This place has the 3 Cs: Cute, Charming, and a whole lot o' CHOCOLATE!!!!!…read more Chocolate pies, cakes, gelato, sundaes, cocoas, cocktails, cafes, pastries... Chocolate in downtown Santa Cruz is the place to go. There is a charming outdoor patio with flower beds and striped awnings, reminiscent of old Paris. Or you can opt to sit indoors for a moody, romantic vibe. Since I was there for a dessert date with my little one, we chose to sit outside. Water was served in a wine bottle (cute detail) and little shapely glasses. The Parisian feel continued with the round tables and small chairs as well as the neon-lit signs. The menu was vast with savory dinner and lunch items, wines, cocktails, an entire page of hot cocoas and mochas.... and of course an entire section dedicated to chocolate desserts! My daughter and I shared 2 desserts: a chocolate soufflé layered with chocolate cake and cherries and dulce de leche cake. The service was swift and friendly, and most importantly, the cakes were decadent! They were perfectly moist and weren't too sweet. We both thought the Dulce de Leche cake was our favorite because we could taste the cake more and the subtle vanilla hints were nice. It paired well with my tea. What a great addition to Downtown Santa Cruz! [Beware: I noticed only one of our two menus denoted food allergens! So if you have food allergies, make sure you ask before you order.]

Pros: Service was friendly, the setting was very romantic…read more Cons: I don't mind paying for a nice dinner, but (and I really hate to say this) the food was quite disappointing. We ordered: - pasta pork bolognese: Large portion but it was just ok. - miso salmon fillet: my SO enjoyed this. Wasn't overcooked so still nice and buttery. Nice flavor. Might just be me but rather small portion for around $30? With sides come out to about $40. I may be unfair to the here given the outrageous rent they most likely pay here. - broccoli entree: regular broccoli, no char (streamed?) and sauce was meh and didn't come with the fried garlic topping as mentioned. Honestly came off as (some) sauce and frozen broccoli for $13. Again, maybe it's the rent driving the prices up but I truly think they could do at least a bit better. - chocolate orange tequila, glass of wine: admittedly we are out of our depth to comment on these. Overall, we enjoyed ourselves and I don't regret going, but unfortunately most likely won't be returning. We've been so excited to go too :/

I recently heard this business was popping up and as I was a big fan of mutari chocolate a few…read moreyears back I knew I had to stop in immediately. This is the place to satisfy your sweet sweet chocolate cravings. Be it sipping chocolate or truffles or croissants or mochas! This is an indulgence you don't want to miss. Highly recommend the mocha and love the comfy couches. Would probably benefit from more seating but it is a pretty small space so I'm not sure how that would work. Apparently beer and wine to come! Sweet!

This place is awesome! The owner is super fun and chatty. The chocolate bars are top notch! (I'm a…read morehuge single origin chocolate nerd). The European sipping chocolate is thick and delicious. And the salads are delightful!

This review needs updating. I am now confident in saying that these ice cream bars ARE the best in…read morethe world and would love to be proven wrong (hey, IF a better ice cream bar exists it would have to be mind-blowingly good). It starts by them using quality ingredients. They use Marianne's vanilla ice cream, and Valrhona chocolate (a French chocolate used by gourmet chefs). You can choose milk chocolate or dark. They have a bunch of options for what you can include in your bar, including chopped almonds, caramel, and marshmallow. My favorite is #4: dark chocolate with caramel and marshmallow. It is insanely good. After each bite I am thinking "oh my god this is good." Frankly I am glad it is in Santa Cruz (and not in my town) or I might be 50 lbs heavier. I just had one yesterday and the experience is still vivid. Oh, and their chocolates (which also use Valrhona chocolate) are also damn good. And if you like brownies they've got you covered too. The guys running this place could not be nicer, which makes this place a joy to visit. This is really an exceptional place to come to and we are lucky to have it in our area. I am now a regular almost every time I am in Santa Cruz (and I come here often).

This place is amazing, which is a family owned business and amazing different chocolate experience…read more Freshly made chocolates. Very down to earth family. They also started selling Dubai Chocolate, which I felt amazing because they are all out. Have to comeback again to try that. The brownie and Milk chocolate ice-creams are must try (#9 and #10). Dark Chocolate must try are #1 and #2. Parking is behind the chocolate store and is easy to park. The service is quick and very helpful with the suggestions.

