Great locally-crafted chocolate bars, many flavors, welcoming staff When we get to Findlay Market in northern OTR, Cincinnati, we visit family owned and operated Maverick Chocolate Co., since 2014 on the part of Elder Street along the south side of the market, close to Elm Street. The staff is welcoming and is generous with the tastings: four of us tried around ten flavors in all! It was a hot day, so this was our last stop by the market, so it would not melt on the way home. We got some bold Rüya dark 65% chocolate, flavored with Turkish espresso, with a touch of traditional cardamom expressing welcome. The cardamom flavoring is milder in this chocolate than it is in mideast coffee. That works for us. We got two with mild bourbon flavors: the somewhat-sweet Prohibition, and the lightly-orange seasonally-available Old Fashioned (reminiscent of the cocktail). We also got some seasonal slightly-fruity limited-edition Thailand 70% chocolate, one of our favorites. And we grabbed an assortment of lighter and darker sweet creams and truffles. We used to watch the bean-grinder in action here. Last year moved it to a new factory on the Licking River across the river in Lexington KY, a town where they also opened a second retail location in 2024 that includes gelato! The aroma here is lovely and chocolatey and roasty. The chocolate is divine. read more

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Service was a little rude when I spend $30 on chocolate. I was able to sample a couple options before making my purchase. I also purchased some truffles to take home, and I purchased enough to get a box but they were out of the small boxes. I told her I was traveling quite a distance and was concerned they would not make it. She said they would be fine and put them in a plastic bag. She could've offered the next size up in box! And indeed they did not make it. Hate I wasted money on these. read more

Maverick Chocolate Co - Outside - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Honestly thought it was a bit expensive at first even for bean to bar chocolate. But im not kidding when I say it is some of the best I have ever had. Definitely the best. I still think its a little pricey but I guess you got me over a barrel then cause its good stuff. read more

Lots of dark chocolate flavor choices! All quite distinctive from another. You can taste test any flavor. I tried the mint, chili and mocha. Ended up purchasing the chili one as a stocking stuffer for my adult daughter. I ordered a hot chocolate to go too. For the price I expected a nice big cup but was disappointed with how small it was. However, it was hot chocolate with taste depth, like a liquid chocolate bar. It truly was a treat on this cold day. read more

It was extremely hot out but I wanted to try this chocolate shop. My son was so happy to get a nice free fancy sample. I later on enjoyed my chocolate bar :P they were so nice in here! Service was great, cute little shop. The stand out thing I really remember? The cookie! I mean of course the chocolate was good but I was shocked at such a good cookie and it was a random purchase here. Day before we went to an actual little cookie shop and I actually liked the cookie better from here. I'd love to try the hot chocolate from here as it sounds delicious but we probably won't be back anytime soon and we were there in the summer, I should check out their website as I see they ship things :P read more

Delicious single sourced fair trade chocolates! Loved all the dark chocolates that lacked the bitterness we're accustomed to. I usually eat milk chocolate with dark from time to time, but the all the dark offerings won my heart and stole the show. Purchased $40 worth of dark chocolate, and will try sharing with hubby and friend. Also purchased the lavender white chocolate...oh so good. I honestly loved them all and had a difficult time selecting favorites. Forgot to try the dark chocolate with chili, but my friend from work enjoyed it. She also loved the brown butter chocolate chip cookie. They have frozen hot chocolate which was tempting since the recipe is similar to NYC's Serendipity. ----Next time OH! There was one staff person who was pleasant and allowed us to try all chocolates. It was nice to have clean cut chocolate samples instead of broken random pieces. It just looked nicer IMO and added to the beautiful esthetic of this place. Chandelier and all. read more

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Stopped by Findlay Market to walk around and saw this adorable shop. The shop was very clean, very welcoming and had samples so you can try before you buy! The woman who was working was very knowledgeable and friendly. She gave some history while we tried some of the chocolates! We sat down outside the store and ate our cookie immediately. It is the perfect amount of sweet and salty! read more

