7 Places to Buy Local Chocolates for Valentine’s Day
Get ready for the sweetest holiday of the year with these Rhode Island favorites.
We all need a little pick-me-up this year, so treat yourself (and your Valentine!) to locally made chocolates, truffles and more sweet treats.
Styling by Jackie Ignall. Photography by Angel Tucker.
Left side of photo, from top left: Leathernecks, starting at $2.90, Anchor Toffee, Newport and Providence, anchortoffee.com. Assorted bonbons, $22 for eight pieces, Hawt Chocolate, hawtchocolatepvd.com. Almond butter toffee, prices starting at $5, Anchor Toffee. Assorted gourmet truffles and chocolates (three pictured here, and on left page in pink heart-shaped box), $32.50 per pound, Hauser Chocolatier, Westerly, hauserchocolates.com. Chocolate “Love” metallic heart, $6.95, Aura’s Chocolate Bar, Cranston, auraschocolatebar.com. Sea salt vanilla caramels, $6.75, Sweenor’s Chocolates, Cranston, sweenorschocolates.com. Gourmet dark and white chocolate raspberry truffles (in pink heart-shaped dish), $9.95 for a box of nine, $24.95 for a twenty-four-piece box, Sweenor’s Chocolates. Metallic hearts, $6.95 each, Aura’s Chocolate Bar. Assorted bonbons, starting at $12 for a box of four, Hawt Chocolate.
Right side of photo, from top left: Raspberry and dark swirl bar, $15.50 (4 oz.); white chocolate bar with rose petals, $8, Aura’s Chocolate Bar. Foil-wrapped dark chocolate hearts, $9.50 per bag; heart pops, $1.50 each ($1.75 with sprinkles), Sweenor’s Chocolates. Metallic chocolate rose pops, $3.50 each, Aura’s Chocolate Bar. Milk chocolate heart-shaped box filled with chocolate hearts, $9.25, Hauser Chocolatier. Fruity Ruby bar, $13, Hawt Chocolate.
Get to know the above local chocolatiers and more:
Sweenor’s has been a local favorite for gourmet chocolates and candies for more than sixty years. Shop for classic heart-shaped boxes of assorted truffles or surprise someone special with a shipment-friendly gift box of chocolate-covered Oreos and other sweet treats. Order online or shop at the Wakefield or Cranston locations.
How to visit: Wakefield: Monday to Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sunday, noon–5 p.m.; Cranston: Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
The details: 21 Charles St., Wakefield, 401-783-4433; 43 Hillside Rd., Cranston, 401-942-2720, sweenorschocolates.com
Get romantic with some boozy truffles in a variety of chocolate combinations, like chardonnay, Grand Marnier, Champagne or even a raspberry vodka martini.
How to visit: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
The details: 59 Tom Harvey Rd., Westerly, 401-596 – 8866, hauserchocolates.com
The artisan chocolates at Aura’s are made with Venezuelan cocoa, a nod to owner Aura Fajardo Quintero’s South American heritage. She combines the world-renowned cocoa with local ingredients to create rich chocolates unique to Rhode Island. Order online now for Valentine’s Day, as orders can take up to two weeks to be processed.
How to visit: Monday, 3:30–6:30 p.m., Tuesday to Friday, 3:30 p.m.–6 p.m., Saturday, 10:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
The details: 250 East St, Cranston or order online at auraschocolatebar.com.
Peter and Katie Kelly started their small candy making business in 2014, creating our confections in the kitchens at Hope & Main in Warren and selling their wares at local farmers markets. They opened their first retain location in Newport in 2017, then added a second in Pawtucket just one year later before moving it into their current, bigger space in Providence. Both locations offer up not just small batch, hand-crafted chocolate-covered goodies, but also peppermint bark, leathernecks, taffy and, of course, toffee.
How to visit: Newport: Daily, 10 a.m.– 5 p.m.; Providence: Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Friday, 9 a.m.–1 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
The Details: 8 Bowen’s Wharf, Newport, 401-619-1044 (retail only); 10 Sims Ave, Unit 112, Providence, 401-439-1517 (wholesale and retail), anchortoffee.com
Hawt Chocolate PVD originated from owner Miguel’s need to create comforting experiences for others, express his creativity and share his passion for food. The word “HAWT” started as an acronym for “Having a Wonderful Time,” but the Warren-based company also strives for the other definition of hot, a.k.a. attractive, with its beautifully crafted treats. Find everything from various bon bon flavors to fruit and nut bars.
How to shop: Order online here.
The details: 691 Main St., Warren, hawtchocolatepvd.com
Give in to your holiday chocolate cravings and split a two-pound box of assorted truffles with your Valentine! Online ordering and curbside pickup is available.
How to visit: Monday to Saturday, 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. (special Valentine’s Day hours on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023: 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m.)
The details: 28 Gilbane St., Warwick, 401-884-4949, chocolatedelicacy.com
Whether you are looking for seasonal novelty items, stocking stuffers, a delicious gift, or an afternoon pick me up, simply follow your nose and taste buds to Andre’z Dipped and Drizzled. A third generation chocolate shop featuring all things dipped in chocolate such as their famous “loaded apple”.
How to visit: Tuesday to Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.–4 p.m. (special Valentine’s Day hours on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023: 10 a.m.– 7 p.m.)
The details: 1903 Mineral Spring Ave, North Providence, 401-500-0262, andrezdippedanddrizzled.com.
