Alegio Chocolaté

I agree about the Shiso Truffle! YUM. Luckily I work down the street ;-)

Haven’t been to this Gourmet food court in about 6 years… I was educated with what cacao is and the history behind it at my culinary school… and I became interested & remembered this little corner gem existed… Thanks to Michaels genuine smile at ALEGIO & his recommendations of flavors to purchase… I am all of a sudden obsessed… I live over an hour away & had to grab some chocolate… which his favorite is the SHISO LIME… what a mistake to have purchase only 1 of the SHISO LIME… So here I am heart broken — wanting more and more… the crunch of the chocolate to a soft silky lime explosion (in a good way) has me craving badly. ughhhhh I’m so sad… but I do have several more to try… but the SHISO LIME has WON MY HEART… OMG EVERYONE GO TRY THE SHISO LIME!!! LIKE NOW… RIGHT AWAY… anyways ALEGIO I WILL BE BACK… TO BUY ALL THE SHISO LIME…

If you love chocolate this is a must! The Ubric, chocolate covered coffee beans, well and everything else is so perfect.

We were enticed into Alegio Chocolaté with a sample tasting while walking through the tiny market where it is housed. What I gained during my interactions with the employees is that Alegio Chocolaté prides themselves in not using vanilla to sweeten their chocolates. They’ll start your tasting with a chocolate so dark, I honestly have to say it had a grassy and dirt taste. I wasn’t a fan but they quickly introduced us to two more samples which were much more my style. They also make a chocolate with cabernet grapes which was quite unique, but too sweet for me to purchase a bar. Prices are high, but the employees were both kind and didn’t push you to purchase after the sampling. I thought everything was okay, but overall, not truly my style.

Did a chocolate tasting and we learned a great deal. The quality chocolate is really good here. The host was great and we learned how the chocolate was made and where their chocolate came from. We experienced varying degrees of sweetness and flavors.

Best chocolate in the industry. Worth every penny. :)

I came with my friend to have the chocolate tasting and we both learned so much about chocolate and the history and science behind the cocoa plant.
If you are interested in learning what real chocolate tastes like and comes from I would highly recommend coming on the tour/​tasting.
The chocolate is pricy and certainly not of the Hershey’s variety. It’s more high end and an required taste. Something you’d pair with wine and cheese. This is top notch stuff!
Stop by if you’re a chocolate enthusiast and want to learn about REAL chocolate. And remember «no chewing!»

This review is based on my experience today at Alegio with my class of 12 students. I called earlier in the day and spoke with Michael about coming in for a quick little tour. He was so kind and helpful and told us to come on in. We were greeted by Lauren, who from the very first second made us feel so welcome and invited. It is definitely not an easy job to keep 12 multi-​aged children interested but she kept them captivated until the very end. She was so thorough and well-​spoken and really made us understand how the whole chocolate process works. Towards the end, my kids were getting pretty rowdy after the tastings but Lauren didn’t even flinch. If I could give 10 stars, I would. Nothing but good things to say about this place. Michael and Lauren, you two are amazing and we will definitely be back! Thank you!!!
Also, the chocolate was delicious!

I went there because I had a groupon voucher for chocolate tasting tour. I tried their chocolate gelato which was really good. They have a cute and clean patio on the back of the store: nice place to chill and enjoy your gelato!
About the tasting tour:
The lady was very welcoming with a big smile on her face and very passionate about chocolate.
Even though we had a private tour for 45 minutes, we constantly got interrupted by customers who wanted to buy chocolate, or asking other questions. It would be nice if this corner of the store had walls around it for some privacy.
While we were there, our tour got interrupted by some
inconsiderate fellows who didn’t want to pay $ 20 for the tour, so instead they stood there asking questions and stuff without paying!!! The lady was super nice; she didn’t ask them to leave. That’s why I give this place 4 stars and not 5 !

Incredible incredible chocolate shop. Went here a while ago on a chocolate tasting tour (and that was oh so wonderful) and forgot to review due to the fact that the chocolate blew away anything else on my mind, so finally getting on it.
This chocolate is the real deal. Their chocolates don’t contain vanilla, a masking flavor that covers bad tastes, and that itself attests to their quality. Even their 100% chocolate – which if store bought from hersheys or ghirardhelli is usually not edible – is incredible! It’s just chocolate, yet you taste the nuttiness, the earthy goodness, and the fruitiness of the cocoa plant! It tastes the way chocolate should! They even let me try the cocoa seed itself (where the chocolate is made from). It is bittersweet beauty.
I ended up buying their 80% and 100% Claudio Corallo chocolates and I highly recommend them! Though, I will say it is pricey, it is definitely worth it if you are a chocolate enthusiast like me.
Cute little shop and a lovely getaway. Nice little spot for a date too! :) It is a must.

