For me, chocolate is an essential food group. When we travel, the first thing I do is look up nearby chocolate shops. It’s the answer to the question “If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?”
In fact, chocolate is simply the answer to any question.
Chocolate is my guilty-pleasure snack, a grocery run staple, and my favorite thing to receive as a gift. When done right, there is nothing cliche about gifting a gourmet box of chocolates to your sweetheart, your kids, your galentines (or yourself!).
Here’s a list of the top ten local chocolate shops where you can find endless treats to gift, share, or indulge yourself.
Buffett’s
A local favorite, Buffett’s has something for everyone. There’s chocolate, popcorn, New Mexico-themed gift boxes, and even treats for your pups!
Candy Lady
Best known for their blue hard rock candy on Breaking Bad, this Old Town shop has almost any treat you can imagine. Chocolates, fudge, chocolate-dipped strawberries, licorice, sugar-free items, and more are available here year-round.
ChocGlitz
Located on the edge of Rio Rancho and Albuquerque, ChocGlitz is no stranger to Best of the City awards, and for good reason. If you want to branch out from chocolate, they also make caramel apples, ice cream, frozen desserts, and brittles. This place is one of my favorites. Every holiday, they have wonderful treats, including boxes of chocolate and dipped strawberries for Valentine’s Day.
Chocolate Cartel
Chocolates made by hand in small batches are the specialty here, and you can choose from chocolates or bars. They also offer chocolate-covered espresso beans, chocolate-covered nuts, and Mayan-spiced drinking chocolate.
Chocolate Dude
Come for the coffee, stay for the chocolate! Chocolate Dude is a sweet treat lovers’ paradise with so many confections to choose from: truffles, dipped apples, fudge, and cookies, to name a few. Their dipped strawberries and chocolate mousse would make a perfect gift, and they also have treats for your furry friends.
Corrales Teas & Chocolates
Make a reservation here to indulge in some tea and chocolate, or grab a box of truffles to go. They have boxes of 4, 6, or 12, or you can pick them out individually.
Eldora
With so many truffles and chocolate bars, you may have a hard time narrowing down what to try. My advice when it comes to chocolate: you can never have too much! The beautiful (and delicious) truffles would be a wonderful gift on their own, but if you’re looking for something unique, Eldora also has body care items: chocolate soaps, scrubs, and lip balms, to name a few.
Elixer Boutique Chocolates
Elixer has so many unique flavors of treats, including a plethora of New Mexico-inspired chocolates and brittles. Offering Dubai chocolate, caramels, and dipped Oreos, they’ve got something for everyone. They also offer shipping on their website.
Theobrama Chocolatier
The chocolate at Theobrama is almost too beautiful to eat—almost. The artisan truffles are sure to impress anyone you gift these to, and you can choose from a variety of size options.
Kakawa (in Santa Fe)
This chocolate shop is worth the drive, and it’s a can’t miss for me whenever our family finds ourselves in Santa Fe. We always grab some truffles to share, and they have delicious ice creams as well. Their chocolates make a beautiful gift, but if you don’t want to make the drive, you can always order online.
Whether you’re treating yourself or looking for the perfect something for someone else, you definitely can’t go wrong with picking something up from one of these chocolate shops.
