The 24 Best Chocolate Shops in America

It’s no longer difficult to find beautifully decorated chocolates, sea-salted caramels, or delicately scented truffles: Nearly every major city in the U.S. is now home to a shop offering single-origin chocolate bars or bonbons filled with spiked ganache and coated in paint swipes of color. Others use local fruit, fresh herbs, spices, nuts, coffee, tea, or other essences to enhance each chocolate variety, encouraging flavors to dance on the tongue as they melt.

There’s no shortage of treats out there for purchase — especially of the mass-market variety that Hershey’s, Mars, Whitman’s, and Godiva peddle. The trick, then, is in distinguishing the handmade and carefully crafted from the mass-produced marketing hype. Here’s where to buy a truly excellent box of chocolates, organized by category of confection.

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Bonbons, truffles, and boxed chocolates

Ginger Elizabeth | Sacramento

Ginger Elizabeth Hahn has produced molded and flavored chocolates since 2007. Today, her shop specializes in bonbons in California-inspired flavors like Eureka lemon, raspberry rose geranium, brown butter, buttermilk lime, and olive oil sea salt. Macarons, chocolate bars, and ice cream are also on offer, though only the chocolates ship coast-to-coast. Orders are shipped the day after they’re received, with the exception of Thursday through Saturday orders, which ship the following Monday. 1801 L St. Suite 60, Sacramento, CA

Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate | New York City

Chocolatier and pastry chef Marc Aumont has been crafting fine chocolates for decades, taking over his father’s business in France at the age of 16. Today, Aumont makes the desserts at chef Gabriel Kreuther’s restaurant in midtown Manhattan and commandeers the chocolate shop next door. The chocolate room itself is encased in glass so patrons can see each bonbon as it rolls off the enrobing conveyor belt, a mesmerizing process. Aumont is known for his macaron-flavored bonbons, but the whole line, from the addictive macadamia nut toffee to the filled and multi-flavored chocolate bars, is worth sampling. 43 West 42nd Street, New York, NY

Stick With Me Sweets | New York City

Susanna Yoon used to make the chocolates at Thomas Keller’s three-Michelin-starred Per Se, where each meal ends with a tableside buffet of bonbons. Yoon spun her craft into Stick With Me, a shop in Manhattan’s Nolita neighborhood. Inside a space roughly the size of one of Willy Wonka’s golden tickets, she sells two dozen different types of bonbons, eight different types of soft caramel candies, and a handful of packaged brittles, toffees, nougats, and marshmallows. Each dome-shaped bonbon is a study in flavor pairings: The sunshine-like burst of yuzu against the soft sweetness of a white chocolate shell; nutty black sesame alongside tart passionfruit; or the dual-layered mint chocolate chip, with a flavor that unravels as it melts. 202A Mott Street, New York, NY

Kee’s Chocolates | New York City

Pastry chef Kee Ling Tong has been hand-rolling each of her delicate chocolate truffles since 2002. Her tiny storefront in New York City’s Soho neighborhood (and two counters in Midtown) is a must-stop for chocolate lovers, who will savor each piece’s paper-thin shell encasing flavors like black sesame truffle and green tea. Kee’s almond truffle is pure joy: A deeply salted white chocolate ganache is made from cream steeped with toasted almonds; each truffle is then rolled in toasted almonds for crunch. Unfortunately for non-New Yorkers, Kee’s does not ship nationwide. 315 West 39th Street, New York, NY 10018 (multiple locations)

Gâté Comme Des Filles | Somerville, Massachusetts

Alexandra Whisnant, a Boston native, trained at Le Cordon Bleu and Ladurée in Paris before she opened her chocolate business. Its name means “spoiled like girls,” so it’s no surprise that Whisnant doesn’t cut any corners while making her delicate treats. She starts a new batch of pralines or infused ganaches at the beginning of each week, and they sell out by week’s end. Flavors vary weekly, with honey-walnut praline, blackberry ganache, chocolate-mint (made from mint from her aunt’s garden), and whiskey-infused truffles just some of the latest confections to come off of Whisnant’s chocolate dipping table. Call for the day’s offerings. Shipping is limited. Somerville, MA

