Salt water taffy, bitches! That's what's up on the Wharf in Monterey Bay. Sure, there's bread bowls and all sorts of succulent seafood to choose from. But that's not what gets this girl going - give me a tug off that taffy pull! There are a few candy shops in the area, but what drew me into Carousel was the 50's doo wop playing outside and the whimsical decor. Inside, it's not nearly as fun, but they still offer a plethora of taffy flavors to choose from, along with fudge, candy orange slices, caramel corn, nuts, etc. Your typical candy store, I guess. Prices are a little on the steep side. But it's not like you have to buy this every day. Of course if I lived close by, I'd probably have to shift things around in my monthly budget to purchase this sweet treat by the 1/2 pound, plus make room for the subsequent dentist trips. My only question? How do you tell the difference between taffy flavors? They all taste kind of the same to me... Like processed sugar. Not complaining at all! Just curious to know if anyone with a more refined palate can provide some insight. read more

What a cool place! We walked in to get some taffy for my girlfriend who kid and dog sat this weekend. We oohed and awed over the yummy candies in the cases and refrained from indulging in anything (even frozen bananas which I haven't seen outside of Disneyland). The place is hopping and sells Dreyer's Ice Cream as well. We giggled a bit at the young woman behind the counter who had a hickey necklace and a fat and bruised bottom lip wondering if she felt at all embarrassed at her appearance....oh, to be young again :) read more

For a pecan roll, and a piece of toffee they charged us $17. Not impressed. With the candy, store, prices or employees.... Especially the prices and employees If I could give less than 1 star, I totally would. Find a different candy store... FOR REAL! read more

If you're looking for sweets on the wharf, this is the place to go. They have a lot of pre-packaged goods, which are nice as gifts, but they also have a lot of items behind the counter. My boyfriend and I shared a small box of warm caramel corn for dessert. It was about $6, and more than enough to share. The caramel was perfectly sweet and flavorful, but not too sticky. It comes in a box that closes/seals as well- so if you don't finish it in one go, you don't have to worry about a crumbly bag. We also got a piece of peanut brittle. It was sold by weight and one piece cost about $2. We didn't eat it until a few days later, but it was still good. Overall, Carousel Fine Candy has a fair selection of candies. Nothing is spectacularly unique, but they have a good variety of items. Notes: -They have taffy being made in the front window- but I think that they just buy their taffy from somewhere, because I saw a lot of storage containers of taffy, and they didn't emphasize that it was home-made. read more

I'm literally a little child in here! It's worth a quick stop because if you stay too long, you might pick everything!!! read more

Carousel Candies - WOW!!! - Candy Stores Near Me - Monterey, California

As soon as I walked in the employee asked if I was ready. I JUST walked in. I didn't even get a chance to browse. We got some cheese popcorn and it was stale. What a waste of 9.49. It doesn't look like they rotate the candy. It's all sticky and hard. The prices are too expensive. Go elsewhere for candy read more

$5.45 for a small square of fudge, like 2 in x 2in. Welcome to the Wharf I guess...and it would have been worth it had it been really good. But it wasn't. A family friend that came along our little dinner excursion, brought her son. He ordered an ice cream cone 1 scoop of mint chocolate chip and a scoop of bubblegum. Ah the joys of being 9 years old. He seemed to have enjoyed it a lot. But I am still rating this based on their crappy fudge. My boyfriend bought the orange sticks, didn't get to taste those, I think he liked them. I haven't tried any other candy places on the wharf but I want to maybe.. I just think this place is just too expensive. read more

Overpriced chocolates and bad service! First off, what is so strange about seeing a Mexican and Asian couple that you have to gossip to your co-worker about. We are no different than any other race or couple. We asked about the price per pound or if they were per piece. (No signs anywhere) she weighs and packages a piece we didn't even tell her to. It was a crazy price for a stale looking chocolate, seriously $9.00 for a small piece of chocolate. I could get more chocolates for that price. We walked out after the awkward looks and questions by the staff on our relationship. read more

This is one of the places that I have to stop at whenever I'm in the area. Everything here is delicious but for me the standout is the Peanut Butter Carmel Apple. I have them cut one up to eat while I'm there and take a few for the road. This is the perfect sweet desert place to go after all the samples of clam chowder. The staff is always super nice and super helpful and they usually offer a sample of anything your looking at. read more

They actually make the taffy here. Sold! You have to stop by if in the area. It's a great spot for gifts.

