The No. 1 Chocolate Factory in Glasgow’s Charing Cross has always been the go-to place for my mummy & baby friends. Less so now because the babies are all toddlers and hating sitting still for more than 15 seconds at a time. But we still pop in on occasion to meet someone or grab some grub.
We hadn’t been in to the Chocolate Factory in quite a while, so last week on a day when the fridge was bare, the little lady and I decided to go for a lunch date there.
The Grub
The Chocolate Factory serves up good tea & coffee, soups, sandwiches & paninis, salads, a few platter plates, plus porridge, toast and various eggs for breakfast. And of course cakes and pastries with varying degrees of chocolatey-ness ranging from not-very- to extremely-super-duper-chocolatey.
We had their butternut squash soup. The little lady and I are both soup fans and we are both partial to a bit of squash, but it really was delicious. I had ordered her a cup of soup and they mistakenly gave her a big bowl; turned out it was for the best because she ate pretty much all of it. (The photo is a cup I used to cool some soup down for her to eat!)
We also had the pitta bread and houmous from the kids menu. Neither of us were particularly fussed about the houmous though; maybe we’ve been spoiled by the piri piri and the Moroccan style stuff we’ve been buying recently, but it was just a little bit bland. It is on the kids menu though, so that might be deliberate.
I got her the kids fruit platter too which she really liked. There was chopped up apple, orange, banana and some whole grapes on it. You can’t really go wrong with those – can you? They’re all favourites with my little lady anyway. The fruit was all fresh and tasty. The only thing I would say about the fruit platter (and I know how picky I’m being) is about the grapes. If anybody works in hospitality and has done a first aid course recently, you’ll know that it’s becoming standard to advise cutting grapes in half lengthways to serve to children (up to well over the age of 5) since whole grapes are a big choking hazard. It’s something I’ve always been paranoid about, which is why I’m mentioning it.
The Vibe
I’d almost forgotten how child friendly it is in Chocolate Factory. Almost everyone there has at least one child with them, and their sofas are often filled with groups of mums and tiny tots. It’s a big space, and it’s always noisy, so it is the perfect place to go with kids.
I never know how eating out with a toddler is going to go (you all know) but we got a seat next the window and the little lady had a great time telling me about/waving to every vehicle or person she saw.
It’s bright and spacious (there’s tons of room for tons of prams) and the staff have always been really friendly and helpful. There was many a time when I had baby in one hand and wallet in the other, and they willingly helped with carrying drinks and bringing out high chairs.
The Cost
Our lunches, with tea and a babycino came to around £12. That’s definitely reasonable!
The Verdict
The Chocolate Factory is one of the most child friendly cafes I’ve found in Glasgow. I wouldn’t say it’s a cosy cafe – it’s pretty huge by cafe standards, but I think that’s what makes it such a kid friendly place to eat. The food is nice and the staff have always been nice. It is a really pleasant place to sit, have a cuppa and let the toddler watch the world go by.
The No. 1 Chocolate Factory is located in Charing Cross, at 63 St George’s Rd, Glasgow, G3 6JA.
