Amara Chocolate & Coffee

I wanted to finally relax and remind myself of some of the things in life that bring me joy. Yes, I have a husband and two dogs that keep me centered but there are things in life that bring me joy. One of them is exploring different coffee houses.

For this post, I’ll highlight Amara Chocolate and Coffee (Amara C+C) in Pasadena. It’s an authentic Venezuelan cafe serving brunch, coffee, pastries, and of course hot chocolate.  My husband and I discovered this place a couple of years ago, when we were walking around  Pasadena, walking off our dinner. Unfortunately that dinner was bland.  It was cold (for California standards), we wanted desserts and found Amara C+C.

For our first visit, we got hot drinking chocolate and churros for dessert. The churros were fresh and the drinking chocolate was decadent. Since then we’ve been going back, especially when we are feeling especially indulgent. Bonus points if the weather is cold and rainy too. Gladly, I am taking you readers to Amara because it is in my top five favorite cafés in Los Angeles — it’s a real treat. Plus I am ordering a hot drink on a Sunday brunch day in August.

Side note: How cool is it that the owner, Amara Barroeta, was a former chemical engineer and a Miss Venezuelan contestant before pursuing her business venture?

I got the Cacao Latte — it’s different from their Venezuelan drinking chocolate. This one has coffee and is less thick than the drinking chocolate. But still, you’ll find yourself taking your time drinking this cacao latte because it is still rich. I certainly did, and enjoyed every sip. If it’s your first and only time (I hope not) you’ll visit Amara, you must get the Venezuelan drinking chocolate.

If you could only go here once, at least get the churros with either dark chocolate dipping sauce or dulce de leche. These are freshly made on arrival. You have choice of dark chocolate, dulce de leche, condensed milk, Nutella, or guava sauce  dipping sauce. You can share these with friends…or not *wink*.

Address: 55 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105

Julie is Los Angeles-based  lifestyle blogger for Los Angeles in the Wild, sharing about real living Los Angeles where she enjoys hiking, finding  nature in the city, exploring and trying out new cafes and restaurants, spending time with her loved ones. She’s social, follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

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