Cocoa Grinder - A Halal Healthy Cafe

Cafes are a dime a dozen in Brooklyn, the hipster capital of America. What makes one cafe different from another? I think that depends on who you ask. Some might think that it's the ambiance of the place, while others might put importance on where the food and ingredients are sourced from, and yet others might place the importance on the overall experience of the restaurant.

Cocoa Grinder is a cafe in Bay Ridge that captures a little bit of each attribute that sets this spot apart from others.

I recently visited this small establishment for dinner with a friend. The ambiance of the cafe stood out as soon as I walked in. The cafe was lit up in a warm glow from the over head lights. The bar style benches in the front looked really cool where there were floating seats that can be pulled out from under the counter top where people can sit and enjoy their meal. There were similar bench/stool style seating in the rest of the restaurant where people can sit in groups or by themselves facing out to the street, a classic way to do some "people watching."

The cafe offers a variety of options, ranging from great tasting smoothies, to coffee, and of course an array of food items. The choice of smoothies can vary based on your mood and you can select from  preconfigured smoothies or put ingredients together to make your own. I noticed there were whey protein powder bottles on the back shelf so you can boost your smoothie with that as well. As I sat off to the side, quite a few people came in to get smoothies. I noticed a few gyms/crossfit locations in the area so the health cafe location made sense.

Chicken Wrap with turkey bacon

The food options seemed all very carefully selected and all sounded very delicious. There were options for small plates such as chips and guac or sweet potato fries, so I ordered chips and guac while I waited for my friend to arrive. I thought it would be served up quickly but it looked like the guac was being made fresh so it wasn't served up out of a pre-made batch.

There were a whole array of sandwiches and burgers that are available for a larger meal. There were vegetarian options as well as meat and seafood options to cater to any type of dietary restrictions. Once my friend arrived, he informed me that he chose this place because it served all halal meat and thats when my options widened, and so did my eyes. For a while I couldn't decide between steak sandwich or the chicken wrap. However, reading closely, I noticed turkey bacon in the chicken wrap and that sealed the deal for me. My friend in the meantime ordered the turkey burger.

Turkey Burger with sweet potato fries

As we waited for our food to arrive, we chatted about how things were going in our lives. The food was prepared fresh so be ready to wait a few mins more than your usual cafe where sandwiches are just reheated in the oven and served up. The food was served up on paddle board style wooden plates, true hipster style.

The chips and guac came out first since I had ordered it earlier so we enjoyed that while we waited for our food. The guac tasted fresh and we enjoyed it a lot. I would say that they could have done more in terms of flavoring the guac, maybe with a little more lemon, or some spicier jalapeños. The chips on the other hand weren't that great, they were too greasy, especially for a health oriented cafe, and some actually tasted a bit too soggy, maybe from the oil. So I would recommend against getting it.

The chicken wrap was extremely tasty. The chicken was brined for 48 hours so it was very juicy and had a burst of flavor in every bite. On top of that flavor, there was chipotle aioli sauce that added the right amount of kick to the sandwich. In addition to all that flavor, they included my favorite type of cheese, Pepper Jack. And finally, the icing on the proverbial cake, the turkey bacon, added its own flavor to the mix. Every bite of the wrap had the right amount of taste in it and due to the brine, the meat never felt dried or stringy.

My friend enjoyed the turkey burger as well. He said that it was very tasty and had the right flavoring in it. The sweet potato fries that came with the burger were really delicious as well. He offered me some and I had to refrain from nearly finishing the fries for him. I have to say that the cafe serves up some good food options and good selection of smoothies, and it's definitely worth a trip to bay ridge. Hope you go and enjoy it.

Menu