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This was a cute chocolate store located right outside of Findlay Market. We stopped by here on Sunday. You can sample any of the chocolates on display, which is nice. I sampled the bourbon bar and it was very good. My boyfriend ended up buying one of the bourbon bars to take home. The reason Maverick gets 4 stars from me and not 5 is because of the prices: the chocolate bars were all $12, I believe, which is pretty pricey IMO, even though the quality of the chocolate was high. I think the most inexpensive thing you can get here is the hot dipping chocolate (aka a hot chocolate) for $5.50 - it is small but was also very tasty, and you can choose if you want whipped cream or not on it. Overall I'd come back here to try more of the chocolates and possibly purchase one, but $12 for a bar is a bit expensive for me. read more

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Friendly staff, lots, did I say LOTS, of samples. They are a bean to product business. Chocolate is very good, smooth and flavorful. They also ship so if you're not in Cincy area you can still enjoy their delicious bars. read more

Pricey but totally yummy chocolates. And you can try the chocolates before you buy. I got a few bars for Christmas presents. I was so distracted by the chocolate bars I didn't even realize they had drinks and others stuff lol. Now ill have to go back to try some more things. read more

Maverick Chocolate Co - Samples of yummy chocolates - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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We walked in and waited a brief time to be helped due to the associates assisting the group in front of us. We looked at the small chocolate samples, cookies, and hot chocolate. The 2 guys working were informative and passionate about educating and helping us, as well as a tiny bit of selling mixed in. Their passion showed and truly Is what made us purchase a 6 pack of truffles. (+1 that I overlooked when originally deciding on 6). We ordered : fresh orange, raspberry rose, amaretto latte, passion fruit, dark chocolate, cinnamon, and mint. They were all good but our favorites, that we could have eaten more than 1 of are: raspberry rose, passion fruit, cinnamon, and amaretto latte. read more

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Wonderful chocolate! My husband and I stopped in on a whim today while shopping in Findlay Market. I love all things chocolate and we're both big fans of dark chocolate. We chose a 80% Tanzania Dark Chocolate bar and a Fahrenheit 513 Dark Chocolate bar. I also couldn't resist grabbing a couple of the beautiful Truffles that are in the counter display. I picked a Bourbon Truffle and a Peanut Butter Truffle. There's samples so you can try a flavor before you buy. We tried the Fahrenheit 513 so my husband could taste if it was hot/spicy enough for him. It is! The chocolate is delicious! And the service was awesome. Friendly and helpful. We'll definitely stop in again for more chocolate. read more

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Hands down best chocolate we've bought. Worth every penny, the very friendly young female worker at the counter was friendly and helpful. An older female in the back was not friendly at all and rude but we ignored her and bought a bunch of stuff anyway. So good!! read more

If you like chocolate, go here. We were greeted immediately as were others shopping (or were we here to snack?!). They'll even give you samples! We love their bars, especially Fahrenheit 513, that packs a small punch of heat. The truffles are not only divine but are a work of art! Treat yourself to the hot chocolate and you won't be sad until you drink it all up. So good! read more

This shop across from Findlay Market is small, and when one steps inside and takes a deep breath it seems that the amount of oxygen in the air is probably about the same as the amount of vaporized chocolate. Having already been to their suburban shop, I was expecting, and received, a tiny but richly flavored hot chocolate. Here, they were doing samples of their range of chocolate bars as well, and they did have truffles for sale. I would say that the suburban outlet is bigger and would probably shop there if I had the choice, but this location is definitely a good place to get your chocolate on. read more

Maverick Chocolate Co - Hot chocolate - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

I get the hot chocolate here and am kind of addicted to it. So thick and creamy and dark. I think it's a 65% cacao chocolate so not super sweet which I love. Never had another hot coco like it. Severs are friendly and knowledgeable about their product too read more

