SF Bay Area, CAChocolatiers and Candy Shops

Michael Recchiuti's confection shop in the Ferry Building, where the former musician turned confectioner set up in 1997. The house style is smooth and powerful dark chocolate infused with fresh ingredients from local farmers' markets, such as lemon verbena and lavender, and the counter also carries the shop's caramels. Order a box of the herb-infused dark chocolates.

A North Beach truffle shop on Columbus Avenue, open since 1997 and led by French chocolatier Jean-Marc Gorce, whose bite-sized French-style truffles run from traditional to unusual, with liqueur-infused flavors like cognac and champagne alongside vegan options. Any coffee or hot chocolate comes with a free truffle. Order the dark chocolate cognac truffle dusted in cocoa, or the noisette rolled in hazelnuts.

A bean-to-bar chocolate maker whose original Valencia Street cafe in the Mission sells its bars alongside drinks and pastries, while the factory down the road on 16th Street runs tours and chocolate-making classes. The chocolate is made with a focus on the flavor nuances of cacao, much as a winemaker approaches grape varietals. Order a bar to take home and a hot chocolate at the cafe.

A SoMa chocolate shop from sisters Wendy and Susan Lieu, who make truffles and chocolate bars with many Vietnamese flavors, from durian and pho truffles to Vietnamese coffee, jasmine tea and lychee. Socola is the Vietnamese word for chocolate. Order a box of the Vietnamese-flavored truffles.

A Bayview chocolatier with a retail shop attached to its production space, known for its sea salt caramels, which also turn up at markets, bakeries and coffee shops around the city. The line runs to truffles and bonbons, chocolate-covered nuts and pralines, and a portion of the profits goes to micro-loans for farmers in the cocoa trade. Order the sea salt caramels.