Nestled into the often unexplored Atwood neighborhood on Madison’s east side is Chocolaterian Cafe, a true oasis for chocolate fiends.

The cafe blends into the historic area of the city, where the streets are lined with charming old brick buildings. With the Barrymore Theater just a few steps down the street, Atwood is a cultural heart that houses the quirky, the creative and has the quaintness to match.

Adding to the gems of shops found on this side of town, Chocolaterian Cafe offers patrons charming chocolates, inviting space and a staff that cares about you and the chocolate.

It’s what’s on the inside that counts

While most every dessert item at Chocolaterian will satisfy sweet cravings, one of the stand-outs and commonly ordered items is the “ugly” cookie. I can attest that this is more than a cookie and its ugliness does not extend to how it tastes. Loaded with toffee, pistachios, cocoa nibs and oats, this is the cookie of all cookies.

Nothing beats the rich creaminess of the cocoa nibs as they hit the inside of the mouth and begin to melt. The pistachio is stellar in its delivery of a saltiness, which the toffee then compliments. Add in robust oats and the cookie is instantly heartier. Though it is ugly through the sheer quantity of ingredients thrown into the cookie, this treat is anything but ugly in terms of taste.

‘Hold the flour’

To skip the fussy fillings, the flourless chocolate peppermint cookie is a straightforward option with a richness that’s augmented by the lack of flour. The cocoa powder is quality and strong on its own, yet the light peppermint notes back up the flavor for something even more unique. The pairing of the two components makes for a cookie that is cool and refreshing from the mint while at the same time rich from the chocolate.

Turn up — with chocolate

For those who would rather imbibe their chocolate, the cafe offers shots of rich Parisian drinking chocolate. Yes, drinkable chocolate. The strength of flavor is such that only a shot size portion is necessary. Forget hot chocolate — one sip of this thick, velvety dark chocolate drink and traditional hot chocolate becomes something to scoff at.

Or, for the Brits

If the richness of the drinking chocolate seems scary, Chocolaterian also serves up cocoa bean tea. Certainly the lighter of the two liquid chocolate forms, the tea is a welcome choice for those wanting to get their chocolate fix sans the heaviness of pure chocolate and cream.

Bucky’s favorite

Another namesake food item at Chocolaterian is the “Badger bait,” a finger-shaped brownie that’s topped with chocolate buttercream and coated in chocolate ganache. In spite of its odd choice of shape, the dressed up brownie is satisfying in its simplicity. The brownie base is fudgy and thick as it should be, and the buttercream is generously smeared and not cloyingly sweet.

The last resort

And when cookies, brownies and liquid chocolate just won’t do, there is always the chocolate mousse. Made with dark and milk chocolates, Sassy Cow heavy cream, Galpaca honey and coffee liqueur, the mousse is light in texture yet heavy in intensity of chocolate flavor. Think of the mousse as chocolate ice cream, yet not as cold and much more velvety and light to the tongue.

Even the list of items above is not exhaustive. Visit Chocolaterian Cafe and rest easy knowing that there is certainly no shortage of heavenly chocolate concoctions.