Munchies of Sausalito
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
27 Reviews for Munchies of Sausalito
I get about twenty paces from the door and I have my money out and I'm cold sweatin. The place makes me feel like I'm buyin candy in the little house on the prairie show. Wicker buckets filled with an array of Kiddie Krack. Just like a true dealer would, the old man in there gives you samples for free so you get all hooked and walk out spending 20 bucks. At least he doesn't have to kick it on 16th and Capp anymore.
What can I say that hasn't already been said? The owner was a friendly gentleman, encouraging sampling, as well as stocking some delicious candies that I didn't know existed any more. If you're working or visiting or anything in Sausalito, come on by and take some candy for the road.
Since everything wonderfully amazing was said about this place already, I'll contribute my 5 stars; most deserving!
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Def 5 Stars! The owner was really "sweet"! I was encouraged to try as many samples as I liked. I ended up buying some candy to take with me. I didn't think it was expensive at all. You pay for the experience, all the free tastes have to be accounted for somewhere. ;) There were lots of candies that I hadn't even thought of in years. My favorite taffy was the maple flavored one, mmmmmmm!!! We ended up going to lunch at a nearby restaurant and I left my bag of candy on the table - darn it! I guess I'll just have to make a return visit!
P.S. I think it's a good sign that this place has 2 ROTD's already. People love Munchies!!
Could the owner of this candy shop be any ... sweeter? He encouraged us to try as many samples as we wanted (most of which were saltwater taffy) and beamed as he told us about how he'd been featured in San Francisco Magazine and Martha Stewart Living. It is so obvious that he thoroughly enjoys his business, and this made my experience at Munchies incredibly pleasant. I'm not a huge fan of taffy, but Munchies also offers a large selection of old school sweets. I will definitely be back!
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This place is AWESOME! The owner encourages you to consume as many free samples as possible. Plus, the owner is really nice and knows everything about candy. He even introduced me to a new kind! I will visit this store on every trip to Sausalito from now on, and I don't even like candy that much.
love this place, for sure.
prices are what you'd expect on a tourist strip, and the owner definately does let the policy on sampling be known as soon as you enter the shop.
went there this afternoon for a lovely little break during lunch, and it made the day that much better. Hooray for chocolate caramels and abbazabbas!
I should dock points for the stomach ache I have ...
I'm old enough to know better ... but clearly I have no self control.
I've been coming to this candy shop for over 10 years now ... it made as big an impression on me back then as it continues to do now. The owner is awesome ... the schpiel he has on repeat to any customer walking in is "feel free to sample any of my candies and enjoy the view".
What's not to love? Sweets for your mouth and for your soul. I want him to be the poster child for my "justification for higher education" poster. It's always such a treat to visit here. Thanks for being so cool, for being a Sausalito landmark and for reminding me that I should go see the dentist.
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I live in San Francisco, and over the years, I've enjoyed returning to this place, and my daughter (8 years old now) has enjoyed occasional trips here since she was five years old. The owner is, as people have noted, a delightful man with a kind demeanor.
One note, though. When I was in recently on a quiet Thursday afternoon, the owner was not there; a woman ran the counter instead. When, despite my gentle reminders and my daughter's best efforts, the basket ended up with more candy than my daughter wanted, I quietly returned the excess to the proper bins. The woman at the counter became impatient. Rather than offering to take care of the rest of the candy, as I've seen the gentleman do, she began to lecture me. She falsely assumed that I "had a budget" and abruptly charged me even for candy that my daughter didn't want. A simple experience in self control turned into a lesson in handling another's rudeness. I found myself tersely reminding the woman that I was the customer (something I've never had to do before). Only then did she seem to back down from her huffiness. We all have bad days, and this may have been one of hers. However, if you go in when this woman is there, tread lightly.
*THE SECRET OF THE DAY IS*
I go in there way too often as a tourist and take a sample, as a tourist, while never buying anything. Next time I am getting a sammich at Venice.. I will pay them an official, ethical visit.
Fun, and a blast from the past... while still being in Sausalito and normal prices of the present.
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Two words - FREE SAMPLES!!
I little expensive but worth it.
Lots of salt water taffy. The owner has a great sales voice and pitch - while you peruse, try a free sample.
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I only went here once in the year I lived and worked in Sausalito.
I couldn't go back, not the owners fault. They don't accept credit cards here and I didn't know that. I had already gotten my candy and was at the register. The owner told me to write him a check for $10, and he'd just give me cash, but instead I worte him a check for the amount I owed him. I didn't understand what he was saying. So anyway, I just didn't come back after this.