Maverick Chocolate Co - Finley market with hot chocolate - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Visited today and this review reflects nothing to do with the quality of the product but the poor attitude of the worker who sold said product. The worker could not have been more sour in attitude or less helpful on providing samples. We purchased 5 of your excellent chocolate bars. We had a wonderful first time at the market. We probably will not return to your shop unfortunately it's an emotional let down on an other wise great shopping experience. I never post on Yelp but I feel others should read a critical review before purchasing an order from this young lady. read more

Beautiful chocolate shop with a nice selection of chocolates& truffles. It was the frozen hot chocolate that brought us in. It's like Serendipity & Jaques Torres in NYC. $5 cup & made to order. read more

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I stumbled on the place when going to Findley market. They make some chocolate in this store and more in their hyde park store. They get cocoa from around the world. Many to try. You can buy a bar for $11. They also have fancy truffles made from the owner. I had the orange chocolate. It was good but I didnt taste a lot of orange. High quality but not on the level of belgian or swiss chocolate that I had while visiting Switzerland and Belgium. read more

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By far the best chocolate I've ever had. I'm a chocoholic--seriously. I eat chocolate every day. Maverick consistently blows my mind because of how incredible it is. It's expensive ($8-10 a bar, $2.25 per truffle), but it's SO worth it. The bean to bar makes for the most decadent chocolate. You can immediately tell that this chocolate is super high quality. If you go into the shop, they have samples for you to try. I love trying all the different kinds; you can really tell the difference between each bar. I also love that this is a local company that I can support. The employees are all very nice. They are more than happy to tell you about each bar and how they differ from one another. It's fun to learn about the chocolate you're eating! Bottom line: this is my favorite chocolate in the world. You have to try it. read more

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Mmmm. Chocolate. They had me at one word. This is a boutique gourmet chocolate shop (and more importantly, chocolate maker) of truffles, bars and drinks. I had visions of entering the heavenly candy shop in "Chocolot," one of my favorite movies, as my husband and I walked into Maverick to do some damage. The great part is you can sample small pieces of the $10 bars before deciding to buy. A great idea, because that is a splurge. Most of their various bar chocolates come from different regions in the world, and are made in dark, milk and white. I selected an incredibly smooth and delicious Prohibition bar - dark milk chocolate with Kentucky bourbon and bourbon barrel smoked sea salt. I'm determined to savor it. Based on the photos of their new, second shop in Rookwood, it appears there are even more chocolates to select there, and it's always good to have more choices. read more

Maverick Chocolate Co - Prohibition bar - Kentucky bourbon dark milk chocolate with bourbon barrel smoked sea salt - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Maverick Chocolate Co. is an award winning chocolatier. Located near Findlay Market, Maverick crafts specialty chocolates fresh from the bean. Beans come from ethically sourced growers. Chocolate is then made in small batches. Maverick also partners with local businesses. They are the offical chocolate of the Hotel Covington. Names for some of their bars are even inspired by Cincinnati. Not in the Cincinnati area, and craving their goods? Orders may be placed through their website as well. Service is excellent. There are samples of their bars. With each sample came more information about the chocolate and the store. Maverick goes beyond the traditional white, milk and dark chocolate. There are internationally inspired dark chocolates, a spicy dark chocolate, bourbon or orange milk chocolate, white chocolate with cocoa nubs and even a lemon lavender white chocolate. Just to name a few. They kept encouraging us to try more. The store itself was clean. Prices are on the high side. Though that is not uncommon for small batch, artisan products. read more