Took my husband for the tour. He really enjoyed starting with the 100% chocolate and working down (Through 85%, 75%, 73%- with nibs, and through the flavored chocolates (orange, pepper and salt, ginger, grape). All in all we had a fine time. I think my husband’s favorite was the chocolate covered espresso beans– so I bought him a box at 26 dollars. It’s expensive– but so much better than regular chocolates. Save your money, don’t buy crap chocolate, and come here a few times a year– I think that’s my plan :-)

Oh wow.
I’m not sure how to describe the experience that is Alegio Chocolates… They grow, harvest, ferment, roast, and conch their own beans on their own plantations in an island off Africa. Trying their chocolate today was the first time I’ve ever had such a earthy, stout, and beautiful bittersweet flavor that Alegio Chocolates provides. This is the real deal. These people are chocolate fundamentalists, cacao and only cacao to the bone. Hum on a piece of their 100% dark chocolate or their chocolate distilled with grapes (wine chocolate!!! I know right!) and you’ll be rolling. In chocolate paradise that is. There’s one in Palo Alto and another in Berkeley.
There are a lot of chocolate experiences people can have. Some with decadent artisanal truffles and bon bons with oh-god-I-can’t-stop-eating creams and pralines inside, and some with unique bean blends that introduce you to new and exciting tastes. Visiting Alegio really showcases the beautiful forastero bean the best way possible.
Basically, it’s some pretty damn good ass chocolate. Everyone needs to try some now.

Maybe if I had done the chocolate tour and had more time for their explanations of the chocolate, I would have appreciated this chocolate more and looked past the hefty price tag.
But I was only able to spend 10 minutes max at the shop to taste and buy chocolate. After tasting and trying a few different types, I felt guilty and bought the 100% chocolate bar. This chocolate bar (only a bar mind you) is $ 12.50. Compare this to the 99% chocolate bar you can buy at World Market or the 85% Dark Chocolate Lover’s Bar you can buy at Trader Joe’s (my personal favorite chocolate ever) both for under $ 2 and well you can imagine my disbelief at the price. To top it off, I thought it was less tasty than either my fav or the 99% Tcho baking chocolate we had in our pantry (I went home and did an immediate taste test for comparison).
Now normally I would give 2 stars, BUT I realize that this chocolate is a whole lot less processed than any other chocolate I’ve eaten in my life (probably including Tcho). Which probably means that THIS is what real chocolate tastes like. I give Alegio a third star for giving me the opportunity for tasting minimally processed chocolate. And I do like it, just not as much as the other chocolates with added ingredients.
Out of interest, I did some research on the 99% Tcho baking chocolate and they claim not to add any flavors or sugar. I don’t know what the 1% is but whatever it is makes their chocolate taste so much smoother than the 100% chocolate from Alegrio.

Unlike most reviewers, I didn’t do the chocolate tour here. I didn’t know about it. My friend raved about this place. After dinner at the Imperial Tea Court, we dropped by this place since I was in the mood to eat something sweet after dinner.
The woman behind the counter was about to do a chocolate tour with this couple so we rushed through some of my questions. And a few minutes later, she rang up the small box of salt and pepper chocolate for $ 26.50. I was shocked at the price! From what I’ve seen in a few minutes, their chocolates are not USDA certified organic. The quality and taste of their chocolates are amazing but they do not justify the high price tag for me.
It’s a sale strategy that they don’t have product prices revealed on their menu or next to the products.
I will not be back.

I love that Alegio’s chocolate has the perfect chocolate ‘snap’- a telltale sign of well-​tempered chocolate! The dark chocolate pink peppercorns are my favorite– subtly spicy peppercorns are complemented by an enrobing of full-​bodied dark chocolate that cools your palate.
The tragedy then, is that I can never conscionably afford even the smallest box of these lovely chocolate peppercorns. But I *have* on many occasions, come extremely close to purchasing a box… which is the highest endorsement I can give to (justifiably) overpriced chocolate.
Life is hard!!!

Got a Groupon for the chocolate tour. No, you do not actually get a tour through a factory, but it is definitely worth doing, especially with the groupon. You get to learn about everything you never thought about chocolate, and test your taste buds with different pure forms of chocolate. It was really fun! I went with a girlfriend of mine, but this is honestly a great date option. There were only four of us, as the spot is pretty small and can’t have that many people at the same time, and the other two were definitely on a date. Actually, apparently the guy brings a lot of his dates there, is what our chocolate tour guide let us in on after they had left. But hey, can’t blame the guy, it’s a great date.
You’ll get to taste a number of top quality chocolates and if you didn’t appreciate chocolate that much before, get ready for it to exponentially change. You’ll come out of here feeling like a chocolate connoisseur.

