107 Barnes Place, Colombo 7
This place has closed down
Cioconat offers some tasty, generous fare, but even so it still isn’t exactly where it could be.
So we've all been to Cioconat and had our own unique experiences that we've somehow managed to supress and not make a big deal out of.
They try really hard to do a lot of different things at once in terms of cuisine, which I appreciate, but then in the midst of all the confusion their execution isn't exactly excellent.
I felt like some spaghetti so I got the Spicy Meatballs with Beef (Rs. 800) and the picture clearly indicated that the pasta would be spaghetti but unfortunately they served it with Penne instead. There were also two slices of garlic bread which were crispy and tasted great.
There are about 5 large meatballs which looked like they'd been prepared well resting on a plate of slightly undercooked Penne. I was pleased with the minimal amount of sauce but of course all the sauce was at the bottom and once you're done with the pasta on the top it gets difficult to eat since it's all drenched in sauce.
The meatballs however tasted wonderful but as I got to my 2nd, I realise it was a little raw. Forking through the rest of them in panic, it turned out most of them were a little raw. Why. Overall a bit of a mediocre dish that looked pretty.
Rajeev got the Con Pollo (Rs. 750) which looked rather alarmingly unimpressive but tasted great. It was served with a lot of chips which I appreciate, and the chips weren't bad and actually came close to Mickey D's without all the extra grease.
The bread was a little dry but not too much to complain about. The filling consisted of chicken, carrots, onion and perhaps some mayonnaise or dressing of sorts. There was also a generous bit of pepper but to my surprise it didn't kill the rest of the elements in the sandwich.
We got one of their Brownies (Rs. 490) for takeaway and according to Aisha it was alright, quite a big portion but felt more like a square piece of cake than a brownie. Not worth the price given how cakey and slightly dry it was.
We had to wait a while before Rajeev decided to take one of their funky little 'Call' buttons that you press to summon the waiter. Even after that it still took about 10 minutes, but the waiters were quite friendly and efficient. They even took the time to ask how our meal was, which I give them a plus for.
Since they were trying to accomplish so much they sort of got lost with their interior decor. There was no specific set theme, and they had a bright theme going with standard diner furniture.
There's an area outside for all those who wish to partake in some Shisha and it's very dingy, usually full of gents eyeballing everything that moves. Quite nice.
Okay so if you're on a budget don't go here because the prices and tax charges are ridiculously high. If you have some cash to spend then fine, but don't order the Spaghetti.
Cioconat has steadily descended down the hill of progress and we're disappointed to report that they're at a stagnant standstill at the moment.
Cioconat offers some tasty, generous fare, but even so it still isn’t exactly where it could be.
We could never quite bring ourselves to explore Cioconat, the coffee shop lurking behind all the unsightly coffee-and-ash cladding on Barnes Place. With a name like Cioconat (?) and a facade that has all the elegance of a Colombo bank, what good could possibly lay behind those glass doors? But we were wrong. Kind of. Cioconat isn't terrible - the eponymous hot chocolate is actually quite amazing, the food is decent, and the space is surprisingly large and comfortable. They even offer shisha.
සිංහල “Cioconat Lounge”; නම නම් උච්චාරණය කරන්න ටිකක් අමාරුයි තමයි. අපට දැනගන්න ලැබුණ විදියට මේක උච්චාරණය වෙන්නේ "චෝ-කෝ-නාට් ලෝන්ජ්" විදියට. ඉතාලි භාෂාවෙන් චොකලට් වලට කියන්නේ "Cioco" කියලනේ. ඉතින් ඒ ආරය අරන් තමයි මෙතනට Cioconat Lounge කියන නම දාලා තියෙන්නේ.
සිංහල මට ඕනෑ වුණා බාන්ස් පෙදෙසේ කෝපි හා අළු පැහැති ආකර්ශනීය නොවන මුහුණතක් ඇති Cioconat බලන්න යන්න. නම අමුතුයි. එහි ඉදිරිපස පෙනුම බැංකුවක වගේ. ප්රිය උපදවන්නේ නැහැ. මේ වීදුරු දොරවල් පිටුපස ඇත්තේ මොන වගේ ලෝකයක්ද යන කුහුලින් යුතුව තමයි මම එහි පිවිසියේ. ඇතුළත් පිටත පෙනුමට සමානයි. ඒත්, Cioconat හොඳ තැනක්. එහි පුදුම හිතෙන තරම් ලොකු හා සුවපහසු අවකාශයක් තිබෙනවා. ඔවුන්ගේ උණු චොකලට් ඉතා රසවත්. කෑමත් හොඳයි. ඔවුහු ශිෂා හෙවත් ගඩුගුඩාත් පිරිනමනවා.