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If there ever was a place I'd describe as a chocolate lover's dream come true, it'd be Maverick Chocolate. This is everything great chocolate should be and more. Simply walking in and smelling the immense aromas of fresh made chocolate is enough to make one drool. I've been here a couple times and always look forward to it. They always have a wide array of different chocolates (dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, and MUCH more) and goodies for everyone. I'll admit it cam be a bit pricey, but it's always worth it from the amazing quality of it all. Plus the employees are all very friendly and willing to give a few samples of their delicious goodies. I've heard people rave about their hot chocolate but I've yet to try it. Maybe next visit! This visit, along with my lady, my eyes were drawn to two particular chocolate bars of theirs. The Fahrenheit 513 (dark chocolate with chilies) and the Prohibition (milk chocolate made with Kentucky bourbon). Both were great but the Prohibition really struck me as tasty and my lady agreed... So I bought one. It was $10 but certainly worth it! If you're a chocolate lover anywhere near Cincinnati, you MUST visit Maverick Chocolate! Caution though, this place may spoil your taste buds for lesser chocolate, but I'd say it's well worth the risk. read more

Maverick Chocolate Co - So much chocolate goodness! - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Cute chocolate company nestled in Findlay Market! When you go in you have a variety of treats from chocolate bars, truffles, and hot chocolate, all of which are made with some of the best tasting chocolate you can find! There are many varieties of flavors to choose from. Given the high quality product, expect to pay much more than your average candy bar. The prices range from $9-$14 a bar, but worth every penny! It's definitely worth the stop when in the area! read more

Got turned onto this place by Casey at Taft Ale House and just had to stop by and try their Fahrenheit 513 bar. It's a delicious 70% dark chocolate made with a secret blend of toasted chilies and cacao beans from Peru. It was outstanding. Okay, at $9 a bar it's kind of spendy but the guy working there told me how it was made and it was definitely worth it. The only thing I regret is not buying two bars. When I held it in my hand, I felt like I had the golden ticket! #willywonka Also, when I'm referencing "it" in the sentence above, I meant the chocolate bar. Just to be clear. read more

Maverick Chocolate Co - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Absolutely delicious. Staff are friendly and knowledgeable. We loved being able to learn about and try different chocolates. It was a fun experience, and not just a shop. read more

Maverick Chocolate Co - Products - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

The best chocolate! I love their truffles. These would make a wonderful gift but I just eat them myself. They have vegan options in their bars (the dark chocolate bars) and vegan truffle flavors. They are really helpful with pointing that out and offer samples of the bars as well. The peanut butter truffle is my absolute fave! read more

Maverick Chocolate Co - Pb truffle (v), five spice (v), raspberry rose, passion fruit, hazelnut (v), pb (v) - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

This a great place for some amazing quality and exotic chocolates and coffee. The place was suggested by one of the locals and turned out to be a perfect suggestion. Right next to the Findlay market, it doesn't shout out from the main street, but once you're in, you won't listen to anything else apart from the folks there. They make chocolates within in the same premises and you can see all of it - from a distance at least. Great to bring authenticity and freshness to what you're eating. The staff is great and enthusiastic. We tasted a couple of chocolates and they were great. Bought one of them and this place is certainly to be recommended to anyone who comes to Cincinnati. read more

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If you are looking for a specific kind of chocolate -- especially from all over the world, this place is it! Located in the heart of Findlay Market near Eli's Barbecue, this is a quaint shop that prides itself in 'bean to chocolate' chocolate making. Ran by a family, you can tell they take pride in their work and want it to be the best of the best. This shop does offer samples! Since there are several varieties of chocolate - white, dark, milk - they let you try a sample before you purchase a candy bar. The only reason I am giving it 3 stars is because it is expensive. It's about $7-10 for a chocolate bar -- but you're paying for good quality. Go out and support this local business. They have won some awards in the past -- they were awarded best chocolate for their chocolate from Hawaii. It was delicious! I did try one of their truffles. I got a lemon raspberry truffle, and it was amazing! If you are in the area, stop in and get some chocolate. The quality is top notch! read more

