Foobooz Six Pack: Best Local Chocolates
Philly has a long history of candymaking, and we have our fair share of excellent chocolatiers. So while yes, this is a good city to live in if you’re a cheesesteak junkie, and a great place for pizza addicts, it also ain’t bad for those with a wicked sweet tooth.
A few months ago, we detailed all the best places to buy candy and sweets in Philly. We also listed the three local desserts you have to try before you die. But neither of those lists focused solely on chocolate, and since there’s apparently some kind of holiday tomorrow during which the exchange of chocolate (and jewelry and, occasionally, shots) for sex is the traditional method of celebration, we here at Foobooz World HQ figured a list of where to find the best chocolates in Philadelphia might be in order.
John & Kira’s Chocolates
Over-exposed? Yes. Wicked expensive? Yes. But also totally worth it when you have an occasion that requires a box of chocolate and you really want to show up with something special. Also, before you get to thinking that over-exposed also means not equal to the hype, John & Kira’s really does some amazing work with their chocolates, including the little bees pictured above, which are filled with salted caramel touched with a little local basswood honey.
Marcie Blaine Artisinal Chocolates
The chocolate-pushing arm of the Marcie Turney / Val Safran kingdom on 13th Street. They do a good job with both the classics (awesome salted caramels) and the more local favorites (check out the soft pretzel and Love Park inspired chocolates).
Shane Confectionery
You know what I said before about Philly having a long history as a candy-making town? Well Shane Confectionery is where all that history lives. Operated today by the Berley brothers (who moved into the space at 110 Market Street which had been a candy shop and confectionery since 1863), it turns out some of the most historic (and delicious) chocolates available anywhere.
Lore’s Chocolates
Go here for two things: The chocolate-covered pretzels and the chocolate-covered marshmallow. I mean, go here for everything, sure, but don’t leave without these two excellent examples of the art of making chocolates-with-stuff-inside-them.
Eclat Chocolate
A mendiant is a kind of thin disc of chocolate, designed to melt on your tongue. And mendiants are what Eclat does best, offering them as single-origin specimens from unique estates, each piece spiked with fruits, nuts, spices and flowers.
2 Chicks With Chocolate
I know this seems like an odd inclusion. A New Jersey chocolate shop run by a couple of women with no professional experience? But here’s the thing. We got an out-of-the-blue sample of this chocolate in the mail one day and it was fantastic. Come to find, a big part of that might be that the master chocolatier for 2 Chicks isn’t either of the Chicks in question, but Patrick Coston, one of the best chocolatiers in America.
Food Lovers Guide [Philly mag]
All Foobooz Six Packs [f8b8z]
