Cocoa Legato: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Cocoa Legato is a bean-to-bar chocolate factory and cafe in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood, and the menu lists no meat or fish. The chocolate is vegan, the cafe adds a few dairy items, and a small menu of salads, toast, and desserts rounds out the coffee and cocoa. Plan a snack or a drink here rather than a full dinner.

Founder Aaron Lindstrom and his team make the chocolate from scratch on site, you can watch the work from the cafe or the street, and every bar is vegan and nut-free. The whole facility stays nut-free, though the vegan ice cream bon bons contain cashews and the menu says so. The cafe also runs live music Thursday through Saturday in a room that holds about 30 people.

Start with the drinks. The Drinking Chocolate costs $6.25 for 8 ounces and $7.00 for 16, and the 4-ounce Sipping Chocolate costs $5.25. You pick the chocolate. Colombian 70% dark is the default, Peruvian 80% is the sharper option, and the Caffe Vita Espresso Chocolate adds 75 cents. The mocha runs $6.75 to $7.50, and the Cocoa-spresso, a sipping chocolate blended with a double espresso, costs $6. Oat or soy milk costs 50 cents. A Sipping Chocolate Flight, three flavors plus a sparkling water back, costs $16.50. Tea runs $3.90 to $4.10, Aditi Chai costs $6.00 to $7.00, and the Kids Hot Chocolate costs $6.25.

The food menu runs short. The Legato Salad, $12.50, combines fresh greens, roasted chickpeas, red onion, candied cocoa nibs, and seasonal fruit with a cocoa nib balsamic vinaigrette, and the menu marks the salad vegan. The Nibby Avocado Toast, $11.95, tops Cottage Bakery bread with avocado, cherry tomatoes, and chili flakes, also vegan. The Chocolate Grilled Cheese, $12.95, grills buttered bread with Beecher’s Flagship cheese and 70% Colombian dark chocolate, and Tim’s Cascade chips come on the side. That sandwich contains dairy.

For dessert, the Chocolate Mousse Springsteen costs $10.95. It’s dairy free and contains eggs. The house-made S’more costs $7 with a house-made marshmallow and graham cracker, and you can ask for the vegan marshmallow. Three Ice Cream Bon Bons, vegan vanilla ice cream coated in dark chocolate, cost $9, and the Cocoa Legato Affogato, $9, drops a bon bon into the Cocoa-spresso.

The kitchen runs mostly on vegan ingredients, and the cafe’s FAQ says most dishes and pastries are vegan or dairy free. I found no statement about how the cafe separates its dairy from its vegan items, so ask if you avoid dairy strictly. The cafe stays dry, and the counter pours Athletic Brewing nonalcoholic beer at $5.95. The live music nights favor acoustic, indie, singer-songwriter, and small jazz acts, with two-band bills.

Hours run Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The cafe closes Monday. Free Wi-Fi and wheelchair access come standard. Parking means street spots or nearby lots, and the paid lot directly behind the building tickets often. The address is 8420 Greenwood Avenue North, Suite C. Factory tours run on Wednesdays, and you can buy bars and drinking chocolate mix online.