Woodhouse Chocolate
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
35 Reviews for Woodhouse Chocolate
Very fancy, Tiffany esque candy shop in toney St. Helena. Sure the chocolates are on the pricey side. However it was a great place to pick up chocolates for my pastry arts grad sister.
Okay I finally got to taste some of the chocolates and they are divine!!
Have you ever received a really nice looking present? Whether it be Christmas or your Birthday..and then you impatiently open it up because well, the awesome gift wrapping must indicate something of a fabulous gift? And then, to your chagrin...it's fucking horrible? Well okay not horrible. But blah blah blah and you smile like you like it? You hide your dismay behind that fake smile?
Woodhouse is this way. Located in St. Helena, home of a great culinary school (woot!), and some very nice, non-pretentious restaurants. Woodhouse's display and ambience, do not reflect the quality of the chocolates this place carries.
I bought some off the rack chocolates (Pecan Caramel) in a little tidy box, because I'm cheap like that. And no, it wasn't cheap either. I was expecting something of the mall variety Godiva..but oh no. It was.....okay. Just okay. I dislike See's Candy, so I'd rank this stuff right next to that. Dude, don't bother going here unless you still have money left over from visiting D&D.
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I'm really tempted to give it 5 stars. Possibly because I tried Anette's soonafter. BLEH!
I've had chocolates from around the world, and I really enjoyed every chocolate I bought from Woodhouse. Stop by when you're in St Helena; the downtown is so small, you might as well check it out while you're there ;)
Chocolate snob entering. Ahem!
Yes, that's me. I am a candy connoisseur, eating, reading, and I worked at a local chocolate maker for a spell.
I've had chocolates from here three or four times. While I appreciate the freshness, I really think they could go with a better quality chocolate to enrobe their special fillings, and if we're really noticing the emperor's lack of clothes, only the liquer options pack a real flavor punch. I tried the honey this last weekend, it didn't taste like anything. The hazelnut options are tasty, but not breathtaking.
The packaging and the experience is great, but at around $1.50 per chocolate (yes, I know its St. Helena), I have to say, while the whole experience is meant to model Tiffany's (glass cases, blue boxes, white gloves), there is no one piece that I can't live without. And I've tried them all. It is really fun to go here, the experience is really like an affordable Tiffanys, and people's tastes do differ, so I do recommend stopping here if you're in the area.
Sure de Lago is my favorite... I love this chocolate store, I could spend hours in this place and which I could work there, but then I would want to eat all the dark chocolate.
This chocolate house is like a little jewel box. It feels like it's straight out of Juliette Binoche's Chocolat. They had the most beautiful molded chocolates for Christmas. I was tempted, but I was afraid they would melt on the drive back to SF.
The chocolates were pricey, but they were clearly made with such care and attention to detail (and the caramels were very yummy!) that I didn't think they were too much.
These would make a great gift for that chocolate lover in your life.
Simply the best...Although a day in St. Helena is a good day, they also mail order to the bay area! I love the small size, so you get just a taste. All time best is the spicy Mexican Quatre Epices ....also favs are anything with Hazelnut, but the fruit flavors are very real, the only one I do not like is the mint...just a bit earthy for me. YUMMM!!!
+ gorgeous, elegant decor
+ exquisite, intricately-designed chocolates
- chocolate didn't taste special. At 1.50-ish per chocolate, I expected better
can i live in woodhouse chocolates?
not so much for the chocolate, but for the interior space. splendid! the best part of this cute shop on main street is the uniform-clad salespeople. with their little white gloves they delicately sort your selections into elegant boxes. tiffany doesn't handle their jewelry this well.
the chocolate is unfortunately not the best. especially the white chocolate, which has a strong waxy taste. i often receive boxes of woodhouse at holidays and never finish the box. it's not that i dislike chocolates. if i were presented with a box of marshall field's (ahem, macy's, ahem) frangos, it would be empty in an hour. i think they should refocus their recipes.
This is the most delicious chocolate shop I've been to. You are helped by experts in the chocolates wearing white gloves. The chocolate is displayed under glass. You can hand pick your favorites. The perfect git for someone you hardly know or someone you love. I hear they ship too!
