Received a large box as a thank you gift from our car dealer. So delicious! We then remembered Candinas and bought several small boxes as favors for our bridal shower. The guests loved the chocolatey richness. I especially love the espresso and caramel filled chocolates! Candinas was super quick in responding and shipping the chocolates. Arrived quickly and in a refrigerated shipping package. Will definitely buy again! Thank you! read more

Incredible artisan chocolate. Great flavor and great presentation. Also, the service in shop was super.

Wonderfully perfect chocolates for chocoholics that appreciate ganache chocolates with a thin shell and smooth interior filling. Has been a favorite of mine since they started. read more

My experience in the store was about to earn 3 stars until I tried the chocolate. But I had to give them credit for making such a delicious product. The truffles are beautiful AND delicious. They all have a perfect thin shell with that satisfying crack you expect and then very flavorful smooth unctuous fillings. I sampled the dark chocolate hazelnut (complimentary tasting offered) and then purchased a 2 pack of the orange and champagne truffles. All were excellent. But I really didn't like the store experience. As others have noted, you walk in and the display case is just full of their boxes. You can't really see what the choices are, and they don't have a list of their flavors. You sort of have to just pick a pre packed box and then just go with whatever is in it. I mean, chances are whatever you get will be delicious, but it's just not that enjoyable of a shopping experience. It would be nice if they displayed the choices with labels or had a build your own box situation so you could create your own sampling, like most other chocolatiers I have been to. The chocolate does rightfully deserve praise though. It's good. read more

Legit chocolate truffles place!! I got caught by the words "who said you can't buy some loves" omg so true! Chocolate is my love Went in the store and they gave me half a piece to try. Really good caramel chocolate! Got two boxes :) Hope they have more assortment in the Madison store tho :/ they only have a few everyday and the 9 piece boxes have the same assortments, 2-piece boxes have some variations. read more

Candinas Chocolatier - Love it hehe - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

D-14 unitl Valentine's Day 2008. Sitting at home, flipping through the channels. Stop at Consumer Reports. "Best Chocolate," headline reads. Pause. Must watch. Blind taste tests done for three categories (cheap, average, expensive). Drool while watching. Ignore segment on the cheap supermarket chocolates. Don't eat Hershey's. Yuck. Ignore segment on middle chocolates. Don't eat Ferrero Rocher. Yuck. Listen attentively to expensive segment. Definitely eat Godiva. See's ranked #5 or something (See's is considered gourmet? Since when?!). Godiva at #3. What?! Huh?! What could be better than Godiva? Ghirardelli, says Consumer Reports. Interesting. Very interesting. But what is better than Godiva and Ghirardelli? What is number one?! Candinas, say talking heads. Hm. Never heard of before. Must do Google search. Find site. Ooh, looks yummy. Decide must try. Click on "Place an Order." Nearly have heart attack. $50 for 30-something pieces. Must be joke. Must be. Cannot be real. Godiva prices for unknown chocolate? Unreal. Unreal. But must try. Consumer Report says so. Must try. Click on "Purchase" and fill out form. Must try. Must try. Driven. Go to next page for shipping options. Really do have heart attack this time. Standard shipping = 2 business days = $20+ Standard shipping = 2 business days with iCE PACK = $25+ Next day shipping = 1 day = $35+ NOTE: Chocolatier insists on freshness of chocolate. Will not ship anything more than 2 days. Says ensures quality. So must shell out big dough for box of Candinas. Calculate. One box nearly $100. Not worth it. Not worth it. But want it. Want it bad. Complain to boyfriend about ripoffs in chocolate industry. America in sad era when consumers ripped off for candy. Sad. So sad. D-Day: Valentine's Day '08. Package arrives at work. Flowers? Present? Greedily open. CANDINAS! BF so sweet! Covertly hide box under desk. Must hide from coworkers. If they see, must be nice and share. Don't want to. Not worth it. All mine. Very expensive chocolate. ALL MINE. Dash to car. Try one piece. OMFG DELICIOUS. Too scared to try another piece. Don't want to waste. Put chocolate back in FedEx box. Snuggle it with ice pack. Leave in car. Hide from coworkers. Go home, put it in fridge. Eat 1/2 piece every day. Stretch chocolate 2 months. Freshness, schmessness. Still yummy 2 months later. Now all gone. Wish BF would get me another box. Candinas = Better than Godiva. Better. Much Better. Consumer Reports tell truth. Candinas best. Best of best. read more

