Dancing Lion Chocolate

Rick is a great guy. He makes rel New York Egg Creams and wonderful chocolate drinks and goodies

I drank spicy coffee chocolate 2 times a day while I was there for 3 days. It’s exceptionally good and the owner, Rich is very friendly and nice. I’m happy to say that this is one of the best places for coffee. Instead of going to StarBucks, I rather visit here daily for my drink. Yes, the price is a bit high but it’s well worth it for the exceptional service and high quality drink.

I learned more about chocolate in 30 minutes than I have in 30 years prior to visiting the dancing lion. Amazing place. Try the hot drinking chocolate.

All I can say is OMG !!! People are awesome, chocolate is amazing and beautiful. Unique and fabulous

This place has been here apparently 4 years, we’ve never seen this place before. This guy makes magic in a cup! We’ll definitely be back. This place is amazing. You have to check it out.

Rich puts thought and hard work with love into his creations. Consistent in being a great experience. Staff has great knowledge and experience. Keeps people off talking on cell phone in the store, which I do sometimes when he is in the back, but it is a great atmosphere.

I love, love, love their chocolate. They have interesting flavor combinations for their candies and their baked goods are as good as it gets. I absolutely swoon over their chocolate croissants.
Worth a trip from anywhere.

I love Dancing Lion. I’m from Boston, but my friend who works in Manchester introduced me to it a couple of years ago. Now my boyfriend and I find any excuse we can to visit.
It’s an adorable little shop, really classy-​looking and cozy. The service is fantastic. The hot chocolate is always great, and there are always baked treats and new truffles to enjoy. The hot chocolate is made in a traditional way with water, so it can be a little off-​putting to people who are used to the Swiss Miss type stuff, but it’s totally worth it to experience this style. Many of the truffles you see here are made once and never made again, so you’re always trying something unique and often seasonal.
The owner, Richard, is extremely passionate about chocolate. I love chatting with him. He’s always around to answer questions and give advice. If you’re lucky, he might even give you something he’s been working on to try/​sample! I’ve taken a truffle-​making class here and he presented everything very well and I feel like I have a solid grasp on basic ganache and basic tempering.
Try the mallorca! It’s a sweet breakfast sandwich and it’s amazing!

I happened upon this place by accident. You would not expect this type of boutique shop in Manchester. I thought it was a typical chocolate shop but it is a bit more than that. They sell small batch chocolate depending on the ingredients at the time. The owner is very happy to explain their concept and what is in the chocolate. I tried the drinking chocolate, which is an experience of its own. The owner put together a sample box based on my tastes. It was a very pleasant experience and the chocolate is quite good. They have flavors I doubt you’ve had in chocolate before. It is pricey but worth it. Think of it as buying custom furniture over Bob’s or Jordan’s.

A must stop if you’re in Manchester. You have to try the drinking chocolate. It is exquisite — like nothing I’ve ever tried before!

This chocolate shop was my must visit list. It was actually the second and last stop before we headed home after helping my brother move into his new apartment in Manchester! They have wonderful chocolate! I especially loved my chai chocolate bar — the price was worth it! I’d definitely get it again next time! Cute little shop with a knowledgeable, pleasant employee working the front. I wish I had the time for some drinking chocolate but we were rushed for time.

While visiting a friend in Manchester found this place on Unilocal.I got the espresso with sipping chocolate… Dang!!! Super Good! This place is all about the Art of Chocolate and they do it well. They even have artistic painted bars of chocolate!
I got to chat with the owner Richard Tango-​Lowy, super nice guy that is very passionate about his craft and is working directly with Cocoa farmers around the world to educate and train them in producing the best cocoa possible. International development through Great Chocolate, that’s a great business right there. If your in Manchester, this place is a must visit.

The owner is a interesting human being. He’s devoted his entire life to the world of chocolate. He’s studied chocolate abroad in France and takes frequent trip to Latin American to meet with cocoa bean famers. This is passion. He’s serious about chocolate. That’s why you will pay the premium for the best quality chocolate sold in Southern, NH.
Give Dancing Lion a try.

I love this place. Their drinking chocolate is out of this world. Great spot for a date. Cute lunch menu. Beautiful chocolates. Chocolates can be pricey, but handcrafted and artisanal. We love this place.

