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A local legend in the cookie- and chocolate-making business, Big Island Candies is a must-see for connoisseurs of fine chocolates. The packaging is first-rate, which makes these world-class confections the ideal gift or souvenir. Enjoy a free cookie sample and a cup of Kona coffee as you watch through a window as sweets are being made. The store has many interesting products, but it is best known for its chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies.
This acclaimed confectioner produces edible works of art in the form of strikingly designed chocolate bars like the WhiteSand with juniper, cardamom, and white chocolate, and the earthy Silk Flowers bar colored and flavored with peppercorns, chrysanthemums, and marigolds. Other specialties include bonbons and Mayan drinking chocolate, which you can sip in the adjacent café.
Ramble north on this rural stretch of Edith Boulevard and your reward is not only a bit of Albuquerque history en route (the old Camino Real ran along Edith), but the unexpected wonder that is Eldora Chocolate. The actual chocolate making happens here, too, and the many shop's many awards attest to owner Steve Prickett’s attention to quality and the nuances of the chocolate bean. This is true artisanal chocolate—any aficionado is sure to learn something special about their 70% Tanzanian, say, and tastings are offered freely.
This Seattle institution (helmed by Fran Bigelow) has been making quality chocolates for decades. Its world-famous salted caramels are transcendent—a much-noted favorite of the Obama family—as are delectable truffles, which are spiked with oolong tea, single-malt whiskey, or raspberry, among other flavors.
The line often extends into Pack Square at this premium chocolatier for truffles, ice cream, cookies, brownies, various kinds of hot and cold chocolate drinks, and specialty coffees and teas. Adjoining is the grab-and-go Chocolate Boutique. The owners also have a small chocolate factory and tasting room at 821 Riverside Dr., with guided tours daily, starting at $12.
You're unlikely to ever have tasted anything like the divine, agave-sweetened, artisanal creations that emerge from this sweet shop. Historically accurate chocolate drinks, like the Aztec Warrior Elixir, divine caramels, and gluten-free chocolate baked goods are served in this cozy, welcoming establishment that's as much an educational experience as a chance to indulge in exceptional sweets. There are three more locations: one is on Rufina Street near Meow Wolf, another sits in midtown on San Mateo Road, and the other is all the way in Salem, Massachusetts.
The signature treat here, the chocolate opihi, is made with a dash of culinary humor: layers of crispy cookie, gooey caramel, crunchy macadamia nut, and chocolate shell form a little cone . . . a lot like the shape and texture of limpets found clinging to shoreline rocks and which are also considered a delicacy. Fear not: no seafood is involved in this decadent candy. Fudge, bars, and chocolate-covered pretzels make good gifts, and the gelato is ono (delicious). Phone and online orders are now accepted.
The only chocolate factory in the Keys specializes in key lime truffles. In addition to fine white, milk, and dark Belgian-chocolate confections (the salted turtles, a fan favorite, are worth every calorie), you'll find cupcakes and ice cream. Chocolate-making classes are also available for kids and adults, and a small gift area showcases local art, jewelry, hot sauces, and other goodies.
Stop in at this artisanal chocolatier's small store and café to purchase some treats and dive into a cup of thick, heavenly hot chocolate, some decadent desserts, or both. The Paris-based outfit sells handmade truffles, chocolates, and pastries that could lull you into a chocolate stupor. There are additional outposts in Rockefeller Center, Pennsylvania Station, and at The Shops at Columbus Circle, in the Deutsche Bank Center.
Next door to Rogue Creamery, this artisanal chocolatier handcrafts outstanding chocolates using local, often organic ingredients. A favorite treat is the Smokey Blue Cheese ganache made with Rogue River blue, but don't overlook the dark-chocolate–marionberry bonbons (made with organic marionberries grown on-site) or the delectable hazelnut chews.
Watch elegant cream truffles and luscious chocolates being made in the European tradition at this small artisanal shop.
Local chocolatier Adam Turoni has two shops, but the biggest has a wide range of his delightful chocolates and many other treats for sale in the world's most delicious-looking living room, "where Marie Antoinette meets Alice in Wonderland." You'll find his creations at other coffee shops and upscale boutiques, but the widest selection can be found here.
For chocoholics with a gourmet palate, this is one-stop shopping. Offerings are both foreign (Michel Cluizel from France and Amedei from Italy) and domestic (Askinosie from Missouri and Amano from Utah). Selections from D.C.-area chocolatiers make for tasty souvenirs.
Founded in Wichita, Kansas, this upscale purveyor of fine chocolates has created a line especially for the Fontainebleau. In addition to boxed chocolates, build-a-boxes, and chocolate bars, it offers decorated marshmallows, nutty bites, and chocolate-covered popcorn and pretzels.