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My mind has officially been blown! Just walking in the door, the air is saturated with the purest chocolate odor, you can actually taste the chocolate in the air! AMAZING !!! They provide sample of all their chocolate which are made from bean to bar in-house. These folks are honest to goodness chocolatiers! They have mastered the craft of chocolate and wanting to share the gospel of cacao with the world! They have truffles as well as bars. The truffles are flavor bombs packed inside colorful chocolate jewels. If your a lover of chocolate, Maverick should be on your bucket list. (insert mic drop here) read more

Very good chocolate but beware they are expensive!! I love how the owners go and source their own beans and come back to their little factory and make magic. I have tried a lot of their chocolates because they give out samples in the store. I was not disappointed. The owners even go to conventions to meet up with other Chocolatiers to discuss chocolate as well as take classes. The shop is very clean and the staff is always friendly. My favorite chocolates are the Prohibition Chocolate and the White Chocolate with the cocoa nibs. The Prohibition Chocolate is a mix of bourbon and smoked sea salt. It has a very smooth yet vibrant flavor that really pops. The White Chocolate is very smooth and has a very present vanilla taste. What makes this chocolate bar so good is that the back of the bar is dipped into cocoa nibs. They add a pinch of flavor and the perfect crunch! Very good! Overall, Maverick's Chocolate is very, very good high quality chocolate. However, as they say "you get what you pay for." It is $10 a bar for most chocolates including the ones listed above. I think a few are either $8 or $9 a bar. This is definitely a nice every once in awhile treat as $8-$10 a bar is pricy. read more

Maverick's Chocolate has THE BEST CHOCOLATE. My personally favorite has to be their Limited Edition Big Island Hawaii Bar! With all of their bats being a fair trade bar that's made from bean to bar in their Cincinnati factory, you know you're getting a quality piece of chocolate that's been fairly priced in every step of production. Chris Swedes was the sales person when I've been there the last few times at Findlay and he's very knowledgeable and great! read more

Maverick Chocolate Co - Limited Edition Single Origin Figi Bar. - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

This store is located in the Findlay Market area, and their sign was out offering frozen hot chocolate. We just had to try it. We walked in and the overwhelming smell of chocolate permeated our clothes. It was such s deliciously rich, lovely smell. We sampled some chocolates, and I fell in love with the lavender white chocolate. We decided not to grab a bar since we had a long day ahead of us and would stop back by if we had time later. Unfortunately, we were t able to make it back by there! Sad day. We did buy a frozen hot chocolate though. It was on the bitter side. So much that drinking it was cumbersome. It's a very small cup and 3 of us couldn't even drink 1/3 of it! It sounded like a lovely idea, if only it was more frozen- think frozen icee/ daiquiri- this is served much more watery. Overall a great idea, but just fell short for us. If it wasn't for this drink, just buying a chocolate bar would have been 5 stars. We will make it back for some chocolate in the near future. Definitely worth $10 a bar. The truffles, I also have to return for the truffles. read more

Maverick Chocolate Co - Frozen hot chocolate. - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Some of the best chocolate in the area. I sympathize with Jessi about the price when one can go down any aisle of Kroger and grab a Hersey bar for a buck or two. I think you are paying for quality and supporting a local business so that is a win win for me. I have probably sampled every variety of Maverick's chocolate, and still think I like the Fahrenheit 513 the best, but I could easily be swayed to another. I love their hot chocolate and find it perfect for a cold day as I wander around in Findlay Market. Definitely grab one if you think about it. The staff are always friendly and knowledgeable about the chocolate and I love watching all the blending machines churning out all kinds of chocolate. If I worked here I would burn myself out on chocolate, and I'd gain at least 10 lbs. Ha! So, save up your allowance and grab a bar or two. Treat yourself to something sweet! You deserve it. read more

