The Top Artisan Chocolate Shops in New York City

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With flavors as rich as the neighborhood’s history, Harlem Chocolate Factory name their chocolates after iconic Harlem locations and create recipes to tell the story of each. Among the premium dark, white and milk chocolate bars – all packaged with nods to the area – you’ll also find truffles and bonbons with the apt names of Bodega Dreams, First Night on Lenox and Across 110th Street. Grab the Golden Brownstone gift box for a taste of Harlem that doesn’t cross 139th Street.

If you enjoy the cuisine of the Modern at MoMA, then unwrap the sugary confections at Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate. The brand was founded by chef Gabriel Kreuther and pastry pro Marc Aumont after 10 years of working together at the twice-Michelin-starred restaurant inside New York’s contemporary art gallery. White chocolate strawberry truffles taste just as amazing as they sound and handcrafted bars, ranging from 31 to 70 percent cocoa, offer just the right amount of richness.

If the words “boutique hand-painted bonbons” don’t scream Brooklyn, then we don’t know what does. Hop on the train to taste these bite-sized treats with flavors as hip as the borough itself. Mango-Tamarind and Cinnamon Cereal Crunch will leave your tongue tantalized – if your teeth can muster up the nerve to chew these edible works of art. The Blood Orange, Campari and Black Sesame ganache is so delicately adorned that it would almost be a crime to eat it.

An Austrian chocolate institution that’s been sweetening the streets of Forest Hills in Queens since the inception of the Empire State Building, Aigner Chocolates started mixing small-batch treats decades before the word “artisanal” became trendy. Bring your grandparents a box of Old World Heritage Specialties including cherry cordials and marzipan to make them feel like kids again. Go ahead and grab a box of cognac truffles or nutty bars for yourself, because you deserve a sweet treat, too.

Get a taste of true Caribbean chocolate without going farther than the Harlem River at Chocobar Cortes. This chocolate shop brings century-old farm-to-bar flavors from Puerto Rico to the South Bronx. Get your standard chocolate fix with their dark chocolate bon bons, but come hungry for more than a snack. Chocobar Cortes has a full menu of cafe bites that pair perfectly with their hot chocolate, frozen chocolate and chocolate-infused cocktails.

Chocolate Fantasy is the sweetest place to be when you’re craving gourmet chocolate on Staten Island. The “life is like a box of chocolates” adage certainly applies when you let these chocolatiers package a mystery box for you: between the champagne truffles, dark chocolates with coconut custard and the butternut crunch bites, you never know what you’re gonna get. Prefer a tried-and-tested treat, perfect for a New Yorker? Order the chocolate pizza and dig in.
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This is an updated article originally written by Grace Ward.