I stumbled on this little gem of a chocolate shop and picked out 10 different chocolates for my dinner guests. The flavor combinations were wonderfully innovative and delicious. The packaging and artistry are beautiful. All my guests raved about these exquisite delightful treats. The chocolatier/owner was helpful, informative and far to modest for the brilliant products he creates. I find it hard to believe he does not have a culinary or artistic background as he claimed.
Annie M.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Vancouver, Canada
Gem Chocolate is located on 41st Ave at Kerrisdale area. It’s real gem! They got 4th consecutive year award for The Best Chocolatiers and Confectioners in America 2015 again! Congratulations to GEM! I really like French designed chocolate and handmade natural ingredients chocolate! If you like the Lavender chocolate, I would say they make the best lavender chocolate in town! I bought a small box of chocolate, Dots D’orange, Irish, Lavender Love and Dark Chocolate! They’re all delicious! Besides handcrafted chocolate, the fair trade organic chocolate bar is an option too! Matcha Black Sesame chocolate bar — It’s very creamy and sweet. Sea salt — It’s mediocre. French lavender –It’s smooth with light lavender flavour. However, the staff/owner need to be more friendly!
Kate K.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Downtown, Vancouver, Canada
I was very lucky to meet Glenn, the chocolatier and he shared his passion for making chocolate and his business. I instantly fell in love with his masterpieces as I had a small bite. Next time you visit the store, ask him about his story. It’s quite unique and inspiring like his organic artisan chocolates.
Shila B.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Vancouver, Canada
Very bright with whites and blues. Organized and welcoming artisan chocolates. Such great combination of flavors with nice decorations. This isn’t your cheap chocolate place but totally worth it for that special someone. Great customer service.
Flo K.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Vancouver, Canada
This is my favourite chocoletier in Vancouver. I’ve been trying to find good chocolates in Vancouver for quite some time now and this is it. All their chocolates are made in house by the chef who you will see in store. I love that their chocolates are all sugar free, without preservatives, organic and fair trade. What more could you ask for as a Vancouverite? I order the chocolates to go in a bag and pick flavours that interest me. They all taste amazing but here are some of my favourites: — Matcha — Maple and Caramel — Jasmine — Basil and lemon — Blueberry — Earl grey The prices do add up from $ 1.69-$ 1.75 a piece so I usually can’t afford too many… But I do splurge here once in a while just to show my support! Keep up the good work Gem Chocolates and please don’t ever leave Kerrisdale!
Jason W.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Vancouver, Canada
OHMYGOD! you need to come try Glenn’s Blueberry Milk Chocolate Ganache & Caramel Sea Salt chocolate. the price is affordable if you are looking for premium/high end chocolates. I would definitely suggest to everyone to come here over Thomas Haas as you get to speak with the chocolatier personally. At GEM’s, there’s a wide selection from Gelato, Coffees & Teas, milk, white & dark chocolate and also chocolate covered nuts. Advice: even if you don’t live in Vancouver, Glenn also does shipping, both nationally and internationally.
Justin L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Los Angeles, CA
The friendly and knowledge owner recommended several flavors from his treasure chest of sweet treats. I chose the caramel cream, basil, and blueberry ones. Each was exquisite. These chocolate gems are $ 1.75 a pop, but that seems to be standard fare these days for such luxury goods. If you’re looking for something way better than Purdy’s…
Kassi L.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Vancouver, Canada
The chocolates here are so rich and delicious, I absolutely love them! I tried the Mango-YaYa, Marble Crunch, and Frost, and they were all very good. All the chocolates are so beautifully decorated, and the shop it self is really nice as well. I also had some gelato, and it was very smooth and creamy. Service here is great, the man that was serving me was very friendly and was very knowledgable about his products, you can tell that he is passionate about what he does. Next time, I will try more chocolates and perhaps, try their coffee and hot chocolate. Recommended!
Angela L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Vancouver, Canada
Driving through Kerrisdale on the way to a meeting, my co-meeter(a new word I’ve just invented) and I dropped into Gem Chocolates on a whim for a quick pick-me-up hot beverage. «CHOCOLATE! WHAT’S THATPLACE!» I shouted, as the storefront caught my eye from the window of the vehicle. They advertise themselves as offering handmade, artisan chocolates made from organic, fair trade and Rainforest Alliance certified Belgian chocolate blended with natural ingredients, with new and seasonal offerings regularly added. The chocolates on display were stunning, and they also offer gelato. They serve a range of Mighty Leaf teas as well as espresso-based coffee beverages. I’m didn’t inquire as to what beans they use since I was grabbing a tea, but the coffee was proclaimed to be satisfactory. Service was not outstanding; granted, it was the end of the day and I was pretty tired and awkward myself. As for ambiance, there’s a couple of stools available at the shop, but it’s not really a place you’d want to stay and make yourself comfortable. Their chocolates are available in a wide variety of flavours, and I selected two to sample, the Praline and the Berry Blue, which is described as «a rooibos blueberry tea infusion in milk chocolate ganache». Of the two, I preferred the Berry Blue, and I’m tempted to say(from my extremely limited sampling) that the more exotic flavours are probably better bets here, since the unit cost is higher than one is probably used to paying for chocolates and the«ordinary» flavours, like Praline, are not really mind-blowing. The texture of the chocolates was not as smooth as other chocolates I’ve sampled, most recently the ones from Beta 5. I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to pick up chocolates from here, but it’s nice to know that I have options when it comes to artfully decorated and imaginatively flavoured chocolate delights. Prices are high, then again, it’s probably worth it for the occasional gift for that special someone in your life, because nothing says«you’re awesome» quite like«I just spent $ 20 on a small box of beautiful edible art pieces for you to devour»(protip: my special someone is myself).