After googling around for a good chocolate shop I found Maverick and it was not disappointing at all. To begin with is a delightful little shop that as soon as you enter you can smell pure chocolate. I really love the fact that they let you try out the chocolate before you buy it, and that they explain how they make their chocolate and add their recommendation on which you should try. We got the 80% San Martin Dark Chocolate and it's so good and it has the right amount of bitterness. We also got hot chocolate it is extremely tasty, you cannot leave the shop without trying it, specially now in winter. Its a bit pricey but the quality of their chocolate it's worth, beat chocolate in Cincinnati. I will deft go back for the expreso chocolate. read more

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Wonderful shop located in Findlay Market. From the minute you enter the shop the smell of chocolate hits you and you think your in heaven. They have a great counter with samples of each of their products so you can try before you buy - and buy you will. During the colder months they do serve hot chocolate. It comes in a small cup but believe me it is more than enough due to its richness. YUM! read more

Maverick Chocolate Co - Counter where you can try the different chocolates before you buy. Yum! - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Talk about expensive! I certainly couldn't afford to get a treat here every day. But it sure is Devine chocolate. I sampled the seasonal pumpkin chocolate and the lemon lavender white chocolate. Both were fantastic! But I left with two truffles. The peanut butter was fine, but the Hazelnut Crunch was the true star. The Hazelnut flavor was rich and beautiful. Maybe I need to request some of this chocolate for Christmas! read more

Maverick Chocolate Co - Chocolatiers & Shops Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Wow. When I think about my trip to Maverick Chocolate yesterday all I think is WOW. The space is small but mighty. You walk in and see a neat little counter with chocolate samples and bars. Behind that is a large wide open kitchen where you can actually see where all the magic happens. I was greeted with a smile from Paul, the owner himself. He offered me some samples. I tried the espresso chocolate (for espresso lovers, this is heaven) with Deeper Roots espresso actually pulverized into it. I also had the dark milk chocolate which I bought a bar of, and the spicy chocolate that had a little zing to it. After talking with Paul I felt like I got an entire history lesson on chocolate. I had no idea that a Hershey's bar actually only has 10% of chocolate in it. These chocolate bars are composed of 60-70% real chocolate. Now that right now should tell you the caliber of chocolate we are dealing with. It is rich and for me, it was like nothing I have ever tasted before. Paul informed me that is actually what most Americans say when they taste his chocolate simply because we settle for gas station chocolate and really have never been exposed to the "good stuff!" After all of this insight I had to ask, "Why chocolate?" He replied, "Because everyone loves Chocolate!" He then began to tell me about his travels to other countries as an engeineer and how the chocolate there was so incredible that every country he visited he would try to bring home a chocolate bar for his wife. After that she wanted more...(they always do ;) ) so he began making chocolate. His family harmoniously agreed that he had something special. He explained a little bit of the chocolate making process to me, but honestly -- I will leave that to the experts. What is more impressive is that this man left his job as an engineer to pursue his dream of making chocolate. What a story! If you do anything this weekend, take a trip to Findlay Market and visit Paul in his lovely store. read more

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Wow. I'm not sure I've had chocolate this good before. I'm ruined! This small shop in the Findlay Market area is special and worth a visit (and then continuous repeat visits to fuel those chocolate bar cravings). We sampled nearly every option in stock. Strictly because the flavor profiles were unlike anything I've had before -- rich, bold, complex. For the bars that have additional elements like lavender or salt or spicy hints, each enhances the chocolate in each bite. I'm regretting not picking up a bar of the lavender white chocolate (and will likely be shopping online v soon). I did buy a Prohibition chocolate bar and a Big Island Hawaii chocolate bar as gifts for friends. The branding is on point too and each bar has tasting notes on the back. This is 100% a must-visit if you're in the area to soak up their chocolate knowledge, taste chocolate, and buy the best bars you'll come to know. read more

stopped by on a rainy day because we had their chocolates before as a gift. their chocolate bar we got was great and their cookie was amazing. super great, just a bit pricy, but it's worth it. small store but it's cute and has friendly staff. you can see into the back where they make the chocolate! read more