A Definitive Information to the Greatest Chocolate Boutiques in NYC

Broadway performs, world-class museums and skyscraper remark decks within the clouds could also be New York’s high sights, however vacationers and locals additionally gotta eat — and that features dessert. The world’s main chocolate producers know this and make investments thousands and thousands of {dollars} in prime places like Madison Avenue, fifth Avenue and Soho. And whereas essentially the most well-known names do are typically western Europe-centric, you can even discover native producers and Japanese chocolatiers that deserve a spot on any tasting desk. From French and Swiss to American and Japanese, listed below are six of the most effective chocolate boutiques in NYC. 

La Maison du Chocolat

With 4 NYC places, La Maison du Chocolat began at 71st and Madison and is thought for customized brown (coffret) packing containers that maintain wherever between two and 144 ganaches. Different packing containers are color-coded, like aqua for truffles and inexperienced for vegan. These are French-style, so don’t count on them to be as candy as Swiss, that are extra milk-based. However it’s enjoyable to strive vegan and dairy variations of the identical taste to see which has the stronger style. 

La Maison actually is a home of candies and will get enormous bonus factors for having a small cafe within the again the place you’ll be able to strive their two totally different scorching chocolate choices, Guayaquil and Caracas. The latter is the richer of the 2 with a extra intense taste. There’s additionally a restaurant on the Rockefeller Middle location. Past that, they’ve chocolate macarons and completely balanced chocolate ice cream with small, crunchy cacao nibs. 

What to strive: Fruit Naturally Vegan Present Field

The place to strive: 1018 Madison Ave. (additionally in Time Warner Middle, Plaza Meals Corridor and Rockefeller Middle)

Läderach

A relative newcomer to the NYC chocolate scene, Läderach is a third-generation Swiss firm that dates again to 1962. In 2018, Elias Läderach turned the primary Swiss chocolatier to win the World Chocolate Masters in Paris. Whereas the entire NYC chocolate boutiques on this listing are beautiful, Läderach takes it to a brand new stage with the human-size rotating cacao bean in the midst of their flagship fifth Avenue retailer.

The big chocolate bars seen from the road are known as FrischSchoggi, and the pleasant employees will break them right down to a dimension of your selecting, or you should buy sampler baggage (common or vegan, that are cashew-milk based mostly) with small cuts from 10 of the 26 choices. Most are heavily-infused with nuts or dried fruit. The sleek strawberry-curd white is price getting on a airplane for, particularly once you take a chunk with a big strawberry chunk.Whereas there are some single-origin bars, the home mix is a mixture of cacao from 4 totally different nations. Shipments come weekly from German-speaking Switzerland.

What to strive: FrischSchoggi Strawberry-Curd White

The place to strive: 537 fifth Ave. (flagship retailer), 731 Lexington Ave. and 745 seventh Ave.

MarieBelle

At MarieBelle’s flagship SoHo boutique, you’ll discover 22 totally different ganaches, in addition to confections that solely an artist can conjure up. The intricate patterns on the chocolate ganaches are transferred by hand in Brooklyn, so detailed that biting into one can really feel like destroying a treasured piece of artwork. The New York assortment is out there all yr and consists of icons from MarieBelle’s adopted metropolis, just like the Brooklyn Bridge, yellow cabs and the Empire State Constructing.

Along with ganaches, MarieBelle can also be recognized for warm chocolate. You’ll be able to strive totally different variations within the high-ceiling, backroom cacao bar, together with the favored 62% darkish Aztec, which made the listing of “Oprah’s Favourite Issues.” Whether or not you simply wish to pattern some ganaches or go for the flowery afternoon tea, a speakeasy vibe provides MarieBelle the sting for the most effective chocolate boutique cafe.

MarieBelle has a small retailer inside The Kitano Resort New York, and you can even purchase choose packing containers at some BuzzFeed airport comfort shops, together with the one in LGA Terminal C. Whereas the vacation season is the most effective time to take a look at the principle retailer, you’ll be able to take consolation in figuring out that cooler baggage can be found for buy all yr and are free with orders of $200 or extra.

What to strive: The New York Chocolate Ganache Blue Field

The place to strive: 484 Broome St. or The Kitano Resort New York

ROYCE’ Chocolate

At ROYCE’, every little thing is flown in from Japan, and choices range from season to season. The most effective-selling nama candies come as near melting in your mouth as candies can, due to Hokkaido contemporary cream. Should you’ve by no means had these Japanese candies, the butter-like texture can come as a shock, as they’re meant to duplicate the within of a truffle. Containers embrace 20 simply separated bite-sized items which might be completed with a layer of cocoa powder, which you’ll be able to simply scoop up with the small tasting decide that comes within the field. Different notable choices embrace chocolate-dipped potato chips, matcha wafers and the Equipment Kat-like Bar Chocolate.

Should you occur to reside west of the Hudson River, ROYCE’ additionally has a location at Mitsuwa Market in Edgewater, New Jersey. As nama and truffles are supposed to be refrigerated, every buy comes with a small ice pack, which rests in opposition to the 20-piece field in a customized blue ROYCE’ cooler bag. They need to be saved at 50 levels or beneath.

What to strive: Champagne Pierre Mignon nama (or cherry blossom in the course of the season)

The place to strive: 32 W fortieth St.

Candy Vegan Goodies

Should you don’t suppose vegan candies might be simply as scrumptious and decadent as non-vegan, strive Candy Vegan. Chef Andrea Younger is an Indianapolis native and inside designer by commerce. Her coaching got here from being the oldest of 5 kids and cooking for her siblings. 

Espresso, ginger, ardour fruit and lemon are the 4 year-round flavors. The latter is Andrea’s favourite, and you’ll style the citrus inside two seconds of biting into it — the sweetness of the rice milk and cacao butter combine completely with the freshly squeezed Meyer lemon. You don’t should guess any of the flavors, particularly ginger.

Candy Vegan gives pre-packaged packing containers, in addition to the choice to create your individual. The pickup location is in Morningside Heights, and also you’ll have to make preparations prematurely.

What to strive: Luscious Lemon

The place to strive: 414 W. 121st St.

Thierry Atlan

Thierry Atlan began as a pastry chef earlier than pivoting to chocolate after changing into allergic to flour, and he’s certainly one of simply 26 to carry the distinguished Meilleur Ouvrier de France Chocolatier title. In 2010, his chocolate consulting enterprise (sure, that’s a job) introduced the Troyes native to New York Metropolis, and in 2015, Thierry and his daughter, Julie, began their very own chocolate model and opened the Soho boutique on West Broadway in 2022. 

You’ll be able to combine and match the bonbons and caramel domes within the retailer — there are 5 of the latter and 12 of the previous, with ardour fruit and sea salt because the top-selling caramels. Thierry prefers the contemporary fruit-infused darkish chocolate raspberry bonbon, whereas milk feuilletine is Julie’s favourite. The feuilletine has a skinny layer of wafer crepe inside, and milk chocolate rocher is the most well-liked. All chocolate packing containers include a small card with a QR code itemizing the flavors.

What to strive: ardour fruit caramel dome

The place to strive: 436 West Broadway