Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolate

This place came highly reviewed and didn’t disappoint. I like being able to walk into a high end chocolate shop and get good advice from the staff. That’s exactly what they offered. She told us a lot about the chocolates which helped us make a good decision and helped us get excited about the experience. I expected it to be expensive and it was, but not ridiculous. $ 2/​chocolate and a box of 9 that we brought home for a friend for $ 20. I got the hot chocolate which was very rich. Almost too rich but for a small serving it hit the spot. Probably the best chocolate I’ve ever had. I can’t argue with my friend! Rhecchiuti from earlier this same day was good competition though, it was also very good.

There are not enough good words to describe this place. They have destroyed hot chocolate for me forever in the sense that I will never find a hot chocolate as good as theirs. It’s a liquid sipping chocolate which is rich but the greatest thing you’ll ever have. They have different flavors. I choose a peanut butter and it had a slightly toasted marshmallow on top. It was to die for. Service was top and on point. My husband and I got a few different chocolates to try and everyone was even more delicious than the next. Parking in the area can be a little difficult but if you don’t mind circling the block a few times I highly recommend it. This place will not disappoint

You come in. Look at all the chocolates. Then you pick one and just one because one piece is $ 2, but it’s well worth it. Make sure you eat the chocolate on the leather couches in the back of the store. Snap a quick photo for social media then close your eyes, take a bite, sit back and enjoy!

We gave boxes as wedding favors. The flavors were personally chosen per box, fresh and delicious. Big hit with guests.

Tiny masterpieces.
Sadly, Christopher Elbow opened this shop long before I had the pleasure. A good friend of mine lives right across the street, so for a long time, I’d walk by & just look & lust.
Once I finally decided to turn that lust into reality, a few characteristics about myself were reaffirmed…
I love bananas foster, so I have to have it.
I’ll never skip an earl grey.
I’m always compelled to order lavender.
And the girly girl in me has to order the champagne.
But, my favorite so far is easily the strawberry balsamic.
A box of these babies is a real statement. They’re like jewels in the night. Precious & striking, & I’m not used to using such words to describe chocolates.
Honorable mention goes to the Venezuelan spice, & the whiskey. Well, actually, to all the flat «canvas» pieces. They’re so fabulous.
First rate chocolates. And a feast for the eyes.
5 stars.

OMG! I was skeptical before I came, but I’m in heaven enjoying literally the BEST liquid chocolate of my life right now. I am so lucky today that I am the only customer in the lounge, so I can enjoy the peace and quiet without the crowd. This place has just become my Mecca for cocoa.

«This chocolate has been rated, #10 Best Chocolatier in the country,» the girl behind the counter exclaims as we walk in the door.
Of course that’s a nice fact to hear, but all I was concerned about was looking through the glass at the options, that would soon be picked and meeting the tastebuds on my tongue.
Whoa. They also have hot chocolate available made with water or milk. I was feeling extra celebratory as my friend and I just completed our teacher trainings we have been working at extensively for over two years.
«Yes, I’ll take the hot chocolate made with water.» I practically screamed at her. :)
I also picked two chocolates to indulge: Macadamia Praline (caramelized macadamia and almonds blended with milk chocolate and sea salt) AND Lavender Caramel– caramel infused with French Lavender.
Yum! Delicious. Satisfying. Satiating. Wow. :)
The store is very clean! There are places to sit for small parties (like one– two people), with padded bench seats and little marble armrest or mini tables in to set your goodies on in between each seat.
I shall return… Mmmm.

Artisanal chocolate but the restroom is out of order!!! WTF!!! You charge $$$$$ for your chocolates but you cannot fix your restroom???
Might as well close the business!!!

