A Reader living in New York wrote asking, “Having lived in NYC for a little while, I was wondering what are the top shops of the area. I’ve been to the new Marcolini store on Park Ave but I was wondering where else I might be able to sample to best and brightest artisans of the US.” A very good question, indeed. I have my own favorites ... how about you?

New York City is blessed with a number of very good to extraordinary chocolatiers, and the past few years has seen tremendous growth both in terms of numbers but also in terms of sophistication.

Here is a short of list of places to go in NYC (Manhattan) - and elsewhere - for chocolates and confections. Please feel free to add new ones (make sure to include the city and state they’re in as well as any particular favorites you might have), as well as any comments you might have on other posts, either way.

Many of these chocolatiers have web sites that can easily be found using a search engine like Yahoo!’s, including their nice service Yahoo! local. (Of course, you could always use Google, but my wife works for Yahoo! and I always use - and recommend - Yahoo! first because of all of the helpful tools available by having a My Yahoo! account.)

These are not listed in any particular order, just the order they came to me in.

Retail Stores

• Chocolat Blah Blah Blah (Upper East Side) ::: an eclectic mix of often hard to find items.
• Dean and Deluca (SoHo) ::: The widest assortment of chocolate bars and confections in the city.
• Zabar’s (Upper West Side) ::: All of their bars are up by the registers and they often have unusual items because they buy direct.
• The Chocolate Bar (West Village) ::: Well marketed business reselling pieces and items made by Jacques Torres and Garrison Confections, among others. Hip, trendy.

Local Chocolatiers

• Christopher Norman Confections (Wall St) ::: A great choice for corporate gifting because of inventive pieces and packaging, seasonal and custom favorites of mine include their chevre (goat cheese) truffle and their avocado cream truffle.
• Kee’s Chocolates (SoHo) ::: A very tiny shop that makes some of the best in the city you can actually watch owner Kee make the pieces. Zagat rated 29 for taste. It’s hard to go wrong, but I especially like the creme brulee and my wife is partial to the passion fruit chocolate hearts.
• Lilac (West Village, Grand Central Terminal) ::: A New York Institution these are one of the city’s best representations of an old-fashioned chocolate shop. You don’t come here for sophistication, you come here for straightforward pieces that will remind you of your childhood.
• MarieBelle / Lunettes et Chocolat (SoHo) ::: Both of these stores sell chocolates by Maribel Lieberman as well as assorted bars, boxes of couverture, and other items (such as sunglasses in Lunettes). Look for very attractive transfer designs, sophisticated flavors, and unusual wrappers for the bars and high-end packaging. Many people like the hot chocolate mixes.
• Chocolat Moderne (Chelsea) ::: Located in a loft workspace on the 9th floor of an industrial building on 20th St, owner Joan Coukos cooks up some very well made pieces. With seasonal collections, flavors are always changing - and enticing.
• Martine’s (5th fl., Bloomingdale’s) ::: Nearly always a very highly rated favorite in consumer polls, Martine’s tends (in my opinion) to make pieces on the very light and very sweet side in the traditional Belgian style. If that’s what you like then you’ll like these. Items are made on premises and you can watch, lots of touristy molded items.
• Evelyn’s Hand Dipped (Wall St) ::: Another Manhattan institution. Tiny, crowded with three people shop. Same comment as Lilac - don’t come here for sophisticated pieces; simple basic stuff that will take you back to simpler times.
• Jacques Torres’ Chocolate Haven (West SoHo) ::: Biggest draw here is that you can watch chocolate as well as confections being manufactured. You can buy his stuff as well as sit at a coffee bar.

“Foreign Imports in NYC"

