Poco Dolce Chocolates

Poco Dolce = Italian for «not too sweet».
Just like me!
When my kids come down from SF for a visit, they know exactly what to bring to me: chocolate!
This Thanksgiving visit I got a box of Poco Dolce’s Bittersweet Chocolate Tiles. Hand-​crafted, delicious.
The assortment includes 4 flavors: Burnt Caramel, Almond, Aztec Chile and Ginger.
It’s hard to choose a favorite, but probably the ginger.
Bad news: It’s taken me less than a week to eat more than half the box, dang.
Good news: I still got the other half.
Obviously, this is seriously good chocolate.

I recently visited their shop on 3^rd and was greeted by the friendly saleswoman on entering. The smell of chocolate and toffee pervaded the space, enticing me to purchase some things I normally would not have. I like the combo of bittersweet and salty, so many of their recipes appeal. I like supporting local businesses and after having purchased their chocolate in other locations it was fun to visit their production site.

Time: 2:21pm/75°F clear
Purpose: USA Today paper listed top Chocolatier makers in the US. I started to wonder if SF Bay Area is up there? Bingo! To my surprise there was Poco Dolce in SF on number 5 going down list.
Set-​up: Located next door to La Fromagerie in the Dogpatch neighborhood. Poco is a handmade crafted chocolatier done on site. Most of the place is makeshift island shelves are stock with chocolate of all kind. Basically you’re looking a showroom of chocolate with stands and tables fill everything imaginable relating to chocolate. Best décor would be the old school metal chocolate mold at 50+yr old hung proudly on wall. Inner back is open production area were all chocolate are melted, weighted, and pack. Nothing more than a chocolate production place that sell its chocolate on the spot. There’s a private lot for customer in the back with a 15 minute limit.
Staff: Solo girl about mid 20s manning the front counter. Politely answer questions on a timely manner with no pulse or rolled eye thinking. Samples were offer instantly follow by recommendation of their best top sellers. I thank her after sampling then did a self tour of place.
Cleanliness: Grade A, sample chocolates were dome covered with tongs use. Most chocolate are wrapped in special paper to prolong shelf life.
Eats/​Drinks: Ginger tile sea salt topped $ 2.50. This block was like teaser size. Bittersweet chocolate with embedded ginger pieces topped with sea salt speckle. Chocolate smooth tasting almost velvety, no chalky texture. In blind fold taste test, it can pass for premium imported chocolate. Sea salt gave it that sweet/​savory mix of cocoa flavoring. Not bad, as good as it gets.
Main Features: Signature Tiles recommended and feature on
«50 treats to eat before you die»
Products/​Services: Tile trio, the trento box, toffes squares, sea salt caramels, burnt caramel tiles, assorted tiles, drinking chocolates, mint snowballs, deluxe basket, favorite basket, chocolate skull, chocolate skeleton, seasonal items, takes plastic, shipping available.
Punch Lines: Samples, handmade on site, all-​natural ingredients, small batches, modest cost, pleasing flavors, friendly, knowledgeable, better than average, interesting takes, full service shop, unpretentious, more than adequate, kept its standards, dogpatch, lot parking (15 min).
Tradeoffs: Not all retailers carry Poco full line. If you can make it to the shop, I suggest buying what you need on same visit, as some items are limited production never to be made again.
Final Thoughts: Place is a must for serious chocolate lovers. First timer like me, not knowing much about Poco brand would often shy away from pricey items. We tend to try the cheapest item available then make our decision base off that. Well, its like this. First time around, I’m sold. These chocolate are well made with attention to ingredients and it’s presentation. Come if you like supporting your local business with all things chocolaty.

I’m literally just eating some of their chocolate as I’m typing this.
Oh my god. How do they make the Hazelnut Crisps (in the Trento Box)? It’s so delicious. Under the coat of their brand of bittersweet chocolate, is a cube of creamy gnash (?). The chocolate is so smooth and delicate, it melts in your hand before it just disintegrates in your mouth. But the part I love the most is the flakes of Feuilletine — totally unexpected, still hella good. Apparently, there’s a hazelNUT on top, I don’t remember eating it. the experience lasted too short.
and the girls here are super sweet, just like this amazing piece of chocolate I have in my mouth right now right now.

Yum. Tasted the champaign truffles and the bittersweet chocolate tiles with burnt caramel. Had to buy some of the latter to bring home. Both were really good.

