Dandelion Chocolate — Local services in San Francisco

I had heard about this Chocolatier when I was visiting Chocxo Bean to Bar Chocolate Factory in Irvine, it was one of the last "excursions" I took while still living in Southern California and it was by sheer fluke, that I found out about Dandelion Chocolates' store being in the Ferry Building. In fact, had it not been for Dandelion Chocolates being in the Ferry Building, I never would have wanted to visit the Ferry Building.

I wasn't told the location at the Ferry Building was a hot chocolate stand, but once I found out, I was even more excited, whoo, lucky me! For those people who really know me, I love hot chocolate (hot chocolate with marshmallows, hot chocolate with whipped cream, and now frozen hot chocolate), it doesn't even matter what the weather temperature is.

I was excited to finally visit Dandelion Chocolate, Hot Chocolate Stand or not, and once I researched the Ferry Building and what it was about, I found other places I wanted to visit.

After walking through the main hall of the Ferry Building, I located the Dandelion Chocolate Hot Chocolate Stand in a corner spot on the outside of the Ferry Building. It was a cute little corner space, and it was perfect.

At the suggestion of the friendly and knowledgeable girl behind the counter/ordering glass. I tried some of their chocolate they had available for customers to sample, then I ended up ordering the Frozen Hot Chocolate, I had been eyeing it on online. It was either the Frozen Hot Chocolate or the Horchata (Santa Ana Memories!), but I went with the Frozen Hot Chocolate.

Oh my goodness! it was oh so very delicious, rich, creamy and quite refreshing. The weather temperature in the city was moderate the day I went, I was able to sit in the shade with a slight wind and not feel cold, surprisingly. There is a small counter area if you choose to sit in the corner space of Dandelion Chocolate, but there are only about 5 bar stools available.

I did think the cost of the Frozen Hot Chocolate for its' size was a tad on the high side, $5.75. But being in the Ferry Building and in San Francisco, I'm sure the rent is high. Visiting this Hot Chocolate Stand will definitely be a special treat for me. But I would love to return and try other items on their menu, there were so many other items that I wanted to try.

Dandelion Chocolate Hot Chocolate Stand, is located on the outside of the Ferry Building. Outside the doors near Humphrey Slocombe...

I got the canelé, s'more, and frozen hot chocolate. I only have praise for the store ambiance and employees. The workers are super friendly and happy to give recommendations. The storefront is clean, inviting, and provides chocolate samples.

However, I've been wanting to try Dandelion's for several years now due to hearing friends rave about it as a "must visit." So I had high expectations coming in and was eager and excited because I love chocolate and sweets. The flavor of the pastries was definitely not what I expected. The canelé has a hard outer shell with a dense, strong, slightly bitter cacao taste. There wasn't much sweetness. On the other hand, the s'more was beautifully presented, but when it came to the flavor profile, I found the taste of salty chocolate core on the burnt marshmallow bed to conflict with each other. The Graham cracker base was soft and didn't hold together well, but I think it was the best part of the s'more. I would describe the flavor experience as strange and thought-provoking...

This was definitely a one-and-done experience for me. I loved the presentation of the food and drinks, but when it came to flavor, do expect a pure, earthy, organic cacao taste with...

I admit I've never been a huge fan of their chocolate, but I do like their coffee drinks and some of their other stuff. Also, I think they are unionized, which makes me much happier to support them rather than Blue Bottle nearby, which is owned by Nestle.

The mocha is quite nice, better value than Blue Bottle, I just wish they didn't charge extra for plant-based milk. It seems a bit excessive when you're not getting the cookie and marshmallow that they include in non-vegan drinks.

They have a chocolate and hazelnut (nutella-like) spread, which while very expensive, is based on actual hazelnuts rather than palm oil, and is vegan to boot. I highly recommend it.

I also appreciate that they now have a vegan option in their pastry case, a beautifully presented chocolate carrot cake that is quite affordable (it was $6, they recently increased it to $6.50). Unfortunately I feel like the candied fruit inside overpowers the other flavors, so I wish they would continue on their roll and offer an additional...