They have the best tasting taffy and they're fresh. My hubby likes their sugar free milk and dark chocolate almond bark. He says it's very delish! We were wanting to get a bigger piece of both sugar free chocolate almond barks and the older nice lady who as an accent told us she had some fresh and larger pieces in the back. She came back and brought the chocolates out. Since we live far, we purchased quite a bit to take home and to gift some. She packaged them nicely for us. I picked up more salt water taffy to take home for gifts. My girls wanted a cotton candy so I got them each and the nice lady gave them another one at no charge, and gave me 2 medium bags of salt water taffy and a box of Carmel popcorn for my girls also no charge. That was very very nice of her to do that for us. When we come back to Monterey we will definitely come back here for more sugar free chocolate almond barks, salt water taffy, cotton candy and Carmel popcorn. I appreciate her very much!! Thank you!! read more

This is the first place I was introduced to Real Fresh Warm Caramel Corn, PoW!! Anytime we are within 30 miles of this classic we come in for the Fresh Warm Caramel Corn. It's about $10 for a small but you can't put too high a price on perfection. You can definitely get cheaper verson at Wal*Mart but you get what you pay for. Enjoy. This this may be the best on earth. Also, you've got to love the busy vibe and all the colorful confections. This place belongs in a fantasy movie. I love this place. read more

So there are two candy stores on the wharf and this is the one you want! Trust me, everything tastes delicious and homemade. If you didn't plan on stopping the aroma probably lured you in. Their salted Carmel is crazy delicious and they usually give out free samples so ask. They have so many options and the caramel corn is always coming out fresh. You can also stop and watch the taffy puller which is mesmerizing read more

Omg!! Caramel corn still tasted fresh after having bought 2 days ago. Good deep caramel taste packed with a delicate light crisp crunch! I also tried the caramel almond apple that was sliced for free and it was not too sweet but still satisfying. Will definitely go back. Will visit again and perhaps next time, will try the toffee almond caramel apple! read more

If you like Caramel Corn..THIS is the place to go! They make it right there and many of times when I got my box it was still warm and oh so good. The flavor is terrific. My other favorite at this store is their salt water taffy. It is so fresh and they even give you samples of it to try. Recently I discovered their sea salt caramel which is Ah-mazing! It is caramel flavored with little bits of sea salt in it. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. They also have good caramel apples and a fun selection of diffferent flavored cotton candy. Those visiting the monterey area will notice there are quite a few different candy stores- and a lot of them try to rip you off. Not this one. This has been and continues to be a favorite candy store of mine. read more

The worst experience at a candy store ever. Asked for 10 pieces of chocolate and only got 2. Went back to ask for refund and nobody paid attention. Very sure one of their employees took them away because I was not paying attention. The prices are unreasonable for the taste. You can barely taste the coco in the dark chocolate. The fudges were average but too much sugar was added. If you really want to buy their stuff, keep an eye and count to make sure you get what you paid for. read more

The toffee roasted almonds and Carmel popcorn were AMAZING! Don't leave Monterey without trying this place. The women behind the counter were very friendly! They make there own taffy as well and the candy apples looks delicious! read more

Carousel Candies - Candy Stores Near Me - Monterey, California

Damn you sweet tooth! I didn't order any dessert at Abalonetti after din and as soon as I walked by Carousel Fine Candies, I was drawn in like a freaken magnet to a fridge. I blame it on the smell of freshly made caramel popcorn and cotton candy. How can you resist? I walked in and was like a kid in a candy store. This candy shop has been a family favorite for years now and it's hard to go to the Wharf without hittin' this place up for something sweet. Try their caramel popcorn (buy it when they've just made a fresh batch). It is muy delicioso! Cotton candy, chocolate covered gummy bears, ice cream, taffy...damn- they have got it ALL. They accept debit cards too. read more

I came into this place because of the wonderful smells coming out and luring me in. The carmel corn smelled so good, but after looking at the prices, I decided not to get the carmel corn. For about the same price, I got the all nut brittle. The bad thing is you have to get at least a pound. I tried to get only half a pound since I know I can't eat that much brittle, but they said the minimum is 1 lb. I didn't like that. I was hoping to get the brittle and something else, but the prices were just so expensive. I probably will not go back there again since it is so pricey, but the brittle was good. read more

I love this place since I was a little girl. My grandparents live in Monterey so we used to come here ALL the time =) - my grandpa (served 25yrs in the US Army) was stationed in Fort Ord a LONG time ago. The caramel covered apples are the GREATEST. This place never changed and the aroma (mixture of all sorts of candy from chocolate, taffy, caramel, etc..) of the place makes you feel like your in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory!! They even have ice cream. FYI, there's a near by restaurant called Old Fisherman's Grotto, its the best restaurant on the Wharf (clam chowder in the bread bowl is a must have). read more

