I mostly care about the chocolate quality and chocolate in bar shapes and less about chocolates in nice packaging. I’ve been getting mine from:
Chocolate Garage (Palo Alto)
Bi-Rite (Mission)
Rainbow (Mission)
Dandelion (Mission/ Ferry Building)
I have heard about Chocolate Covered though I haven’t been. Any opinion of this place?
Thanks.
At Christmastime, we received a very special treasure from
Karen Urbanek, Oakland chocolatier
‘elegant and complex micro batch bonbons and bars’
fine ingredients without compromise
no preservatives
Chocolate Garage is quite the awesome. It’s hard to imagine places with a greater commitment to small local producers.
I just wish they would sell fresh ground pastes like I got in Oaxaca. This whole bar thing… it’s not that fresh when it’s in bar form, is it?
Nuubia (inside the Market on Market in sf, at market / 10th) has some single origin chocolate. Represented the USA in some international competitions.
Thank you all. Great to know choices that I previously did not know about.
How do you like their chocolate?
Although I’ve tried their single origin chocolate, I actually like their beautiful pieces with the glossy hard shells the most, like large half-marbles (try the pineapple, lime or honey ones).
Haven’t been at these 2 places in a while, we don’t live in the City any longer. But I used to go to check out new interesting chocolates to try:
Fog City News
455 Market St, San Francisco
Chocolate Covered
4069 24th St, SF
Thank you. I also came across a 2014 article today from Tara Duggan that profiled the two places you mentioned, plus Dandelion and the Double Monkey Chocolate Club, an chocolate education and advocacy group based out of Oakland.
I like the 53% milk, the dark and the Mokaccino (and probably some others too). I haven’t been to the factory, either at pier 17 or in Berkeley. Worth it?
Fog City is devoted to chocolate and they curate their selection well. The two markets inside the Ferry Building also carry a wide selection of chocolates.
As others have noted, Fog City and Chocolate Covered are the two best sources. Of the two, I prefer Chocolate Covered for its greater selection, lower prices and friendlier, more knowledgeable service. Fog City’s location is more convenient, but its staff tends to be condescending.
The best BARGAIN in town for a single origin chocolate bar may be Trader Joe’s “Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate Bar” (85% Cacao), 3.5 oz. for two bucks. It’s a Trinitario chocolate from the Tumaco region of Colombia, and I believe a repackaging of the Luker 1906 Tumaco Extra Dark bar from Casa Luker.
Even better deal now! $1.69 a bar. I have been eating this as snack since last time you mentioned it.
I haven’t been to the other places, but what I like about Chocolate Covered is the friendly service, wide selections, and that they have a few sampler packs for people like me who know little about chocolate and want to compare and contrast pieces from the same supplier. They also sell metal boxes, with street names and businesses in San Francisco, that make good gifts.
Do they make those sampler packs themselves?
Chocolate Garage has tastings every Saturday and they pick 4-6 bars for member tastings. Used to be free for everyone but I guess that got really expensive. With that said, tasting is free if you buy more than $30? worth of chocolate, which is not that difficult given the cost of single origin bars.
+1 for Chocolate Covered. They’ve been there a long time, & I agree the knowledgeable friendly service & down-to-earth, unpretentious vibe really make the place. It’s kind of like the Cheeseboard of chocolate 
He has about 4-5 samplers right now, and each contains squares from a single producer (I think he composes only one himself). The owner is very friendly, so give him a call if you’re looking for anything in particular— they may be producers you’re familiar with (I’ve bought TCHO, Domori, Pralus, and he had one sample of flavored chocolates)
Karen Urbanek was at the Divisadero Bi-Rite today afternoon giving out Flying Noir samples. I tried the Rico (Costa Rica grand cru) and the Guavara (guava and caramel ganache). They are very good indeed.
And I can’t believe Bi-rite is still selling this junk:
I gotta write them to ask why.
Thanks for the tip! That TJ’s “Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate Bar” is really exceptional – great fruity flavor.
I’ll have to check out Chocolate Covered next time I’m in town. I’ve been to Fog City and can do without the attitude.
It’s that “Made in Brooklyn by hipsters” mystique.
