Let’s be honest, do you really need an official reason to indulge in one of life’s greatest culinary treasures? In short, YES. This is a food blog! We are dedicated to decadence at every turn, and we will take each and every excuse possible to make the absolute most of our flavour palate. While we here at West Coast Food try to give equal coverage to all the tasty snacks, whether sweet or savoury, the truth is that we will always come back to kneel at the foot of our dark master: the cocoa bean.
So on July 7th (World Chocolate Day), bring home some treats from any of the following local chocolatiers, draw the blinds, light a candle, and dig IN. While it might not be a stat holiday just yet, if we all treat it with enough seriousness and gravity, maybe we can get there one day! Now, go forth, and feast!
Beta5 Chocolates
Location: Vancouver
While there’s something to be said about following the age-old tradition of chocolate making, this East Vancouver spot embraces a refreshingly more modern interpretation of the confection. Like edible pieces of contemporary art, each treat is a feast for the eyes as much as it is for your taste buds. Check out the dark chocolate bars with praline moulded to look like pencil crayons, or the polygon bars (try the excellent spiced pecan) whose clean lines look like a draft from an architect’s sketch book.
Chez Christophe
Locations: Burnaby, Vancouver’s North Shore
Nobody does chocolates quite like the Swiss, and this little bakery cafe is your fastest ticket to tasting the sweetness of the Alps without booking a flight. Double-baked chocolate croissants, hazelnut pain au chocolat, tarts, macarons, and much, MUCH more. The immaculately arranged display case is like a joyful page from a Victorian fairy tale.
East Van Roasters
Location: Vancouver
If you’re more the type to guzzle that sweet nectar by the cupful, then this is the spot for you. Known for their meticulous roasting process for coffee beans, they take just as much pride in preparing their liquid chocolate offerings. Silky smooth and with a fully activated flavour profile, you’ll be hard pressed to return to your days of stirring powder into water. Keep it in mind for an inspired alternative to your average coffee date!
Gem Chocolates
Location: Vancouver
The quaint and character-filled community of Kerrisdale is the PERFECT location for a little chocolate shop. The award-winning menu of treats and refreshments offers countless ways to kick your heels up and savour the sweet life. And the bright front window offers an excellent frame to watch the world go by as you tuck into your treasures.
Mink Chocolates
Locations: Surrey, Vancouver
One of the best chocolate experiences you can find around, it’s always fulfilling to watch the chocolate masters behind the counter tinkering away once you decide on your order. With beautiful presentation and glassware, each item comes to you looking like every detail was given careful consideration. While they offer a robust collection of chocolate bars to take home, the real draw here is the table service. A chocolate fondue course, or s’mores spread, is what awaits you if you’ve given yourself a little extra time to indulge your sweet tooth.
Oldhand Coffee
Location: Langley City
Just off the Main Street of Langley City, this coffeehouse is a bustling hive of activity, thanks in no small part to the fantastic selection of sweets made in-house every morning. Area cocoa enthusiasts are known to congregate here and consume cupcakes, bars, cookies and just about every other kind of tasty item you can make from the bean. Find a table in their huge upstairs seating area and take a tasty moment for yourself.
Purdys Chocolatier
Locations: Langley, Coquitlam, Surrey, Burnaby, Vancouver
One of the oldest names in Canadian chocolate, this sweet mainstay has been a part of our special occasions since it began in 1907 in downtown Vancouver. Holidays, graduation, end of the year gifts for teachers, Flag Day, we’ve all given/received the glossy purple box that says what words cannot… That’s the end of the sentence. Words can’t express it! You simply have to try for yourself to see what we mean.
Thomas Haas
Locations: Vancouver, Vancouver’s North Shore
With their locations in Kitsilano and North Vancouver, Thomas Haas has elevated chocolate to the level of high art! Specializing in an elegant French take on chocolates, this bakery/patisserie will add a bit of European flair to your snacking. Start with a few handcrafted chocolate bars, and you’ll immediately feel a boost of refinement as you scoff at the notion of sullying your palate with anything less.
Wild Sweets by D.C. Duby
Location: Richmond
Think you might like to put on your fluffy chef’s hat and try your hand at making chocolate at home? Well, check YOU out. You can get things rolling by first checking out the perfected recipes from one of Richmond’s most renowned online culinary hubs. Start with chocolate custard, then level up your game to chocolate-peanut butter gateau. You could easily plan a tasting menu for your friends with a delectable dinner party that skips right to the final course.
Feature photo courtesy of: https://www.thomashaas.com/
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