Chocolate Gems

This really is a gem. Cute little place that has a small town vibe. The thing that caught my eye was chocolate pasta… from my friend who also bought some and tried it, it’s not as amazing as it sounds, but maybe she didn’t try it with the suggested Nutella topping ;)
We got a few coffees and gelato here. They are by no means a fast-​service place, but it is quaint and charming. They had a chocolate spice coffee (which was actually a bit spicy) as well as an assortment of various chocolates… which are pretty pricey, but worth it.
We also got gelato to calm the flavor of the spicy coffee. We couldn’t decide on one flavor, so we got three! All were amazing! Would definitely go back here again whenever I am in town.

Stopped in for a bite of gelato to end our Saturday night on a sweet note. The place was completely empty, so we were a bit thrown off. The place is huge inside, with a handful of tables greeting you, but your attention is drawn to the enormous workspace [taking up ¾ of the inside] behind the counter. Tried a cup with cappuccino and hazelnut gelato, incredible! The cappuccino was incredibly rich and they melted as soon as they hit your tongue. If you don’t like bold flavors, you shouldn’t walk through the door. I’d love to try more products from Chocolate Gems before declaring them as good as it gets, but I’m definitely a fan of what I’ve tried so far!

Tonight my husband and I were on a search for cake! Came across the Chocolate Gem, decided to stop here because it was close to our parking spot. When we first entered we were disappointed to see not much of a selection of baked goods. The girl behind the counter was very helpful though. I had my first taste of chocolate pannacata, it was delicious! I just wish they had more of a selection. My husband settled for a chocolate cake made with fruit. They did have Gelato which looked homemade and delicious though!

Just WOW!!! I haven’t had gelato this good since visiting San Francisco as a child. Delicious gelato in the mountains of North Carolina? WHAT?
It’s open. You can watch the staff make treats. It’s super clean. The staff is really courteous and friendly.
I have already returned with my family. This will be a regular treat for us.

Chocolate Gems is truly a chocolate lover’s dream! So, there’s chocolate shops, where they may sell chocolates shipped in/​made somewhere else, and then there’s, CHOCOLATE SHOPS, where the product is a much higher quality handcrafted product made in house. Gem’s is definitely grouped in the latter category. The entire store is one enormous open kitchen flanked with display cases and filled with heavenly aromas.
My first experience was during a food tour, where we sampled some of their amazing chocolate gelato, blood orange sorbetto and a dark chocolate truffle. I have since returned to try more of their chocolates. The Pistachio Ganache is simply incredible! If you are a marzipan fan, you will love it! The Lavender Truffle is delicate and aromatic. The Margarita Truffle will both puzzle and please you taste buds.
Chocolate Gems is a place you should definitely check out if you’re looking to try some out some stellar truffles or gelato! I believe they also have a second location in Black Mountain.

I was really curious about Chocolate Gems, because it had a lot of wonderful reviews. In my heart, I was really hoping this place would be similar to a gelateria I used to frequent as a high-​school student in Durham. Used to be the best gelato in the world, and it came from a place that looked uncannily similar to Chocolate Gems on the inside. Shoulda known, you can’t go home again.
Chocolate Gems is absolutely cavernous inside. One of the bigger spots on Broadway, I’d wager. When I went in it was a Saturday afternoon, and I was the only soul in the place. I’m not sure how they pay the rent, but it’s really a nice location. They have kind of an open-​behind-​the-​counter area, where it looks like a lot of their basic prep work and espresso-​expressing gets accomplished. Everything was very clean and well-​maintained.
I ordered a small coffee gelato and an iced coffee. The bill came to just about 7 bucks, which struck me as kind of steep, but within normal range for truly outstanding local fare.
Usually in Asheville when you order iced coffee, you get a 20 ounce plastic cup of strong brewed coffee with 6 – 8 ounces of ice in it. Chocolate gems served theirs in a 10-​ounce juice glass, with 3 ice cubes floating in it, slightly warmer than room temperature. I noticed they don’t have a drip coffeemaker, so I assume this was a single shot Americano. It could probably have used another shot to make it worth the price. It tasted so weak, nutty, and over-​extracted that I might have assumed the bean-​mix for the espresso machine came from a plastic Folger’s container. I detected a strong whiff of robusta in the aroma, which is very unusual for Asheville. We’re an arabica town! (To be fair, I heard that Chocolate Gems actually gets their coffee from local coffee roasting powerhouse, Dynamite, which is usually pretty reliable.)
At any rate, regardless of the actual bean used, the experience of drinking a weak, miniscule, over-​priced, under-​iced Americano of unknown provenance was kinda meh.
The other thing that was kinda meh was the gelato I ordered. The texture was actually exactly right, but I detected an «off» flavor in this as well. It tasted like food that you leave out unwrapped in the fridge for too long. I don’t know if there’s a name for that flavor, but you know it when you taste it.
It’s possible that the only things you shouldn’t order in Chocolate Gems are things that I tried. It’s possible that, true to their name, the things that the chocolates will blow your mind. Unfortunately, I didn’t try everything in the shop, so I can’t speak to this possibility.
For the things that I ordered (which, it should be noted, were both at least nominally coffee based), they were 0-​for-​2.
Service, if anything, was marginally *over*-enthusiastic and friendly. Probably because I was the only person they had to wait on. I have no complaints about the service – honestly it was pretty good.
In conclusion: There might really be good things to eat here if you concentrate on chocolate, but I’m not immediately inclined to go back and find out for sure.

Merengue was fabulous, and their affogato drink was outstanding. Fantastic selection of chocolates but did not try any on our visit today. Fast and friendly service, would recommend stopping in if you are in the mood for a quick coffee or chocolatey snack