Oh the sinfully delicious things they are doing with chocolate on the other coast!
Dark chocolate truffles rolled in smoky paprika; chocolate covered caramel with flowery honey & roasted pine kernels; and chocolate ganache infused with Absinthe or Balsamic. If you were a true chocophile, you’d grab some stylish walking shoes, your “it” bag, and get to Manhattan immediately. I love the eclectic blend of.... pretty much everything in New York, but especially the exquisite, traditional chocolate shops commingling with (& enhancing, really) modern, nonconformist chocolatiers.
Here’s the tour of Manhattan’s best of the best - from top to bottom & north to south, with directions, photos and even a few subway routes. Or bust open a bag of M&M’s & live vicariously through this virtual tour. Even better for the armchair traveler in all of us, every chocolatier on the tour takes orders online.
Side Note: Where multiple stores exist, the most convenient location is highlighted simply to make the tour a little more feet-friendly. But extra information is provided for the truly ravenous chocoholics that feel the need to visit every fabulous shop in the city.
Upper East Side: The first leg of the tour is through the ‘silk stocking’ district, starting north on Lexington and winding down Park Avenue & Madison. The Upper East Side is richly laden with some of the country’s most expensive real estate & haute couture.
Take subway 6 north to 77th – Walk about 3 blocks south on Lexington to Payard.
Payard Bistro– 1032 Lexington Ave, between 73rd & 74th St
This is a grand place to start - not only for the lovely chocolates to take-away, but for the ultra-delicious cappuccinos & pastries. The nice sugar/caffeine rush should last to 61st street, at the very least. Also note, the bistro (to the rear of the pastry shop) serves exceptional French cuisine; and high tea is accompanied by a lovely assortment of sweets & savories.
Transportation options at this point are simple: cab, bus, subway or feet. All four modes can go south on Lexington (one-way street), but consider taking a cab down Park Avenue, it’s one of New York’s little luxuries. (There are no bus routes on Park Ave; perhaps they want to keep the bus riding riff-raff out of the pristine neighborhoods.) Then again, walking is free & lends itself to impromptu photos & store hopping.
Side Side Note: Tom Ford is opening a new shop on 77th & Lexington – Oooooh, can't wait!
From Payard, head west one block to Park Avenue & south 14 blocks to 59th street.
Pierre Marcolini– 485 Park Ave, between 58th & 59th
Marcolini is a Belgian chocolatier of Italian decent. “The same care & attention that goes into making the finest wine is applied to making the finest chocolate, and from bean to bar Pierre is wholly responsible for the product.” He even hangs out with the plantation farmers to source his own beans – now that’s dedication! The shop & chocolates are beautiful. Check out the limited edition chocolate bar (only sold here) made from a rare bean harvested once every seven years.
Fauchon Parisian Boutique– 442 Park Ave @56th St
Fauchon recently closed its doors; yes, I missed it by four days. However, I decided to keep it on the tour so that you could look south, shake your fists at "progress-without-a-conscience" & lament the wanna-be Francophiles in need of happy macarons & confitures. Also, when they open a new store, I’ll just move it on down the list.
From Pierre’s shop, go north a half a block to 59th, east to 3rd Ave & up to the 6th floor of “Bloomy’s, Baby.”
Martine’s Chocolates in Bloomingdale’s– 1000 3rd Ave @59th
Martine Leventer & her staff create beautiful French chocolates before your very eyes. Her specialty is brandied cherries wrapped in dark chocolate ganache & covered in dark chocolate; I’ve heard they are reminiscent of her childhood in France.
*Martine’s Chocolates too - 400 East 82nd Street @1st Avenue (Upper East Side)
Head south to 55th st & then west almost to 5th Ave
Richart Design et Chocolat– 7 East 55th st near 5th Ave
Michel Richart takes chocolate quite seriously – the shop looks more like a modern art gallery and the catalogue is titled “L’Art de la Degustation”. The chocolates are gorgeous & the complex flavor combinations are mind-bending. I purchased two pieces from the Eternelle Mediterranee collection & received a written paragraph about the tasting experience I will have with each piece.
Lunch Break: If a desperate need arises for sustenance, there are several fantastic restaurants in the area: Aquavit @55th & Madison, Oceana @54th & Madison, or La Grenouille @52nd & Madison. But if you can hold out through the next four shops near Rockefeller Center, I would highly recommend Il Buco in NoHo, one of Manhattan’s best-kept secrets. It’s a quick subway ride away & connects the northern chocolate shops with the south end shops.
Rockefeller Center: The second part of the tour continues south to Midtown, the main retail/commercial hub of the city, and Rockefeller Center, home of the infamous ice skating rink & Atlas statue.
From Richart, head east a block to Madison & south a few blocks to 51st.
Leonidas– 485 Madison Ave @51st
Tasty Belgian chocolates flown in weekly. Signature piece: Manon Cafe, a roasted hazelnut praline with fresh coffee cream dipped in white chocolate.
