Reviews

Was looking for a local shop to buy artisanal chocolate for Valentine's day and Chocolaterie fit the bill. It's located in downtown Berkeley so parking can be a little difficult. The chocolates here are so colorful and beautiful. I also really enjoyed the unique artisanal chocolate flavors. My favorite was the lychee lavender. The subtle fruity and floral flavor worked well with the chocolate. The chocolates here make a wonderful gift and I'll definitely be back!

A little chocolate shop in berkeley that has unique flavors and very nice designs. Perfect for a gift or for yourself. They do have boxed options if you’re doing a gift. Seems like the flavor alternate. I’ve been to this shop before and quite enjoyed the honey parmesan. The workers here are very friendly and nice. They offered me to try two whole samples which was cool. Individual chocolates are $2.75 each then they have it by the box for 5, 10, 15 etc pieces. A place I would come back to if I am going to gift chocolates or want a sweet treat.

Lovely little shin dig place making up batches of chocolate in various shapes and confectionary styles. They seem to use dark chocolate which is a signature move by those who make real chocolate. Sourced from Vietnam and other places. I happen to pop my head in and I highly suggest patronizing these people as they're a small business owned by a couple and they make very good chocolate a la dark style And are friendly to boot! No wonder everyone loves this place.

Chris Blue, the owner/operator of Chocolatier Blue in Berkeley, CA, is a lucky guy -- he's young, talented, and passionate about his work. By combining fresh, mostly local ingredients with the world's best chocolate, Chris has created line of chocolate truffles with bold yet balanced flavors. A stint as chocolatier at Charlie Trotter's in Chicago taught Chris that you have to use the best ingredients to make the best product, and this ethos is reflected in every chocolate truffle he creates. To start, Chris is the only chocolatier in America that's allowed to make chocolate confections using Amedei chocolate from Tuscany, which is considered to be the world's best chocolate. Amedei's chocolate is unique because they get all their beans come from the famed Venezuelan region of Chuao, which has an ideal microclimate and an age-old tradition of harvesting cacao. Amedei has complete control over the chocolate from bean to bar, and they developed their own processing techniques that maximize the bean's delicate flavor. Amedei is also one the most ethical chocolate companies in the world, negotiating directly with farmers, ensuring workers rights, and paying them above fair trade standards. (Amedei's story is intriguing to say the least, especially when one if its main driving forces is a personal vendetta against French chocolate maker Valhrona, who refused to sell chocolate to Amedei founders Alessandro and Cecilia Tessieri because "Italy wasn't evolved enough to appreciate such ordinary chocolate." The Tessieri's took it as a "personal slight, a national insult, a call to arms" and declared war on Valhrona). We ended up ordering a 15-piece box with one of every flavor they had on hand: apple cider, pumpkin, peppermint, pistachio, chili, lime, grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, caramel, passion fruit caramel, egg nog, espresso, and palet d'or. There were 14 flavors total, so we got two palet d'ors to fill the extra space. Each one of these truffles needs to be savored, but since my wife and I were splitting them and only had half a truffle each, we made sure to take the time to enjoy every second that they were in our mouths. It's hard to pick a favorite, but the palet d'or, caramel, espresso, lemon, peppermint and lime truffles were definite standouts. There's a detailed list of Chocolatier Blue's current offerings on their Web site. We originally went into the store to buy a box of truffles as a present for a friend who was in town, and ended up staying for nearly an hour talking to Chris about his career, chocolate, and the chocolate business. He offered us some chocolate samples and even gave us a taste of some of new flavors he was developing. The more Chris talked about chocolate, the more I started picking things up off the shelves to buy. Our finally tally was over $80 for two 15-count gift boxes of truffles, a couple packs of Amedei tasting squares, a little bag of the best peanut brittle I've ever had, a bag of gianduia (hazelnut) truffles, a $14 bar of Amedei Chuao 70% bittersweet chocolate that was unbelievably smooth with a fruity finish, and a perfect cup of cinnamon chili hot chocolate (the secret? a little sea salt). Overall, we came away impressed with Chris's commitment to his craft. He makes all the truffles himself in the store's open kitchen and doesn't have any other employees as a way to control quality and reduce overhead, which keeps prices down -- his truffles are a bargain at $1.50 each. One of the reasons Chris set up shop in Berkeley was because the rent was much lower than more high-profile locations in San Francisco, like the Ferry Building (although I'd love to see him go head to head with Michael Recchiuti). It's pretty obvious that we'll be going back, especially with Valentine's Day just around the corner...