Bon Bon Bon | Detroit

Owner Alexandra Clark was a student of chocolate economics, so it’s safe to say she knows the business from top to bottom. At Bon Bon Bon, she flavors her bonbons with locally sourced ingredients, uses recyclable packaging (a rare commitment in the industry), and has a crew of internationally trained chocolatiers who call themselves the “Babes Babes Babes.” They put out a massive variety of delightful, open-topped chocolates, including the He Loves Me Not, which is angel tears tea-infused dark chocolate ganache topped with flower petals. The shop ships nationwide. 719 Griswold Street #100, Detroit, MI

Chocolaterie Tessa | Austin

Tessa Halstead grew up in the chocolate business: Her father ran a chocolate shop in Dallas a generation ago. Today in Austin, she’s built Chocolaterie Tessa into a community hub. Halstead and her crew produce chocolates on a larger scale than most, and offer single-origin bonbons in addition to assorted flavors that change seasonally. The always-in-season salted caramel is a favorite, but customers also come for the strawberry basil in the summertime and autumn’s cinnamon spice. Nationwide shipping is available. 7425 Burnet Road, Austin, TX

Katherine Anne Confections | Chicago

The chocolates at Katherine Anne have a homespun vibe, evocative of the best chocolate candies at the neighborhood potluck. Favorites include the toasted coconut rum truffles and banana bourbon caramels. The shop ships FedEx Ground only, so order well in advance. 2745 West Armitage Avenue, Chicago, IL

Veruca Chocolates | Chicago

Blink and passers-by could easily miss the Veruca Chocolates cafe and store in Chicago’s sleek Lincoln Park neighborhood. Pediatrician-turned-chocolatier Heather Johnston fills her glass cases with bonbons, caramels, and dipped truffles in a range of flavors every season. The house specialties include a mango and passionfruit-infused ganache bonbon, but don’t miss the almost smoky blackened sugar chocolates, or browned butter bonbons with an addictively nutty flavor. Toasted pumpkin seeds give orange-hued pumpkin caramel truffles a bit of crunch. Veruca ships nationwide. 1332 North Halsted Street, Chicago, IL — Ashok Selvam

Kate Weiser Chocolate | Dallas

Pastry chef and chocolatier Kate Weiser hasn’t been making chocolates for that long, but has already won wide acclaim. Though Weiser offers an array of gorgeous, hand-painted chocolate bonbons, her candy bars are the real draw. Bars in flavors like milk n’ cookies (milk stout ganache layered with Biscoff gianduja and sea-salted chocolate chip cookies) and passion praline (passion fruit cream and crunchy hazelnut gianduja) show Weiser’s skill in marrying flavor and texture. Chocolates ship nationally from November through May. Two-day and overnight shipping is available. 3011 Gulden Lane #115, Dallas, TX

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Chocolate bars and other confections

Milla Chocolates | Los Angeles

Artist Christine Sarioz started working with chocolate years ago, but only opened her first shop this year. Molded chocolates, filled with dense, deep chocolate ganache or pistachio praline, look like elegant miniature children’s building blocks, perhaps in a set designed to honor Brutalist architecture; some are gilded in metallic dust for extra sparkle. Her signature item is a hazelnut praline-filled chocolate bar: Shiny, snappy, and wrapped in gold paper, it’s what Wonka would peddle if he’d gone to design school. 9414 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA

Valerie Confections | Los Angeles

Pastry chef and chocolatier Valerie Gordon does it all, from pastries and historical cakes to petit fours dipped in white chocolate and delicate toffee coated in dark chocolate. Her almond fleur de sel toffee is a favorite. Valerie Confections ships many of its sweets anywhere within the continental U.S. 3360 West 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA (multiple locations)

Compartes Chocolatier | Los Angeles

Chocolatier Jonathan Grahm makes gorgeous truffles and bonbons, but the standout items at Compartes are the stunning, mosaic-like chocolate bars embedded with dried fruits, nuts, and flowers. Find them at fine grocers and gift shops across the country or order online. 912 South Barrington Avenue, Los Angeles, CA

Alma Chocolate | Portland, Oregon

Hand-dipped bonbons are a specialty for Alma, one of Portland’s standout chocolate shops, but only its toffees, molded chocolate figures, and chocolate bars are shipped nationwide. Stop in for a taste of owner Sarah Hart’s Thai peanut butter cups and rose caramels — the filling contains just the right amount of salinity to offset the drop of rosewater that’s inside each one. Or, order in advance of the holidays to snag a hazelnut or peanut butter crunch bar, caramel-pecan bar, or mocha almond nibby. Alma ships nationwide. 140 NE 28th Avenue, Portland, OR

