Donnelly Chocolates — Attraction in Santa Cruz

I’m not hugely knowledgeable connoisseur of chocolate, but my wife is. Therefore, we occasionally stop in to Donnelly when we’re in Santa Cruz. While I know little about chocolate, I know a lot about service and the customer service here is amazing. They always offer a sample, and patiently walk you through all the options - and there are a lot! When you do finally decide, they pack your selection in attractive boxes and always ask you how far your traveling so they can be sure to add a frozen water bottle or two to the bag to keep you chocolate cool and unmelted… really nice touch! This is not your basic mall shop and they don’t have the most polished presentation, but the chocolate is great and the service so good that I’d rather spend a little more here than on some large chain shop.

Be sure to try their ice cream. My wife said their almond bar with dark chocolate and vanilla ice cream was the best thing she ever had! The salted caramel bar I had was pretty...

This is the best chocolate I've ever had in my life. I've been going to Donnelly's for well over a decade I'm sure, and never been disappointed in any way. The prices may seem high, but for the quality, it's worth every penny and then some, especially considering the comparable prices of fancy chocolates you'll find at upscale grocers. And Donelly's is better than those. They're not even in the same ballpark. My favorite offering of Donelly's, though not always available, are the sandwich cookies. They are an utterly divine experience. My second favorite are the marshmallow and caramel chocolate bar - heavenly! You just won't find chocolates this good anywhere else. The shop professes to be "one of the ten best," and I can tell you, if there are nine other chocolatiers of this caliber, I'd be...

If I could give this place 20 stars, I would. The ice cream bar was literally one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Just an incredible blend of flavors — I got the dark chocolate with caramel and sea salt. I would eat one every day if I could! The gentleman who helped me was also extremely kind and welcoming. Even though he was with another customer when I walked in, he still greeted me. I had originally asked for a dairy free chocolate bar which he said they didn’t have but offered to open one of their dairy free chocolate bars to give me a sample. It was so nice! The vibe was also very relaxed. I will definitely be back during my next visit to Santa Cruz! Also, they let you park in the lot behind them — it wasn’t immediately obvious to me as the sign is...