This place has closed down
Price Range
Dish Types
Ratings Breakdown
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2/5
I don't recommend this place for ifthar buffet. They don't fill the dishes when they run out and if you are a slow eater you're basically left with hardly anything . (specially after starving the whole day, I don't think you can't eat a lot at once during ifthar) so no! I don't think this place does any justice to ifthar buffets
5/5
ordered shish kebab and smoked salmon… it was excellent… friendly service… taxes are really high… but the food makes me wanna return to them for another meal someyime soon…
1/5
Dont ever go to this place. they don't have anything which have been mentioned in the menu. we went for a special meeting for lunch. but at last we had to eat dhal n rice. if you wanna feel ashamed of yourself, take someone there for a outing. They do not have the quality of service at the time they started. simple i do not recommend this place to anyone.
The shisha is not 'just shisha' its the best shisha spot in town serving the best shisha! im a regular smoker and ive been to all of colombos shisha spots…this is by far the best! Theyve got sooo many shisha flavaours….i tried rose mint and chocoolate mint the other day….fantastic! and hey the staff are all really friendly as well.
Hot chocolate expensive….hmmm…may be….but what do u expect for fine authentic italian hot chocolate? Hey nothing good comes easy yeah….cheers my lanka buddies …definitely a must try spot in colombo!
I agree with Anekha, nothing good comes cheap! And they have so much to offer than just Hot Chocolate! I was there on the weekend and had their Arabic food. SIMPLY AWESOME! And as for their Italian food… they do have some great pizza's! Specially the Calzone.
All that said they should look into training their staff a little more. But overall lovely place. Beats all the other cafe/restaurants around Colombo 7 !
have you tried the arabic champagne…or am not sure what its called…its non alchoholic and its AMAZING!!!! the place is surprising larger than it looks from out and quite cozy in its own way!!! perfect hangout spot with friends after a long day of work! and the sheesha just does it!! go cioconat
Nothing good comes cheap? Well that's myopia. Infact I've had cheaper chocolate drinks in europe with comparable or better taste.
Cioconat variety is impressive and food and beverages are really good. Nice atmosphere as well.
They would do well to keep those prices in check.
an awesome place to hangout. does not get that crowded and you can spend some time leisurely. ive tried the food everything which i had soo far was good and the best was the hot chocolate and definitely have to talk about their ice ream so fresh and yummy and affordable as well :)
I was here on a crowded weekend.Took ages to get my hot coco.It was yummy though.Good place to hang out
If you guys are so against 'expensive' places, why promote places like Nihonbashi or Ministry of Crabs? Is it because they come with celebrity tags?
If a hot chocolate is 'criminal' at 520, why eat crabs for 5000? isn't that criminal too? After all you do get cheaper crabs for 500 at Station Road ne?
It's fine to have your own favourite restaurant, but why reflect them in your reviews? Tell us the prices, let us decide if its criminal or not to pay 520 for the coffee/chocolate drink or if its more criminal to pay 5000 for crabs at Ministry of Crabs.
I have heard even though their hot chocolate is originally thick, you can ask them to make it more liquidy drinkable and still it tastes heaven. :)
I am unfortunately a harsh critic and rarely give places a second chance, but I feel like this is the reality of the food business, so you had better be on the ball all the time.
The food and coffee were mediocre and not worth the price. The service staff, while friendly were mostly ineffective and inefficient. It also seemed like they were being pushed to speak English.
I appreciate the effort and it's definitely needed with the variety of tourists and visitors Colombo gets, but it was so mangled and garbled that I'd much rather they spoke to me in Sinhalese so I could understand what they were saying. I think it's okay to have only a select few that are well versed in English. Everyone else can learn slowly instead of being forced to blurt out words that will mostly confuse.
Woozy is right, people have their own opinions, you should never criticize the opinions of others on this forum. Because this site is all about eating joints, so you better rate and criticize those restaurants made you feel bad by giving you the food for your bitter taste, or the service etc… me too for one, never give a second chance to a restaurants, after all not like they are going to refund the money for their bad service or bad food. so KUDOs for Woozy…haters can focus on the food or more fat…
The latte hot chocolate was so not worth the price tag and ended up like just molten mediocre chocolate bars. Other food items such as sandwiches are so insanely expensive that they put 5 star hotels to shame. I could honestly get 2 smoked chicken sandwiches at either coffee bean, Barista or Goodies for the price of one here. Absurd pricing. That was my first and absolute last visit there.
Dear Yamu,
Thank you for the review on our café. Whatever has been said is taken as constructive criticism and will only help us improve our offerings.
