If you want to impress a chocolate lover, skip the mass-produced candies that fill the drugstore aisles. Instead, give the gift of exquisite, uniquely crafted chocolates from one of these metro Atlanta chocolate shops.
Bitzel’s Chocolates. Suwanee’s newest confectionery, set to open in the coming weeks, offers an immersive chocolate experience where visitors can learn about the production of their truffles, bonbons and chocolate bunnies from start to finish. Goodies come from Sabrina Coombs, Bitzel’s in-house chocolatier and executive chef.
453 Northolt Parkway, Suwanee. 770-758-1550, bitzelschocolate.com.
Breeze Confectionery Oven. Jasmin Johnson and Patrick Mwabil opened Breeze in the Municipal Market in 2020, selling a variety of desserts including pastries and cakes, macarons and vegan breads. In the chocolate department, look for bonbons with flavors like amarula, bacon cayenne and cappuccino as well as a variety of truffles.
209 Edgewood Ave. SE, Atlanta. 470-917-7896, breezeconfection.com.
A Cacao Affair. Karl and Eva Vivier have been creating confections at A Cacao Affair since 2013, including chocolate high heels, footballs and cigars. Their handmade bonbons include flavors like Georgia olive oil, hazelnut croquant and yuzu ginger.
825 Jamerson Road, Marietta. 678-903-4534, acacaoaffair.com.
Cacao Atlanta Chocolate Co. Consider Kristen Hard, the founder and CEO of Cacao Atlanta Chocolate Co., as the chocolate maven of Atlanta. To say she is obsessed with chocolate is an understatement. Hard studied the cacao bean, its nutritional benefits and the process of making chocolate from bean to bar. As a bonus, Cacao was named as one of the best chocolates in the country in 2015 by Food & Wine.
Head to the Cacao’s online shop for chocolate bars, boxes, bark purses and unique items like graham crack made with graham crackers, chocolate, toffee and sea salt and Salame di Cioccolato, which sees chocolate rolled with shortbread and amaretti cookies and served sliced.
Looking for an experience? The Cacao team does chocolate tastings, ranging from team gatherings to formal galas.
3017 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta. 404-892-8202. cacaoatlanta.com.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Chamberlain’s Chocolate. If you can think it, Chamberlain’s can dip it in chocolate. Since 1986, Chamberlain’s Chocolate has churned out chocolate products, from gummy bears enrobed in chocolate to traditional house-made ganaches that fill truffles, creams, caramels and toffees. The store also hosts make-your-own chocolate bar events and adult chocolate-making nights.
1575 Old Alabama Road, Roswell. 678-728-0100, chamberlainschocolate.com.
Chef Brûlée Chocolates and Gậteaux. Natalya and Art Shapiro started making their chocolates in 2008 and now sell their creations in their Roswell shop and ship their chocolate nationwide. Gift your sweetheart with a chef’s selection box of brightly-colored chocolates, or build your own, with flavors including salted caramel, espresso and mango passion. The shop also sells truffles and cakes.
1140 Alpharetta St., Roswell. 404-953-0369, chefbrulee.com.
The Chocolaterie. Open since the summer of 2006 in downtown Duluth, the Chocolaterie specializes in hand-painted chocolate truffles as well as handmade fudge, candies like pecan turtles and chocolate bark, and ice cream. Online ordering and curbside pickup are also available. When you visit, be sure to take a picture with the 70-foot mural of “The Chocolate Lady” on the side of the store.
3099 Main St., Duluth. 678-585-3338, thechocolaterie.com.
Cirque Confections. Founded by pastry chef Faye Jonah in the former DiAmano Chocolate space in 2020, Circque offers chocolate truffles, cups and clusters; chocolate bark; and chocolate-dipped fruit and other items.
280 Hammond Drive, Sandy Springs. 404-600-2582, cirqueconfections.com.
Credit: French Broad Chocolate
Credit: French Broad Chocolate
French Broad Chocolates. This Asheville, North Carolina-based chocolate shop opened its first Atlanta location late last year in Ponce City Market, offering bonbons with flavors like salted honey caramel, raspberry, and lavender and honey, and chocolate bars with flavors including sea salt, brown butter, and chai masala, plus a collection of single-origin dark chocolates.
Other offerings include baked goods like salted caramel brownies with cacao nibs, and sipping chocolate, as well as a variety of retail items. Guests can also buy chocolate gift sets in the shop’s retail section.
675 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta. 678-879-5355, frenchbroadchocolates.com.
Jardi Chocolates. Jocelyn Gragg, who previously worked as a pastry chef, turned her love of chocolate into a full-time gig, churning out hand-painted bonbons for customers of Jardi Chocolates. For Valentine’s Day, try the Valentine’s Day collection with four filled chocolates; Love Bites chocolate malt balls; or the Your Song bar with a dark chocolate shell filled with a roasted strawberry jam and topped with a caramel-milk chocolate ganache. Chocolates can be shipped or picked up from the Jardi production facility in Chamblee.
3400 W. Hospital Ave., Atlanta. 470-240-8353, jardichocolates.com.
Credit: Kyle Reynolds
Credit: Kyle Reynolds
Temo Foods. Thomas Numprasong, served as a pastry chef at Canoe and taught classes at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts before doing a pandemic pivot to focus on making artisan chocolate truffles.
This year, Temo is offering two Valentine assortments shipped from its facility in Peachtree Corners: a 15-piece box with five different flavors, including raspberry and strawberry crunch white chocolate and dark chocolate cherry cordial; and a nine-piece box with three flavors of truffles, including passion fruit and caramel dark chocolate, and caramelized Georgia pecan crunch milk chocolate.
Credit: Courtesy of Xocolatl
Credit: Courtesy of Xocolatl
Xocolatl. A stall in Krog Street Market is home to Xocolatl, a “bean-to-bar” chocolate shop. Inside this micro-factory (the production space is a mere 250 square feet), owners Elaine Read and Matt Weyandt make a variety of pure single-origin dark chocolate bars. Weyandt and Read, who lived in Costa Rica and worked with cacao farmers and artisanal chocolatiers, now share their experience and passion for making small batches of craft chocolates here locally.
99 Krog St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-604-9642, xocolatlchocolate.com.
Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