I bit into a truffle from Candinas, and found a bunch of what looks like fuzzy bluish mold inside. Yuck! read more

Candinas Chocolatier - I bit into a truffle from Candinas and found what looks like a bunch of blue fuzzy mold. Eeeek! - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Pros: Variety of chocolates in truffles Free sample! I was given a deelicious dark chocolate espresso truffle Beautiful packaging for their chocolates Cheaper than Gail Ambrosius Cons: The chocolates were mostly a little sugary, and did not have a whole lot of complexity (yes, I'm aware of how snotty that sounds) No choice of truffles! (They do this because they guarantee you'll like all of them, but what if you don't like white chocolate? Or champagne flavoring?) No guide for aforementioned unchosen truffles! Definitely not as good as Gail, but I would not not recommend it, ya know? read more

The chocolates are delicious, but the shop is super weird. Its basically a blank slate and you walk in and pick out a box that either has 2, 4, 9, 16, or 32 chocolates (my numbers may be off). You have no idea which chocolates you get - so you just have to buy them and leave. You shouldn't spend more than 5 minutes in this store. This Chocolatier has some interesting flavors, and you can only see what you are eating if you go to the website and compare. read more

Oh man, those caramel truffles are amazing. Chocolates are made of some kind of purified version of awesome. They won some major praise from consumer reports a year or two ago and for good reason- something like best value for chocolate in the US. If you aren't super wealthy or celebrating a special occasion of some kind, you can spend under $3 for a two piece box. read more

Oh. My. Chocolishisness. These are ridiculously flavorful (no guessing... you'll know which is which) and uniquely textured... I would certainly NOT wait for Valentine's Day. It deserves all five stars, while definitely a luxury, totally worth it for chocolate lovers (or for any level of chocolate appreciaters). read more

This store is small but very nice inside. Chocolates are amazing and excellent quality. Great variety, although you are not able to select which flavors to purchase in larger boxes (already assembled). After encountering a minor issue with a box I purchased, the owner went above and beyond to make it right. Very clear that the people here take pride in their product (a rare find in this day and age). Not an inexpensive gift but a special one... Highly recommend. read more

Went here today because I have always wondered about the place and heard good things about them here at Yelp. Upon entry I was surprised by the small case of chocolates that was at the front door. It was minimalistic and thus not what I expected. I expected more about their chocolates and the different flavors or types of chocolate they made available. But it was a big guess. I was offered a free sample which was delicious and the price was reasonable for well made chocolate. I bought two boxes. One for a gift and one for myself. The chocolates were excellent. I have to go with 4 stars for the lack of information in the front showroom. read more

Candinas is pretty much the best chocolate you can get in the USA -- it is world-class. We got the 16-piece box once and ranked all of the flavors out of 5 stars. The ones that got full marks were: champagne, anise, and elderflower. read more

I'm a flight attendant and I tailor my flight schedule specifically so that I can fly into Madison every chance I get to go to the Capital Square storefront to get a box of these chocolates. It is a hidden wonder of the world. You'd almost miss the storefront if you didn't know what you were looking for. Very minimalist, but with flavors like these who needs fancy schmancy sickly sweet interior decorations in a store. In my opinion all that stuff is just a trick to get your eyes to believe that the chocolate other stores are selling is really better than what your mouth is telling you. Nope, at Candinas just a glass display case with neatly stacked boxes. The truffle flavors are a random selection in each box, and usually that's a big problem, because random usually means I will only like one or two and have to give the rest away or throw them out.. But with Candinas, I can truly say that I liked almost every single one (not a fan of the Hazelnut truffle, I don't like hazelnut at all). The flavors are distinct without being overwhelmingly sweet or like someone went crazy with the (insert flavor here) oil, extract, or essence. The ganaches are creamy and soft, mousse-y smooth. I love how they got champagne in a chocolate and made it work so well. I like the Chai and Jasmine/Green Tea varieties...oh forget it I love them all. The Caramel is the perfectly balanced truffle because the caramel and the chocolate melt at different times allowing you to enjoy the full flavors of each before they meld together in bliss. I'm a seasoned patron so I don't have to guess which is which, but there is a list with photos of all of the flavors on the website, and for those of you that want to be a party pooper and only get one flavor, the website says that you can order via phone, customized orders......I can't wait til I get married because these are definitely going to be my wedding favors. read more