So much to choose.
$1.87 ea?!?!?
I got two; a pistachio and a pecan caramel something or another.
Both were VERY good. I took 2 bites, vs swallowing it whole.
A piece of chocolate here = a slice of heaven... simply irresistible!
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Well made chocolates, at prices for tourists. Save your money and buy some Leonidas in your home city or pay a whole lot of money for the pretty "Tiffany" like box at Woodhouse.
The chocolate was good. I selected the Mocha Cream and Raspberry something. The salesperson wasn't intelligent and did not know how to sell the chocolate to me. $1.50/for a piece.
Let me start out by saying I do not like chocolate, unless it's brownies.
This little shop makes my heart melt because its so pretty. The experience is one of the best I've ever had. We selected a box of 12 truffles, I've only had one so far-Banana's Foster. It was the most delicate and interesting combination I've had in a candy.
But really-the packaging. From the little boxes, to the bow, to the great ribbon handled shopping bag, and the tissue paper they pack on top. It was the best $20 ever. I don't care what they are selling as long as it's packaged and presented like this. And an Elephant for a logo? Hello-you are speaking directly to my heart. xoxo. Robin's egg blue and chocolate theme packaging? I can feel my eyes welling up with tears. Thank you, seriously, for thinking of me and my expectations.
I often give these chocolates as gifts by ordering them on-line, and have been told by chocolate connoisseurs that they are some of the best chocolates they've ever tasted. Plus they're delivered overnight in a refrigerated/cool pack and come in beautiful packaging.
I'd really recommend them for people looking to send a special gift.
Beautiful little chocolates but a bit lacking in flavor. I tried the Sur de Lago (Western Venezuelan dark chocolate ganache) and was not that impressed. The Peanut Croquant (peanut brittle bottom with milk chocolate) was better, but not breathtaking or anything.
I'm fine with a bar of Vahlrona or Vosges but if pressed for lovely little treats I'd take Donnelly's in Santa Cruz over this shop.
Still, it was a nice stop on a fun little outing with the girls.
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Y U M M Y!!!!!
I had the mint chocolate truffle (very nice) the lady had the toasted coconut.
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Woodhouse Chocolate is a lovely chocolatier with a small but unique selection of chocolates. I had a toasted coconut dark chocolate that was the perfect sweet treat during our shopping excursion on Main Street.
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This place is great! A MUST for anyone visiting St Helena. The chocolate makes a great gift, for yourself or a friend! Seriously, yummy stuff. I've had most of all the chocolates by now and I like the thai ginger and the passionfruit the best. I'm exotic like that..LOL. Go, and don't complain about the price, they are little gems!
I've never been to this location, but I know one of the chocolate makers there.
Damn that's some FINE chocolate! They make Sharffen Berger look like Hershey's (oh wait... Sharffen Berger *is* Hershey's now, ain't it?) Anyway, Woodhouse may not be up to par with the high end Belgian Chocolatiers, but it's almost the same league...
UPDATE 04/05/2007: Ok, the attitude just got these guys two less star. We walked in here, bought 4 chocolates + some fudge + 2 small easter eggs... $36. Ouch. What killed me, though, was the snotty attitutude from the owner's daughter. I don't care if your daddy's rich. Don't give me any fucking attitude, bitch! If you don't like customer service, then do something else. Daddy's rich. Why don't you get a nice heroin addiction. Very chic these days.
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Woodhouse charges you extra for the box which really is not that special. Other than it's appearance, the chocolate is indistinguishable from any of the mass produced, flavored chocolates on the market. The best thing I can say about the teeny-tiny pieces they sell for a premium price, is that you will have not wasted too many calories for the flavor you receive in return.
Chocolate never looked so good in my life. Granted, I am not a chocaholic but I do appreciate good chocolate. I'm not a Hershey's girl or a See's fan. I'll accept Ghiradelli from a kind stranger. The window display full of whimiscal chocolate sculptures changes seasonally. There are lofty buttercream walls and glass tables that encase chocolate jewels. They're almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
Highly recommended: Fresh Mint, Heart of Darkness, Champagne Truffle, Mocha Mousse, Espresso, White Chocolate & Chambord.
