Chocobar Cortés

Chocobar Cortés: chocolate cuisine in San Juan

Chocobar Cortés is the restaurant of the family-owned company Chocolate Cortés, dedicated to bringing chocolate to almost every bite and sip of its culinary offering. The establishment opened its doors in 2013 as a space where chocolate is the star ingredient, and it is part of the history of a Caribbean company that makes chocolate from bean to bar.

A family company with Caribbean roots

Chocolate Cortés is a fourth-generation, family-owned company of Caribbean origin, dedicated to bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturing. It was founded in the Dominican Republic in 1929 by Don Pedro Cortés Forteza, who soon after began exporting and producing Cortés products from his native Puerto Rico. The company has remained in family hands and has passed from generation to generation.

The company is known for its hot chocolate, which became a staple in households in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Its activity covers the entire chocolate-making process, from bean selection to the final product.

From cacao to cup: manufacturing and cacao initiatives

Cortés works at every stage of the chocolate chain and collaborates closely with Dominican cacao growers, supporting them through financing, technical advice, competitive prices, and other forms of assistance. The company presents itself as the current leading cocoa manufacturer in the Caribbean.

With almost 90 years of experience with cacao in the Dominican Republic, Cortés jumpstarted the cacao industry in Puerto Rico by selecting trees of the highest quality and yield, with the goal that local farmers could grow it sustainably and profitably. Varieties resulting from this initiative have been recognized among the top 50 cacao beans in the world at the International Cocoa Awards in Paris.

The restaurant and its offering

In 2013, the Cortés family opened Chocobar Cortés, an innovative gastronomic space where chocolate is the celebrated ingredient. To do so, they brought in chocolatier and pastry chef Ricardo de Obaldía, a young Latin chef known for his elaborate and creative chocolate creations. De Obaldía designed a menu in which every dish incorporates chocolate in some way.

The chef's creativity and the Cortés family's passion for chocolate have helped make Chocobar Cortés one of the top three rated restaurants in San Juan and one of the must-visit travel destinations in Puerto Rico. The company highlights that it won the 2017 Best Restaurant in the Caribbean award from USA Today.

Fundación Cortés and commitment to Caribbean art

Founded in 2012, Fundación Cortés is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and inspire through a passion for the arts of the Caribbean. Its social transformation model is based on designing innovative and interactive art integration activities that complement academic and theme-based curricula.

Through its core program, Educa Cortés, the foundation has served over 13,000 underserved children, youth, and adults from all around Puerto Rico. Its two free-admission contemporary Caribbean art exhibition halls serve as main classrooms and the artworks as key educational tools. The halls are available for private events and special meetings.

Team and locations

The Chocobar Cortés team includes Elaine Shehab as founder, Michele Roth as general manager in Old San Juan, and Kiriat Betancourt as general manager in Condado. The company operates two locations: one in Old San Juan and one in Condado.