I’m a huge chocolate lover. Lately, I’ve become the newest fan of this chocolate boutique. So much that we ordered a box of chocolates from their website to have it delivered to our home. This is some of the highest quality and beautifully-​designed chocolate I’ve ever seen.
The service of this Hayes location was good. Not stellar, but the chocolates made up for the mediocre service. Perfect for giving as a gift to a loved one, to bring to special events, or to just enjoy on your own.
Do not hesitate to order from their website as well. The service was amazing, and the chocolates arrived well-​packaged, wrapped with a cooler, and unharmed. Each truffle has such unique flavors, and are so delicate that they quite literally melt in your mouth unlike the traditional rich and hefty truffles from say, Godiva or See’s. These are so flavorful and light that it truly is difficult to enjoy just 2 or 3. ;)

A few things seem to have changed since I last Unilocaled…
The staff is now friendly (for a while) and their chocolates still great… we love them.

Wandered over to this place between watching Swan Lake and waiting for the SF Symphony to start. Super cute and very fancy chocolate shop. Prices are high but once you try their chocolate you understand why. I bought an assortment but the ones that stick out as most delicious were their lavender caramel and the bananas foster. Both filled with flavor and delicious. They also serve drinks but I didn’t try one, maybe next time. The staff were knowledgable, cheery and patient which made the visit that much more enjoyable. A perfect little spot for a bit of chocolate indulgence.

If you’re looking for the best hot cocoa ($ 5) of your life, look no further than Christopher Elbow.
They have three different styles:
Cocoa noir: 65% dark chocolate with whole milk
European style: 85% dark chocolate with water
Extra dark: 85% dark chocolate with water or milk
You can also choose from 12 exotic flavors, so we went with the Ginger caramel. OH MY GOODNESS — I have no words for this amazingness. Also, you have the option to top it off with house made Madagascar vanilla bean marshmallow or hand made whipped cream (or both if you ask really nicely like we did).
Amanda is amazing, might I add. She helped us choose between all the flavors, and made sure our hot cocoa extra special. The sitting area is lovely, with smooth leather benches and floor to ceiling windows.
The chocolate bonbons are PERFECT, especially if you’re looking for a beautiful gift. While we were looking at the menu, Amanda offered us a whiskey pecan bonbon (while she was replenishing a tray) because it wasn’t perfect enough to display!

Amazing hot chocolate! Perfectly thick. Multiple different base options (water, milk, coconut milk, etc). Lots of different flavors/​enhancements but perfect as is. Perfect temperature, flavor, everything.
Now I just need to try all their actual chocolates.
Would LOVE if had some high end croissants or cookies or some type of baked good to enjoy with the hot chocolate.

This place is absolutely amazing. I was hoping to try some of their liquid chocolate after first getting exposed to it in Portland this past winter. First of all, when I walked into the store, I was completely stunned by the presentation of their chocolates. Each piece of chocolate looked like a beautiful piece of decoration that should not be touched, let alone eaten.
I ended up ordering the roasted hazelnut praline liquid chocolate. It was the best drinking chocolate I have ever had! It wasn’t too heavy as most liquid chocolates are but it was definitely a lot richer than a simple hot chocolate. I would highly recommend this place to everyone, especially chocolate lovers!

Coconut curry cocoa noir drinking chocolate was pretty good. It tasted like curry with chocolate, in a good way. I also had the raspberry cocoa noir and that was good as well. But i think I preferred the curry over the raspberry.
Their chocolates are good. I had the Earl Grey and it was smooth and creamy and not too sweet.

Scrumptious and decadent. Worth trying all of them. The fancy hot chocolates are irresistibly delicious. The people behind the counter are also friendly! Great for gifts.

