The Best Chocolate Shop In Every State

Whether you're taste testing each piece out of a heart-shaped box or devouring truffles while watching Netflix, chocolate is an almost irresistible sweet treat that can take on a variety of forms.

To celebrate chocolate and honor the artistry of the chocolatier, we sought out the best chocolate shops in every state.

Our list of the best chocolate shops has a little bit of everything — from single-source, artisanal chocolates in the East Coast, to cozy, kitschy shops in the Midwest, innovative chocolate stores and factories on the West Coast and everything in between.

We combed through Yelp reviews and local publications to see which chocolate shops people across the country can't stop talking about. Of course, we also took into account our own travels, which are incomplete without a little something sweet.

Family-owned and operated, Chocolate Corner in Gulf Shores, Alabama, may be small, but it's definitely packed to the brim with chocolatey goodness and dreamy ice cream flavors. The shop is especially known for its homemade pralines and chocolate turtles.

Anchorage, Alaska, is known for its stunning views of the aurora borealis, and Sweet Chalet is known for its similarly remarkable aurora bonbons. Each bonbon is hand-painted in bright colors and has a glossy finish. The bonbons come in all kinds of flavors ranging from caramelized pear with saffron to raspberry rosewater to floral Earl Grey.

Zak's Chocolate is a small-batch chocolate shop located in Scottsdale, Arizona, that ethically sources its cocoa beans and roasts them itself. The beans are then turned into elegantly flavored bonbons and bars. The dark chocolate bars are all vegan, gluten free and dairy free.

If you think chocolate all tastes the same no matter where you go, Kyya Chocolate in Springdale, Arkansas, will prove you wrong. This bean-to-bar chocolate shop makes a variety of single-origin dark chocolate treats, allowing customers to taste the subtle differences between offerings from Uganda, Ecuador and Madagascar. Springdale is the location of Kyya's manufacturing and retail show, but it has other storefronts throughout the state. Kyya also makes artisanal chocolate syrup, which is used in top coffee shops across the country.

If you want the bright flavors of California in a box of chocolates, look no further than Sacramento's Ginger Elizabeth. Ginger Elizabeth Hahn has been crafting molded and unconventionally flavored chocolates since 2005 and she opened a brick-and-mortar shop in 2008. Her shop specializes in bonbons like eureka lemon, raspberry rose geranium, buttermilk lime and olive oil sea salt. Ginger Elizabeth also releases special cakes seasonally and has some of the best hot chocolate and macarons. There is a second location of Ginger Elizabeth in San Francisco.

As its name suggests, Denver's The Chocolate Lab combines science and chocolate into one culinary experience. You're not going to find many sea salt caramels and vanilla creme chocolates here. Instead, you can taste handmade truffles with unique flavors that are ever changing. Past selections include Humboldt fog cheese, duck fat caramel and bacon, absinthe-fennel and cornflakes chili, in addition to an extensive menu of sandwiches, small plates and other desserts — perfect for a romantic restaurant choice.

Connecticut is so well known for its chocolate shops that it has a bona fide tour route for people with sweet tooths called the Connecticut Chocolate Trail. So how does Bridgewater Chocolate in West Hartford stand apart from the crowd? Its elegant packaging, for one. And the chocolate turtles, coconut igloos and dark chocolate-covered cherries on a milk chocolate heart, for another.

The Govatos family has been making chocolate since 1894, so you know they have the art of the confection down. The service at Govatos Candies in Wilmington, Delaware, is as impeccable as the chocolates, which include Champagne and butter pecan truffles, nonpareils and novelty chocolates in the shape of cameras, cowboys and giant Easter eggs.

Stuart, Florida, located about 80 miles north of Fort Lauderdale, is already one charming small town to visit. Its highlight, though, is Castronovo Chocolate. This bean-to-bar small-batch chocolate shop has won several gold medals at the International Chocolate Awards for its lemon oil and lemon salt-infused white chocolate, Sierra Nevada 63 percent dark chocolate and Colombia mocha milk chocolate. The service here is attentive and as world-class as the bars themselves.

You'll find the best chocolate shop in Georgia at the Krog Street Market in Atlanta. Xocolatl makes single-origin bean-to-bar chocolates that are sustainably and ethically sourced throughout the Americas and East Africa. Each of Xocalatl's single-origin dark chocolate bars is made using only two ingredients — cacao and enough cane sugar to draw out each bar's distinct flavor profiles. Among the shop's most loved products is the Kissed Mermaids bar made with coconut milk, dark chocolate, vanilla-infused sea salt and crunchy cacao nibs. Xocolatl also offers a guided dark chocolate tasting tour in its micro-factory for less than $30.

