Lemon Pie Cronut @ Chök
A tangy and refreshing surprise found in a safe haven for all chocolate lovers and the sweet-toothed amongst us.
Food (taste & presentation)
Restaurant
Service
Guilty Pleasure
Recommended?
100%
Contact
- Carrer del Carme, 3
- Area: Raval
- +34 933 04 23 60
Take the red or green line down to Plaça Catalunya, then walk down the Rambla. Or take the green line to Liceu, and walk towards La Boqueria.
Map
The Cronut.
A beautiful culinary invention that in 2013 came out of nowhere (or more specifically, New York) and took urban eater’s hearts by storm. In fact, it gained popularity so fast that soon any place selling cronuts would also find themselves selling out of cronuts frequently.
To me, the cronut falls into the same category as the chicken waffle and any dessert including the word “oreo” or “salted caramel”. It’s buzz-food. Is it great? Maybe. But is it necessary or worth the hype? Meh. Not necessarily.
In its basic form, the cronut is the croissant’s artistic younger cousin. It’s a doughnut-shaped croissant-ish pastry. It’s a round croissant. With a hole in it. And possibly with some fun and fancy toppings. But does that really make the cronut stand out amongst its relatives in pastryland?
It does if it’s done by Chök.
The Place.
Otherwise known as the chocolate kitchen, Chök gives you a hint of wonderland. But not the psychedelic fiesta that is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Instead, Chök is clean, sophisticated, and elegant. A quaint little piece of chocolate heaven that fits perfectly with both the winding streets of old Barcelona and the modern style malls around the city.
The stores’ designs are simple, relying mostly on white and wood for the brick and mortar locations, letting the real design come from the food. And boy does it! But more on that later.
My personal favorite of the six Chök locations in Barcelona is located just off the Rambla de Catalunya. (So there’s pretty much no excuse for anyone to skip Chök on their visit.) Just barely hidden away from the buzz of the Rambla, lies a small storefront window filled with beautifully decorated pastries. Cronuts, berlinas, muffins, and mini-cakes entice even those without a sweet tooth to stop for a moment. You’ll see delicate flowery ones, but also decadent chocolaty goodness.
On the wall behind the counter? Doughnuts! Beautiful and colorful doughnuts at that. Who knew doughnuts could be such a cool – and tasty – interior design statement?
In true wonderland fashion, the goodness doesn’t stop at the window. So please, don’t make the mistake of thinking you’ve made your choice before entering the store.
Cookies, truffles, and cakes are elegantly displayed on the counter facing the doughnut wall. Conveniently located right next to the aforementioned wall of doughnuts: A wall of chocolates! Perfectly arranged for you to pick the right one to bring home to family or friends.
Another great gift idea for any budding home cook: Chocolate pasta. Cook it up with berries or maybe a pistacio pesto, and you’ll be able to officially call chocolate your dinner.
You could just buy one. Or, you know, buy three. Claim it’s to share. Get it to go. Then float up
to chocolate heaven whilst stolling down the winding streets of Barcelona.
If you come with a group, do keep in mind that seating options might be limited or – more likely – occupied. So if you’re hoping to hunker down inside of chocolate heaven come either early, late, or on bank holidays. For any other day – or if you’re with someone who can’t put their life on hold to thoroughly enjoy the good things – getting your food and coffee to go is made convenient here too. Your cronut can travel with you in a minimalistically branded box which you can easily hold in one hand so you can eat with the other.
However, do keep in mind that food culture in Barcelona usually has people sitting down at a table to eat, so you might get some looks from the locals if you enjoy your cronut whilst walking. But don’t let that stop you! (But do beware of falling toppings. Catch them in your travel box to minimize heartache due to missed bites.)
In regards to the service, the Chök team knows how it’s done. Always friendly, and really efficient in making sure that everyone gets what they came for without letting the tiny store get too overcrowded.
A quick bonus point for Chök comes from a hygene upgrade that’s slowly spreading around Barcelona:
Money is no longer handled by the chökolatiers. (That’s not a word. But it should be.) Instead, there’s a machine for you to feed your bills into and have your change returned from. Especially given the high traffic this place enjoys and number of patrons affected by the travel-sniffles, going the extra mile on how payments are handled is a cool and thoughtful decision by Chök.
(Quick disclaimer on bank holidays: Most places will be closed, so be sure to check websites and Instagram. Chök was open on this specific one, but it wasn’t decked out to its usual glory presentation-wise. That did cost them some points in my current review.
The Food.