• Vosges (SoHo) ::: The NY outpost of this Chicago-based company. Good, trendy marketing, very fashion conscious, flavors are a tad precocious for my taste. I like their toffee the best.
• Scharffen Berger (UWS, other locations planned) ::: I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of their chocolate as the flavor profile, in which red fruit predominates, gets a little too same-same for my taste. Truffles rate Very Good, but are nothing exceptional. However, as the most successful small-scale chocolate manufacturer in the US in recent years, who am I to argue?
• Godiva (Over 1000 locations and counting) ::: Although headquarters are across the street from Grand Central, these are made outside the city. A sentimental favorite, the best bet is to go with their limited edition selections (including G if you can afford it), available from September through Valentine’s Day. Buy out of the case, not a pre-boxed collection. Big seller in season: freshly-dipped strawberries.
• La Maison du Chocolat (UES, Rock Center - French) ::: My favorite pieces include the mint (Zagora) and the rum raisin (Bacchus).
• Debauve et Gallais (UES - French) ::: Basically selling a modest assortment of re-packaged Michel Cluizel confections, most of the pieces are from the Cluizel stock catalog - there are some custom pieces. Very high markup.
• Richart Design et Chocolat (Midtown - French) ::: Jewel-like shop, tiny pieces, very expensive. Exquisite transfer designs, sophisitcated flavors.
• Teuscher (Rock Center - Swiss) ::: Their champagne truffles are an international favorite (why is beyond me).
• Neuhaus (Grand Central - Belgian) ::: Up market pieces (and prices), I’ve experienced quality problems (old pieces that have skunked).
• Leonidas (Various locations - Belgian) ::: A supermarket brand at home, Leonidas is decent a mid-priced option if really want to buy Belgian.

Outside New York

• Chuao Chocolatier ::: Encinitas, CA
• The Cocoa Tree ::: Franklin, TN
• Norman Love Confections ::: Fort Meyers, FL
• Richard Donnelley::: Santa Cruz, CA
• Lillie Belle Farms ::: Jacksonville, OR
• Michael Rechiutti ::: San Francisco, CA
• XOX ::: San Francisco, CA
• LA Burdick ::: Walpole, NH/Cambridge, MA
• Byrne & Carlson ::: Portsmouth, NH
• Blackflower Farms ::: Charlotte, VT
• Lake Champlain Chocolates ::: Burlington, VT
• Christopher Elbow Chocolates ::: Kansas City, MO
• Intemperantia ::: Pacific Palisades, CA

And yours are ... ?

Previous Questions and Answers:

1. Hi Clay, There is also: chocolate bar 48 eighth avenue NYC 10014 212 366 1541 http://www.chocolatebarnyc.com Greetings. John ::: John: This is the Chocolate Bar I refer to in the West Village, in the Retail section above. Thanks for checking in all the way from Belgium. Maybe you can share your top Brussels chocolate spot? :: Clay
   Posted by  on  03/10  at  01:39 PM
2. chellaoui chocolates is an up and coming chocolate company that specializes in hand-dipped artisanal chocolates. Chocolates are only sold online at this time. Enjoy! :: Editor's note: The poster of this comment is the owner of this business. Hey, Mehdi! How about some chocolate for a review? :: Clay
   Posted by Mehdi  on  11/27  at  02:15 PM
3. Bernard Callebaut's Chocolatier is one of the finest in the world. He is based out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, (thank gosh Edmonton has a few shops too!) but this is a world-class chocolate shop. Bernard won the Grand Prix International Artisan Chocolatier in 1998 among many other awards. Only FRESH ingredients are used for making chocolate thus the products must be consumed within a short time. The varieties and flavors are truly memorable, just amazing. One chocolate is enough to satiate you for a while vs. gobbling a regular old chocolate bar (those are good, too, just different quality). They are obsessively rich and so fulfilling. Online shopping is available for delivery in Canada and the US, respectively. Sincerely, Constance
   Posted by Constance Roshko  on  11/29  at  07:19 PM
4. Hi, Is there a website where I can order Richard Donnelley chocolate? I have a friend who is reaving about it. I�m currently in Peru and would like to suprise my wife back home. :: Aaron, This is the URL you are looking for. Note that the last name is spelled Donnelly, which may be the reason you're having trouble finding it. http://www.donnellychocolates.com/. :: Clay
   Posted by  on  02/20  at  04:22 PM
5. what is the most creative store of chocolate? and who is the best chocolatier :: Misha, That all depends on what you mean by creative and who is best is a matter of personal opinion. That said, the Spanish are usually at the forefront of unusual flavors but you might also want to take a look at the Austrian company Zotter who creates wonderful filled bars with flavors that include mustard and asparagus (not in the same bar). :: Clay
   Posted by  on  04/12  at  10:55 AM
6. A great one is the Cocoa Mill, in Lexington, Va. http://www.cocoamill.com Paul
   Posted by  on  09/04  at  04:09 PM