In Hawaiian, "manoa" means deep and solid, and those are the flavors you'll find in the chocolate at bean-to-bar factory Manoa Chocolate Hawaii. All of the beans are grown in Hawaii, making this Kailua shop a true local spot. That commitment to local farm-to-chocolate production continues in their bars' flavors, which are infused with local coffee, sea salt and lavender.

Since 2004, Boise, Idaho's The Chocolat Bar has been using local and organic products and filling its cases with truffles, drops, turtles and more. Some exciting truffle flavors include huckleberry, peanut butter and jelly, and creme brulee; and in turtles, there's coconut caramel peanut and cinnamon twist. A staff favorite is the Theobroma Bar, made with layers of signature dark chocolate, milk chocolate, handmade caramel and topped with chocolate cookie crumbles.

Chicago's Chocolat Uzma is really a journey around the world, one truffle at a time. The handcrafted chocolates are made with high-quality cacao beans sourced from places like Ghana, Venezuela and Mexico. Uzma Sharif, owner and chocolatier at the Pilsen neighborhood spot, showcases her South Asian heritage in flavors like Indian chili caramel, Kashmiri chai and the rose-flavored Pashtun truffle, which is an ode to her Pakistani heritage. Her house-made halal marshmallows are another welcome treat for the many Muslims in Chicago who adhere to halal dietary standards, or anyone who simply loves a fluffy hot chocolate topping.

One of the oldest family-owned candy businesses in the country, Schimpff's Confectionery in Jeffersonville, Indiana, is half chocolate shop, half museum. Beyond the collection of candy-making history, the chocolates are old-fashioned favorites like cordial cherries and cinnamon red hot creams. Don't leave without picking up some caramel-covered marshmallows, which are called "Modjeskas," a term unique to this part of the country.

With traditions and recipes based in the Netherlands, Chocolaterie Stam makes some of the most exquisite chocolates in the country, let alone Des Moines, Iowa. The European-style bonbons, truffles and stroopwafels are packaged in luxurious boxes, and there's even the option to drop $93 on a chocolate case of 54 bonbons.

Locals and tourists alike know there's only one spot to go to in Wichita, Kansas, for a chocolate fix: Cocoa Dolce. The chocolates have beautiful hand-painted designs and are made with premium Belgian chocolate, rich butter and fresh cream. A popular buy is the booze-infused box of classic cocktail-flavored chocolates. Cocoa Dolce also has a line of French macarons with flavors like Tahitian vanilla, salted caramel, pistachio, strawberry balsamic and more.

Art Eatables in Louisville, Kentucky, is dedicated to making bourbon-infused and bourbon-themed candies and chocolates. The art aspect really comes through as each and every confection is beautifully decorated, including hand-painted marshmallows and exquisitely drizzled chocolate-covered Oreos, which are one of the alcohol-free options.

Laura's Candies is the oldest candy shop in New Orleans, having been open since 1913. The French Quarter shop has been producing homemade New Orleans-style goodies, like the chocolate voodoo doll, as well as other gourmet chocolates. Its truffle selection is also impressive with flavors like black forest and Grand Marnier. Laura even has chocolate-dipped Twinkies, so definitely leave any diet you're on at the door.

Black Dinah Chocolatiers in Westbrook, Maine, is tiny, homey and one of those hidden gems you just can't stop talking about. Among its gorgeous creations is the Maine Farm Market Truffle collection, with each truffle featuring an ingredient grown on a Maine farm. The Cassis de Resistance truffle, for example, was made using black currants grown right down the road from this cute shop. The chocolate almond and Maine sea salt bark, and the rich and creamy sipping chocolate are also must-haves.

This Gaithersburg, Maryland, shop's signature bonbons are impeccably decorated and boast a variety of classic and innovative flavors. SPAGnVOLA Chocolatier's ginger-plum and rosemary olive oil chocolates sit next to fun fusions of caramels. All of the cocoa beans used in the shop's confections are from a single family estate in the Dominican Republic, ensuring only the highest quality for the handmade bars, bonbons and truffles.

Gâté Comme Des Filles in Somerville, Massachusetts, always has a selection of seasonal handmade bonbons in its ultra-chic boutique in Boston's Bow Market. The shop is known for its dazzling bonbons and brownies, and the chocolate mousse served in a chocolate waffle cone is an added delight.

The bonbons at Bon Bon Bon are anything but ordinary. This Detroit shop makes open-top chocolates with layers of local ingredients. Each bonbon is handcrafted in trendy flavors like "coffee and donuts," made with donut ganache, espresso dark chocolate ganache, a donut slice and sprinkles, all inside a dark chocolate shell. Another, called "high tea," is made with Earl Grey tea, Devonshire cream, dark chocolate ganache, hemp seed nougatine, smoked sugar and cornflower petals.

