After a five-minute meander downhill from the train, past a wine bar, art gallery, and latin bistro, you will discover that Park Slope has been hiding something delicious, unpretentious, and homemade.
In January 2005, husband and wife entrepreneurs and Park Slope residents Naomi Josepher and Jon Payson opened The Chocolate Room, which Zagat has named the #1 Dessert Café in New York. The boutique on Fifth Avenue is a cozy, intimate place, with French fixtures on brick walls, chocolate wood furniture, and a display case of Fritz Kripschildt’s artisanal bonbons in the foyer to ensure guests leave with more than just lingering flavors. The open kitchen in the back emits aromas reminiscent of the hypnotic, exotic concoctions in the film Chocolat. C’est dangeruex!
No dessert is artificially made, and the products are fair-trade and single-origin República del Cacao in support of local farmers in Ecuador and Madagascar. The ice cream—Naomi’s favorite thing on the menu—is often organic and created fresh every day. Try three small scoops: the Burnt Orange, (Real) Mint Chip, and Chocolate Sorbet. The complimentary pre-dessert might be, if you’re lucky, a chocolate chip almond cube with chocolate sauce. Hot chocolates come with a homemade marshmallow, and the special caramel glazed banana chocolate crepe with vanilla ice cream will make you melt into your seat in between bites. Oprah Magazine’s favorite triple dark chocolate layer cake is the most popular indulgence, and should be shared with port, prosecco, or wine; suggested pairings are listed on the menu.
The Chocolate Room’s Park Slope shop is located at 269 Court Street, and offers larger seating area and production space to accommodate the high number of special orders. Catering, venue hosting, proposals, and chocolate tastings are available.
The Chocolate Room might not be a secret anymore, but it’s far from being overrun by tourists.
How to get there: Take the F or G train to Bergen Street or the 2, 3 train to Court.
The co-founder and editor-at-large at offMetro, Lauren is a sustainable travel specialist and freelance journalist with frequent bylines in National Geographic, Bicycling Magazine and Shape. Follow Lauren’s adventures at @laurenmati.
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram