My family and I have been loyal customers of Krause's Homemade Candy for many years. We've bought…read morechocolates for ourselves, holidays, and gifts, and visiting Krause's has always been a tradition whenever I returned to New York after living in Florida. In fact, it was the very first stop my husband and I made because I couldn't wait to enjoy my favorite chocolates again. Unfortunately, this visit was incredibly disappointing. The first thing I noticed was the new logo and packaging. While I know businesses evolve, the new design loses the classic, elegant feel that made Krause's so special and instead looks much more generic. More importantly, the chocolates themselves are not the same. Many of the pieces are noticeably smaller than they used to be, and the chocolate tastes different. Several pieces even had bloom, which affected both their appearance and texture. I purchased a variety of chocolates, including individual pieces from the display case, chocolate bars, and peppermint patties, and every product seemed to reflect a decline in quality. To make matters worse, many of my longtime favorite pieces were no longer available. I've happily recommended Krause's for years because it consistently offered some of the best homemade chocolates in the Capital Region. This time, however, I left feeling disappointed and honestly saddened. I truly hope the owners will consider returning to the quality, recipes, and traditions that built Krause's outstanding reputation, because many longtime customers remember how exceptional their chocolates used to be.

Still one of my favorite candy stores to visit when I am out in albany... even though they have…read morediscontinued by favorite watermelon slice hard candy. So disappointing but that is life. They have a great selection of unique Holiday molded chocolate candy and some of the best caramel apples around. This is also a great place to stop and shop for treats and gifts.

Huge selection of chocolate candies and confections. In all different shapes and sizes. There…read moreis the chocolate counter but also packaged chocolates throughout the store. It seems like there is a lollipop or candy for any occasion or holiday. It's been fun to come here with my kids and have them help pick out their favorites chocolates at the counter and create your own box. Very perfect spot to shop during the holidays - but it's also a good spot year round for treats as well. Smells great, tastes great

My favorite candy store! Great selection clean tempting and fresh! The staff is excellent they go…read moreout of their way to make me happy! Must try

Great ice cream and a really cool atmosphere! Lots of unique flavors, and everything tasted fresh…read moreand delicious. Definitely worth stopping by!

This ice cream shop had the collect (no pun intended) there were so many to choose from! Staff was…read morevery nice and let me try several flavors. My favorite was the peanut butter. We ordered our ice cream in chocolate waffle bowls. 2 scoops is row large scoops! This place may seem a little pricey but you get hit moneys with with the size of the scoops! There are a few tables inside to sit and enjoy your ice cream. Great ice cream shop!

I have been a recipient of the candy from this store for the past 25th years! My parents have…read morealways given me chocolate from here for every holiday since I was a baby. The quality has not changed and everything continues to the taste the same. My favorite chocolates are the dark chocolate covered pretzels. Candy Kraft has a great selection of candies and reasonable priced. The quality is untouchable and well worth the money.

My family has purchased chocolates and candy from Candy Kraft since the 1940s. And the tradition…read morecontinues. Their peanut butter ribbon candy is a MUST for my family at Christmas. I purchased six boxes this year! And we only kept one box for ourselves. If you have never tried it, you are missing out. It melts in your mouth, packed with peanut butter goodness and is a Christmas treat you'll savor. All of their chocolates are homemade and you can taste the extraordinary quality in every piece. I also like their large selection of old fashioned candies from childhood. Candy Kraft is a warm and welcoming candy shop. Their candy is arranged beautifully with a great layout. The staff are always very friendly and helpful, too. An absolutely WONDERFUL family business!

NOTE: This location is CLOSED. The nearest location is at Rotterdam Square Mall…read more You deserve a chocolate break! What a cool slogan. Gertrude Hawk is one of my favorite chocolate shops, which has locations in only NY, NJ, and PA. This location opened recently at Colonie Center (lower level near Sears). Locally, there are other locations at Rotterdam Square and Wilton Mall. The store carries a good variety of boxed chocolates, candy bars, Smidgens, chocolate tubs, prepackaged candy, chocolate covered pretzels, and confections on display. These chocolates make great gifts for that special someone. The friendly staff was handing out free samples. The main draw for me to Gertrude Hawk are the chocolate & caramel dipped apples and the HAND DIPPED ICE CREAM BARS, especially the latter. Not all Gertrude Hawk locations offer hand dipped ice cream bars including the Langhorne, PA store in the Oxford Valley Mall. I was bummed out there and told to go to Cold Stone Creamery in the same mall. Anyways, I was very thrilled to see this store now open and I treated myself to a hand dipped ice cream bar, Whitey's vanilla ice cream dipped choice of chocolate, (I chose peanut butter sauce), which came out to $3.01 with tax. The ice cream is cold and refreshing, but the sweet crunchy coating is the best part!

