Everyone loves chocolate (or nearly everyone), and Paris certainly has a lot of great chocolate on offer. We decided to select and check out some chic boutiques near our hotels that make and sell their own chocolates, and found some of the best chocolate on the Left Bank!

Some come with us on a very special tasting tour. Each boutique is critiqued for its interior design, its packaging and… its chocolates, of course. We have eleven very special places for you to see – find out which ones we loved the most!

There was one big problem when selecting the best chocolate shops on the Left Bank – whittling dow the selection to less than twenty. How were we to choose? Every time we looked, another great chocolate place seemed to rear its head.

It was essential to reduce our list, so we decided that each place had to make its own chocolate, and sell only (or essentially) that – no places with lots of cakes and macarons… we wanted just chocolate, and lots of it!

For some reason, all these creations are by men – there’s not a single woman chocolate maker nearby apparently, which is a little sad 🙁

We should also explain that in each shop we chose just four chocolates (with a couple of exceptions), mostly for the way they looked, and if you go and buy a bigger quantity, you’ll almost certainly have nicer packaging than we received.

We’ve also prepared an interactive map so you can see exactly where to go (you can check it out here: bit.ly/choco-rive-gauche), and all the places mentioned are very near our hotels!
First visit: Franck Kestner (here)

We were pleased to find this place open on a public holiday, but they seemed like they were in the middle of a delivery, with boxes everywhere. Not very chic. Neither was the giant portrait of Franck himself (in black and white, obvs) behind the till.

While the interior is fairly ‘modern’, sticking to safe earth tones, and the names of the chocolates intrigued (innocence, enchantment…), the packaging was a very nasty surprise – a sad white paper bag with a sticker on it. Inside was a clear plastic bag with another sticker – not great (and the logo could do with an overhaul too).
As for the chocolates themselves, we let the reception staff at the Hôtel des Grands Hommes sample them, so there was no feedback on the taste, but the marvelous views from the top floor are enough, right? 😉
Next, Pierre Marcolini (here).

With stores all around the world now, Belgian Marcolini has become a brand of his own. His Left Bank boutique is minimalist but fun, and paying involves being ushered to a back room away from preying eyes, although it does also try to pressure you into buying one of a selection of book written by the man himself.

His chocolates are amusing (a gold ball, a heart…) and while the black packaging is smart, it didn’t protect our chocoaltes very well (one of them smashed).
We took photos of the beauties on the private balconies of the Hôtel des Grands Hommes again – sat at your table in the sun, you’ll love them.
Patrick Roger (here)

This was one of the most stunning boutiques of our entire tour. An orang utan sculpted in chocolate stood in the window display, the two-colour décor (black and pale green) is very smart and this is the only place we bought just one chocolate… that cost as much as four!
Roger has some special half-globe creations made with yuzu (an expensive Japanese ingredient) that are sold in an individual box that closes with a magnet. This box is then placed in a chic big with rubber handles. All that for 4 euros.

Between the taste and the presentation, it certainly makes a statement. We went to the Hôtel les Dames du Panthéon to take photos of this incredible object, enjoying one of the private balconies overlooking the place du Panthéon – the view is as breathtaking as our chocolate was tiny and expensive! Whatever – it’s good to treat yourself to something special once in a while…
Jean-Paul Hévin (here)

Hévin seems to big a big name, with stores dotted around the world, but his boutique on rue Vavin is starting to show its age, and was the only place on our tour where they got a bit snooty when I asked if I could take photos (although they didn’t explain why it was a problem).

We couldn’t resist their chocolates though, displayed in vast display cases, and there is also a large choice of tablets of chocolates as well as a few desserts (we succumbed to a marzipan one called a potato!).
We have only positive things to say about the packaging. A nice bag, well designed… a success!

We went back to the balconies of the Hôtel les Dames du Panthéon to take some shots of our purchases. Make sure you don’t let your chocolates melt in the sun!
Debauve & Gallais (here) is surely the most evenrable establishment we visited – they used to supply the kings of France, and that was a long, long time ago. The classical music playing in their store is a non-subtle reminder of how deeply and historically classy they really are.

However, we found the service slightly stiff (perhaps on purpose?) and not particularly speedy (to be fair, the people in front of us just couldn’t make up their minds).
The place in undeniably charming though, as is the presentation. We went back to the Hôtel Baume where you’ll want to have your own private terrace to chill out and enjoy your choccie.
Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse (here)

Manufactured in Bastille, Alain Ducasse’s chocolate is sold in the boutique that used to be part of Café de Flore and sold their merchandise (the café’s name is still written in mosaic on the floor). The customer in front of me was buying 125 euros worth of chocolate. You’d have to be really hungry to eat all that.

Or perhaps she’d purchased one of the astronomically-priced box sets on offer? How about a block of chocolate and a mallet for 100€? Tempted?
We did get to taste a free chocolate here (only two or three places gave us the privilege), but it was one of the most expensive of our entire tour. Each chocolate will set you back around 2 euros.

Once again, one of the vast terraces at the Hôtel Baume was the backdrop for our photos, and once again the team at reception ate them all (at our request!).
We really liked the style of Hugo et Victor (here). Their boutique is both dark and happy, and their box set in the form of a book is pure genius.
We retired to the leafy garden of the Hôtel and Spa la Belle Juliette to snap some shots of our purchase. For four chocolates you’ll get a plastic bag rather than fancy packaging, but the prices are reasonable and even the box sets aren’t overpriced.
La Maison du Chocolat (here) has outlets around the world, but the welcome we got was genuine and they even allowed us a free taste a chocolate of our choice 😉

They add limited edition chocolates to their standard range regularly, and the packaging looks good.
Once again, the secret garden at the Hôtel and Spa la Belle Juliette was the backdrop for our next photos. What better place to relax and enjoy some fine chocolates?
The most original place we visited is definitely Jean-Charles Rochoux (here). There’s a chocolate torso in the window that has passers-by doing double-takes and once inside you’ll be enveloped by a sort of chocolate curiosity shop. There are chocolate sculptures, chocolate dogs and chocolate, er, objects that you probably wouldn’t want to give your granny…
As we knew we’d be taking the next photos at the Hôtel Design Sorbonne, we chose to buy a dark chocolate letter D and a milk chocolate letter S to make the receptionists laugh!
Chapon (here) wasn’t originally on our list of places to visit, but going past it made us want to explore. They have a chocolate mousse bar, and despite a slightly phoney ‘vintage’ interior, they were very nice to us and the chocolates looked great.
We chose some brightly)coloured chocolates (including a smiley!) to go with the décor of the breakfast room at the Hôtel Design Sorbonne…
And even heavy rain couldn’t keep us from the last stop on our tour  – Jacques Genin (here)

After seeing so much chocolate, we cheated a little here and bought caramels instead (they have about a dozen different flavours). They also offered us a free jellied fruit square and it was amazing!
The boutique is pretty minimalist and chic, as is the packaging. Once again, the Hôtel Design Sorbonne served as the setting for our last photos…
Eleven boutiques visited, thirty-five chocolates and four caramels tasted (mostly by the staff of our hotels!). What a crazy day 🙂

So if you’re looking to taste some great chocolates in Paris, or take some home for friends or family, we hope this article will give you some ideas. Below you’ll find the map so you can find all the chocolate you need!

And if you want to check out all our photos of the best chocolate shops on the Left Bank, just click here! Enjoy !