Artisan Confections | Arlington, Virginia

Artisan produces bonbons in every color of the rainbow, but don’t walk out of its Virginia shop without a taste of its passionfruit caramels, caramel marshmallow bars, or almond rochers. Its caramelized pecan bars pay tribute to America’s rich pecan heritage. Artisan ships nationwide. 1025 North Fillmore Street, Arlington, VA

Jacques Torres Chocolate | New York City

Jacques Torres has every holiday cornered with bonbons and chocolate sculptures that boggle the mind, but it’s his caramelized macadamia nuts enrobed in milk chocolate — tasting something like a deconstructed candy bar — that regularly sell out. A wide range of chocolates are available online; shipping generally takes two to three days. 350 Hudson Street, New York, NY (multiple locations)

Éclat Chocolate | West Chester, Pennsylvania

Master chocolatier Christopher Curtin makes incredible salted caramel truffles and bonbons filled with Shiraz-infused ganache at Éclat Chocolate, but his pretzel bar, infused with the flavor of Pennsylvania Dutch pretzels, might be the ultimate salty and sweet chocolate concoction. Shipping options vary, depending upon distance; see order guidelines for details. 24 South High Street, West Chester, PA

Recchiuti | San Francisco

Recchiuti’s minimalist bonbons are what draw chocolate lovers into this jewel box-like shop, but its orangettes, pâte de fruit, and peanut butter pucks are the real standouts. Recchiuti ships nationwide. Ferry Building, 1 Sausalito #30, San Francisco, CA

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Single-origin, bean-to-bar, and sustainably sourced

Dandelion Chocolate | San Francisco

One of the few true bean-to-bar chocolatiers in America, Dandelion also sells macarons, hot chocolate, caramels, and pastries at its San Francisco shop. The single-origin brownies are a popular treat, but the brand’s single-origin chocolate bars, which ship nationwide, have a cult following, and each one feels like a special gift. 740 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA

Indi Chocolate | Seattle

Erin Andrews started making chocolate nearly a decade ago from a small market stall; now, she presides over a sizable cafe and confectionary that specializes in single-origin chocolate bars. Indi’s chocolate bark and single-origin nibs are also on offer, as are body lotions and oils made from cocoa butter. Indi ships nationwide. 1901 Western Ave. Ste D., Seattle, WA

LetterPress Chocolate | Los Angeles

Co-owners Corey and David Menkes spend more time sourcing their chocolate than molding it, ensuring the beans they use come from farms that practice sustainable agriculture and pay their workers fair wages. Today, their operation produces nearly 3,000 bars each month, from simple, barely sweetened single-origin varieties to subtly flavored sweets, like a bar molded with crisp amaranth. A white chocolate bar cleanly flavored with matcha promises a light caffeine buzz. 2835 South Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA

Chocovivo | Los Angeles

Owner Patricia Tsai is a self-taught chocolatier whose background in the business world taught her how to avoid the pitfalls of running a sustainable food business. Since 2012, Tsai has been sourcing cacao from a small farm in Tabasco, Mexico. At Chocovivo, she roasts and grinds those beans into chocolate using a grinder made in Mexico; she also has an ancient Aztec stone grinder, which is fascinating to watch in action. The shop sells a variety of chocolate products, including hot chocolate mix and chocolate sauce, but Tsai’s single-origin and blended bars (flavored with locally sourced coffee, spices, and essences) have attracted a loyal following. Three years ago, Tsai expanded her operation to include hair and skin products made from natural cacao and cocoa butter. Chocovivo ships nationwide. 12469 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

Rogue | Three Rivers, Massachusetts

Founder Colin Gasko is running a small but ambitious operation. Each single-origin chocolate bar at Rogue is sourced from independent farms in Peru, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Trinidad and Tobago, and Honduras. Unlike other fair-trade chocolate purveyors, Rogue pays more than twice the minimum for some of its cacao order to ensure the lasting success of those farms. Thanks to its small production, Rogue doesn’t always have a wide array available to purchase online, but each bar tastes like something special. Three Rivers, MA

Theo | Seattle

Theo Chocolate can be found at many higher-end markets but a visit to its shop guarantees a taste of hard-to-find flavors, like a bonbon filled with caramel that’s flavored by the smoky heat of a ghost chile. Theo, which ships its chocolates nationwide, uses only organic and certified fair-trade chocolate for all of its creations. 3400 Phinney Avenue N, Seattle, WA 98103