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Coco & Hazel is focused on extravagant milkshakes including The Rosengarten, a vanilla milkshake in a chocolate fudge-swirled glass with whipped cream, a sprinkle cookie and a sprinkle-rimmed glass. (Photo courtesy Chelle Bravo)
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Coco & Hazel is located at 411 N. Ridge Road. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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The space inside Coco & Hazel is bright and airy. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Window seats inside Coco & Hazel, located inside the Tuckahoe Shopping Center (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Coco & Hazel features a full espresso bar with coffee from Oaxaca, Mexico. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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A toppings display at Coco & Hazel (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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The restroom sign (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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The espresso and beverage board at Coco & Hazel (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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The main seating area inside Coco & Hazel (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Although milkshakes are the main attraction, Coco & Hazel also offers ice cream sandwiches, banana splits and traditional scoops. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
Grab a friend and grab your phone, because when the new ice cream shop and espresso bar Coco & Hazel opens Friday, April 19, at 411 N. Ridge Road, chances are you’re going to want to chronicle the experience.
Bigger isn’t always better, but at Coco & Hazel, over-the-top milkshakes are the name of the ice cream game.
“We just wanted to do something with extravagant milkshakes; there isn’t anything like that in Richmond proper,” says Chelle Bravo, a Richmond native and co-owner of Coco & Hazel along with her husband, Omar Bravo.
Mega toppings including slices of coconut cream and chocolate-peanut butter pies, churros, cotton candy, confetti cake, black-and-white and sprinkle cookies, and stacks of brownies will adorn the tops of the Homestead Creamery-based shakes for the ultimate indulgence.
All the desserts at Coco & Hazel, as well as the waffle cones, will be house-made. Bravo, a former baker for Kitchen 64, Stella’s Grocery, and Perly’s Restaurant and Delicatessen, has been crafting recipes and baking for years.
“I’m mostly self-taught, and Stella [Dikos] taught me a lot as far as baking goes,” says Bravo, who is also a real estate agent. “This has always been something I wanted to do.”
On the menu guests can spot an ode to Omar's lineage with the Oaxacan, a Mexican hot chocolate milkshake with churros, Mexican hot chocolate cookie, and a Cinnamon Toast Crunch-rimmed glass, topped with cinnamon whipped cream. There are also embellishments throughout the interior that pay homage to Oaxaca.
Other novel options include The Family Challenge, a massive, shareable banana split with six scoops of ice cream, four chocolate-dipped waffle cones and a plethora of toppings, touted as big enough for four people; a churro ice cream sandwich; a build-your-own ice cream sandwich; and classic cones and milkshakes for the more timid or traditional ice cream consumer.
Although milkshakes are at the forefront of the concept, breakfast options including cinnamon rolls, croissants, a biscuit of the day and yogurt parfaits will be available, as well as espresso.
The Bravos have partnered with a roaster in Oaxaca, where Omar is from, for single-origin coffee. They formed a relationship with the coffee farmer and trained with the roaster during a trip to Mexico. Bravo says Coco & Hazel will be the only place in the United States that has the coffee.
“We wanted to pull that Latin, Mexican flair. … It’s important to incorporate that culture in what we are doing here,” explains Bravo.
The beverage menu features an extensive lineup of caffeinated choices, from drip coffee to cold brew, chai and a horchata latte.
The name Coco & Hazel comes from the middle names of the Bravos' two daughters, and Hazel is also the name of Chelle's grandmother.
“We wanted to tie all of our family together in this venture,” says Chelle. “I also want this to be something this neighborhood is excited to have.”
Coco & Hazel will be open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
