Few things in life are as nostalgic and comforting as chocolate, and for Cocomelt founder Sarah Jarrah, that sentiment runs deep. What began as a childhood ritual of sharing chocolate crepes with their grandfather after school has since grown into one of the most talked-about dessert destinations in London. Located on Wardour Street in Soho, Cocomelt captures the warmth of those early memories while offering a modern, premium take on chocolate indulgence.
We spoke to Sarah to find out more.
How did it all start?
The idea for Cocomelt was born from a childhood tradition I had with my grandfather that meant the world to me. He would often pick me up after school and treat me to a chocolate crepe from our local dessert spot. The crepe had milk, white and dark chocolate swirled on top into a marble effect. The crepe itself was simple, but the feeling and memory it gave me were irreplaceable.
Years later, I found myself searching for a place that would bring back the same feeling. That’s when I realised there was a gap for a premium, chocolate-focused cafe that serves familiar desserts and drinks in a homey and friendly environment.
A few months later, Cocomelt opened its doors on Wardour Street in Soho. Today, the exact crepe that I used to share with my grandfather remains on our menu. A full circle moment I’ll never get over!
Tell us about the concept at Cocomelt and what makes Cocomelt different?
We are a premium chocolate cafe that is redefining the way people experience chocolate desserts and drinks. Our philosophy blends simplicity of ingredients with quality, creativity, innovation, and comfort – all within a setting designed to feel warm and welcoming, like a friend’s home. Every detail is developed to bring people together, turning every visit into a memory worth remembering.
Tell us about your products and why people should visit?
Our menu is inspired by our love for travel and different cultures around the world. Each of our signature desserts celebrates a cuisine that’s close to our heart. The sushi crepe reflects our love for Japan, the Fettuccine crepe for Italy, and our chocolate fondue transports us to Switzerland. They are all familiar desserts that we reimagine in a fun and creative way, which is why they have become our best sellers. That same creativity is what our community fell in love with online, too, with some of our videos reaching over fifty million views and attracting customers from all around the world to visit our cafe.
Our drinks are made with the same love and care as everything on our menu. Whether it is our specialty coffee, our ceremonial grade matcha, or our chocolate drinks, we keep things simple so the quality can speak for itself. Our chocolate drinks are made with the same chocolate we use for our desserts, and our iced drinks come in our signature sealed cans that look amazing, feel fun, and are perfect to grab and go.
Above everything else, what truly makes Cocomelt special is the experience. Every element – from our friendly service, to our welcoming space, and our fun menu- is designed for our customers to create memories that last a lifetime.
We heard about The London Cookie – What is this and how did it come about?
Ah, The London Cookie! This one has my whole heart.
Just like the rest of our menu, it’s inspired by our love for travel and different cultures – except this time, these cookies have been inspired by our love for London. It’s our gift to the city that gave us everything.
When I first considered adding cookies to our menu, I wanted to understand why certain cookies around the world had become iconic. So I booked a flight to New York to try their famous chunky cookies. Then I flew to Amsterdam to try a spot known for selling just one single cookie flavour that people queue hours for. NYC’s was thick and gooey. Amsterdam’s was thin and perfectly snackable.
Both were incredible… But I felt like London needed more. London deserved its own cookie – one that captures its cosmopolitan spirit, charm, heritage, and richness.
After 1.5 years of testing and 15 recipes, our ‘London Cookie’ was born. It’s the perfect balance of not too thick, not too thin. Crispy edges. Soft, gooey centre. She’s rich. She’s cultured. She’s playful. She’s in London.
We launched with three chocolate-centric flavours (of course!), and we’ll be releasing regular limited edition flavours – with our first one next month!
Your ingredients are so important. How do you pick your suppliers?
Ingredients mean everything to us. We try to use the simplest and most natural formats possible with no unnecessary additives and no shortcuts. We use ingredients you can easily find at your local grocery store, because we want our recipes to feel familiar and comforting. We let the quality of our chocolate and ingredients shine through.
Where we can, we focus on local, smaller suppliers we can build real relationships with.
For example, our juicy strawberries come from a farm in Kent, the same one that supplies Wimbledon! Our specialty coffee beans are roasted by Origin Coffee. And of course, the main character – our chocolate – is farmed in the Ivory Coast, then perfected in Belgium before making its way to our cafe. Our chocolate follows the Cocoa Trace programme to ensure farmers are paid fairly and farming conditions are sustainable. It’s chocolate we’re proud to serve.
What about your coffee?
Our specialty coffee is just as important as our desserts. We spent months tasting beans to find one that complements our menu beautifully.
The beans we use are farmed in Brazil and roasted by our friends at Origin Coffee Roasters. It’s a bold, traditional espresso blend offering a robust body, low acidity, and rich chocolatey flavour. Perfect alone as a pick-me-up or paired with your favourite Cocomelt dessert.
Where is the dessert industry moving to in the next five years? What is next?
People definitely care now more than ever about what they’re putting into their bodies. Customers are choosing cleaner labels, fewer additives, and natural ingredients. At the same time, those same customers still want a delicious and indulgent treat that satisfies their dessert cravings without compromise.
Chocolate desserts aren’t going anywhere, but the focus is definitely shifting. Customers want quality over shortcuts, ingredients they actually want to eat, and an experience that makes them feel something beyond just the sugar hit. And this is exactly what Cocomelt is obsessed with!
What is next for you and Cocomelt?
We’re so grateful for the love we’ve received from Londoners and from all of our incredible guests who travel from around the UK and the world to visit us. Now it’s time to grow to get to our customers who can’t always come to us.
We’re working behind the scenes to expand our menu with more chocolate-focused desserts – think brownies, cakes, and tarts.
We’re finally launching nationwide delivery very soon, something our customers have been asking for since day one. You’ll finally be able to get The London Cookie anywhere in the UK!
We’re also on the hunt for a site to house our second Cocomelt location in London, as well as working quietly on international expansion. We’d love to know where our community wants us to open next!
The sky is the limit, and I cannot wait for more people to experience Cocomelt in their own way and create memories that stay with them, just like mine have stayed with me.
For more information, visit Cocomelt
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All images courtesy of Cocomelt London.