I went here today because I didn't feel like making a trip out to Hilldale for David Bacco's. Overall, it was interesting--but I don't think Candinas will be my chocolate shop of choice. The storefront is very minimalist; there's pictures of chocolate bar wrappers among other drawings on the wall in a mural kind of way. It was definitely not what I was expecting. The service was very friendly; my significant other and I were given samples of what they consider "defective" chocolates that they don't put into their boxes. It's nice to hear that they've got some pretty good quality control, but the taste of what samples of what we had were great--but not phenomenal. My real gripe with this place is that you don't really get to choose what goes into the boxes; they have set up boxes in mind and for what I was getting them for (thank you presents for letters of recommendation), it wasn't exactly what I had in mind. That said, it wasn't bad! The chocolate samples we were given certainly were very good; very creamy and exactly what one should be hoping for in a truffle--but for me, it's lacking something I can't really name. And for that price? Close, but not five-star worthy. read more

When I was lured into Candina's by a little sidewalk sign, I was a little nervous that I had just walked into a decoy fronting for some other shady business- the mob? I don't know. Items immediately in sight included a beaded curtain, a red carpet walkway, 1 (one) glass jewelers counter with 6 (six) boxes of chocolates in it, and a picture on the wall. That's it. But I did some research, and it turns out Candina's is legit, and everyone loves it! My thoughts are... -really good chocolate. REALLY good. -...but I'm not enough of a chocolate connoisseur to spend $25 for a 16 piece box regularly. I settled for a $5 2 piece sampler.. -free sample! yeah! -be aware- there is NO CHOICE in your truffle box. You get what you get (and you don't get upset?) -also be aware- if you go into the store, there's a chance you;ll be there alone with the salesperson, nothing else to look at and be distracted with, nobody else for the salesperson to wait on, so you'll probably have to buy some chocolate even if its not what you expected. Like I did. I don't regret it, but I probably won't be a Candina's regular. read more

Tasty and great customer service. Ordered 9 pieces all arrived within a day and in great condition. Only tried 2 out of the 9 so far, but the flavors were great! read more

Markus Candinas, the Swiss-trained confectioner in Verona, Wis., recently opened this retail boutique on the Capitol Square. If you haven't had a chance to try his world-renowned gourmet chocolates yet, now's your chance! Unfortunately, he doesn't have a food establishment permit for this location, so you can only purchase pre-boxed assortments here, but these are fine for gifts and everyday consumption. If you fall in love with a particular chocolate, you can always visit his factory in Verona. read more

Amazing chocolate, very good value. When I lived in Madison I felt like this chocolate was very expensive, but once I spent some time checking out chocolate in other areas of the country I realized the bargain it is! This chocolate is great. My favorite is the caramel truffle, but my favorites change over time :) Their focus is on the chocolate, but the packaging is very classy, as is the shipping-packaging if you need it shipped. If you ask, they are HAPPY to make a custom box for you with more of your favorite flavors, especially at their Verona location. Now get up and go buy some ;) read more

I have traveled to over 40 countries and I have tried a lot of chocolate. This place is a highlight. I truly loved what they offer.

