Charbonnel Et Walker

I used to quite like the Charbonel et Walker drinking chocolate and have enjoyed their chocolates in the past. But after my recent experience, while I’d probably eat one if offered, I’ll never go to their store or pay for their products again.
I had a really mediocre HONEYCOMB CRUNCH bar, bought at the National Gallery. It was super disappointing, especially given that it cost the best part of £5, with nothing much in the way of honeycomb or crunch. I tried to give my feedback on the Charbonel & Walker website. I complimented their chocolate in general but said how disappointed I was in the lack of HONEYCOMB CRUNCH. I tried to post my review twice, after the first review disappeared. Twice the review was taken down.
I would never trust a company that censors fair but unfavourable reviews and I would never hand over money to a company so arrogant that they think they can ignore customer feedback in such a rude way. Obviously they don’t care if the quality of their product is poor or their customers are disappointed. They clearly imagine they can trade on their — undeserved, in this instance — reputation, and disregard customer satisfaction.
If you want honeycomb & crunch, I guess try a Crunchie — avoid this poor excuse!

Best chocolatier in London. Brilliant, high-​class chocolates, beautifully presented. Friendly staff who are never too busy to have a chat. I’d always recommend buying chocolates off the counter in the C&W shop instead of the pre-​packed C&W boxes that you can get in department stores, simply because they are fresher.

Legendarily, the Queen’s favourite chocolates. And if its good enough for the queen, it’s good enough for me.
This tiny store is a gourmet chocolate lovers paradise. There’s a counter filled with chocolatey goodness as you walk in and then rows to your right of home-​made pieces you won’t find anywhere else.
They’ve got truffles, they’ve got creams, they’ve got dark, light, white, rose, violaet, and Champaign chocolates. What more could you want.
I stopped in here as part of Chocolate Ecstasy’s Mayfair tour and learned a ton. First, that the rose chocolates (which are oval shaped with a sweet rose filling) are the Queen’s favourite and she legendarily has a box of them next to her bed at all times. This place does have a royal warrant for serving the royal family, so perhaps it is true.
They also have fantastic old pictures of the Royal Family throughout the ages in the back of the store, which are worth stopping in here for alone.
Overall, a sweet store, in so many ways.

If you are planning a trip here or have just randomly walked in, get ready to taste some goodness.
If you would like a recommendation on what chocolate to buy, I’d get the Violet chocolates, not the truffles, the other ones, they are about £18 for a box, but they are AMAZING! Apparently the queen buys the violet and rose ones for her garden parties.
Unfortunately you wont get to try and free chocolate, but they all taste good and the textures are fantastic.
I also recommend the strawberry and pink champagne truffles.
Guys take notes for romantic gestures :) they often do chocolates in small heart boxes.

The store is actually on old Bond street in the Royal Arcade and closest tube is Green Park.
I went to one of Charbonnel et Walkers events last night held in conjuction with Appletons Rum.
WOW is my first impression the store looks just like an old fashioned sweetshop filled with delectible goodies. Mounds of chocolates on display and boxed in stunning boxes my favourtie being the limited edition Jubilee box adorned with a crown encrusted with swarovski crystals, I really wanted one but at £100 I can only hope i get one as a gift lol.
The night started off with Appleton cocktails, the Jamaican mule or the Old fashioned at 6.30pm.
The tastings started at 7pm after an interesting talk from the manager of the store telling us the history of the company, i would just like to say that the employees of the store were very imformative and helpful but they really do love and belive in the company (a rare find). You couldnt help but be drawn into the chocolate world. We were then introduced to Appletons management who gave us a brief history again i felt myself thinking Jamaican beaches whilst sipping on my cocktail.
We were introduced to 3 chocolates to accompany the 12 year old Appleton Estate Rum
Cecily a dark chocolate ganache which went perfectly in my opinion with the rum.
Milk praline noisette a mix of chopped hazelnuts and chocolate, the nutty taste with the smooth rum left a nice imprint on the tongue
Orange sticks crystalised Seville orange peel in dark chocolate this gave me ideas of a good cocktail mix
We then sampled a coconut rum called Koko Kanu (forget the usual white bottle imposter) this is the real deal a genuine coconut rum.
This was served with a vanilla truffle a smooth chocolate blended with madagascan vanilla. Very sweet but very nice
We then tried a banoffee truffle fresh banana pulp and caramel blendwith chocolate inside a milk chocolate shell. The rum really brought out the slight salty taste of the caramel.
finally we had a a coconut truffle the texture of the coconut with the rum was unusual.
Finally we sampled Charbonnel’s latest creation a sea salt caramel wow if like me you bite a chocolate first watch out for the liquid centre. This was my first taste of a salted caramel so has probably ruined me for other brands now.
I could quite happily sample and shop but would have to do this on payday or a treat.
I really hope to be back for a future event but can safely say the combined evening was an extreme success.