Would sell my soul for: Chocolate covered caramels with Fleur de Sel.
I agree with Conny M's review. It's the "Tiffany of chocolate." The chocolate is pretty and Expensive! The lady that helped me used tongs and put them on a dish. I don't remember if I got a box or not.
I ate the chocolates very fast so I must have liked them, but 5 tiny pieces for $7.50 is too much for my cheap ass.
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These are definitely some of my favorite decadent little chocolates.
Since it's been opened my parents who live nearby have filled our stockings, easter baskets, etc with these yummy treats.
We used them for our wedding favors too...exquisite shaped tiny Italian wedding cakes--chocolate hazelnut flavored. YUM!
On the main street in the shopping district of St. Helena, this store sells small chocolates displayed like jewels in two large glass cases (the selection is the same in both). The price is $1.50 per chocolate. The flavors are more interesting and subtle than Godiva for sure, and I think they rival Recchiuti, but they are still not as good as Jin Patisserie down in Los Angeles.
The chocolates were pretty amazing at this place but still not better then Boule. I loved the ambiance.
I don't care how much it costs, it's worth every cent. It's decadent and different, loved the herb flavored chocolates, the honey one, and the Thai one. Just worth the experience to walk in and look.
I am a sucker for luxurious sweets especially when they come in a gorgeous little box wrapped in pretty ribbon. Some have suggested buying a box and then taking it to a wine bar after dinner to match it up with a nice port or dessert wine. The perfect end to a meal IMO.
Simply put, my favorite chocolatier in the US:
1) Handmade chocolates with great and unique flavors...I have tried almost everything and I don't think there is a bad one!
2) They are so beautiful.
3) Exclusive in the sense that there is only one Woodhouse shop.
4) Make sure you try the English Toffee. It is a MUST!
So if you ever make it up to St. Helena, make sure you visit this shop. The store is not that obvious from the street and does not look like a typical chocolate store. I missed it the first time thinking it was a jewelry shop :)
I left here thinking "why didn't I get the box of 20 instead of 12?" This chocolate is pretty yummy, and this is coming from someone who just spent the past 5 months living in Europe and becoming a connoisseur of fine chocolate. I really like the bananas foster, the creamy mocha one and the mint. You really can't go wrong with anything you pick. Be warned, this is high end chocolate so you get what you pay for: $1.50 per piece. Tip - he price goes down with the more you buy.
if i were a pig, i would squeal at the sight of the blue-boxed pieces of chocolate.
having already eaten 12 of a 24 pack within an hour, i think i may very well be a pig.
become one too: www.woodhousechocolate...
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Their chocolate sucks. It's better than See's, but for $1.50 a piece you'd be much better with Cocoa Bella (in SF) or even Godiva. Their "Heart of Darkness" had a tasteless dark chocolate shell, a dark chocolate ganache that tasted like butter mixed with cocoa powder, and chocolate nibs that were soft and dull. Their boxes are really cute, so I would only recommend going there to buy a box as a gift for someone not too into chocolate.
Go here if you think See's is good/okay and Godiva is good. If you think See's sucks and Godiva sucks/is okay, then steer clear.
This chocolate store looks more like a jewelry store. Very elegant and pretty.
Their Gianduja and Praline Noisette are to die for if you like creamy, milky chocolates like I do.
i love these chocolates! i got 4 individual pieces (honey, passionfruit, brown butter, and peanut butter) and they were all excellent, although i think i could've done without the peanut butter one (reminded me of those reese sticks). they're $1.50 each but i don't think that's too much, considering what other chocolatiers charge, and how exquisitely delicious these little gems taste. they also come in too-cute shapes that sometimes match the filling, such as a coffee bean shape for the mocha, and a mint leaf shape for the mint one. i also like that they sell caramels sprinkled with fleur de sel, one of my fave confections. if you're a chocolate lover, woodhouse is a must stop in downtown st. helena!
because i needed another something to make me fat and empty my bank account
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