Founded by a former cast member of the popular country music variety show Hee Haw, this charming little chocolate shop serves up seriously sweet treats like whiskey caramel brownies, their signature chocolate–peanut butter cups with roasted almonds, and a variety of samplers and gift baskets. This is a great stop to make before you board your flight back home.
Once a Broadway pro, Dawn Wagner turned her artistic talents to chocolate when she took over this sweet Vergennes biz after moving back to Vermont in 2016. Barks, clusters, caramels, and other confections are all made within view before filling the glass case; the honey sponge toffee's secret ingredient is honey from Wagner's family's own hives.
The sweetest deal in town, Enstrom Candies is known for its scrumptious candy and renowned toffee.
Right there in the window, resting in splendor on several marble-topped tables, are huge blocks of fudge just calling your name—enough fudge to put every citizen of the town into a coma—not to mention hand-dipped chocolates, caramel corn, and so on. Indeed, if you hang out at one of the tables in front, you'll see just about every kind of person imaginable pause by the door, sigh, and give in to temptation. Fast, friendly service is a hallmark of this family-owned confectionery, which also has excellent ice cream and homemade waffle cones.
The Ghelfi family has been making candy for three generations; the chocolate-covered magic happens in the candy kitchen behind this shop. They make their own fudges, brittles, mints, and most of the chocolates. Their treats are so adored, one customer was buried with a tin of her favorite Ghelfi's chocolates (top that, M&Ms!). Try a sea salt caramel or a cashew turtle and you'll see why. There's a second location in Mashpee Commons. Ice cream is on the menu at both.
The Goo Goo Cluster is a legendary Nashville candy confection so good that it deserves to have an entire store dedicated to it. A chocolate-covered cluster of nuts and nougat, every flavor of Goo Goo is available here along with the option to create your own customized Premium Goo Goo from a list of delicious ingredients.
Before crossing the cribstone bridge to Bailey Island, stop at this sweet little cottage—complete with a picket-fenced flower garden—for some old-fashioned confections. The brittle, bark, buttercreams, truffles, dipped candied fruit, and fudge that fill the glass cases are all made in the candy kitchen just behind the counter. There's ice cream, too!
The purveyor of the finest Belgian chocolate in all of Los Angeles, Lady Chocolatt is the perfect answer to the age-old question of what to gift on any special occasion. The ornate display case is filled with dark chocolate truffles, hazelnut pralines, Grand Marnier ganaches, and so much more, all handcrafted by a master chocolatier in Belgium and flown straight to the store. There are also some sandwiches and other savory options. Post up for a late-afternoon espresso or heaven-sent hot chocolate, and let your chocolate dreams wander.
Feeding the Village's sweet tooth since 1923, Li-Lac indulges shoppers with its almond bark and coconut clusters as well as such specialty items as chocolate-molded Statues of Liberty. The coconut rolls and chocolate-covered graham crackers tempt even the most stubborn dieter. To see how the small-batch chocolates are made, visit Li-Lac's Brooklyn factory.
The handmade chocolates here are nothing less than works of art. Square truffles and bonbons—in flavors like Earl Grey, cappuccino, passion fruit, and saffron—are painted with edible dyes (cocoa butter dyed with natural coloring) so each resembles a miniature painting. The small café in back serves decadent hot chocolate, made from rich cacao, as well other desserts, sandwiches, and salads.
Delectable and beautiful handcrafted chocolates, made with locally grown ingredients like prickly pear, mesquite, and chiltepin, are sold here, along with coffee, tea, and (of course) hot chocolate. Build your own box of bonbons or choose from various packaged chocolate items; your loved ones back home will thank you.
Olive & Sinclair has been producing small-batch chocolate since 2007, but they've had their factory space since 2014. Tours of the factory ($8) are offered on Saturdays and last about 40 minutes; they must be booked in advance.
For superior chocolate made on-site, including truffles, butter creams, and chocolate-covered pretzels, head to this little shop outside the main business district. Check out special small-batch and single-origin treats as well.
Michael and Jacky Recchiuti began making otherworldly chocolates in San Francisco in 1997, using traditional European techniques. Now considered among the best confectioners in the country, they stock their store here with their full chocolate line, including several unique items like dark chocolate truffles made with rosemary and olive and a box of burnt caramel truffles decorated with images of San Francisco's iconic places. Creating a mix-and-match box from the creative individual truffle flavors is arguably the most fun—and delicious— activity here.
Tucked in the back of the high-end home-decor and gourmet-kitchen store Ganz Klasse!, which offers wooden cutting boards, table linens, and porcelain pieces, Schocolate sells fine handcrafted chocolates in flavors like brandied pear, burnt-caramel–salted almond ganache, and Earl Grey.
