York Cocoa Works
York, North YorkshireAbout York Cocoa Works
York is a city built on chocolate. For centuries, the air here has been thick with the scent of roasting cocoa, at York Cocoa Works, we are proud to bring that tradition back to the city center. Located on historic Castlegate, we aren't just a shop or a museum—we are a fully functioning, bean-to-bar chocolate manufactory. When you visit us, you aren’t just looking at history; you are standing in the middle of it as it happens.
For families looking for a chocolate exploration, the York Cocoa Works provides a deep, sensory dive into the world of chocolate from the cocoa fruit to your own chocolate creations. When you join us you will see and smell our chocolate being made and have a chance to explore the chocolate coming to life with our digital, self-led or guided tasting tour.
Our Working Chocolate Manufactory
We wanted to be the opposite of Willy Wonka, we wanted to create a fully transparent chocolate manufactory where everyone is welcome and everyone can join us becoming a chocolate maker. Our manufactory is designed with glass walls and open spaces, allowing curious young minds to watch every step of our transparent chocolate-making journey.
When you join us you can watch the raw cocoa being roaste, see the beans being winnowed to reveal the nibs, see the granite rollers of our melangers grinding the chocolate for over 24 hours to achieve that perfect smoothness, and watch our chocolatiers create that signature glossy shine. It’s a real-life lesson in engineering, chemistry, and culinary art that captivates children of all ages.
Hands-On Workshops: Become a Junior Chocolatier
The highlight of any visit to York Cocoa Works is the chance to get hands-on. We believe that the best way to learn is by doing, and our workshop space is where the real fun begins. We offer a variety of sessions tailored specifically for families and young creators:
Chocolate Lollipop Making: Perfect for our younger visitors or those on a tighter schedule. This is a self-led activity, children learn the basics of handling tempered chocolate. They get to design their own chocolate shapes, decorate them with an array of colorful toppings, and—the best part—take their creations home to enjoy.
Chocolate Bar Making: For the aspiring professional, this workshop delves deeper into the craft. We teach the secrets of how to temper chocolate, pour and set a perfect chocolate bar, allowing children (of all ages) to experiment with flavors and textures to create a bespoke bar that reflects their own personality.
The Full Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Making Experience: Ideal for older children and teenagers, this immersive workshop follows the entire journey of a cocoa bean. From cracking the husks to tasting the chocolate at different stages of the refining process, it is a fascinating look at the food science behind their favorite treat.
Seasonal Masterclasses: Throughout the year, we transform our workshops to celebrate the seasons. Whether it’s hand-crafting and decorating a giant Easter egg, tempering festive Christmas figures, or creating spooky Halloween treats, there is always something new and exciting to discover.
The Chocolate Cafe: A Treat for the Senses
After the hard work of being a chocolatier, families can relax in our Chocolate Cafe, enjoy a hot chocolate or one of our own crafted cakes, treats and cocoa fruit creations.
Educational Value: More Than Just a Sugar Rush
We take great pride in the educational aspect of our chocolate experiences. Our team is passionate about sharing the story of the cocoa bean—from the tropical rainforests where it grows to the ethical importance of sourcing cocoa fairly and with direct relationships with farmers around the world.
We explain the "why" behind the process:
Science: Why does chocolate need to be "tempered"? (It’s all about crystal structures!)
Geography: Where do different beans grow and why does a bean from Madagascar taste like raspberries while a bean from Peru tastes like nuts?
History: How did York become the "Chocolate City" of the industry?
A Space for Everyone
We have worked hard to ensure that York Cocoa Works is an inclusive and accessible space for all families.
Accessibility: Our manufactory and cafe are all on one level, making it easy for strollers and wheelchairs to navigate.
Dietary Needs: Because we make our chocolate from scratch, we have intimate knowledge of every ingredient. We offer a wide range of dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free options, ensuring that no child has to miss out on the chocolatey fun regardless of their dietary requirements.
The Chocolate Shop: Before you leave, our shop offers a chance to take a piece of York home with you. From our award-winning bars to unique cocoa-infused gifts, it’s the perfect place to find a souvenir that tastes a whole lot better than a fridge magnet!
Why Choose Us for Your Next Day Out?
York Cocoa Works offers a slow-crafted, tactile, and authentic experience and chocolate insight. It’s a place where families can slow down, use their hands, engage their senses and learn together.
Whether you are a local resident looking for a weekend activity or a visitor exploring York’s historic streets for the first time, we invite you to join us. Come and see how chocolate is made, learn a new craft, and immerse yourself in the delicious heritage of our wonderful city.
We're a real Chocolate Manufactory
York is a city once famous for its chocolate making families. Our Chocolate Manufactory, York Cocoa Works is a open chocolate manufactory where we craft chocolate from cocoa beans that we source from around the world. The whole process is fully transparent as you can see our team of chocolate makers hard at work crafting our chocolate.
Join us to craft your own chocolate
York Cocoa Works is a hands on chocolate learning centre, we invite our visitors to join us to learn more about chocolate and craft their own chocolate creations with us with our chocolate workshops and experiences. No chocolate skills are required as our team guide you through the making process to allow your imagination to come alive.
Explore the whole chocolate making process
Explore cocoa pods, cocoa beans, and the materials that we transform to create our chocolate. Learn how chocolate is made and how cocoa from different places around the world can make chocolate taste differently. We are pleased to welcome chocolate lovers of all ages to learn more about cocoa its journey around the world, through history and through the chocolate making process.
Facilities
Toilets
Gift Shop
Free Wifi
Accessible Toilets
Baby Changing
Food Available
Wheelchair Friendly
Pushchair Friendly
Card Payments Accepted
Opening Times
- Monday, 09:00 - 17:00
- Tuesday, 09:00 - 17:00
- Wednesday, 09:00 - 17:00
- Thursday, 09:00 - 17:00
- Friday, 09:00 - 17:00
- Saturday, 09:00 - 17:00
- Sunday, 09:00 - 17:00
We are able to offer exclusive experiences for groups after our opening hours. Please get in touch to discuss further.
Pricing & Tickets
- Child (4-17) : Free
- Adult (17-18+) : Free
Our Chocolate Manufactory is free to enter and see how our chocolate is being made. You can enhance your chocolate exploration by joining one of our paid chocolate experiences, craft your own chocolate treat, join a tasting tour of the manufactory or craft your Own Chocolate Bar in one of our daily workshops.
Book in advance for cheapest tickets
Find other attractions similar to York Cocoa Works by visiting our attraction tickets section.
Plan Your Visit
Typical visit time 1 - 2 hours
Suitable for Kids and Adults too
Food & Drink Options
We have a wide range of chocolate drinks, cakes and treats to share.
We have a wide range of choices to be able to ensure our activities and our menu is accessible for visitors with dietary requirements including gluten free, dairy alternatives and no nuts.
FAQs
Parking
Toilets
Family Friendly Options
Food & Drink
Accessibility Information
Tickets & Bookings
Private Hire & Birthday Parties
Public Transport
Contact Details
York Cocoa Works
10 Castlegate
York
North Yorkshire
YO1 9RP
England
York Cocoa Works is a working chocolate manufactory based on Castlegate in the centre of York. You can find us between the York Dungeon and the Jorvik Viking Centre.
Tel: 01904656731
Visit WebsiteTransport Information
The Park and Ride service from Askham Bar and the Designer Outlet both have stops at Clifford Street just behind us.
Verification & Last Updated
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This attraction has been claimed and verified. All information has been recently checked.
Last Updated: 12:28 21/04/2026
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