You can't get fresher honey bonbons than the ones at Mademoiselle Miel. The honey used in these scrumptious confections is collected from the rooftops of St. Paul, Minnesota, itself. You can try the honey bonbons with Scotch whisky, in a seasonal flavor or simply as classic, pure honey. Mademoiselle Miel's commitment to local ingredients extends to all the shop's products, which also include maple chocolate bars.

Nandy's Candy is a small family-owned business and a much-beloved Jackson, Mississippi, institution. The shop is perhaps best known for chocolate-covered strawberries, which are dipped by hand as you order them. Other fun confections, such as chocolate-dipped Oreos, chocolate popcorn and fudge, will fulfill your chocolate cravings.

Christopher Elbow Chocolates is a Kansas City, Missouri, shop that takes the phrase "artisanal chocolates" to the next level. Each and every piece of candy is painted by hand, making these more like tiny, edible pieces of art than an after-dinner treat. And the chocolates come in inventive flavors like rosemary, Japanese yuzu and Kalamansi lime as well as an ever-rotating list of limited-edition flavors.

At the Sweet Palace in Philipsburg, Montana, you'll find huckleberry fudge, homemade truffles, nut bark and creamy chocolates. If chocolate isn't your thing, The Sweet Palace also sells jelly beans, candy sticks and a bunch of nostalgic candy you forgot existed.

As the name of this Omaha, Nebraska, chocolate shop suggests, the Cordial Cherry specializes in chocolate-covered cherries. The high-quality chocolate confections come in all sorts of charming shapes, such as unicorns, butterflies and daisies — and they're handmade and hand-decorated, so no two chocolate cherries are quite the same.

Jean-Marie Auboine Chocolatier handcrafts its truffles and bonbons using globally sourced ingredients, including fair-trade cocoa beans. Each piece is created to reflect the highest level of the artisan craft. The colorful bonbon offerings include the Victoria, a pineapple-ginger caramel with white chocolate ganache wrapped in milk chocolate, and the Floridian, which features mango jelly yogurt ganache enrobed in white chocolate.

One Yelp reviewer called Granite State Candy Shoppe in Concord, New Hampshire, a treasure. The vintage charm and decades-old history of the place is one of the reasons it has a loyal fanbase of locals. Granite State has all the classics including hot pink and red foil-wrapped hearts for Valentine's Day, as well as flavors specific to the region like moose-shaped maple candies.

Damask's Candies has been delighting New Jersey families in the Woolwich Township area for decades. Though the shop sells a variety of creamy chocolates, chocolate-covered caramels and other confections, Damask's Candies is best known for its chocolate-covered oyster crackers. These bite-size treats are the perfect mix of sweet, salty, crunchy and smooth. Damask's Candies is only open seasonally, so plan your trip accordingly.

Shugarman's Little Chocolate Shop is the definition of "off the beaten path." You won't find a website for this 420-square-foot shop in Madrid, New Mexico, but if you visit, you'll find an ever-rotating selection of uniquely flavored chocolates. Mixtures like dark chocolate with pink peppercorns, lavender, lemongrass and merlot salt might sound strange, but chocolatier Harvey Shugarman makes it work.

You don't have to look too hard to find a world-class chocolatier in New York, but don't skip over Stick With Me. In the Nolita neighborhood of Manhattan, chocolatier Susanna Yoon is crafting handmade bonbons and caramels that rival desserts served at some of the most expensive restaurants in the country. The bonbons look more like hand-painted marbles and less like chocolates, with playful flavors like speculoos and passionfruit.

French Broad Chocolate, located in Asheville, North Carolina, has chocolates that have won numerous awards at the International Chocolate Awards and Good Food Awards. The confections, which range from single-source bars to vegan lemongrass and ginger truffles, are made with local ingredients and sustainable, wholesome cacao beans.

You have George Widman to thank for the chocolate-covered potato chip, which originated at Carol Widman's Candy, a Fargo, North Dakota, mainstay. Lovingly referred to as "chippers," these homemade Red River Valley potato chips are available covered in milk chocolate, dark chocolate or white almond chocolate.

Located in a Columbus, Ohio, suburb, Pure Imagination Chocolatier takes great care while making each truffle by hand. From espresso, milk and dark chocolate to coconut and raspberry rose, the large range of options has something for everyone.

Glacier Confection makes some of the prettiest chocolates, both in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and beyond the city limits. Each and every chocolate, from its blood orange and honey to its cookie dough-inspired confection is beautifully marbled, shiny and smooth. Not to mention its coffeehouse, cocktail and dessert-inspired treats.