Had a groupon for the Chocolate Tasting for two ($ 15 instead of the regular price of $ 30). My husband and I really enjoyed it, everyone else cancelled their appointment so it was just us two and a kind and knowledgeable tour guide.
It really exceeded my expectations, I thought the tour was going to be boring and I just wanted to get good deals on some fancy chocolate. Turned out it was very informative learning about where chocolate came from, history of the man named Claudio Corallo which the chocolate are named after, and how his chocolate are made compared to typical manufactured chocolate. On top of that, we got to taste every single one of Claudio Corallo chocolates. Boy, were they a treat! Claudio Corallo chocolates let you experience the true taste of chocolate since there are not too many ingredients put in (vanilla, soy lecithin, etc) that other chocolates on the market use.
We were so full of chocolate in a good way after the 45 minute tasting. I definitely like this feeling more compared to after wine tasting :)
I will be back to buy more Claudio Corallo chocolates, the salt & white pepper one is my favorite, and 85% dark one second.

Went on the Tasting Tour with girlfriend and we had a blast tasting and learning about all the different Claudio Corallo chocolates. Our chocolate tour guide was very knowledgeable about the chocolate and the process in making it. You could hear how passionate she is about chocolate too and that makes learning about this process much better.
Also it became very clear to us the difference between quality chocolate and the low grade kind you get at super markets. I don’t think we will every have nestle chocolates every again! This was a super fun experience and we will definitely come back and tell our family and friends about it!

Boyfriend had bought an online deal for a chocolate tour and tasting that we immediately cashed in on because who doesn’t love chocolate?
The «tour» actually consists of you sitting at the counter while an expert (shopkeeper/​cashier/​employee, what-​have-​you) tells you all about the owner, the store and the process behind why their chocolate is hands-​down amazing. The tasting is mixed into the presentation, and they play guessing games with you while you try to discern flavors out and as they show you differences in percentages as well as a comparison between their chocolate and a more popular «gourmet» chocolate. The two seriously can’t even compare. Alegio is YUMMMMYYY.
I’ve bought a few boxes of their pimenta & flor de sal (salt & pepper) chocolate, and it’s still my favorite flavor out of all the ones they provide. It’s supposed to go REALLY well with a good, strong coffee (though I have yet to confirm this). Though it’s a tad pricey (roughly $ 35/​box, and they unfortunately don’t sell this particular flavor in bar form), I think it’s totally worth the price you pay for.

Great chocolate tasting tour and some really delicious and interesting Claudio Corallo chocolates. The salt and pepper was probably my favorite, followed by the 100% (some of the least bitter 100% I’ve ever tried) and their wine soaked grapes chocolate.
Like many people, we did the 45 minute «chocolate tour». They tell you about the background of Claudio’s operation and how his chocolate making process works is different from more industrial chocolates. Our guide was super friendly, energetic, and it was clear she was really excited about the material and loved the chocolate! Yes it’s just someone telling you about the process, but I always enjoy hearing from people who are really into something. Getting to try a whole bunch if really good chocolates also helped.

We had a ½ off Amazon Local deal for a ‘tour’ and tasting for 2 people for $ 15 (instead of the usual $ 30). I really enjoyed it.
I don’t view myself as a chocolate connoisseur at all — I’ve always been the type who just loves any and all kinds of milk chocolate, but this tour showed me how to appreciate dark chocolate.
The tour isn’t what you’d expect in terms of a traditional tour because there’s no factory or facility — it is an informative lecture and discussion while you are seated within Alegio’s small shop. The best part is the tasting that comes at the end of the tour.
Our guide, Arizona, was really informative and friendly. She told us all about the Claudio Corallo brand of chocolates, and we got to taste about 8 or 9 different samples.
Alegio also sells a number of other brands of chocolates, not just Claudio Corallo. Yes, Claudio Corallo chocolates are pricey ($ 12.50 per bar), but they are very high quality with minimal ingredients (most have only 2 or 3 ingredients!), so they taste great & don’t have the sour taste of the soy lecithin used in other dark chocolates.
If the tour had been full price, I might not be as pleased, but at $ 15 for 2 people, I thought it was worth it.