I like chocolate.
Okay, okay. I mean, many people like chocolate. But when I say «I like chocolate» I mean that I have a bite pretty much every day and it often makes an appearance starting as early as breakfast. Don’t judge! I also mean that when I travel to a new city, I always Unilocal «chocolate shop» and bring home some «souvenirs» from the best one.
So when my sister sent me a link to Dancing Lion’s website a few years ago, I knew I needed to check out these beauties next time I was back up visiting my home state.
When I first found out about Dancing Lion they were closed on Sundays and Mondays and since my trips up North are usually Saturday night through Monday Dancing Lion eluded me. Until one day when I got in early enough to speed across town on a Saturday as soon as I deplaned (sorry, family — you can wait to see me, but chocolate can’t!). What I found was a very small shop with a fairly small but perfect selection; while it’s sophisticated there’s zero pretention. The owner cares SO much about his customers and makes an effort to know everyone by name and can talk passionately about whatever special items are in the case that day. The other employees get just as excited when customers ask them questions.
And then they started being open on Monday for breakfast and my life was forever changed. Now I never have to miss out on my trips to town and I always stock up with enough treats for my next visit. Plus I can start my day with a beautiful chocolate croissant that way!
Yes, it can be pricey. With that said, this truly is art — expertly crafted, shaped, decorated — and is made with specially-​sourced chocolate. It’s a local business. And if I spend that much on chocolate I make it last — I’m not going to binge-​eat it like I would M&Ms or something. When I splurge and buy a $ 22 Sel bar (my personal favorite bar) I will eat it in small enough pieces that it will last me several weeks. Better for my wallet and my waistline.
So stop in. Eat with your eyes and then savor whatever morsels you treat yourself to. They are forever changing, so every visit is different. As I mentioned, I’m a huge fan of the Sel bar, but everything I’ve had from the decadent brownies to the chocolate bars to the bonbons has been amazing. I haven’t tried any of their beverages yet (I always go next door for coffee for whatever reason), but one of these days I will. And one of these days their amazing-​sounding lunches will stop eluding me — I need to make it to town during the week! I’m also dying to take one of their classes! I’m a pretty skilled cook, generally, but getting a chocolate lesson would be a ton of fun.
Thank you, Dancing Lion, for putting a smile on my face every time I get to come in!

The handmade chocolate bars and truffles at Dancing Lion are stunning — true works of art. They are also very expensive, but you’re paying for the appearance, since the chocolate itself wasn’t noticeably better than other specialty chocolates. They are selling a novelty, really. It’s the kind of thing you buy as a gift as a conversation piece, not to enjoy the chocolate itself. Don’t get me wrong; the chocolates I tasted were delicious, but not to the tune of $ 15 for an average sized bar.
The Mayan drinking chocolate was disappointing. It tasted quite watered down, which isn’t totally surprising because it was served in a huge cup, and a serving that big of proper drinking chocolate would have been completely overwhelming. There also were papery clumps in my drinking chocolate — not clumps of chocolate, but actual shreds of something papery that wouldn’t break down. Not sure if that is supposed to be part of it, but it was pretty icky.
If I lived in Manchester, this would be the kind of place I’d take all my visiting friends to impress them. But I’d probably encourage more looking than actual tasting.

I read the fantastic reviews about this place, and wanted to stop by and see for myself while driving through the area.
I thought it was cute and interesting, but I wasn’t blown away. There were some really creative and beautiful chocolates, for high prices (example: you could buy a small, edible «gift box» made of chocolate, for about $ 45).
I do have to say the chocolate bars were very pretty for the most part– decorated with iridescent glazes and floral designs and such– and I’m sure they were tasty. My friend decided to buy something less pretty, but marked as a rare Guatemalan chocolate bar, for $ 15. It was tiny, and he ate it in a few bites, and said it was «ok». He said the $ 6 organic chocolate he gets from Whole Foods was better.
I tried one of the brownies I’d seen, and I did think it was really good. It was only 3.50, and apparently gluten-​free, so I was impressed with that.
Perhaps if I’d tried the drinking chocolate I would be slightly more impressed, since I hear that’s very good. I do have to give kudos for the talented artist creating the decorative confections I saw.

People of Manchester, you are seriously fortunate to have this in your city!
Stopped in for Vday goodies and decided to try the croissant. Well worth the calories. They are amazing. Just as delish as the croissants I’ve enjoyed in France.
The place is so charming and filled with exotic chocolates. My afternoon was made complete when the über friendly woman behind the counter informed me lunch is served daily and is completely vegetarian!
Nice to find exceptional people displaying their exceptional talents…

My wife and I were finally able to stop into Dancing Lion Chocolate. We were greeted immediately by Richard, who was very informative about how he makes the drinking chocolates, chocolates, and the croissants.
Luckily, the croissants had just finished baking when we arrived. I had one of them plain, along with a cup of dark drinking chocolate. The croissant was a perfect mixture of flaky and buttery, and was quite possibly the best croissant I’ve ever had. The drinking chocolate was amazing and you could tell it was made with real chocolate. It’s made with water, but it has a bit of a thicker mouth feel than your typical hot chocolate.
Due to the holidays, the chef was not in, but my wife and I are looking forward to checking out lunch here one day soon. It says something of Richard’s work ethic that he was still there even after giving the chef the week off. I will definitely be returning here.
Update:
We returned today (1÷3÷14) for a frothy bowl of drinking chocolate and without a doubt the best brownie I have ever enjoyed. We were again met with extremely friendly and great service.

I wanted plain croissants to serve at a family brunch, but the other bakery I went to ran out, BOO! Luckily for me Dancing Lion was nearby so I stopped on by. Thank goodness I came here because if I had not, then I would have never known about their flaky, buttery croissants!
When you walk in you’ll notice how warm and inviting the employees are. I was promptly greeted and encouraged to ask any questions that I may have. The associate informed me of their varieties of chocolate and where their ingredients are sourced from. The display case of chocolates looked so tempting that I totally wanted to stick my hand in there and swipe chocolate pieces one by one. With great restraint, I pointed and made my selections.
Since I was in a time crunch, I couldn’t taste anything until I got back to my destination. Back home I was able to sink my teeth into a piece of croissant and it was amazing! What I appreciate most is that there wasn’t a weird shortening aftertaste that other bakeries use to make their croissants flaky. As for the chocolate, totally decadent.
Next time I’m back in Manchester, I’m going to definitely sign up for one of their «how to bake» croissant courses. YUM!