The Thai peanut butter cups at Alma Chocolate in Portland, Oregon, are what make this shop famous, but don't discount the other treats. The mouthwatering bonbons come in flavors like fig marzipan and cardamon sesame. Alma also pays homage to chocolate's Latin roots by making hand-crafted chocolate icons, made with 74% single-estate dark chocolate and painted with 23-karat edible gold.

It's true that big-business Hershey's reigns supreme in the Pennsylvania chocolate world, but don't forget about the less mainstream, Éclat Chocolate. This artisanal shop in West Chester has something for every kind of chocolate fan, from single-origin chocolate mendiants to chocolate-coated gooey salted caramels to seasonal truffles that melt in your mouth.

Unlike many places on this list, Sweenor's Chocolates is pretty inexpensive — a 1-pound box of assorted chocolates will cost only $23.50. But don't take the low prices as an indication of low quality. Sweenor's versions of classic treats like chocolate-covered raisins and malted milk balls will blow your concession-stand snacks out of the water. It's worth a trip to Rhode Island for this sweet shop.

The luxurious treats at Christophe Artisan Chocolatier-Patissier in Charleston, South Carolina, are all hand-painted, resulting in beautiful morsels. Flavors range from the standards of praline and raspberry to the subtle like Earl Grey and to the extraordinary like bleu cheese.

Chubby Chipmunk Hand-Dipped Chocolates is a quirky little chocolate shop that has something for everyone. This Deadwood, South Dakota, spot is known for its handmade truffles, which come in dessert- and drink-inspired flavors such as root beer float, New York cheesecake and Bailey's Irish Cream.

Olive & Sinclair isn't just Nashville's first bean-to-bar chocolate shop, it's the first of its kind in all of Tennessee. This small-batch shop does everything in-house, from stone-grinding its cocoa to finishing up the ethically sourced, organic confections. The results include signature Tennessee items like bourbon brittle and duck fat caramels.

The best chocolates in Texas are hand-crafted by Kate Weiser in Dallas at her namesake chocolate shop. Her bonbons come in inventive flavors like lavender apricot, yuzu and buttery popcorn. Kate Weiser Chocolate is perhaps best known for "Carl the Snowman." Named as one of Oprah's favorite things, this hollow dark chocolate snowman is filled with hot cocoa mix and mini marshmallows.

Situated in the ski city of Provo, Utah, Taste Artisan Chocolate is elegantly decorated in black, white and gold. The highlight here is the chocolate and vinegar tastings. At these events, you can try seven of Taste's eight chocolate bars, sourced from Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and Madagascar.

Considered to sell some of the most high-quality chocolate in all of New England, Lake Champlain Chocolate is a Burlington, Vermont, staple that carries wonderfully executed gourmet chocolates. The use of premium ingredients is evident in all of their handcrafted treats, including the indulgent hot chocolate. 

Artisan Confections out of Arlington, Virginia, makes chocolates in every color and flavor imaginable. Bright red honey whiskey chocolates? Velvety green caramel espresso? Artisan Confections has it all. Beyond the presentation, these morsels are made in small batches with fresh, local ingredients. There's a second location in Fairfax.

This artisanal chocolate shop is not only beaming with charm, it's also located right in Seattle's Pike Place Market. Indi chocolate sources cacao beans directly from farmers and growers around the world to make small-batch, single-origin dark chocolate. In addition to chocolate, Indi stocks its shelves with other cacao-based products including teas, spice rubs, lip balms and other body care products.

Harper Macaw is a classic chocolate factory in the heart of Washington, D.C. You'll find artisanal chocolate bars made with beans from three specific Brazilian cacao farms. The blended bars bring out the best flavors from each cacao bean, but what makes this shop distinctive is its more whimsical offerings, including politically inspired bars, like the filibuster, as well as a seasonal grapefruit soda chocolate, complete with carbonated sugar.

If you're looking for the best chocolate-covered strawberries in West Virginia, look no further than Holl's Chocolate. The coated fruits here are some of the best in the business. Holl's has been crafting scrumptious milk chocolates, dark chocolates and caramel confections for over 30 years, much to the merriment of the city of Vienna.

Vande Walle's Candies in Appleton, Wisconsin, is best known for its angel food candy, with a light, airy center that melts in your mouth. The truffle chocolate bars, with a classic chocolate outside and smooth, velvety interior, are also a highlight.

Chef Oscar Ortega is making some otherworldly chocolates at his Jackson, Wyoming, chocolate shop, Atelier Ortega. His artisanal chocolates come in classic flavors like almond praline and walnut, but also inventive ones like honey and balsamic and wasabi white chocolate. For more delectable and decadent spots to indulge that sweet tooth, consider checking out the sweetest dessert shops in every state.

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