I absolutely love chocolate, so I just had to come here after seeing a friend post an Instagram photo of Christopher Elbow’s liquid chocolate.
My boyfriend and I came here maybe two weeks ago with the intention of just buying drinking chocolate, but were surprised to find that Christopher Elbow had a wide variety of chocolates and gift items.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by Amanda, the friendly worker behind the counter, and were given samples of Ghana chocolate, which was absolutely delicious.
I told her that we came to try a liquid chocolate, and asked if she had any recommendations. We ended up going with the hazelnut drinking chocolate made with water instead of milk, as she explained that it would be a bit too rich with milk. I was glad we listened to her, as our drink was absolutely perfect the way she made it.
Upon ordering, Amanda asked us if we wanted our drink to be topped with a marshmallow or whip cream. We got ours with a marshmallow, which even I surprisingly liked (I don’t like marshmallows, but my boyfriend does). While she was ringing us up, she told us that if we drank a bit off the top, she would top us off with the remaining liquid chocolate she had, which was super sweet.
Our decadent drinking chocolate, which satisfied both of our chocolate cravings, came out to $ 4.50, a fair price for what I believe is the best «hot chocolate» I’ve ever had. The gift items are also fairly priced, so I would definitely recommend checking them out.
The individual chocolates are a bit pricey, coming in at $ 2 a piece, if I remember correctly. However, Christopher Elbow chocolates do a great job fusing chocolate with art, as each piece is beautifully crafted.
The shop’s décor is also very modern and inviting. The back section of the shop, which is very well lit and comfortably quiet, is open to customers to sit and enjoy their purchases. However, if you’re planning to come here in a big group, I would suggest taking your chocolate items to go, as the space doesn’t have very many seats.
I would definitely recommend giving this place a try if you love high quality, artisanal chocolates.

I’m not a chocolate person but I thought their dark chocolate sample was delicious. The guy behind the counter created a welcoming atmosphere, was very friendly and helpful and had a passion for the products. I had just eaten a huge brunch, so I wasn’t in the mood to buy a bunch of candy, but it was nice to look at all the different chocolates and inventive flavors. Each piece has such an amazing sheen to it. You can tell these are very finely crafted pieces. They apparently also have liquid chocolate with flavor add-​ins too.

I typically try to stop by «the best» chocolatier in the city I’m visiting to purchase a box of chocolate, and this place appeared to be one of the best (given the distance from my hotel).
The shop is extremely modern, bright, sleek, and clean. Love it. They have prepackaged boxes of chocolate as well as ones you can customize. Same price for either option. All the chocolate pieces looked gorgeous (including the packaging) and sounded so delicious and unique. The manager of the store even offered us each a sample which consisted of champagne, and it was delicious.
The 10 minutes I was standing in that store made me wish I was a chocolatier. I would emulate exactly everything they’re doing. Made me sad that we don’t have a shop like this in Houston (I’ve tried C&C and was not impressed). I guess I’ll have to settle for ordering their chocolate online. Until next time, San Francisco.

The artisanal chocolates at Christopher Elbow are delicious! They are a bit pricey, at $ 2 each, and it’s hard not to try them all. But I got 3 and it was just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. I ordered the bananas foster, strawberry balsamic, and lemon citrus. Remember that everlasting gobstopper from Willy Wonka that made Violet turn violet? That’s how I felt about the bananas foster. It was like I was eating a bananas foster! The strawberry balsamic had a hint of that tangy flavor, and the lemon citrus had a wonderful aroma.
I really like the décor and atmosphere. The café is a quiet place were you can take your time tasting the chocolate. My coworker and I may have been a bit rambunctious for the patriots there at the time because we were just too excited.
I would love to come back and try one of their drinks.

Considering the immensely sweet tooth I possess, it’s shocking how I’m not necessarily a huge fan of chocolate. Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate flavors but I don’t like eating actual pieces of chocolate. Something about the hard texture rubs me the wrong way. So why 5 stars you ask?
THE HOT CHOCOLATE. Oh dear god, the hot chocolate. These are not just regular hot cocoas that you can get at any coffee shop. It’s literally liquid chocolate and with the most incredible flavor selection that would be a nightmare for the indecisive. My personal favorite was the Venezuelan spice drinking chocolate which made my taste buds all tingly! I also had the hazelnut and the masala spices hot chocolates and was blown away. Really, you can’t go wrong with any of the liquid chocolates here!
Considering the liquid chocolates are so delicious, I would extrapolate a similar 5 stars for all the solid chocolate lovers out there.
So on your next window shopping and galavanting trip through Hayes Valley, do not forget to stop by Christopher Elbow for the hot chocolate experience of a lifetime!
Happy Eating/​Drinking, Unilocalers!