great chocolate shops in Montreal
In a previous post, I alluded to the fact that Montreal just might be the Chocolate Capital of Canada with all its fabulous chocolate shops. There are somewhere in the area of 100 chocolate shops in the city of Montreal, with many other noteworthy chocolate establishments scattered throughout the province of Quebec. Some of the other locations I’ve already covered include Tremblant, Oka, Sutton, Bromont, Quebec City, and this post previously written on a few other locations within Montreal.
a taste of montreal chocolate
I had the great privilege of visiting Montreal again earlier this year and found several chic chocolate shops with a high level of sophistication, as well as a few bean-to-bar chocolate shops that I will cover in my next post.
I loved Le Comptoir chocolat located at 355 Rue Guy in the Griffintown neighbourhood of Montreal because of the unpretentious bright vibe in the shop and the nice little on-site cafe, where you can sit and enjoy a coffee, some ice-cream or a chocolate treat. Owner Claudine Desnoyers is a graphic designer and designs and prints all of her unique packaging for the chocolate squares and large and small bars at this location. All of Le Comptoir’s chocolate uses couverture made from organic beans and is vegan. If you’re into baking, you’ll love the assortment of cooking chocolate and decorations for cakes and brownies. And dog lovers will find really cute non-chocolate doggy treats for their canine friends.
We also visited Les Chocolats de Chloé owned by Chloé Gervais-Fredette. This is a cute little shop with an open kitchen concept where you can see the chocolates being created before your eyes. Chloé was away at the time of my visit, but I loved meeting her friendly staff and tasting a wide assortment of her product range. Chloé uses Valrhona chocolate from France as her couverture, and loves to play with flavours. I loved the rich and creamy Passionfruit bonbon, as well as the Figues Balsamique featuring a layer of pureed figs in-between balsamic-infused chocolate.
Also within the Plateau neighbourhood of Montreal is Chocolats Geneviève Grandbois. We visited the shop at 162 Rue Saint-Viateur Ouest, but the chocolates are made at the factory location on Rue Saint-Patrick. This company also uses Valrhona couverture from France to make the majority of their chocolate. The tiny chocolate shop is the epitome of Montreal chic that I refer to in this post.
Geneviève owns a cocoa plantation in Costa Rica, and in 2013, introduced her first Carré Costa Rica collection made from her own cocoa beans.
In my next post, I introduce you to a few Montreal companies focusing exclusively on making their own bean-to-bar chocolate bars. Enjoy!
Hi Doreen,
Again great work. You just make people crave for chocolate and I am one of those who love choco, so can’t stop myself from getting fat hehe ๐
~ Donna
How delightful it is to see you bak on my site, Donna! Welcome back! I’m glad you’ve been enjoying my posts in the background, and thank you for commenting on this tasty post. But remember. If you eat pure dark chocolate in moderation, the health benefits far outweigh any implications to your weight management. In fact, the effect on our ability to feel full faster can be magnified by eating a square of dark chocolate (70% or higher) before a big meal. Try it! And all the best to you in 2018.:-) Hope to hear from you again soon.
Doreen Pendgracs recently posted…Cadbury Chocolate: Birminghamโs Legacy to the World
Your blog posts are like sins to me. Every post that I read, I start craving for chocolate and well, it isn’t good for my diet :(.
Ami, dark chocolate is absolutely OK for your diet. If eaten in moderation. ๐
Your posts are always a tour de force when it comes to chocolates. You have been taking us on a fascinating journey deep into the world of chocolates which is so interesting. Montreal is another sweet place with the tempting allure of chocolates. Another wonderful thing I noted here is the elegant packaging of the chocolates.
Thanks for your comment, Sandy. The world of chocolate travel is indeed a deliciously tempting one! ๐
Doreen Pendgracs recently posted…bean-to-bar chocolate in Montreal
Those are some really interesting places. I would love to try these. Didnโt know Montreal is big on chocolates.
It’s really amazing! Once you start researching a topic, it sometimes takes you to unexpected places and surprises you in great ways! ๐
Doreen Pendgracs recently posted…bean-to-bar chocolate in Montreal
Good to hear about the vegan friendly chocolates. I love how you pinpoint out these little chocolate gems in town.
Thanks so much, Tania. I aim to please and inform equally well. ๐
I’m in a deep love with chocolate and Montreal seems to be my dream destination. Hope that one day I could visit Montreal and enjoy the best chocolate ever. Thanks for your sharing.
