What’sWhat’s the first thing to come to your mind when thinking of San Francisco? Parties and parades? And, let’s face it, this is the city of some fancy breweries and those yoga pants are super comfy. However, the one thing that most people should not forget is the outstanding San Francisco chocolate manufacturers.
People of San Francisco appreciate good food and drinks. So, when planning a gastro tour to California, any sweet tooth is obliged to visit at least a couple of SF chocolate manufacturers for some savory tastings!
The city comes with a rich chocolate history that dates back to the 19th century. The local chocolatiers are in the constant drive to impress and feed the tourists and locals the top-tier sweets.
To make your San Francisco food tours even more enjoyable, we’ve gathered 5 of the best chocolate vendors on this list.
Feve
This young San Francisco company established in 2007 has managed to gain a name to it by creating unique flavors and textures. When looking for special treats that have to translate the occasion’s festivity, Feve is your go-to shop.
The company’s big dreams started from a small caramel cooker. They reached a team of professional chocolatiers who created custom-made confections for some of the best hotels, stores, and restaurants in the country. Of course, the tourists are welcome to visit its San Francisco artisan factory to taste these unique flavor combinations for themselves.
Feve works exclusively with the top supplies and non-GMO cacao farmers to get the sweets’ highest-quality ingredients.
Among Feve’sFeve’s awards are four wins of the Good Food Awards.
Cadence Chocolates
Cadence Chocolates is the “secret spy chocolatier” of this list. Unfortunately, there are no factor tastings and a storefront where you can admire the company’s assortments. Instead, Cadence works almost in secret, presumably to save its treats’ secret ingredients and recipes.
Don’tDon’t worry, though! Cadence sweets can still enrich your San Francisco chocolate store tour. The company has free order pickups at several central SF locations. You can just pick up them on-the-go!
Cadence Chocolate has won the second place on this list due to its unique flavors that include passion fruit, guava, thyme, and more. Moreover, these are among the prettiest candies you’ll ever see. All of the Cadence bonbons are hand-painted. Each truffle is a small galaxy that is custom created for you. They are the most “Instagrammable” sweets on this list.
Ghirardelli
This is the company that started it all. Domenico Ghirardelli was a notable chocolatier who opened a confectionary store in California back in the 19th century. At the time, it was one of the finest chocolatiers in the factory. And it remains so even today. More than a century of mastering the Italian family recipes and learning all the tricks of the desert culinary trade bring us back to the leading chocolate factory of San Francisco. In 2011, Ghirardelli became the #2 baking brand in the whole country.
The locals are already the biggest fans of Ghirardelli treats. And any tourist has to try the famous treat to feel that supremacy of SF chocolate to the fullest.
The company’s menu is extensive and diverse with treats for any occasion. This holiday season, families get to enjoy that premium chocolate in festive boxes, tins, and packs that would perfectly complement any Christmas present. As a bonus, a cup of Ghirardelli hot cocoa is the ultimate fit for a Christmas morning!
Dandelion Chocolate
Dandelion Chocolate is another fan-favorite chocolatier of locals. The company is also shipping across the country, thus rapidly gaining popularity outside of the city. This is among the best chocolate in San Francisco.
Established only three years ago, Dandelion Chocolate is a newbie compared to the 160 years of the Ghirardelli history. But that is not a disadvantage when it comes to the company’s delicious chocolates. From the very beginning, Dandelion has chosen the top-quality cocoa farmers across the world. In their search for the best ingredients, the company visited a few origin places, including Costa Rica, Tanzania, Ecuador, Guatemala, Vietnam, India, etc.
Dandelion truly creates some of the tastiest goodies in the world. Among the chocolate flavors of Dandelion shops are classic milky chocolate, sea salt caramels, mix-cocoa truffles, buttery pastry crust, pistachio tarts, pumpkin breads, cacao jams, and more!
Choosing a chocolate bar at dandelion shops is an adventure on its own. Customers can go for calm and mellow, rich and complex, or bright and expressive blends while also choosing the country of origin.
Christopher Elbow Chocolates
The best Bay Area chocolate can also be found in Christopher Elbow shops. This is a small chocolatier with hand-made batches of sweets regularly shipped to the few brick-and-metal places in the area. Small manufacturing means that the company works only with the freshest top-quality ingredients infused with such flavors as passion fruit, coconut, curry, hazelnut, raspberry caramel, vanilla bean, etc.
Christopher Elbow Chocolates are artistry. These beautifully colored sweets are a treat for the eye as well. Upon opening a box, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find an art masterpiece inside. The beautiful decoration of this confectionery makes it a great present to bring home from your SF tour.
We hope that this list of the best San Francisco helps you to enjoy your stay in the city with the best treats at hand. All of the mentioned manufacturers do send their products across the country as well. If you find yourself addicted to the fancy chocolates of the areas, you can always order them home to dive into the pleasant memories of your trip to SF!
Notable mentions: Tinyb Chocolate, Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates, Koak Chocolates, XOX Truffles, Sixth Course, and Z Cioccolato.
Besides, after such a wonderful gastronomic tour, you can always spend a few days on a breathtaking California beach.
