Fairhope Chocolate & Bakery — Restaurant in Fairhope

Best service I’ve had for my gluten-free, non-dairy eatin’ self in a long time! Let’s face it; not everyone has disease-riddled bodies, and some people actually choose to be gluten and dairy-free. I’ll never understand those people, but to each his own. I am always somewhat reluctant to open my mouth in a restaurant and ask if said restaurant has non-dairy, non-gluten items, because seriously? But they were very kind to me at Fairhope Chocolate and they didn’t make me feel like a burden. Their kitchen isn’t gluten-free, but they had a delicious Tortilla Soup w/ no flour for lunch! And the only dairy was in the garnishes, so no problem there! My daughter picked a type of caramel ice cream and loved it! There were so many things in the store that I wanted to try! It’s a beautiful store, and there’s seating for those who’d like to sit down with their soup, sandwich, dessert, or perhaps all three. I look forward to going back and trying some of the dark chocolates! Wow, were they gorgeous! P.S. There’s coffee and wine too, so it’s pretty much my idea of heaven in there. I’d recommend it for a treat yo-self, a mommy and me, a girlfriend’s date, a romantic ice cream outing, a gift-shopping venue, and definitely for a meal! Kudos, Fairhope...

We are new to the area and always try to buy local gifts for our families at Christmas, so I came here to scout gifts for them. The location of this place isn’t accurate on Google maps. I called to get directions and was hung up on, then after calling back and speaking to someone else regarding directions was given a new address, but little insight on how to get there despite standing on Fairhope Ave. Once we found the place, there was a handwritten note stating the credit card machine was broken, so I inquired about that when we got there and was told the sign was no longer relevant. There was no greeting when we arrived (we were the only customers in the building), and left unattended for most of the time we were there. You’d think that a place that prides themselves on being one of six distributors in the US of the finest Belgian chocolates would have more professionalism and hospitality. Overall, our first (and only visit) to this establishment will unfortunately be our last. First impressions matter, and this place just didn’t make a good one. It’s unfortunate, because there aren’t many local chocolate shops and we drove 40 minutes just...

Short: Exceeds what anyone can expect from a local chocolatier. TFCOF is packed tightly away into the French Quarter shopping area in downtown Fairhope. The mantra "Great things come in small packages" comes to mind; inside, you'll find both a massive selection of Belgian Neuhaus products and a selection of hand-crafted chocolates and sweets, not to mention some other product lines such as Vermont Nut-Free for allergy-sufferers. For those not familiar, Neuhaus is one of many "high-end" marques which produces delicacies often unfamiliar to many; to put it briefly, a Hershey's bar might become revolting after a Neuhaus sampling. That's not to say that the handmade selection is worse in any way; Jule, the owner, is both talented and passionate about her craft, yielding mouth-watering creations out of the best possible ingredients. All of the staff are friendly and helpful. Instead of simply having their names remembered, locals and regulars can often become...