Courtesy of Pizzelle’s Confestions
Pizzelle’s Confections
Huntsville, Alabama
Housed in a former middle school, this airy, colorful store was voted the country’s number one chocolate shop in 2024 by USA Today readers, and its uniquely decadent selections fully justify a road trip. Try more than 20 types of colorful bonbons—chicory and coffee, cheesecake ganache and apricot, rosemary-infused caramel—all enrobed in fair-trade Felchlin chocolate from Switzerland. The house-made macarons, artisan candy bars (check out the “Bill Effing Murray” made of whiskey ganache, pecan toffee, and toasted marshmallow), and mini cakes are equally craveable.
LaRue Fine Chocolate
Greenville, South Carolina
There’s an air of refinement running through this shop, from the case of glossy, small-batch chocolates up front to the cozy lounge and bar area in back, set against a hand-painted cacao pod mural. Satisfy your sweet tooth with an order of Boca Grande truffles (tequila, Grand Marnier, lime, orange, salt, and white chocolate ganache) or a few other desserts, including espresso gelato and lemon almond cake. Owner and master chocolatier Elizabeth Logan spent more than a decade working in the wine industry, so take her word on drink pairings.
Courtesy of Piety & Desire Chocolate
Piety and Desire Chocolate
New Orleans, Louisiana
Step into this Magazine Street cafe and find sugary nirvana in a nostalgic setting. Once a saloon, Piety and Desire now slings sweets—Cajun-spiced drinking chocolate, affogatos, and “cioccogatos” (drinking chocolate over ice cream)—from its carved-oak counters. And while the clusters of gemlike bonbons change seasonally, flavors remain reliably eccentric: The mulled apple cider caramel is a year-round staple, whereas the white chocolate brandy milk punch is a Mardi Gras must.
Courtesy of French Broad Chocolate
French Broad Chocolate
Asheville, North Carolina
A striking baby-blue exterior and a come-one-come-all ambiance announces this storied confectionary, comprised of the Chocolate Lounge and the adjoining takeaway-centric Chocolate Boutique. Visit the retail location downtown for treats that touch the sublime: salted caramel and chocolate tarts, triple-chocolate mousse, chocolate crème brûlée. Drive west to the 14,000-square-foot riverside factory for a tasting and tour to learn how the direct-source beans are farmed and refined. Friends and family will be pleased with a gift of hot chocolate mix or caramelized hazelnuts from the factory café.
Courtesy of Olive & Sinclair
Olive & Sinclair
Nashville, Tennessee
Creative confections with a Southern twist are on the menu at this East Nashville chocolate factory, including Mexican-style cinnamon chili chocolate bars, bourbon cacao nib brittle, and the signature duck fat caramels. Stop in on a Saturday for a tour of the factory to get a peek at the company’s old-fashioned bean-to-bar process (with tastings, of course). Many tools and vintage pieces, such as an antique granite mill and glass candy cabinet, date back to the building’s founding in 1890.
This article appears in the Winter 2025 issue of Southbound.
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