The food at Chök is a feast for the eyes. If you love beautiful food and attention to detail, this place will give you that warm and fuzzy feeling around your heart. Everything here speaks to the adult sweet tooth, and makes you feel indulgent and fancy.
The food is aptly designed with an elegance fitting for a descendant of the almighty french croissant. This applies not only to their cronuts, but also to their muffins, truffles, and even their cookies on a stick. Yes, you read that correctly; on a stick. All of it beautiful, all of it ready for a close-up. None of it looking heavy or filling. Which makes it very easy to over-order.
Making a choice at Chök is really a tough task. Everything looks enticing and will be calling your name. Plus, Chök does not skimp on portion sizes, not even for their mini-Kronuts. So best to skip breakfast, so you can choose at least two options at Chök. This applies to vegans too! There are plenty of vegan friendly options to choose from.
Richly topped and beautifully presented, you’ll find fruity options, flowery options, and of course a wealth of chocolate options to quench your cravings. (Chocolate on chocolate anyone?)
In general it seems that for Chök cronuts and berlinas the first step is to have their tops dipped in chocolate. For many if not all of their Kronuts, you’re offered a choice between dark or white chocolate. What follows next depends entirely on your choice. To give you an idea of what you might find, just have a look at these outtakes from their Instagram feed:
The Taste Test: Lemon Pie Kronut.
And yes, that’s Kronut with a “K”. Cronut with a C is trademarked by it’s inventor, who I’m sure would be happy to sink his teeth into one of Chök’s Kronuts. With a K.
The order: A The Lemon Pie Kronut with dark chocolate.
Perfect for any lemon lover, it’s about as sweet as it is tangy. Imagine the same level of sweetness that the marshmallow fluff brings, but now as level of lemony tanginess. So if you do not have a sweet tooth, you might not be able to finish it in one sitting. But that’s ok, just save some deliciousness for later.
The Lemon Pie Kronut – once the cronut is made – follows a simple construction: Take your cronut, dip the top side in chocolate to about a third or fourth over the rim, then add on the lemon custard. Next, top with a generous helping of marshmallow fluff and torch lightly. Lastly a dusting of crumbles (for esthetic reasons and to help those who can’t handle their sugar).
Despite it’s simplicity this Kronut looks every bit as delicious as other cronuts that might be adorned with flowers or other decorations.
Although this croissant-ish pastry is light and fluffy like its french cousin, the Kronut has a bit more external structure to it and is a bit crunchier. Both due to it being fried instead of baked. Although your pants might think otherwise, the Kronut maintains its status as a light pastry. You won’t get greasy fingers from eating it with your hands, and the only weight seems to come from the toppings.
(Could this be scientifically proven by repeatedly dropping Kronuts and concluding that they consistently land toppings-side down? Yes, it could be. However, you’d need enough self-control not to eat everything before the first Kronut even hits the ground. So good luck.)
Back to tasting.
Although the chocolate is not the main event in this one, don’t fret. The dark chocolate in this Kronut does serve an important purpose. When you first bite into the Lemon Pie Kronut both the tanginess from the lemon curd and the sweetness from the marshmallow fluff hit you. Hard. But in a good way. Then, just when you think you’re about two seconds away from overload, the chocolate comes in to calm down the party in your mouth and let you enjoy the slight buttery fluffiness of the Kronut.
This also means that you must make your choice between white and dark chocolate wisely. If you’re someone who enjoys sweet with a side of more sweet and are looking for a more playful bite, try it with the white chocolate. If you prefer things a bit more laid back, the dark chocolate one is for you.
Before you know it, the Kronut’s inside has melted away in your mouth, leaving you to want another bite. Then it starts again: Tangy lemon, sweet gooey marshmallow, texture from the Kronut’s outside paired with the mellowing chocolate. And last, but decidedly not least, melting puff pastry. Again and again, until you’re sad that you didn’t get two.
The Recommendation.
For sure! Chök should be on any foodie’s Barcelona-Bucket list. It is a chocolate city afterall, and Chök just puts a beautiful twist to it.
As for the Lemon Pie Kronut in particular: It’s not an every day kind of pastry. With the lemon flavor being so pronounced, you kinda have to be in the mood for this one. But if you want a surprising bite that will wake you up, go for this one! If you’re in the happiest of moods, this one will make sure you stay there. Those who love lemon or marshmallow will not be disappointed. Logically the Lemon Pie Kronut will not satisfy your chocolate cravings, even though it comes out of the chocolate kitchen. But oh is it good! So, so good. It’s a perfectly refreshing playful bite for a sunny Barcelona day.