Such an eclectic and intense collection of chocolates! I brought some strawberry and champagne, sesame toffee and almond coconut.
Chocolate flavors are available in bars, tiles or boxes. You won’t find them in all 3. It’s either or case. Ya that seems weird for example: hazelnut is only in bar, strawberry champagne only in boxes not tiles etc It becomes a bit tricky in decision making especially for first timers :)

I had a special request from my friend to get for her the biggest assorted box of chocolates from Poco Dolce I could get. So off I went on a mission to find the flagship store. When I got there, I was… confused. Am I not in Industrial Narnia? Strange… when I walk in, the whole setup seemed a bit makeshift, but had a decent selection on display, and a bit of a sampling plate.
As a backstory, I had been a bit grumpy already (navigational grumpiness), but when I sampled the butter toffee chocolate square? Bam. Instant good mood. Not even exaggerating. I went on to scour the shelves for 1) my friend’s request and 2) my own little treat. I ended up getting 16 assorted squares for $ 40, and another small bag of butter toffee only for myself.
The girls checking me out were kind enough to let me snag ANOTHER taste of their sampling dish, which I squirreled away for my BF, who was patiently waiting in the car.

Creating the perfect balance of dark chocolate and sweetness, the chocolatiers at Poco Dolce know what they are doing. I love the Aztec chile tiles, and my lovely bride adores their caramel. Everything they make with caramel is divine! We live in Atlanta, Georgia, so we request the 3-​day shipping when we order online. And their chocolates arrive freshly made! Thank you Poco Dolce.

Hands down the best chocolate I have ever eaten. Everyone loves the toffee but truthfully I think the best chocolate is the dark chocolate bars with sea salt. They are out of this world. These chocolates are definitely worth a try. You will never eat any other!

I was just introduced to Poco Dolce Chocolates by a friend today… I’m not sure I could justify paying $ 2/​tile regularly, but I’m a real sucker for chocolate.
I tried the sesame toffee and the burnt caramel. The burnt caramel is very regular… its very safe. But despite this, the chocolate is still of a finer variety than most caramel chocolates. Instead of infusing caramel flavor or having a soft caramel center, you’ll find that you’ll have to take a pretty large bite to reach the caramel brittle in the center. But then you can just savor the flavor afterwards. The chocolate is smooth and strong, but not bitter… which highlights the quality of the roasting and tempering. Also featuring a hard center was the sesame toffee. It’s different… but the hint of sesame on the sweeter toffee was just divine. I do have to eventually try two others though: the olive oil and ghost chili…
There’s plenty of artisan chocolate shops popping up in SF/​the bay recently (TCHO, dandelion, socola, XOX, etc…) — but I think Poco Dolce can definitely hold its own and give the others a run for their money.
Oh. Don’t overlook the peanut brittle — amazingly buttery, perfectly brittle, with a satisfying crunch from the peanuts… delicious!

The cure for a lousy day? A nice glass of red wine and a box of Poco Dolce chocolates.
Decadent, not overly sweet and full of complex flavors! I absolutely LOVE the ginger, Aztec chile and the burnt caramel. You can tell the chocolates are made with much love and care — you can taste it in every bite!
It won’t be long before the rest of the world catches onto this amazing chocolate, better stock up now.

Their chocolate tiles are decadent pieces of heaven! I got a sample of the burnt caramel and almond coconut tiles from a goodie bag. Both are salty with sea salt. I didn’t taste any coconut in the coconut one tho, but then again, that’s a plus for me as I’m not a coconut fan. The burnt caramel sea salt was my fave. I’ll have to splurge (pricey pieces of chocolates) when the craving hits on a special occasion. They totally hit the spot for any chocolate lover.

I want to be very clear that this review is for our experience in their retail location — not for the quality or flavor of their chocolate. May be an unfair rating but they have put themselves out there to have a retail space, and with that goes responsibility.
Friday, early afternoon, we walked in and there’s a small retail area with product placed around the front, then desks for workers behind the counter. You’re very much left on your own… and the guy who came to the front to help mostly sneered at us and had a bit of that hipster-​holier-​than-​thou ‘tude. After we selected and paid for a couple of items completely without help or input, he did offer a sample of toffee he had to the back of the counter. It was good… but didn’t make up for the unwelcome feeling for most of the visit. Really no need to return here… if you like their chocolate they sell it elsewhere. Won’t make it back on my self-​guided Chocolate Tour of SF.
Update 1.10.14: I received a lovely note from Kathy of Poco Dolce, apologizing for my experience and letting me know that the staffer will not be in the retail space any longer (I’m sure not just because of my one review).
And btw, other business owners/​managers: Kathy’s response is highly appreciated and appropriate. She did not offer me any product. Take note, and please don’t ever offer me anything gratis the «next time I come in.» As we all know… there is no «free lunch,» and then am I really a neutral reviewer? I think not.

