Edinburgh attraction ‘The Chocolatarium’ named third best ‘food experience’ in the world

A chocolate tour attraction in the heart of Edinburgh has been named the third best ‘food experience’ in the world, according to people who use the world’s largest travel guidance platform.
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The Chocolatarium Chocolate Tour Experience, located just off the Royal Mile in Cranston Street, is a small business run by Jenny McLay which offers visitors the chance to learn about the history and science of chocolate while tasting a wide variety of unusual chocolate flavours from around the world.

It opened its doors in 2019 and offers a range of innovative and exciting flavours from camel milk chocolate (known for its health benefits) to maple and bacon pancake flavour and more traditional favourites like milk, mint and salted caramel.

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TripAdvisor has announced that the attraction has been ranked the world’s third best-rated ‘food experience’ in their 2021 Travellers’ Choice ‘Best of the Best’ Things to do Awards.

Edinburgh attraction ‘The Chocolatarium’ has been named third best ‘food experience’ in the world in the TripAdvisor list.Edinburgh attraction ‘The Chocolatarium’ has been named third best ‘food experience’ in the world in the TripAdvisor list.
Edinburgh attraction ‘The Chocolatarium’ has been named third best ‘food experience’ in the world in the TripAdvisor list.

Business owner Jenny, who started up after living in Ecuador and seeing the cacao plant growing there, said: “It’s an amazing thing, I’m so so happy. The team works so hard, it will be an absolute boon for them.

“The chocolate that we all love and eat so much of comes from this really interesting plant, a lot of people don’t know that...and I’ve always loved chocolate. I used to take chocolate bars home from school every day and melt them in the microwave.”

Currently, the attraction has 445 5 star reviews on TripAdvisor - and zero one and two star reviews.

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In the tour, visitors go to the Jungle Room to learn where cacao beans come from, and the factory kitchen where they watch the beans transform into liquid chocolate.

A chocolate tour attraction in the heart of Edinburgh has been named the third best ‘food experience’ in the world, according to people who use the world’s largest travel guidance platform.A chocolate tour attraction in the heart of Edinburgh has been named the third best ‘food experience’ in the world, according to people who use the world’s largest travel guidance platform.
A chocolate tour attraction in the heart of Edinburgh has been named the third best ‘food experience’ in the world, according to people who use the world’s largest travel guidance platform.

They can also make their own ‘dream chocolate bar’ by choosing from more than 20 toppings and have a taste of the huge variety of chocolate flavours on offer.

The tour offers plenty of vegan options and is accommodating to allergies. They also welcome children aged six and over.

The top spot in the food experience category was taken by a combined history tour and cooking class in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.

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Elsewhere in Scotland, the Skye and Eilean Donan Castle Small-Group Day Tour from Inverness ranks ninth in the UK’s top Overall Experiences.

The world’s number one Overall Experience is listed as the Jet Ski Tour of Dubai: Burj Al Arab, Dubai Marina, Atlantis, Palm & Burj Khalifa

The 2021 Best of the Best Things to Do are calculated based on the quality and quantity of traveller reviews and ratings for experiences, tours, attractions, and activities on Tripadvisor collected from 1 January to 30 April, 2021, specific to each award subcategory, as well as an additional editorial process.

If locals want to visit The Chocolatarium, they are advised to book in advance as Saturdays and school holidays are often busy - but there is still plenty of availability throughout the summer. Tours can be booked at https://www.chocolatarium.co.uk/

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