However it’s time to clarify matters, after all you haven’t heard our side of things:
1. The name: CIOCONAT – Pronounced: SHO-KO-NUT, comes from the word CIOCO (chocolate in Italian) and Nat ( Natfood –The franchise brand owner)
2. “While they market themselves as an 'Italian restaurant' and do serve the occasionally Italian dish - lasagna, pasta - this isn't quite cuisine a la Italia” – It’s because of statements like these that people call your site biased. Frist of all we serve all basic Italian dishes plus more. Besides the “occasional Italian dishes” that you only know of, we also serve a range pizza’s which is not mentioned in your review, Italian starters like Bruschetta and many more, a wide range of pastas from the favorite creamy chicken mushroom to the Cabonara. A little research on the internet on Italian cuisine will tell you that we serve most of what we can in the country.
3. Rs.520 for a Hot Chocolate is not expensive if you compare all the others who serve a mid-level product. And this is not something that we are just saying! And our prices are all inclusive, there is not plus plus. A very unfair judgment on our pricing. Here’s an idea to do a review on the best Hot chocolate places in town.
4. The “hideous” cladding: There’s nothing much we can say about this except that, this is part of our franchise. Maybe the next time we open up a place we’ll make it more colorful, so @Shru feels more welcomed :p
5. The items sold in our little shop in shop that you call “bizarre”: This is something that has been appreciated by many, and is as a result of our local franchisee, who are also into dates, tea and other commodities.
A point to note for you:
1. You need to try more of the food! Not just the hot chocolate and breakfast meal. Your review clearly shows that’s all you had. This is what you need to try; “Arabic food on the weekend, our pizza, our own Home made Gelato & Mock-tails!
All that said, we've made a lot of changes since this review. Colorful pictures now adorn some of cladding. Our menu has been updated, and our service has improved further after the recent round of training. We look forward to receiving you at The CIOCONAT lounge.
Sincere Regards,
The Management ,
CIOCONAT lounge
@ableton
Our single falvor Shisha is Rs.1100, Double is Rs. 1200 and the starbuzz flavor is Rs.1600.
Regards,
The Management,
CIOCONAT lounge
The hot chocolate was divine (almost like liquid chocolate) and well worth my money. You're asked how thick you want it and I opted for thick. I personally quite liked the decor. Cake wasn't bad either. Only criticism is the service could be improved a little.
@americagangster,
What you wrote only damage the image of Cioconat.
If you are their royal customer you are doing them a bad service.
Plus the language you uses are awful.
I am impress that Yamu's staff willingly published it.
This show their professionalism.
Yamu…Keep up your good work!
@Erena, Thank you for your kind words. We strive to improve on our service every single day. Hope to see you on Hot Chocolate Tuesday :)
Regards,
The Management,
CIOCONAT lounge
I finally know how to pronounce Cioconat! Yay :)
When I went with my whole family (8 people all together) they were very accommodating, gave us the little private room and the food was a large portion of stuff, including salads, pizza, pasta and I forget, it has been a few months now. I was pleasantly surprised and compared to all the other places I frequent, I waled away thinking I would love to get my friends together sometime for some quiet chilling and good conversation. I am sorry I did not get to try this hot chocolate and I will certainly go back again. Maybe organize a gathering next week! :)
If I had anything to say, it was the salad (sorry I forget what I got) but I would have preferred the dressing on the side, but otherwise, I had nothing to complain about. Thanks to Yamu, i'm definitely going to check it out - and just a quick reminder, reviews do not necessarily need to be objective and it really is up to the reader to keep an open mind, read between the lines - and after all, remember Yamu is a free service and CIOCONAT responded - overall it works really well.
Thanks to everyone for making this work :)
we had a late night stop over for take away. The staff was excellent. I saw them struggling with their language but even started signing to get the point across till I spoke to them sinhala.
I wanted a mocktail that was all natural and they. went to the extent of showing me what they put into my drink. I was particular as I had just had a baby. And they gave me a sample of a creme like drink. whoch I ended up taking with me too which was super and I still cant remember the name although I remember how it tastes. Does a place really need to be defined if u dine there? I dont think so. I enjoyed it. I really did.
Oh and after scouring through multiple coffee houses that night looking for fresh things I found cioconut to be the best. honest and price wise pretty much the same as the rest.
Went there on a Monday where they have a buy-one-get-one-free pasta offer for HSBC cardholders. A few hiccups in the service need to be sorted out , 1)needed to switch to Sinhala to be understood 2) informed quite abruptly the they were out of penne pasta (on a day they could reasonably expect more pasta orders) and 3) not told that the carbonara was beef untill asked (no mention on the menu although carbonara is traditionally pork)
That said, the pasta was amazing! Good hearty portions, thick creamy sauce, crunchy french bread and generous scattering of Parmesan. Will definitely go there to sample more of the menu.
Very bad service in the Hookah lounge…. I've been there a couple of times, average waiting period is about 20-30 mins… Coffee is alright, but nothing to write home about….
Went on a Sunday afternoon and thought the place was crowded but the place was spacious enough to make us feel comfortable. Service was quick but nothing exciting to tell about the drinks. Wouldn't really fancy going there again …
I have been here couple of time and a great fan of their creme pasta its super creamy, tatses good, filling and worth the money if taxes not added :-) My friend who is a chocoholic did love their hot chocolate!
Tried it today and happy about my experience. Anyway today I didn't have much time so I could try the hot chocolate and chicken arabiata sandwich only. Sandwich was great. Regarding the hot chocolate I am happy if it was bit sweeter. (Anyway I used to have extra amount of sugar. So that may be the reason I felt so). The staff were very friendly. I will definitely come back and try more food items.
Today was my 20th or 30th visit to Cioconat Lounge in Barnes place. Because I always loved the food and the customer care you receive.
http://www.cioconatlounge.com/
But Today!!! it was so appalling and embarrassing!
I went there with my family today. We were there by 9 PM for the dinner, ordered some simple menu. We waited and waited… to 10.15 pm, after 1.15 hours of the order… still the food was not served. Staff seems ignoring and don't care …. not bothered… I went ask the desk when I can expect the food… we may take some more time ( 5 more minutes) . around 10.30 Pm food was served… with lot of spice in it… I have no idea how come suce exceptional service of this place went down from top 10 to bottom 0…
I myself has recommended this place to many of my friends. Brought many my friends here… Now… I feel bad … as I don't know how their personal experience would have been.
Sorry folks…
Cant recommend this place anymore. …. Not advisable… I think the evening staff are pathetic… not good! not good! not good ! despite being a regular customer … I had a terrible experience today…
Went there yesterday evening for Dinner. I ordered the mixed grilled platter and Arabic bread. The food was authentic, tasted Fresh! and was served to me within 25 minutes. The staff was very friendly. In-fact i came in with my wife and kid and one of the female waiters was kind enough to get my kids some coloring pencils and a paper to keep her occupied. I even got my phone charged since it as running low on battery and i didn't have my own charger.
The bill surprised me because its one of the few places in Colombo where the prices are tax inclusive so i think Cioconat prices are very reasonable.
I walked by the Shisha lounge which was fairly crowded but extremely pleasant and there were about 3 staff outside and around 5 staff inside seeing to the orders. I would highly recommend this place to anybody looking for a quiet evening out to have a good meal at a reasonable price!
I prefer if they can serve the hot chocolate in glass cups with wider mouth they used initially. (For those who haven't seen them just watch the visual of the song 'seetha maaruthe' which was shot there). That is more convenient to drink and also appetizing. With the cups used now, with narrower and deeper inside, we have to dig in to it and slant the cup to get hot chocolate on to the spoon.
Tried the Friday lunch buffet on 27-May-2016. Cost is a whopping 1044.38 with tax. It was totally crap. It had only about 6 or 7 dishes in total.
Daylight robbery if you ask me. Again, ANOTHER one-time joint. Never going here again.
Dear Isuru Uyanage,
We hope you got the place right. We have not had anything missing from our menu during the period you have posted. We also do not have Dhal on our menu. Please do email us with your contact number so we could get in touch with you and find out more details. On behalf of the management we apologies for the service and experience that you had.
Please do give us another chance to show you our worth!
Cheers :)
Sad to see that this has been permanently closed. This is one of the several restaurants closed during last few years after the so-called 'change'. Some more at the brink of closure. Even Kaema Sutra was about to close but saved their ass by moving to the Shangri-la. The country's economy is going down day by day under the rule of so-called 'experts' in economy. Soon there will only be some 'Petti Kada' for any one who want to have a dinner-out whether you are rich or poor.
2/5
ColomboSam
Rated 2/5
2/5
Ashee
I don't recommend this place for ifthar buffet. They don't fill the dishes when they run out and if you are a slow eater you're basically left with hardly anything . (specially after starving the whole day, I don't think you can't eat a lot at once during ifthar) so no! I don't think this place does any justice to ifthar buffets
5/5
Asma Imran
ordered shish kebab and smoked salmon… it was excellent… friendly service… taxes are really high… but the food makes me wanna return to them for another meal someyime soon…