Go a block west to 5th Ave & south 1 1/2 blocks.
Neuhaus Chocolatier- 611 5th Ave, between 49th & 50th – Saks Fifth Avenue, 8th Floor
Fine Belgian chocolates imported regularly. Jean Neuhaus Jr. (the founder’s grandson) was actually the first to create a chocolate filled bonbon & together with his wife created the chocolate box, known as the ballotin.
*2151 Broadway, near 75th street (Upper West Side)
*460 Grand Central Terminal – 42nd & Vanderbilt (Midtown)
Not even a half a block away on 5th Ave is the next stop.
Teuscher Chocolates– 620 5th Ave, between 49th & 50th, Rockefeller Center
Charming Swiss chocolate shop with beautiful Champagne truffles flown in weekly. Check out the whimsical fantasy chocolates & darling boxes.
*25 East 61st, near Madison Ave – flagship store opened in 1977 (Upper East Side)
Right around the corner is the next stop.
La Maison du Chocolat– 30 Rockefeller Plaza, right around the corner from Teuscher
This shop is my standard chocolate stop each visit to Manhattan. Very French chocolates in an elegant shop bathed in chocolate tones. This location has a few tables & chairs toward the back where they serve espresso & small French pastries; the other location actually has a lovely tea room in the back of the shop.
*1018 Madison Ave bet 78th & 79th (Upper East Side)
Scoot back on the subway @51st & Lexington. Ride train #6 southbound to Bleecker St @Lafayette. Go north a block on Lafayette & turn right on Bond.
Lunch: Il Buco – 47 Bond St, between Bowery & Lafayette
I promise you won’t be disappointed! This European antique/craft shop turned Italian trattoria has amazing food, wine & ambience. It’s a beautiful place to eat.
SoHo: The third part of the chocolate tour winds around SoHo, once filled with industrial spaces & small factories, is now a very popular place for fashion, art & superb architecture.
Travel a few blocks west to Broadway, head south four blocks to Spring, and another two blocks to Greene. But the easiest way to avoid crowds & sore-er feet is to get back on the subway; train #6 goes south to Spring.
Vosges Haut Chocolat– 132 Spring st near Greene
The name says it all – haut chocolat; and the confections are definitely couture. The flavor combinations will blow your mind – Rooster truffle with dark chocolate & Taleggio cheese, Wattleseed & milk chocolate, Quandong with rosella powder, and Absinthe. Check out the chocolate of the month club – definitely worth looking into.
Walk west on Spring for 3 blocks to Thompson.
Kee’s Chocolates– 80 Thompson st near Spring
Kee’s boutique chocolate shop has received a lot of press, and rightly so. Kee Ling Tong, a French Culinary graduate, hand makes beautiful truffles in her tiny shop with very fresh ingredients like lychees & lemongrass. Other flavors I thought were delicious: balsamic, black pepper, and the creme brulee.
Walk south on Thompson for one block to Broome; head east about a block & a half, just past Broadway.
MarieBelle Fine Treats & Chocolates– 484 Broome St between Wooster & W. Broadway
This is absolutely my new favorite chocolate shop! Darling & exotic from the decor & music to the boxes & of course the chocolates. Decorative chocolates include flavors of saffron, cardamom & earl grey. The cacao bar in the back is an eclectic blend of tables & chairs with wild mirrors & the most fabulous chandelier.
I recommend the Aztec hot chocolate.
Head west on Broome about 4 blocks to Avenue of the Americas. From here you could walk or take a bus a few blocks north to King, then walk the remaining few blocks west to Hudson. Or take a cab – at this point it’s worth every penny.
Jacques Torres Chocolate– 350 Hudson @King, 1 block south of Houston
Watch the team @Jacques Torres go from bean to chocolate bar using restored vintage equipment. It’s a lively place to visit. They sell hot chocolate and cookies as well as moderately priced chocolates – and don’t forget to check out Torres’ cookbooks.
Chelsea (the last stop): Speckled with charming brownstones and modern art galleries, Chelsea is a really nice place to walk around.
From Torres, head north a block to Houston & east a block to Varick/7th Ave; take subway train #1 north to 14th St. Walk west a block to 8th and south a few blocks to Jane.
Chocolate Bar – 48 Eighth street near Jane
Definitely going for the young, urban crowd, the Chocolate Bar has retro packaging and hip, cosmopolitan truffle flavors like marshmallow with caramel, graham cracker & chocolate; the Elvis; and Pumpkin Spice.
Congratulations! On your delicious acquisitions and stamina. You deserve a fabulous dinner – I highly recommend a short cab ride to Po- 31 Cornelia St, between Bleecker & W. 4th in Greenwich Village. Po is a cozy Italian restaurant with a nice staff, real nice food & a nice wine list – it’s niiiiice!