You’d love Montreal, The! As a chocolate lover, it is one of the best cities in North America to visit. ๐
Chocolate always reminded me of Belguim, never knew that Montreal too had such a great chocolate offering. Would love to visit Les Chocolats de Chloรฉ and seem them making chocolate.
Hello Sreeram. Belgium was indeed king of the old world of chocolate. But there have been many changes over the past 10-15 years, and chocolate is now becoming a real power food as opposed to merely a confection. And it is in that movement that there are many younger people all over the world making pure handcrafted chocolate. Quite amazing1
Thanks a bunch, Doreen, and all best wishes for a happy and productive relationship with Healing Energy. It truly is The Real Thing.
Thanks for bringing up the subject of Destiny, Doreen, because although Iโd never given it much of a thought, destiny decided to arrive in my life around the time of my 77th birthday. By this time, Iโd been a widow for 16 years, in good health with my two children not far away, and comfortable with living on my own.
But then one day, BOOM! a voice in my head began to suggest I should start sending Healing Energy to all who want to receive it! Now, when youโre 77 and something like this turns up, you might want to hedge your bets in case the alternative is that your life could be just about over. And so, because I have a dear friend in Victoria whoโs very psychic and wouidnโt laugh except kindly, i asked her advice. โWho do you think wants you to do this?โ she said. And when I confessed to feeling that it might be the Virgin Mary, she said โYes, youโre right,โ and began asking what I wanted to do about it.
And so now, closing in on 6 years later, Iโm still chanelling Healing Energy free of charge to anyone who wants to receive it, 3 times a week during the day and once a month in the evening, and my own health is better than ever. And the best part is that according to Mary, this lovely energy now goes out to โEvery sentient being in the universeโ and health is not its only concern, because we are not just body and mind, but spirit as well.
Thereโs more to this, of course, and if youโd like to know more about Healing Energy, just e-mail me at the address below and Iโll send you an introductory letter that explains where it comes from and how best to receive it. I donโt advertise and have yet to establish a website, so this is largely word of mouth because Doreen is a friend and has suggested I give you my strange but true take on Destinyโso far, that is, and by now Iโm age 82!
Hi Pat: Thanks so much for sharing your story and your gift with us. I’ve participated in your Healing Energy session one time and am hoping to do it again soon.
Doreen Pendgracs recently posted…great chocolate shops in Montreal
I actually didn’t realise Montreal had such a great chocolate offering! Looks like another place to add to my list ๐
Hi Dannielle. Yes, i didn’t realize just how amazing the Montreal chocolate scene is until I went back for a recent visit. My next post will highlight the emerging bean-to-bar scene in this city of sophisticated chocolate.
Doreen Pendgracs recently posted…great chocolate shops in Montreal
I just love your blog.
pray make known, why are there 100 chocolate shops in Montreal!? I lived in NY which is a much larger city and I dont ever recall seeing many chocolate shops. Do Canadians have more of a delectable tooth! I’d hero worship to visit Montreal taking into account more for pleasure because I never got to see the city gone I just flew in and out.
Hello Mehedi and thank you for your recent comments. there may not be quite 100 chocolate shops in Montreal, but I’m sure the number is well over 80. And many are quite different from others. But the prevalent kind of chocolate you will find in Montreal is the super silky French-style chocolate you will find in France. That is slowly changing, with the introduction of a few bean-to-bar chocolate makers now in the city.
Doreen Pendgracs recently posted…great chocolate shops in Montreal
The pictures are great as I don’t typically think of chocolate or most candy as art to be displayed, but the wrappings at A Taste of Montreal Chocolate strike me as being quite artistic.
Many chocolatiers are indeed great artists with their creativity. That’s what I love so much about exploring the world of chocolate. ๐
Montreal has some really lovely chocolate and the packaging is beautiful.
Hi Bola. Indeed! I was really impressed by the quality and variety of chocolate creations in Montreal. Thx for stopping by the blog. ๐
Doreen Pendgracs recently posted…great chocolate shops in Montreal
My pre-teen self is feeling rather incensed that my parents failed to introduce us to the chocolatey side of Montreal on our Christmas forays there as kids. I do still dream of the maple sugar pie and all the wonderful cheese though. Will definitely have to return to tantalize the taste buds with chocolate!