The candy is expensive though, but that's usual for a tourist area.
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Yummy in the tummy.
Munchies is perhaps the best candy shop in the world.
How many candy shops can you walk around and just try one of everything with absolutely no pressure to buy? Well, for me just walking about trying one of everything pressures me to buy... but that's ok.
Every time I end up in Sausalito I think to myself, "Gosh I love this place, why don't I come here more." And I have no idea why I don't come to Sausalito more.
Anyway, I need to come to Sausalito more and visit Munchies, one of the most fantastic places on earth.
My only complaint... no candy cigarettes.
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I feel a little ill right now - and it's because I just stuffed my face with as many free samples as humanly possible at Munchies. The owner is such a sweetheart - he basically forces you to eat, eat, eat...and he seems to get offended when you don't partake in as many samples as possible. Pretty amazing in this day in age, right? Filled with old school favorites such as lemon drops, salt water taffy and mary janes - the store runs the gamut. We picked up a basket and kept filling it up...not quite realizing how many pieces we had actually taken. It's ok though, this place is totally worth it.
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The next best thing to penny candy at the public pool.
You've seen those tourists parading around Sausalito toting plastic "Thank You" bags. But that ain't no Chinese take-out. Those bags are weighed down with pounds upon pounds of mouth-watering Munchies candies.
My advice to the casual candy connoisseur: choose your candies wisely my friends, because at $3.29 / .25lb. Munchies will cost you a pretty penny.
If you're just going for taffy, it's a good deal. Each individual taffy doesn't weigh much so you can get a good bang for the buck. There are so many varieties ranging from your run-of-the-mill Caramel and Chocolate to more off-kilter flavors like Tropical Rum and Buttered Popcorn. Maple is my personal favorite but all kinds are equally delicious. Subtle hints of flavor accent these sticky little clouds of sugary deliciousness and they won't weigh down your bag.
Also, the individually wrapped packets of swedish fish and sour patch kids (a must!) are good bets too. As are pixie sticks (which weigh absolutely nothing) and malt balls if you're craving the chocolate (light but pack a punch).
If you really want to maximize your quantity and minimize the cash you shell out, stay away from are those wax bottles that hold the colored sugar water. You know the ones I mean. You bite off the wax bottle top and guzzle down the 1 oz. of unfrozen freeze pop liquid that is inside. Yeah- not a good deal. Why pay for that heavy wax as part of your .25lb. when you're not going to eat it anyway? It's cute that they have them because it takes you back to your childhood and stuff but don't be a sucker! Take it from the sugar fairy!
Let us end with a bit of song:
Who can take a sunrise,
Sprinkle it with dew?
Cover it in chocolate and a miracle or two...
The Munchies man, the Munchies man can,
The Munchies man can 'cause he mixes it with love
and makes the world taste good...
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There is no way you can't love this place. The old guy who works here is a sweetheart and you feel like you are in a bygone era. How they afford the rent here boggles my mind, but I'm sure glad that places like this still exist.
Come on in and buy some candy folks, you'll do it even if you don't want any! Its like a sympathy buy.
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This is one of the few places out there that deserves 6 stars.
I've been coming here since I was a kid and thank god it's still around. How many candy stores let you take as many free samples as you want? How many offer barrels and barrels of old fashioned candy at cheap kid-on-allowance prices? How many have the friendly gentleman behind the counter who has been there for years and years and who treats every customer, no matter how jaded, as if they were his own grandchild?
I love this place.
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"Hey, Let's stop in to this candy store before we go eat" That statement is always followed by a loud KA-CHING at the register.
Sqirrel Nut Zippers, Mary Janes,Sesame Crunch, Lemon Drops AND Saltwater Taffy in so many flavors, Pineapple mmm that's good let's throw some of those in the basket ("free" samples!) Mango, Key Lime (Hey Dad, can I put some of these in? Sure hon, whatever you want) I feel lucky that I got out of there under 14 bucks.
Like my Mother always told me, don't shop when you're hungry.
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Unreal. I don't even like taffy or sweets in general. But this place is amazing. If you're up in the Sausalito this is the perfect place to visit for a quick sugar high.
Also, the owner who runs the place is amazing. He'll chat you up and essentially beg you to try as many free samples of taffy as you can stuff into your mouth. Seriously. I tried to stop him from giving away everything. It didn't work.