We were happy to find this little candy gem! They gave us free samples of taffy without us even asking. The employees were very friendly. Our kids are young so they just got Jelly Bellies. But I got a frozen banana, a truffle and some caramel. They were delicious! My truffle melted (which was my fault, I left it in the car) so I didn't get to enjoy it quite like I wanted to. But the caramel was delicious! And the pricing was great! When she told me how much our bill was, we were both very surprised. Make sure you stop and see them when you are at the Wharf! read more

butter toffee cashew & FRESH caramel popcorn!!! En route to Big Sur, we stopped by Monterey for a quick bite. As I paraded down Fishermen's wharf with fellow yelper Patrick L. & William L. we were stopped dead in our tracks by the sight of a giant wall of caramel popcorn. Although we haven't had lunch yet, the sight of sweet caramel delight calling our name was just too hard to resist! So the three of us ventured into this cute little shop & was immediately suckered in. The minute we stepped foot through the door, I knew this was a bad idea. Practically every inch of the store is covered with some sort of product. The man making the fresh caramel corn immediately spotted us & began handing us samples of butter toffee cashew & caramel corn. In the end we left with a small box of caramel corn (which was filled to the brim & could barely close!) & 1/2 pound of butter toffee cashew / almond mix. The only reason why i'm giving this place4 stars instead of 5 is the fact that the almonds tasted a bit stale to me (unfortunately, I didn't sample the butter toffee almond before asking the server to put some in the bag I purchased ) read more

Chocolate covered caramel popcorn. Mmmmmmmmm. Soooooooooo good. You can smell the sweetness of this store from outside and it just draws you in. They have just about every kind of confection you can think of in here ranging from fruity candies, salt water taffy total chocolate truffles and multiple flavors of cotton candy. Maybe it was just the flavors I happened to taste but while the texture of their taffy is fantastic, a lot of the flavors are just downright funky. The maple flavor was tasty but I don't even know what the other ones I had were, but I did not like them one bit. You are probably best off buying specific flavors and staying away from their prepackaged assorted bag... Great place to stop into while walking along the wharf. read more

3.5 stars I would have given them a 4 star review, except when I went in the other day for some truffles...they only had like 2 kinds to choose from! wtf??? they used to have an awesome selection of truffles. Otherwise, this candy store beats the other one which is a few stores down...fresh taffy...cotton candy... caramel popcorn...oh well, I will still stop in when I am at the wharf. read more

They offer tons of sweet treats...salt water taffy, fudge, pecan rolls, brittle...but the prize is definitely their caramel popcorn. There is a guy who makes it fresh in a huge kettle and the smell is amazing. You can get a small for $5.95, medium for $6.95 or a large for $7.95. A little pricey but it's fresh and delicious! Or you can be content with the samples that he gives out. Either way, come and try their caramel corn! read more

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Salt water taffy.....made on site. Yummy! This place has all the candy you wanted as a child (and still want as a pseudo-adult in my case). They have pre-packaged salt water taffies, or you can mix and match your own flavors. I didn't get any of the other candies, but they all looked delicious. Next time I'm planning to try the humongous Texas peanut butter cup (even though I'm not a peanut butter cup fan), and the caramel apples look great too! It would have been more fun to be able to pick out the mix and match taffies on my own. They were behind the counter, and I felt silly shouting out all the flavors I wanted. read more

Okay, not to be mean but this place is LOUD. With the taffy machine churning, the clerk couldn't hear anything we were saying. We ordered a sunday and asked for fudge. She made us two scoops of ice cream and we go, where's the fudge. She said, I asked if you wanted fudge, we go...Um, I can't hear you. We ask again for fudge, she says, "WHAT?!!" I'm like okay, she can't hear us either. So, anywho it took about 4 tries to get what we wanted. And when we did get fudge, it was cold and not hot. I think they turned off the heat a lil too early. It was only 830 pm! So, in all this place is just okay. They should get a new taffy machine that doesn't make a loud churning noise when people are ordering. The taffy was pretty good. read more

I have been coming here for years. I love the salt water taffy. It is always soft and chewy. I have tried the taffy at other places in Monterey all to find it pulling out my fillings. There is a newer candy store nearby that I went into to check out. When I asked for a sample I was told no and that it would cost 25 cents per piece. WTH?? This place is in a small space and sometimes it gets chaotic. But, the customer service is always excellent. As others have mentioned, the pricing of the candy is an issue. If you take into consideration that Monterey is a tourist destination you will understand the competition and how these companies try to survive. I love their products and will continue to support them. read more