I've been coming to this place for years -- and it is easily my favorite chocolate shop in the Bay, if not any place I've ever been. Prices are a little high, but in return you get truly incredible and unique flavors that aren't too sweet and are actually artisanal. I have yet to try a flavor from them that I don't like! I've also gotten to meet the owner a few times, and it's very clear that he loves what he does. The other workers are also always kind and helpful.

They have some very unique flavors and the service was excellent. I also was offered a sample of a chocolate I was interested in. A lovely one-off chocolatier. If you’re willing to skip to cute gift boxes, stick with buying them one by one in a bag as this is cheaper.

I was a little skeptical when they called one of their chocolates 'ants on a log' but that's exactly what it tasted like-celery, peanut butter and raisins-not what you're really expecting when you put a such a pretty little morsel in your mouth. The first thing they did when we walked in was to hand us a free chocolate, not just a sample, but their recommendation right from the counter. And it was delicious. All of their pieces are beautiful, and their flavors are creative. With high quality ingredients and creative combinations, there's something for everyone. I also appreciate that by charging a little more to those who buy a custom box (in essence charging for the box itself) they keep the prices down on buying an individual piece. Perfect for a gift, or a treat after a great meal (try out Slow next door). This is a fabulous place in Berkeley!

Chocolates are absolutely exquisite. It's almost like eating artwork. Unique, intriguing flavors (the Sage Honey is particularly delicious) and the filling is always silky smooth. You can tell the ingredients are top-notch and selected with care (my other favorite is Passion Fruit caramel). This is the highest quality chocolate I've ever experienced outside of Europe. The company now has a website where you can place and ship orders anywhere, and I've LOVED sending boxes as birthday gifts!!!

This place never fails, man. When you need a batch of High Quality Chocolates for your significant other, or when you just want to indulge a bit, and just want everything to go away? You gotta come here. This place deserves a James Beard Award for Chocolates. Always consistent from when they 1st opened. You make your nibbles count when you take a bite into one of these. And for me telling you about this place??? I need you to Venmo me $5 Bucks a pop, so I can get me some more.

OMG. I've had wonderful handmade chocolates before, including the famous Vosges and chocolates in Belgium and Switzerland, but I think these are the best I've ever had. My husband bought me a box (which he shared with me), including passion fruit, caramel, butterscotch, dark chocolate, and red wine. All delicious. I can't wait to try the rest of their flavors. He also bought the truffles, which I thought were good (and he loved) but not as good as the chocolates. I thought the flavors and the texture were AMAZING. I wasn't there, but my husband says that the service was friendly and professional. The woman serving him was very clear on what was what.

This review has been 5 years in the making. It all started with a simple article in the Daily Cal in 2008 and I decided to make the trek down from the (pretty) College Ave side of Berkeley to the University side of Berkeley. Pretty much blew my mind. My favorites are always the caramels, nuts, chili and espresso flavors. While I am not a huge fan of flavors like french toast, cinnamon roll, fruit loops (etc, you get the idea), they are still good. I just happen to think the traditional flavors come out a little better. I haven't found something comparable in LA but I just polished off the last chocolate from their Easter 35 piece special so I think I'm set for the next few months.

I had the most delicate gourmet chocolates there. I tried some familiar flavors like espresso, and some new experiences like apricot and I loved every bit of 'em. The end came with the most delicious Cinnamon and Chili, Hot Chocolate. I would definitely recommend them if you are a chocolate-lover.