I don't get this place. For a specialty chocolate shop they are only mediocre, as a place of…read morebusiness, I'm astounded that they're still going. Every time I go into or even just walk past this place, there is no one there. While I've had employees wander off on me here, recently they are not to be found at all. If I were a less honest person, I could easily walk out of there with most of what's on the floor. It's not like the employees are gone for a few moments, we're talking about 10-20 minutes of absolutely no one around, even after shouting "hello". Maybe it's just me, but when I'm in the mall, especially on a weekend, I don't want to have to go hunting to someone to cash me out. I'm amazed that their inventory doesn't walk right out the door. Their prices are fine, their selection is okay, but the complete and utter lack of staff is something I just can't get past.

Cookies are my biggest weakness. If I had to pick a spirit character, I'd be the Cookie Monster…read morebecause I devour them :P I was so excited to try Nocturnal Cookies and ordered the 6-pack. As soon as I opened the box, I was honestly a bit disappointed by how tiny they were for the price (the photo make them look bigger). The flavor options are fun, and I liked the taste of all of them. Double chocolate chip was probably my favorite, while red velvet was my least favorite. It had a bit of a strange taste to me. I think the main appeal of Nocturnal Cookies is that they're perfect for satisfying a late night sweet tooth since they're open until 1 a.m., but for the price, I just don't think they're worth it.

The cookies were delicious and I would order them again. They were super hot and soft. You have to…read morewait 25 mins for your order even if it's just one cookie. I feel like the basics should be on hand. They do have a sign and warn you when you order. I wish they would text you when your order is waiting so you can kill time nearby. They don't list allergens. They are small, but the price isn't bad. Would I get them again? Yes.

We headed to Cheesecake Machismo after a long day at two museums. It was a rainy day. When we got…read morethere and saw the sign outside, I was thinking, great, they have a few flavors left. When we got inside, the friendly gentleman (the owner, I believe), broke the news that he only had double Dutch left. He described it and hubby and I thought, well, that sounds delicious. We each got a slice to go. Service was excellent, prices were decent. The place is small but I can understand why they have raving reviews. Cheesecake Machismo knows their cheesecake. Husband carried the cheesecake slices on the walk back to our hotel and kept saying he could smell them. We were saddened to know they were not open the next day (Sunday) and were also closed on Memorial Day. We both wished we got an extra slice! Don't miss out on this special treat.

Small space with tasty treats. Lots of choices and all seemed tasty and a skittle unique don't was…read morehard to choose, but I went with maple. Prices a bit high but I knew that going in. For me it's a once in a while treat but definitely worth it!

Great birthday & party treat! The cakes are so rich & very…read moremoist. Everyone loved it !

Did you know you get a free Bundt cake for your birthday?!? You sure do and I took advantage of…read morethis. I received an email for a free Bundt cake so I went down and showed the team member my email. She told me I can pick any of the Bundt cakes available and suggested which one for their favorite for a limited time they had a turtle caramel Bundt cake so I decided to try that one and boy was it delicious very rich but delicious took me about three separate times to finish it and half a gallon of milk but my goodness you cannot go wrong with any of the Bundt cakes here no wonder why it's so popular!! YUM!!!

Uncle Sam's Candy is ALWAYS on Point!…read more I have to give credit where credit is due. Uncle Sam's Candy stays on point when it comes to their products, quality, selection, and most importantly, their customer service. Their customer service is impeccable, and that means a lot to me. You can have a great product, but when you combine that with people who genuinely take care of their customers, that's what keeps folks coming back. Whenever I need some good treats for Valentine's Day, Christmas, Easter, birthdays, or really any holiday or special occasion, Uncle Sam's Candy is one of those places where I already know I'm going to go in and spend some money. From the chocolates and candies to all the different specialty treats, there's always something that catches your eye. And being a chef, I appreciate businesses that take pride in what they put out. Presentation matters. Quality matters. Consistency matters. And the experience you give your customers matters just as much as the product itself. I also believe in supporting businesses that continue to provide great products and great service. When people treat you right and consistently deliver, you show that appreciation by continuing to support them. So when it's time for me to grab something sweet for the family, put together a gift, celebrate a holiday, or just satisfy that sweet tooth, Uncle Sam's Candy gets some of my money every time. Great candy. Great selection. Impeccable customer service. That's how you keep customers coming back. Keep doing what y'all do! ‍

What is not to love about Candy.... Stopped here on way home on my quest for hard candy water melon…read moreslices. While I did not find my hard candy watermelon slices. I did leave with a bunch of Penny Candy (not a penny anymore but brought back childhood memories) and two boxes of chocolates. The chocolate Truffles did not last a day and to be honest haven't tried their signature candy but am looking forward to cracking that box open.

Not being from Albany I searched on line for a Bakery in the area to make our son's Graduation cake…read morefor his dinner celebration after graduation at MVP. We sent in a design that we wanted. When we picked it up it was Beautiful just like we asked for Now for the taste test .. oh my gosh!! It was wonderful melted in your mouth the flavor was great, fresh very happy everyone loved it. Thank you for doing an awesome job for us .. If you live in the area or needing to find a great bakery in the area give them a call. Definitely recommend.... We were not disappointed at all...

I've gotten two cakes for events we've hosted and they were absolutely amazing! They taste great…read moreand the service/ communication was fantastic.