He makes buying candy fun - which is what it should be. This place is any red-blooded American child's dream. It's as close you'll get to a real life Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory experience.
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Hmmm, I've lived in San Francisco for about nine months now and I think I've visited Munchies about ten times. I'm seeing a (dangerous) pattern here. A pattern, nonetheless, that keeps me and whoever else I drag long with me coming back for more.
You walk in and are greeted with a thunderous "Try anything you like... everyone can be a kid in a candy store." And this, essentially, sums up the experience that is Munchies.
Gorge yourself in approximately 25 different flavors of salt water taffy, relive your childhood memories with shiny brightly colored wrappers sporting names you'd all but forgotten, and quickly watch your belly expand to the point of uncomfortableness. All with a smile on your face.
Each time I go I inevitable end up buying something, if nothing else to feel like I am not totally stealing the stuff, and each time I think how I can't wait to come back for more.
This place is slightly reminiscent of a candy store from back home, Baldingers, except that its focus is more on the salt water taffy, which I think is manufactured in Salt Lake City. So they let you sample as many pieces as you wish but its with the understanding that you will end up buying more than your fair share. Great assortment of other independent candy brands from the days of old(my parents or some of my recent dates) and Generation X.
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Janice writes: Ok, beware. Once your eye catches the "salt water taffy" sign on the window, you know they've got you. My friend and i decided it would be fun to waste some time in a candy store after lunch, and I was surprised that I never noticed this store before. I said "sure", (what harm could a little candy store do?) haha i was so wrong!
We were in there for hours! and it's tiny too. But there were lots and lots of INTERESTING childhood memory selections, and lots of taffy of course. "Ooooh look at this Erin!" , "Ouuu I LOVE these!", "I remember these!!!". What started as one shared bag, turned immediately to one for our own, and then we decided to get a bag for someone else too.
In the middle of our discoveries, the lady yelled out, "3.49/HALF pound, samples all free!!" HALLELUYAH! We tried to sample what we could. but it was too much candy, and i had a feeling we would spend more than we had would have wanted too. But an update a week later would tell you that I should have gotten more mango taffys!!!! darn darn darn...next time don't be so stingy janice!
Well as everything, it's kinda pricey i think: 3 bags for 40 dollars. :T I just hope I don't have cavities and next time, i'll bring Derek to pay. hahaha!
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This place deserves 100 stars. I too have been coming here since I was a kid and I know the candy guy! His name is Ray (his wicked cool daughter and I refer to him as Sugar Ray) and he is the sweetest guy ever, no pun intended.
No-limit free samples, great selection of salt water taffy as well as chocolates, gummies, gums, and novelty candies like Pez, candy necklaces, and other hard-to-find items. I can't count the times I came by Munchies just to get some candy to munch on while looking out over the bay on a nice day (or getting candy after a serious shopping endeavor at Georgiou).
This place has the best saltwater taffy. I LOVE saltwater taffy!
A lot of taffy just tastes like rubbery sugar but not at Munchies. There is a huge HUGE extensive variety of flavors and they all taste unique. The taffy is not rubbery but instead melts in your mouth.
The taffy is so good I would consider taking the Ferry here on a Saturday just to buy some. If I'm driving and buy taffy on my way out, I can eat a bag of it by the time I get to the bridge that puts me in the craziest (what should probably be illegal) sugar high. Last time this happened I was rocking out so hard to Asia by Toto that I almost forgot to stop at the toll booth. Seriously, this taffy makes me crazy.
I can drop Washington's at Munchies like a ho droppin knickers (okay I took that line from a Lady Sovereign track). The taffy is pretty inexpensive and for $5 you can get a heaping bag full. The owner is really nice, and he'll let you sample any flavor you want.
Bottom line, if you love taffy go to Munchies, you will not be disappointed. Call me too and I'll go with you!
Taffalicious!
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I just dropped by this place today and I'm eating my salt water taffy as i type this.
The owner is super sweet, he lets you know about the free samples asap. He sells half a pound of anything for about $3.50. I recommend sticking to the salt water taffy cause its as good as the previous posts claim.
chick-o-sticks, tootsie rolls, fire balls, gummy worms, war heads and taffys of all sorts plus all the other candies you thought were obsolete have been saved since we grew up in the 80's and brought to this tiny lil shop to tempt all the ferry riding tourists.
i had a ball filling up my basket until i got to the register and spent waaaay too much on cheap candy. things like that always weigh more than you expect. go easy if you go at all. i might just prefer a 7-11.
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