The chocolates from SF’s beloved chocolatier, Bittersweet chocolate tiles… I felt like I walked straight into HEAVEN. The chocolate was perfect and the flavor and texture are seriously a bittersweet party in your mouth. It is all coated in really good dark chocolate, nom nom.
P.s: Nice packaging for gifts.

Dear SF denizens and chocolate lovers worldwide,
I regret to inform you that if you have not tried the Poco Dolce Olive Oil & Sea Salt chocolate bars, you will not be able to die happy or without regret. If you have tried their peanut butter bar, you might have a chance. Luckily, the situation can be remedied for only $ 7.
The Olive Oil & Sea Salt bar has the most wonderful texture — not crunchy, but almost ganache-​like. And you can taste just the right amounts of olive oil and salt. It brings me back to days eating one of my favourite desserts. And the peanut butter bar — it’s even better than a Reese’s, a childhood favorite. All of the peanut buttery goodness with more sophistication from the dark chocolate and pure ingredients.

At the SF Made fair today at Fort Mason, I came across the Poco Dolce table where they were sampling their Espresso & Brunt Caramel Tiles and soft chocolate mints. Yuuuuummmmy! Aside for these goodies, I discovered a new product that they’re offering: Chocolate covered Caramels with Pink Himalayan Sea Salt! They only sell these at their shop or online. Visions of gifting danced in my head so I got some. Looking forward to sharing these with my bffs.

Ever since I moved to the Bay Area i’ve developed a slight obsession with dark chocolate. Between Dandelion, TCHO, Coracao, and the isles at stores like Bi-​rite and Rainbow there are SO many amazing options! I discovered Poco Dolce a couple months ago and fell in love. The olive oil and sea salt chocolate bar is AMAZING. It’s creamy, salty and perfect. This chocolate bar is on my favorites list.
I stopped into the store for the first time today and bought a few bars. I was a little disappointed that they don’t have regular tours– I would love to see how the chocolate is made like the tour offered at TCHO. The staff was friendly and they offered us a sample. I will continue to purchase the chocolate at markets and definitely come back to the storefront next time i’m in Dogpatch.

Poco Dolce makes some of the best chocolates and toffees that I have ever had. Everything is amazing– in particular the grey sea-​salt tiles– my personal favorite. I try to resist, but I keep on coming back for more. Most recently, I purchased and subsequently devoured a bag of their spicy peanut brittle, and I’m addicted now. I’ll be back for more soon, sure enough.
Beyond my personal addiction to their products, if you’re looking for a unique SF confectionary gift for ‘out-​of-​towners’, I highly recommend Poco Dolce. Yeah, Ghiradelli is cheap and says ‘San Francisco’ on the bag, but Poco Dolce is something your friends will actually LOVE, and beyond the quality and great taste, their tiles have a nice packaging & presentation. Their products are clearly on/​near the highest-​end of the category, so be prepared. While you can find their products in some stores throughout the city, their location in the Dog Patch is a neat place to visit– and see where an emerging ‘star’ from San Francisco is being produced.

Chocolate at Poco Dolce is a huge splurge, setting me back two banh mi lunch sandwiches but worth it. I gambled on the poco dolce bittersweet with sea salt chocolate bar but now I wish I tried a few more.
For $ 6, the bar has ten squares sealed in a pouch instead of foil. The pieces are easily broken apart and tastes exactly how the packages describes — bittersweet with accents of grey sea salt. Dark chocolate lovers beware, it is difficult to just eat one square.
Because I loved the bittersweet with sea salt, I will invest in the other bittersweet bars and perhaps if I am feeling a little spendy, the tiles. Best part is that I can pick up poco dolce just down the street from my house.

Pretty damned delicious and overpriced chocolate. I was able to get some at a special price from a festival, so I felt like I was getting a great deal. Personally I’d like their Aztec Chile one to be a little more bitter and even spicier, but maybe I am just projecting.
These would be a good and overpriced gift for anyone you’re wanting to impress! Beautiful packaging.