This was stop 4 on the Mayfair Chocolate tour. From what we were told, it has a royal warrant (I took a picture as evidence — to be uploaded soon) due to the fact that it’s the Queen Mother’s favourite pick when giving chocolate as a gift. I was quite entertained by the fact that it’s considered a very «British» place despite the french name.
As the story goes, a wealthy English nobleman (a Lord or perhaps even royalty) fell for a french mademoiselle after sampling her treats, chocolate or otherwise. He wooed her over to this side of the Channel and she set up shop in London. Now many years later, it’s one of the most popular brands, particularly for their pink Champagne truffle.
So of course we had to sample it along with a rose flavoured chocolate and a violet flavoured chocolate. The flower flavoured ones had a crystallised petal as a topping and were both delicious. I preferred the violet over the rose but wouldn’t turn down either. The best way I could describe it was tasting the scent, which I imagine is exactly what you want to get out of such a treat.
I saved the signature pink Champagne truffle for last. It was fairly large, but as I was expecting liquor in the middle (the centre is a concentrated liquor distilled from Champagne), I didn’t want to risk it flowing out over me. Essentially, the truffle is a small centre of Champagne liquor, surrounded by a creamy strawberry flavoured white chocolate and a harder shell of pink coloured white chocolate. The total size is a large marble and it’s incredibly rich and creamy. Overall, I liked the smooth strawberry flavour but the liquor ruined it a bit for me although I know that’s due to my personal tastes.
One more fact before I sign off. The store has several framed pictures of the royal family over the last few decades. It’s definitely worth a few minutes to check them out as you will see several generations of princes and princesses playing happily in the garden and climbing out of windows to escape their parents.

Charbonnel et Walker use about 58−60% cocoa in their chocolates, as they say they have delicate flavours which would be overpowered by darker chocolate. I personally found that most of their chocolates, especially the scented crème centred chocolates, were too sweet for my tastes (as I prefer darker, higher cocoa content chocolates). However, I did like the dark chocolate Seville orange peel, and the new Vanilla Truffles which had the right balance of flavours. I would recommend you visit if you are around in Mayfair area /​shopping on Oxford Street, and make up your own mind about which flavours you like. After all, they are endorsed by the Royal Warrant as chocolate manufacturers to Her Majesty The Queen!

A serious contender for the finest chocolate shop in the country; not given to ridiculous «tinkering» with the products, this shop is pretty much as it has always been in the 20 + years I’ve been coming here. Highly recommended are the truffles (particularly pink champagne or wild strawberry); these are traditional confectionary at their finest. The Queen seems to agree. It is possible to buy boxes either in store, or at a small number of other outlets (there’s also another shop in Leeds), but this would mean you miss out on the most freshly made chocs and the interation with the friendly and helpful staff — you get the feeling that they actually enjoy working there. Certainly not cheap; expect to be paying about £1 per chocolate. This is a place to come for special occasions, or when you need to impress someone with you unostentatious good taste.

Every Christmas I’m hoping for a little box of these decadent chocs in my stocking. Charbonnel Et Walker has been established for over 130 years and it’s easy to see that their superior chocolates will be around for a lot longer.
As the name suggests they have a continental selection of the finest money can buy and you’re really spoilt for choice inside their beautiful Mayfair location. Their chocolate melts perfectly on your palate, a testament to the fact that they only use the finest ingredients. The Violet Creams are the best I’ve ever tried the Plain Chocolate Truffles, oh, oh, oh! Well what can I say…
They’re also beautifully presented in old fashioned, tissue-​paper lined boxes. The truffles come in the prettiest jewel-​like round ones that you wont want to ever throw away. Mine have made great little storage boxes.
The most perfect present.

hands down THE BEST CHOCOLATE i’ve ever had! it literally melts in your mouth… i would even consider having their truffles for breakfast. wait, take that back, i did have their truffles for breakfast! i am not ashamed to admit it either!
not only that, but a really cute guy by the name of alan assisted me. he was super friendly, funny and very knowledgeable!