Chocolate and candy in Palo Alto

Palo Alto has a surprisingly deep bench of chocolate for a city its size. Two independent chocolate shops face each other across a block of Bryant Street downtown. Two Swiss chocolate brands have counters at the shopping centers, one made down the coast in Half Moon Bay and one flown in from Switzerland. See's Candies keeps its classic black-and-white boxes at Stanford Shopping Center, a Japanese confectioner sells seasonal wagashi a few doors away and a small-batch bar maker sells at the Saturday farmers market.

This guide covers where to go for each kind of chocolate or candy, what each shop makes and how to plan around their hours, which are shorter than a typical store's. Every place below was confirmed through its own website, the farmers market's 2026 vendor list or a verified page in our business directory in October 2026.

Chocolate and candy at a glance

The Bryant Street chocolate block

The 500 block of Bryant Street, between University and Hamilton avenues, holds both of downtown's independent chocolate shops. They are close enough to visit both in a 20 minute walk. Our downtown guide covers the surrounding streets.

Timothy Adams Chocolates, 539 Bryant Street

Timothy Adams Chocolates makes filled truffles and bonbons in small batches. Each piece starts with a house-made ganache, caramel or praline. The shop says it uses no preservatives or artificial flavors and works with more than 20 chocolates from producers including Valrhona, TCHO and Republica del Cacao. The look is the signature: every truffle carries a colorful pattern drawn from the owners' button collection, silk-screened on with tinted cocoa butter. The in-store menu has listed dozens of truffle flavors.

The shop also serves ice cream and sipping chocolate and runs hands-on chocolate making workshops for groups, which suit a team outing or a birthday. Truffles sell by the piece and in gift boxes. Orders also go out online and as gifts shipped by FedEx.

Alegio Chocolaté, 522 Bryant Street

Alegio Chocolaté is the American home of chocolate made by Claudio Corallo, an Italian agronomist who has farmed cacao in Central Africa for decades and now works on São Tomé and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea. The company says every bean is grown, harvested and made into chocolate in the same place. The bars are mostly dark and short on ingredients, from 70 percent bars with crystallized orange peel to plain 75 and 100 percent bars.

The shop offers in-store tastings and group sessions by request. It keeps short hours: closed Sunday through Tuesday and open from noon Wednesday through Saturday. If you are planning a visit early in the week, order from its online shop instead.

Swiss chocolate at the shopping centers

Sweet 55, Town & Country Village

Sweet 55, written SWEET55 by the company, was founded by Ursula Schnyder, who grew up in Switzerland. The chocolates are made in small batches in Half Moon Bay, where the company runs its second store. It says it works with sustainable Swiss grand cru chocolate and uses no preservatives. Lines include the Swiss Class assortment, a dark-focused box called Dark Matter, chocolate lollipops and seasonal holiday collections. It also handles corporate gifts. The Town & Country shop is open daily, with shorter hours on Sunday. Our Town & Country Village guide covers parking and the rest of the center.

Läderach, Stanford Shopping Center

Läderach is a family chocolate company from Glarus in eastern Switzerland, founded in 1962. Its Palo Alto store page says the chocolate is made in Switzerland and flown to Palo Alto. The product to know is FrischSchoggi, chocolate bark broken from large slabs at the counter and sold by weight, so you can buy a small mixed bag or a large gift selection. Pralines and truffles fill the rest of the case.

Classic candy and Japanese sweets

See's Candies, 131 Stanford Shopping Center

See's Candies is the West Coast candy company founded in Los Angeles in 1921 and owned by Berkshire Hathaway since 1972. The Stanford shop is the only one See's lists for Palo Alto. The reason to go in person is the candy counter, where you build a custom mixed box piece by piece instead of buying a set assortment. The shop also lists a free sample. Lines get long in the weeks before Valentine's Day and the December holidays, so shop early.

K. Minamoto, Stanford Shopping Center

K. Minamoto is the American storefront of Minamoto Kitchoan, a Japanese confectioner with its flagship in Tokyo's Ginza district. It sells wagashi, traditional sweets made from rice, sugar, sweet bean paste and fruit and often shaped to reflect the season. The company says everything is made in its own factories in Japan. Its Natural Series shapes a confection around a single fruit, such as a whole chestnut wrapped in chestnut bean paste and soft rice cake. Gift boxes make it a common stop for hostess presents and business gifts.

Chocolate at the farmers market

The downtown Saturday market on Gilman Street lists Choco Del Mar Chocolate Co among its 2026 vendors. The market describes it as a chocolatier from the Northern California coast that makes small-batch bars from a blend of cacao beans, including beans from the Andean region. Crepes Divine, another vendor, makes crepes to order along with kettle corn. Our farmers markets guide covers times and parking.

Hot chocolate on a cold day

Palo Alto winters are mild, but a rainy afternoon still calls for something warm.

• Sipping chocolate. Timothy Adams serves it in store, made from the same chocolate as its truffles.
• Spicy hot chocolate. Coupa Cafe on Ramona Street lists its Spicy Maya hot chocolate among the drinks it is known for.
• Everyday cocoa. Almost every coffee shop in town makes hot chocolate. See our coffee guide for cafes near you.

Buying chocolate as a gift

1. Match the shop to the person. Dark chocolate fans will like Alegio's bars. Someone who likes variety will enjoy a mixed truffle box or a custom See's box.
2. Think about the heat. Chocolate softens in a hot car. On warm days, carry it in a cooler bag and do not leave it in the trunk.
3. Check hours first. Alegio closes three days a week. Mall shops follow shopping center hours.
4. Order ahead for holidays. Gift boxes for Valentine's Day, Lunar New Year and December sell out. Our holiday guide covers the season in town.
5. Ship it. Alegio, Timothy Adams and Sweet 55 all sell online, which helps for out-of-town gifts.

Frequently asked questions