Let’s start with a delicious fact: Living here automatically makes you a chocolate connoisseur. Local legends Ghirardelli, Guittard, and See’s Candies all have their base of operations right here in the Bay Area, and other homegrown success stories like Scharffen Berger, Recchiuti Confections, and TCHO have kept our taste buds dipped in world-class confections. And let’s not forget groundbreaking chocolatier, Bay Area entrepreneur and award-winning Cocolat author Alice Medrich, who is credited with bringing truffles to the United States in 1973. Truffles! That’s right.
With all this rich chocolatey history, it’s no surprise that award-winning small-batch, craft chocolatiers are thriving right in our neighborhoods! Think single-origin, bean-to-bar confections, Brazilian brigadeiros, Art Deco stamped Euro truffles, and even passion fruit tequila chocolate bonbons. All artfully crafted by the best Bay Area chocolatiers, each with a fresh and local story to tell and plenty of notable chocolates to taste.
Starting from the North Peninsula down to the South Bay, we present to you 14 local chocolatiers worth a taste.
1.
Dandelion Chocolate | San Francisco
Bean-to-bar masters | Classes & tasting tours
Factory chocolate tours, classes, and tastings available on-site at select locations! Available at their SF factory and café locations, online, and at local retailers.
2.
CocoTutti Chocolates | Brisbane (factory only)
Artisanal organic fruit-filled chocolates
Filled with housemade jams and nut butters with ingredients sourced from local farmers markets. Available online and at local retailers.
3.
TinyB Chocolate | South San Francisco
Brazilian-inspired bonbons | Made fresh to order
Home of Brazilian brigadeiros made fresh to order! This year they're offering a Valentine’s DIY Brigadeiro Kit for crafty at-home chocolate fans. Available in their retail shop and online.
4.
Preston’s Candy & Ice Cream / Javier’s Confectionery | Burlingame
Small-batch truffles, chocolate and bark
Long-time Preston’s chocolate maker Javier Santiago is now the owner of this 75-year-old local treasure. Available in their store and online; offers tours and classes.
5.
NeoCocoa Confections | Belmont (factory only)
Award-winning truffles, brittles & bark
Good Food Award–winning Black Sesame Seed Toffee Brittle is available for sweet-savory-salty cravings, and the chocolate-dipped Wildflower Honeycomb made from locally sourced ingredients is all the buzz! Available only online and at local retailers.
6.
Sweet 55 | Palo Alto, Half Moon Bay
Award-winning Swiss-style chocolate | Curated chocolate collections
Boasts no preservatives and handcrafted with sustainable Swiss grand cru chocolate. Try the Dark Matter Chocolate Assortment that includes the California Republic chocolate—a homage to three California-inspired flavors: olive oil, Meyer lemon, and rosemary. Available in their two store locations and online.
7.
Timothy Adams | Palo Alto
Art-inspired Euro deco truffles | Buttons served with Bubbly
Beautiful and handcrafted chocolates with pops of color, bird and flowers to tempt the taste buds or gift to a loved one. Available in their store and online; offers team-building workshops and virtual tastings.
8.
Alegio Chocolaté / Claudio Corallo | Palo Alto
Fair trade, biodynamically farmed “soil-to-bar” | Vegan
Single-origin and fair-trade, these chocolates make the statement that 100% pure dark chocolate does not have to be bitter when sourced well and made with love and skill.
Mountain View and Cupertino
European-style truffles and pastries
Now's the time to order the Four-piece Valentine Dessert Set, which includes the Brownie Coeur pictured here, to serve as a sweet and festive treat. C’est bon! Available at their bakery locations or by preorder online.
Santa Clara and Carmel-by-the-Sea
Planet friendly hand-dipped chocolates, truffles and caramels
Lula’s proprietary cacao blend boasts 100% organic, plant-based, fair trade, soy- and gluten-free, sweetened with low-glycemic coconut sugar and biodegradable packaging… and flat-out delightful! Who can resist their famous Sea Salt Caramels? Available in their stores, online, and at local retailers.
11.
Mariette Chocolates | San Jose
Chocolates, Euro deco truffles and fudge | Family-run
Seasonally curated collections include heart-shaped boxes of chocolates to celebrate the month of love... and chocolate love! Available in their stores, online, and at the Willow Glen Farmers’ Market.
12.
Snake & Butterfly | Campbell
Fair trade chocolate bars and bonbons | Hand-roasted and hand-filled
Get a sweet pack assorted box of caramel bonbons—bacon, bourbon, fig, honey, pecan praline, and sea salt—or bars wrapped in specialty papers from this mother-daughter team! Available in their store, online, and at local retailers; tastings and custom-packaged chocolates available.
13.
Deux Cranes | Los Gatos
Japanese-inspired chocolate bars and bonbons
Using French techniques and Japanese flavors, these handcrafted chocolate assortments bring out the unexpected with ingredients like matcha, sesame, or passion fruit—all artfully blended with chocolate. Try the limited edition Valentine’s Day collection boasting Sansho Japanese Peppercorn Chocolate and Pistachio Rosé Chocolate. Available in their store and online.
14.
Fleur de Cocoa | Los Gatos
French-style cakes, truffles and more
Their namesake Fleur de Cocoa mousee cake is filled with their signature extra-dark chocolate ganache perfect for a Valentine's soirée. Or try A Taste of Provence, a dark chocolate with lemon and lavender. Available exclusively in their downtown retail shop and bakery.
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