Cute lil shop In downtown. I got a large cone with bitter Carmel and dark chocolate with…read moremarshmallow fluff. Yummm very rich the Carmel was super good though still thinking about it ha. The fluff is worth it cause you know vacation! The service was fast and they were very kind. A must stop if in town yum Can't wait to go back I wish I got a picture sadly I didn't

Stopped by this spot for dessert and thought it was a cute, clean little ice cream shop. The space…read moreitself felt well kept and organized, and the menu was easy to look over. That said, the ice cream flavor options didn't really stand out to me and nothing that made me feel like I had to try it or come back for something specific. What did stand out though was the marshmallow puff on top!! it was honestly the best part. It had that toasted, slightly crispy outside with a soft inside that made it really enjoyable. Overall, it was a decent stop if you're in the area, especially if you want something sweet and a clean place to sit, but the ice cream itself didn't wow me.

Lots of Candy, yet came for the Chocolate! The Ambiance of the shop is Small & Intimate with the…read moreChocolates near the checkout counter. Was in town visiting and now will make the time to come and get more Chocolate! Service was straightforward as you mostly select the Candy yourself, yet the Chocolate must be served by a Worker. Highly Recommended if you are a Chocolate lover! Crème Brûlée & Pistachio were my beautiful selections!

Cute candy shop in Capitola. Small storefront with candy bins to self serve on each side when you…read morewalk in. They also had a fridge with various sugary sodas and additional shelving with box and bar candies. By the cash register there was a nice chocolate display case with lots of truffles and other chocolate candies to choose from. The staff were friendly and helpful.

My family and I have tried lots of cookies from all over the Monterey and South Bay Area…read more We happened to stumble upon this place yesterday and will never eat another cookie brand again. They are the best. Oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, and the chocolate chip were outstanding Well with the trip and don't forget to look for the day old bags of 6 cookies for $7.50

I've come here multiple times to get ice cream, which is absolutely delicious. This time I decided…read moreto try the peanut butter chip cookie and was a little disappointed. The cookie was pretty dry and crumbly, which I think is their style, but I personally didn't really like it too much. It also didn't have too much peanut butter flavor. Good amount of chocolate chips though.

Standard, busy store, friendly staff in Capitola with challenging parking. Unfortunately this…read morestore DOES NOT honor veterans...what a shame!!.

Ordered chocolates for my sister's birthday. She loved them! Cute packaging, easy ordering, and…read moredelicious.

Found Marianne's by accident. It reminded me of Bud's Ice Cream and Mitchell's Ice Cream in San…read moreFrancisco. Very crowded...packed parking lot...long line outside the door that moves very quickly. We grabbed a number and waited our turn...just a few minutes. Looked over the menu of flavors while we waited. So many flavors to choose from...the flavors we choose were very tasty. By the time we ordered, got, and paid for our ice cream, seats had opened up. Everything you want in an ice cream...rich, creamy, flavorful. We enjoyed every bit our scoops.

Love Marianne's from the grocery store, an even better experience is visiting their brick & mortar…read moreshop. My visit took place on a warm and sunny afternoon, lots of guests waiting to taste delicious ice cream. Lines moved fairly quickly. Remember to grab a number upon entering. Shoutout to Sophia (in training according to her name tag). She provided the best service I've had in a long time as she patiently explained their vast menu selection and exchanged genuine interactions. The double junior was the perfect size with 2 different flavors. I opted for the pistachio cardimon and the Oregon blackberry. I had a few bites of caramel/mocha flavors, which were slightly too sweet for me. Regardless, I feel you can't go wrong with any of their flavors and they provide samples. The inside is pretty cute with its retro flooring and wall decor. Plenty of tables to sit and enjoy. Small parking lot, but ample street parking around the shop. Looking forward to visiting Marianne's again next time I'm in Santa Cruz. #12/2026

Salad was out of this world! The food quality here beats anything I've had in Jersey growing up!read more

When it comes to Shadowbrook, there is nothing to say, other than the food is ALWAYS fantastic…read more Always! This last time i went was just a few days ago with my friend, for the first time for lunch. Again, smiles, through and through, all around. As to be expected, a limited menu but again, not in the least disappointed.

5/5: The rhum baba is excellent 2/5: The pistachio gelato is…read moreway too sweet. All I can taste is sugar. This might be ok for little kids who like super-sweet stuff, but it's cloyinging sweet for anyone over the age of 18. 2/5: The chocolate bomb uses very mild milk chocolate mousse. It is lacking the intense bitter chocolate flavor and complexity that I'm looking for.

We drove an hour to try this Pasticceria and we are glad we did and will be back. We felt like we…read morewere in Italy enjoying the best pastries, pizza and cafe late ever. The owners, two brothers from Italy are professional trained chefs. It is definitely a must visit cafe.