The best chocolate shops in Los Angeles

Walking into Jonathan Grahm's Compartés Chocolatier is a lot like entering a museum gift shop. Shelves are stacked with beautifully printed bars of chocolate, adorned with wallpaper-like wrapping that reflects the content's flavor profile—Buddha is featured on a Tibetan Goji almond bar, African wildlife wrap the Kenyan coffee cocao nib bar, and so on. Just as beautiful are the chocolates themselves. Truffle tops are printed with colorful swirls, plaid and more, making the buyer question whether they're picking up art or chocolate. Yet there is something for the traditionalist, too: turtles and chocolate-dipped orange peels are among Compartés top sellers.

To the chronic klutzes among us, John Kelly Chocolates may feel like a China shop: One wrong move and you could send the perfectly stacked boxes of chocolate tumbling. At both Hollywood and Santa Monica locations, a small glass display holds the confections, where the most popular selection—sea-salt sprinkled truffles—sit triumphantly on top. While there is not a heavy focus on design, individual pieces pack a punch. John Kelly's claim to fame is Truffle Fudge, a heavenly mash-up between the two sweets that seems to weigh a pound in your hand and are even more decadent once you take a bite.

It may take a while before finally ripping open a bar of MAST Brothers Chocolate—the wrapping itself is eye candy, and often uses local artists to create vibrant patterns—but you'll be rewarded once you do. Though flavors can be exotic, like Miso & Sesame, Horchata and Popcorn, the ingredients on the back are refreshingly simple, with some bars having only two ingredients: cacao and cane sugar. The Brooklyn transplant has a factory in Downtown L.A. that offers tours and plenty of samples, making it easy to try before you buy.

With a spot secured in Grand Central Market; a tea house and bakery in Echo Park; a cookbook, Sweet; and a recently-expanded boutique in Westlake, Valerie Confections is a household name in Los Angeles when it comes to chocolates. Regardless of location, you'll find yourself faced with the difficult decision of what to buy once you arrive. Hint: the elegant petit fours, which are perfect for the cake-obsessed (we recommend the stout truffle and Earl Grey variety). If you know you can't live without Valerie's, consider signing up for one of the bakery's subscription services.

Vodka balls? Say no more. K Chocolatier by Diane Krön has been serving gourmet chocolate to the Los Angeles community since the 1970s, with both Beverly Hills and Malibu locations churning out truffles, snowballs and her famous K Bears (white, dark, and milk chocolate-covered crispy rice in the shape of teddy bears). The chocolate is made daily using Krön's Hungarian family recipe, and whatever the secret ingredient is, it seems to be working. Dubbed the "Rolls Royce of Chocolates," K Chocolatier was the go-to shop for the likes of Andy Warhol and Estee Lauder, and has maintained its top-tier status ever since.

As a family business following original family recipes since 1935, Mignon Chocolate may have been tempted to settle into a chocolate-y routine. Instead, the Glendale and Pasadena chocolate shops feature the Cuban Mojito, a refreshing chocolate shell filled with minty ganache, and the Chili Pepper, a fan favorite that is both sweet and savory. While the contemporary flavors may be enticing, the Tiramisu truffle packs the classic Italian dessert into a succint ball of chocolate-y goodness that will have you saying, "Ti amo, ti amo!" What we're getting at is this: When it comes to flavor, this SGV staple takes risks without sacrificing quality.

ChocoVivo is the first bean-to-bar shop in L.A. with all of the chocolate stone-ground in the shop's kitchen. Founder Patricia Tsai is a purist and all her chocolates are free of fillers, flavorings or added cacao butter, giving the treats a more granular, earthy texture. The shop acts more like a community space and tasting room, where guests can concoct their own sipping chocolate at the chocolate drink bar, or try one, three or six samples of chocolate at the tasting bar. We recommend the Mayan Tradition or Coffee + Vanilla Bean blended chocolate bar. A trip to ChocoVivo for one of its frequent tasting events—past themes have included wine and whiskey pairings and s'mores nights—may be just as rewarding as a bar of Tsai's organic stone-ground chocolate.

Despite calling themselves a Hollywood institution (the iconic I Love Lucy scene where Lucille and Ethel stuff their faces with chocolate off the conveyor belt was inspired by this store), stepping into Edelweiss Chocolates is more like taking a trip to the Swiss Alps. Since 1942, the chocolatier has crafted quality truffles, fudge and more in the factory that sits behind the shop—though it is close enough that an aroma of intense sweetness hits you as soon as you enter. There are no fancy art-deco chocolate prints on site, but sometimes sticking to the basics is necessary: a good old-fashioned Swiss truffle is done right here, and really, how much more complicated does a truffle need to be?

Among the many perks Angelenos can brag about—perfect weather, beaches galore, quality burritos—the accessibility of See's Candies should be near the top of the list. The L.A. institution, founded in 1921 by Charles See; his mother, Mary; and his wife, Florence, still maintains its flagship store and factory on La Cienega, where visitors come for the samples and stay for a box of hand-picked truffles and fudge. As for the chocolate shop's staying power: You know they've done something right when your East Coast relatives demand a box as soon as you step off the plane. Don't forget to add the Scotchmallows, Milk Buttercreams and California Brittle when curating your own.