I spent a day in Monterey last summer with my boyfriend, and we wandered from Cannery Row to the pier. I had heard about Carousel Candies before coming and was excited to check it out. This shop is small but super cute and packed with sweets. They had a great sale on salt water taffy so the boy and I stocked up as a lot of our family love salt water taffy. We got an extra bag for ourselves and dug into it as soon as we left. The staff were friendly and I saw them patiently helping other guests as well. They handed out samples to those who were trying to decide what chocolates to get behind the counter and gave genuine recommendations. We had a good experience here! read more

Why does warf candy have to be soooo expen$ive!? Minus one star for bein pretty pricey and being sooo small, claustrophobics beware! I ordered a white chocolate cheesecake caramel apple (sliced for free!), 1 pink cotton candy, and a small bag of white chocolate and milk chocolate drizzled caramel popcorn which was $7!! Yiiikes $7 and the bag was so small but whatever the mummsy wanted it so i had no choice. all for the grand total of $15! Hmm, next time I think im just goin to get my apple and call it a day, $15 for 3 things? for candy? But it is good! The caramel corn was pre packaged (only thing they had to offer) it tasted pretty fresh. Cotton candy was cotton candy, and the caramel apple was heaven! So i guess you get what you pay for however i would go back and will go back and the caramel apples are truly amazing, i would recommend any and everyone to give them a try! read more

Did you need a chocolate covered frozen banana? I did. So I went here. I ate it. It was good. Three stars. read more

OMG! Can't believe this place has 3 and 1/2 stars. This place has taken a drastic nosedive in quality. UGH. This time I did not buy the salt water taffy, but we purchased the salted caramels, a piece of white almond bark, peanut clusters, one chocolate covered marshmallow on a stick and a caramel apple. Everything was bad. The peanut clusters were on a par with a Mr. Goodbar. The caramel apple was very tart (too tart, but that's a matter of taste), and the peanuts were stale. All the other pieces were stale, tasteless, and just bad. I have been coming to this place when I visit Monterey (several times a year) since the 70's. Last stop was today. Don't waste your money. A pound of chocolates from See's is cheaper and MUCH better. Trader Joe's is up the street and has great caramels and chocolate covered marshmallows. CHEAPER! read more

Mmmmm, you can smell that caramel corn from a mile away! Sweet and chewy and made fresh. What a cute store! It's what you picture a candy store to look like with lollipops, candy jars, a taffy maker, and glass cases full of fudge and chocolate. It's old school, like what you would see in the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Small and busy on the weekends. When it's too crowded, you feel claustrophobic. But the employees that work here are pretty efficient at tending to your needs and getting you in and out. They are very attentive and even say "I'll be right with you" if they see that you're waiting while they're helping another customer. Most people just ignore you when they are overwhelmed. Good service, cute shop, good caramel corn. The fudge was buy 2 get one free! read more

I drop in everytime I come to the wharf on Monterey; this time we purchased a candy apple, some turtles, fudge, and some taffy! We all enjoyed every last bite! Can't wait to go again so we could indulge in their dessert bliss! It can get a little pricey, but it's delicious! read more

Bought this jalapeño very excited to try it only to find out it had mold! Very gross! It was our first and last time there. Seriously do not recommend go to the various other candy shops on the wharf. read more

Carousel Candies - Candy Stores Near Me - Monterey, California

Sweet sweet aroma. You can smell this place all down the wharf. They make their own candies. Everything I have tasted is delicious. The salt water taffy is to die for. Unfortunately I live 4-5 hours away...but they do have an online store which I will be visiting! http://www.carouselcandies.com/ The shop is small inside, but the quality of the product compensates for the few minutes of claustrophobia. You can watch candy being made too...it's pretty cool. It's a must visit (and purchase as much as possible) in my book! read more

Yum, caramel apple... Huge selection of candies and goodies. Dryer's ice cream in the back, a couple dozen varieties of candied apples on top of the counter. Other candies in the display cases... read more

Carousel Candies - Almond caramel apple. - Candy Stores Near Me - Monterey, California

I got a caramel apple and a white chocolate covered strawberry. the caramel was delicious.the apple wasnt so much. the white chocolate was delicious but the strawberry was icky and tiny.just couldn't win. read more

Every time we come to Monterey we have to come to this place! They have they best cashews! I also love love their Carmel apples! I totally recommend this place for anyone with a sweet tooth! They also make their own taffy! read more

Carousel Candies - Best Carmel candy - Candy Stores Near Me - Monterey, California

The best fudge on the planet, period! And I've been coming here for over 35 years, so I guess I'm an authority on the place :-)