I got a 16 piece this last weekend at their Madison store, and I won't be going back. The store is bizarre in itself; about the size of a single-car garage, robot clerk behind a glass case of boxed chocolates. The $29 price tag, along with a lack of being able to select which ones I would like (in the age of the internet, the ONLY advantage IMO to brick and mortar in my mind is to be able to select what I like), and the absence of any descriptions of the chocolates in the box were all deal-breakers to me. My husband's from CA and swears that Sees Candies tastes much better and is a *lot* less (and from what I had in SoCal I'd agree with him). The tastes of Candinas chocolates were not exotic or even that interesting (caramel, raspberry), and many were milk chocolate instead of dark (our go-to). We'll likely go back to Gail Ambrosius for our chocolate fix. We used to think her chocolates were small; hers are actually a decent size compared to Candinas, and about the same price per piece. read more

Five years after our first review-- we are still exclusively buying Candinas Chocolates . Reasons range from freshness, quality price and the thrill kids get from driving out to the factory and selecting their flavors. I do see a few reviews that I consider slanderous and an attempt to discredit. If anyone were to purchase a bad chocolate from ANY place in MADISON ( ANY ) you would return them. Not slander them online. Takes the fun out of yelp. Shame on them. read more

Best chocolate ever. Simple to order because the only selections are the size of the box. No worries every kind packed are just wonderful

Delicious truffles (they're truffles, after all), but the artistry does not nearly compare to that at Gail Ambrosius or the lamentably closed Cocoliquot. The chocolates look like they're made on a cruddy assembly line machine, two halves stuck together around a filling, with dimples in the bottoms sometimes. Most the flavors taste pretty similar to me with just slight variations, but they are very good and should be savored one at a time. Definitely better for your chocolate fix than anything you'll get at the grocery store. read more

The shop was weird. There's just one glass display case with closed boxes of various sizes. No chocolates were on display and you could only purchase pre-made boxes so you couldn't pick your flavors. There was no one inside at first, not even a clerk. I looked around and was about to leave when one came out. I was only getting a box of 2 and the clerk was nice enough to list which boxes had what flavor. I ended up with espresso and caramel, normally my favorites, but I wasn't impressed. The packaging was very nice but the contents not so much. The espresso was good but rather small - the smallest truffle I've ever seen in fact. The caramel was slightly larger but not very good. It had a bitter taste to it. I will not be returning. read more

I have literally been to all seven continents, and scores of countries, and this is the best chocolate ever. Some wonderful stuff in Europe, and even other continents, but truly works of devotion. FRESH. Beautifully crafted, amazingly concocted. Who cares about "weird" when you get the best chocolate in the world? read more

Simply put, for us, Candinas chocolates are the chocolates by which all others are measured. Candinas truffles have silky smooth chocolate, vibrant yet balanced flavors, and a serenely mild sweetness that lets the other qualities and flavors come out to be tasted, savored, and wholly enjoyed. My wife and I sample boutique chocolates wherever we travel - Europe, Asia, etc. Love chocolates, enjoy great flavors and qualities in all of them. Yet, we always return to get Candinas and enjoy them more than any other. read more

Wow, great chocolate truffles... in downtown Madison. Excellent in beautiful boxes. They're made in their factory in Verona, Wisconsin. Fresh and delicious. read more

Found Candinas via Consumer Report. Since then Markus has pleased my wife, daughter, mom and stepmom on several occasions. Have tried other chocolatiers and keep coming back to Candinas. Packaging is nice but not keepsake. Made to be eaten fresh. read more

When I travel to Europe, mostly Amsterdam and northern Italy, I always take Candinas Chocolates at gifts. At first my hosts look at me like I am crazy bringing chocolates from Wisconsin to Europe, and also to friends in New York City. But then they taste this unbelievably delicious chocolate, and simply ask for more. I do not eat truffles as a rule, because I don't like the mushy fillings. I eat Candinas truffles any chance I get. They are not only the most delicious but most beautiful in an understated way. The way I like my statements. read more

These are very tasty, consistently good, and reasonably priced for fine chocolates. However, the selection isn't very adventurous. Lots and lots of liqueur-flavored truffles, which isn't my thing. Still, they're great if you're looking for a delicious gourmet basic truffle, or a liqueur -lavored one! read more

I brought these home for christmas, and it seems I'm now obligated to bring them with me whenever I fly home.