Hi Erica. Yes, there are4 some wonderful cheese to be enjoyed in Quebec. As well as that maple (sugar) pie. ๐ But nothing beats the fabulous chocolate. I hope you get to return soon, and explore the chocolate scene in Montreal. Cheers, and thanks for stopping by.
Doreen Pendgracs recently posted…great chocolate shops in Montreal
Ooh la la! So many gorgeous chocolate shops in Montreal. Loved the packaging of Le Comptoir’s choco-products. That’s some tough competition for our west coast chocolate shops for sure, but what a great tasting battle that would be.
Are you in Vancouver, Claudia? There is definitely some very excellent chocolate being made on the West Coast (both in Canada and the US.) but as you say, the Montreal chocolate has that ooh-la-la factor. ๐
The Le Comptoir chocolates are quite nice! I had my first introduction to them courtesy of Doreen when she was in town! I’ve lived in MTL for a bit over a year now and didn’t know the city had such a rich chocolate culture. There’s always something to discover! ๐
Hi Andrea and welcome to my blog! Thank you for becoming Chocolatour’s most recent subscriber. You’re joining a great group. ๐
Yes, Montreal really does have an amazing chocolate culture. Kathe Lieber had introduced me to it in October, 2009, and slowly, I am peeling back the layers and learning more about it. I’m pretty darn impressed with my findings!
Doreen Pendgracs recently posted…great chocolate shops in Montreal
Come back any time, Doreen! Sorry I wasn’t able to join you on your chocolate crawl last summer, but clearly Carrie was a great tour guide.
And thanks for reminding me about some terrific chocolatiers whose products make great gifts…
Thanks, Kathe. I’ve learned a lot from you concerning Montreal chocolate. I really think your fine city is out in front when it comes to quality and selection of fine artisan chocolate across the country.
Doreen Pendgracs recently posted…great chocolate shops in Montreal
I have to agree with others here that the presentation makes a big difference and the images you’ve shared with us are lovely. I rarely eat chocolate myself but it’s always a good gift so things like this provide wonderful inspiration. Thanks!
Absolutely, Marquita. In volume I of Chocolatour, I talk about how important packaging and presentation are in expressing the personality of a chocolatier or chocolate company.
It’s always fun to me how the packaging and presentation of a chocolate bar makes a difference. Hershey’s bar with almonds in its basic wrapper? Eh, not so much. The above? Oh yeah, bring it! I think it’s neat that she designs them herself.
It is indeed, Rose, neat to see the artistic talent of the chocolatier show up in her packaging. I came across a very similar situation in London, England, at Rococo Chocolatier.
Doreen — pray tell, why are there 100 chocolate shops in Montreal!? I lived in NY which is a much larger city and I don’t ever recall seeing many chocolate shops. Do Canadians have more of a sweet tooth! I’d love to visit Montreal again for pleasure because I never got to see the city when I just flew in and out on business.
Hi Jeannette. Well, I certainly haven’t been to all 100! I think a more accurate number may be in the 80’s. I read it online but haven’t verified each one. I’ve only been to about a dozen of them in the city proper, and then another half dozen in the surrounding area. But, yes. Montreal is certainly a great city for chocolate lovers, and many more have been added in recent years than probably when you last visited.
Sounds and looks like you have fantastic chocolate in Montreal.
Glad you enjoyed our little chocolate tour! I know that I had fun ๐
I love Montreal. I remember having wonderful chocolate croissants in the underground mall close to Place des Arts. Unfortunately I don’t remember the little shops name. Always a chocolate memory!!!
LOVE your comment, Jan. There is ALWAYS a chocolate memory, isn’t there? Best chocolate croissants I’ve ever had were in Vancouver at Thomas Haas. AMAZING!!!
Doreen Pendgracs recently posted…great chocolate shops in Montreal
Hey, Jan! How did your canine friends enjoy the dog treats I bought for you at Le Comptoir chocolat?
Doreen Pendgracs recently posted…great chocolate shops in Montreal
Doreen – those chocolates look perfectly wrapped. They would make an ideal Christmas gift too. Such pretty, creative designs similar to what one would find on a greeting card or an invitation. Presentation makes all the difference.
Posh chocolate all the way!
Hi Phoenicia and thanks for your comment. I completely agree. When you’re buying chocolate for a friend, presentation is key. Le Comptoir chocolat certainly doesn’t make the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted. But their style and presentation is fun and fanciful.