when asked. NEVER order the fried platter and I doubt the existence of actual Soju in our flavored Sojus. There are 2 reasons why I will NEVER return to this place: 1. Our group had a few smokers, so as we were standing outside, we had lit cigarettes plucked at us on 2 different occasions and a plethora of horrible looks from people entering the club. 2. The person who arranged this celebration had to battle with the bartender/manager about the room charge because what was said over the phone days earlier was not being honored that day. I'm not one to be overly racially sensitive, but this place and its patrons clearly don't want African Americans / Black people there. read more

Great for drunk karaokeing. Spend $140 worth of food/drinks and u get 2 hrs free. Go on with yo bad self. Get drunk. Act like a fool singing backstreet boys. oh and yogurt soju!!! yum I think its cheaper than Ara and the rooms are way nicer. read more

A couple of friends and I went to this bar/restaurant/karaoke club to hang out on a Saturday. Crowd was mostly Asian, since this is a Korean joint. Service was very good - the waiter checked up on us frequently and given gifted us with a free pitcher of beer! They have flavored soju which is nice. It's pretty weak, but makes it easier to go down. The lounge is very very smoker friendly (like in real Asia), so if you dislike smoke I'd keep that in mind before you come here. We waited until one of the karaoke rooms opened up, and they are rather roomy with plush seats and your typical karaoke song books/technology. The books had an excellent selection of English and Chinese songs, which was nice because I don't know Korean. There's a button you press near the door if you want service, and our waiter was very prompt and helpful with our orders and IT questions. Fries are quite good here, surprisingly. Either that or it was because it was 1:30 in the morning after singing for a couple of hours. read more

My wife and I came here to watch the Superbowl in 2012. The waiter was extremely helpful and recommended a yogurt/Soju drink, which we had never experienced before. Wide selection of both American bar classics and Korean food. My only question - where is the chocolate? Thought there would be more chocolate themed items on the menu. read more

I do not like the fact that you can smoke in the bar. I hate wreaking in smoke at the end of the night. The prices are pretty high from any other place. Their cocktails are about $3 more than regular. Fights usually tend to break out here. Their is usually a huge group of Viet people on one side and Korean people on the other. The food is actually pretty good!! I have to say that they do have one of the best bar food. They service is great. They have buzzers on the table. So if you need something you just need to buzz the buzzer and they come right to you. read more

Very friendly service and very good food very delicious and the room Karaoke so much fun the so beautiful.

-Cheaper soju than many other places -my smoker friends can smoke here -you have a button that summons a friendly waiter/waitress to help you Cant complain! read more

Don't go out much these days, but my girl and I like to enjoy our occasional drinks. Ill just say.. TJ can whip a mean martini. Great venue - lax ambiance with ample privacy. Would def. hit it up again - got to try the karaoke rooms! read more

They put us in a reserved room without even telling us and after we had barely been singing for an hour they told us the room was reserved and that we had to leave but there were other empty rooms; why move us, that's just RUDE! Then the host comes 10 minutes later and tells us that we could stay but then somewhat later he came back again and said we had to leave for a larger group could have the room, by then we had enough. I am uncomfortable patronizing a business that is RUDE to their PAYING customers! read more

This place is amazing! I had a soy mocha and it was so so good. It was pretty too. Clean place and friendly staff. The only thing that's a minus is their chocolate for purchase is a little too spendy and Saturday they don't open until 11am. Not helpful when you want a morning coffee early Saturday and your staying in a local hotel. Otherwise great place! read more

Mehhhhhh. I went because it was right next to redholic and for some reason all the bars at annandale closed down. Overpriced as you'd expect. Pre game somewhere else. NRB mics were not working right. The two nights I've gone, the crowds were for some reason on the older side. read more

We reserved an 8-person room last night for my Birthday. For about 3 hours of singing we spent $400 (tip included) for several carafes of soju, a few pitchers of Miller Lite, mixed drinks and appetizer platters. The room was large and comfortable and the service was super fast! The karaoke system was easy to use and there was a good selection of English songs. Will definitely be back. I could have stayed all night! read more

Double-digit prices for a shot of well liquor? Would have thought I was at a DC bar if it weren't for the cigarette smoke. At least the bartenders were nice. Karaoke rooms are quite comfy as well. read more

The only place where you can drink and smoke inside. This place can't get any better then that.

After having dinner at all you can Korean bbq place down the street we ended up here. We karaoke for 2 hours for $150, 9 people. We were going to leave but it was still early so we ended up staying ordering more drinks from the bar. It was a slow Sunday night and all the bartenders were very attentive. Let's just say it was a fun night. Drinks here are expensive so make sure to pre game first. read more

Nice Place, Great Staff, Good Food and Fun Times

Great place to sing karaoke. Didn't eat their food when I went but hw next time I go I will.

3 stars because they let you smoke inside and the ambience. I guess the "smoking inside" could go both ways but it's a plus for me considering im a smoker. Prices are kind of expensive and service is subpar. read more

Too bad I just quit smoking. But yes I concur you can fucking smoke here. Atmosphere is cool, you feel like your in an aquarium for some reason (I may have been intoxicated so this may be a little hazey). My experiences were overall good. I didn't notice any loud obnoxious music (No extremely loud happy birthday songs thank God). Drinks must have been cheaper than normal becauase I drank with 15 to 20 people, and the tab did not give me a heart attack (even after getting everyone plastered). The crowd was half older and half younger (My half was the younger half), I guess the crowd is what you make it, because you are part of the crowd when you go. People told me it would be whack because a lot of old people would be there, but if you bring enough of your friends, then you can change those statistics. Nothing super different than the average Korean drinking establishment. However one thing I did notice was the tall dividing wall barriers, almost like cubicles everywhere (again I was very intoxicated so this may not be accurate), which I thought was pretty cool, because when you drink with your friends, not everyone in the place can see you, so it kind of gives you a somewhat better privacy effect for you to act a fool more freely when you black out. I'll definitely go again and again, just because the other places are getting old. Until the next new place opens up. NinjaTron out. read more

I don't usually write reviews because I don't usually have many bad experiences...And to start, my friends and I have gone to many Korean karoake places all over Annandale and Centreville area. This one and only one was RUDE.... We told them we need a room for 6 people and they put us in a huge room and we asked what the rate was because no need to pay for extra space and they said the rooms were all the same prices...We get in and get our karaoke on and then an hour or so later, the waiter comes in and tells us that they have this room reserve, OK, then why put us the F in there in the first place, we had songs in the cue and was ready to leave and go to another location. But then waiter comes back and tells us it's ok, we can stay....Stay!! Go!!, which is it. So some of us decided to just stay put and try and have a good night regardless of the rude treatment. But then after another hour or so, we are told again, that we need to move yet again to a smaller room. Really - NO!!! Close out our tab and let's end this misery of musical rooms. My friend insisted that this is now Asian establishments are (they don't really care about customer satisfaction, just which party can pay the biggest $$$ and well if that is the case, then why after 3 years of going to Korean karaoke have we never experience this treatment....... Case in point, Cafe Chocolate is not for me!!!! On the positive side - food and drinks were decent. read more

Worst service I have ever experienced. I will never ever waste my time coming here again. Worst investment I did last night. & I would highly recommend staying away from this business. read more

Food tends to be overpriced. Drinks are good, the appletinis are fantastic! The smoking inside is annoying but it's not bad when youre inside the karaoke room. read more