Did the living Social tasting special. The chocolate here is phenomenal. It was great to have a chance to taste a variety of their different chocolates. We must have had 10 different kinds of the Claudio Corallo chocolate. We did not get to try any of the other chocolate nor did the guide talk about it.
Having said that, the lecture that preceded the tasting was ho hum. It was hard to stay focused on what the guide was talking about. Not sure what it was, but i just wasn’t that interested in the history of this chocolate. I really just wanted to taste. Maybe if the lecture was interspersed with tasting it would have held my attention more.

Came here for a «tour» and tasting. I was able to book and appointment last minute.
I have to warn you first, and say that it’s kind of hidden, and it’s not an actual store. It’s a little corner in a mini plaza.
Our «Guide» was very informative and friendly. We were able to joke with her. Definitely learned what chocolate is made of, how it is made and the wonderful story of Claudio and his family.
Next, we did the tasting… YUMMY. lol, I am actually craving for a cacao bean lol. that nice butter taste! lol. The chocolate is definitely different than any of the ones you can find at regular store. Though less smooth, it’s more flavorful, since it’s not covered by the loads of sugar and other additives put in there.
At the end, BF and I couldn’t resist but to buy a bar of it… 26 dollars!!! lol
Definitely very very very expensive chocolate. But i guess a splurge once in a while is ok…
I think I’ll stop by in the future to grab the box of chocolate with the crystallized sugar. That is delish! :)

I’m not usually big on dark chocolate, but this was quite good. Situated in the back of the Epicurious Garden, Alegio is an open plan boutique that sells dark chocolate bars and truffles. Truffles aren’t cheap ($ 2.25 for nickel sized chocolates and $ 2.75 for the quarter sized ones). The caramel inside my salted caramel truffle ($ 2.25) was silky and had just the right amount of saltiness. However, the chocolate was a bit too subdued for my taste.
For those who like the sweet stuff like me, you’re out of luck in Berkeley. The closest you’ll find is probably Chocolatier Blue, but that’s still no substitute for Teuscher, Leonidas, or Godiva.

Came here on a tour, so I got a chocolate tasting. Their chocolate is proprietary to their business, and they seem to really know about its production and care.
What I didn’t care for was that our guide kept saying the chocolate was organic and my bf simply asked if it was certified. The person working there launched into this whole speech about how organic certification was b. s and made up by rich corporations to pat themselves on the back and that real farmers can’t afford organic certification. While I know the process can be expensive and lengthy, this really seemed like an un-​informed and leftist approach to a simple question. My bf also happens to work in the organic food business so… awkward. I feel like in the gourmet ghetto of all places maybe they should expect these kinds of questions. Our tasting person was clearly on the defense and maybe should choose a more neural answer for that question.
They also served us a side by side with a mystery chocolate to showcase how superior theirs was and I liked both equally so maybe my palate isn’t as refined?

Really good chocolate, but really pricey! We wanted to do the chocolate tour, but didn’t have time so we tasted two different kinds of chocolate. I got the small custom tin of 5 hand-​painted chocolates. The green tea and salted caramel were my favorite. I really enjoyed the chocolate, but $ 22.50 for 5 pieces is too much for me to spend on chocolate. Until I win the lottery, I will have to settle for mediocre chocolate hahaha…

You know when you’re paying $ 2 a chocolate that this is some fancy, high-​quality grade stuff. This is also the much better choice if you find the chocolates at Chocolatier Blue to be too sweet.
Tried the Ecuador 90% and their award-​winning Grapefruit flavor. I was a little scared of the Ecuador 90% with its high caocao content, but it wasn’t bitter at all and had a fantastic flavor to it. The Grapefruit had a blend of grapefruit with caramel, which was absolutely delectable! Besides the amazing taste, there is the divine artwork. Though the chocolates are only the size of a quarter, they still manage to put beautiful designs on them!
Can’t forget to mention the friendly staff. The lady behind the counter answered all my questions and made friendly conversation. If it’s a gloomy day, just come here and their smiles and chocolates will make the day much better!
I can’t wait to go back for a chocolate tasting.

Although, the idea of a chocolate tasting sounded like fun because I like dark chocolate, I realized during the tasting that I don’t like pure dark chocolate. I like gourmet dark chocolate like Mo’s Dark Chocolate Bacon Bar a gourmet chocolate by Vosges Haut-​Chocolate, and I’m not a fan of Hershey’s, but the chocolate at Alegio, while very pure was just too bitter to enjoy.
Robin who gave the tour was very passionate about chocolate and you could tell she loved what she does, but I thought the prices were very high at $ 12.50 a bar; I already feel Mo’s Bacon Bar is too expensive at $ 8?!