SWISS CHOCOLATE ON THE CAPITOL SQUARE
Right outside our door, behind an unassuming storefront, is Candinas Chocolates. Candinas is a perennial favorite of Consumer Reports and while you might not typically take your luxury dessert recommendations from a publication that rates washing machines, I can personally attest to the worthiness of this chocolate for national recognition.
Artisan chocolate maker Markus Candinas grew up in Madison and learned his craft in his parents’ home country of Switzerland so these little candies of his are smooth and they melt in your mouth in a way that you always knew chocolate should. Candinas makes his chocolates in Verona, a Madison suburb, and sells them at his home base as well as a boutique on the Capitol Square. The store isn’t what people typically expect. Candinas’ focus is on the eating experience rather than the shopping experience. There are no glass cases with rows of treats to be selected and weighed. No brightly colored frilly paper for wrapping. Instead you see a simple stack of boxed chocolates. All prepared and waiting for you to bypass the hemming and hawing and picking and choosing and go right to the eating.
You can purchase Candinas Chocolate online but because the candy contains no preservatives expedient shipping is required and is pricey (can reach $25). Consumer Reports attests to the worthiness of the charge but those on Madison’s Capitol Square can skip the shipping fee and spend more on chocolate. Lucky you!
In addition to Markus Candinas, Madison enjoys more incredibly talented chocolatiers so this won’t be last you read of chocolate on this blog.
11 W. Main Street, Madison
