Independent London bakery Chocolate Dino is celebrating a milestone year after winning two prestigious 2-star Great Taste Awards 2025 for its popular Speculoos & White Chocolate New York–Style Cheesecake and Pecan Caramel Chocolate Cookie. The celebrations come as the bakery also surpasses 500 five-star Google reviews, boasting an impressive 4.9 average rating.
Founded in May 2020 during lockdown by hospitality professionals Rafal Smaszcz and Marcin Matykiewicz, Chocolate Dino began as a small home-based project, creating indulgent brownies for online customers and local markets.
Starting from their home kitchens, the founders personally baked and hand-delivered each order, providing comfort and sweetness during uncertain times. As demand grew, their decadent brownies and oversized cookies developed a strong local following. Within months, they were trading at well-known London markets such as Brick Lane and later expanding to major events including Comic Con and Formula-E.
Five years on, Chocolate Dino has evolved from a lockdown kitchen into a thriving café, now operating from a cheerful yellow shopfront on Kennington Road, close to Waterloo.
With its playful dinosaur-themed branding and warm, inviting interior, the bakery has become a local favourite. Today, it welcomes hundreds of customers weekly, from nearby office workers to international travellers exploring the area.
Award-Winning Treats with a Creative Edge
While the bakery is best known for its award-winning brownies and giant New York–style cookies, its latest wins at the Great Taste Awards 2025 demonstrate how far the team has come in developing creative new recipes.
The Speculoos & White Chocolate New York–Style Cheesecake impressed judges with its balance of spiced biscuit flavours and creamy white chocolate, while the Pecan Caramel Chocolate Cookie earned recognition for its rich flavour and indulgent texture. Both products achieved the coveted 2-star rating, an honour awarded to fewer than 10% of entries worldwide.
Alongside these award-winning creations, Chocolate Dino’s menu now includes inventive brunch dishes such as burrata croffles, buttermilk waffles, and shakshuka straight from the oven. Guests can enjoy sweet treats with speciality coffee from Volcano Coffee Works, as well as indulgent hot chocolates made from real melted chocolate.
“When we started, we never imagined our bakes would go from lockdown comfort food to products recognised with multiple 2★ Great Taste Awards,” says co-founder Rafal Smaszcz. “What makes us proudest isn’t just the awards, though — it’s that so many people keep coming back, leaving hundreds of kind reviews. That tells us we’ve created something special.”
Building a Cult Following in London
Chocolate Dino’s reputation has spread quickly, with more than 500 Google reviews praising its cookies, brownies, and welcoming atmosphere. Customers regularly highlight the café’s friendly staff and playful personality, which stands in sharp contrast to the corporate feel of many high-street chains.
The bakery has already attracted attention from the media, with features in Forbes, Condé Nast Traveller, and HELLO! Magazine. Its “skip the chain, taste the difference” philosophy has resonated strongly with customers seeking authentic, high-quality food experiences in London.
Chocolate Dino is now preparing to expand with a new site in the Waterloo area and plans to relaunch nationwide cookie and brownie delivery, making its award-winning products accessible across the UK. The founders aim to grow carefully while staying true to the independent spirit and personal touch that has defined the brand since its earliest days.
With its mix of artisan quality, playful branding, and neighbourhood warmth, Chocolate Dino is proving that independents still have the recipe for success in London’s café scene.
