6 BEST Chocolate Shops In Lima, Peru
If you are visiting Peru, you better eat some delicious chocolate in Lima. Keep reading for the best chocolate shops in Lima with reviews of my favorite chocolate experiences.
Lima: A Chocolate Connoisseur’s Dream
Peruvian chocolate is special. The nuances in flavors and richness make the chocolate products from Peru a delightful spectacle. Most Peruvian cacao is exported with the good stuff to be made by other countries.
Luckily, chocolatiers in Peru are masters of their craft, creating delicious chocolates that rival the best in the world. Tasting Peruvian chocolate for myself left me wonderfully surprised with the chocolate’s complex characteristics leaving me more curious and wanting to try more.
I thought finding more chocolate would be easier with chocolate shops on every corner in Lima, but I only found a scarcity leaving me no choice but to go on a vicious chocolate hunt. So, I created this list to help food obsessed travelers wanting to find the best chocolate in Lima.
Out of all the top things to do in Lima, Peru, I believe finding your favorite chocolate should stay at the top of your list. It’s inexpensive, fun, and delicious. Even the best restaurants in Lima find ways to showcase the chocolate through unique desserts.
Now, understand that these best chocolate shops in Lima are all unique with different approaches to Peruvian chocolate. Read each review and take your pick!
1. El Cacaotal – Best Chocolate In Lima
Going to El Cacaotal was one of the best decisions I made during my month long stay in Lima, Peru.
Located on the top floor of Ciclos Cafe, El Cacaotal embodies everything great about specialty chocolate shops. The varieties, education, and customer service at El Cacaotal helped me understand Peruvian chocolate and what to expect in the different regions and bean varieties throughout the country.
When my wife and I first visited, employees enthusiastically greeted us and asked if we were there for coffee or chocolate. The chocolate, please and thank you.
One of the employees walked us upstairs to their chocolate room where they displayed a huge variety of curated chocolate from small batch producers from around Peru.
Travelers will feel the power of chocolate emanating from the shelves like radioactive coco plutonium. Take me now while in this chocolatey bliss!
He walked us through the different regions of Peru and what to expect from their flavors. We decided on the Piura Region for chocolates with a natural fruity flavor.
The first bites ignited my taste buds and took me to a new place entirely, floating to new heights with this chocolatey sensation. The 70% dark chocolate bar from Scrap & Chocolates tasted truly remarkable with a fruity expression of dried cherries but made without any fruit.
A gastronomically sublime experience, we bought four different types of chocolate and regret nothing.
Also, I highly recommend the coffee here as well, downstairs at the Ciclos Cafe. They change their beans every day so you have a completely new coffee experience every time you visit. You don’t want to miss this place.
El Cacaotal Jr. Colina 111, Barranco 15063, Peru
2. Lima ChocoMuseo – Best Chocolate Education And Interaction In Lima
With several prominent locations throughout the city, Lima ChocoMuseo (Lima Chocolate Museum) showcases a huge variety of chocolates produced in house sourcing their beans from various countries.
Moving beyond the conventional dark chocolates, Lima Chocolate Museum creates chocolate liquors, shampoos, beauty products, and almost every type of edible chocolate imaginable.
Although I wouldn’t call this a real “museum” with exhibits, the Lima Chocolate Museum is still a fun activity with plenty to see and explore. No Willy Wonka, but that’s fine by me. They still have more chocolate than I could ever eat in a lifetime.
Besides the ability to gorge yourself silly, the Lima Chocolate Museum offers interactive workshops where participants make their own chocolates from the beans!
They even offer free educational tours about the whole chocolate production process where visitors learn about the cocoa beans, how they grow, and how chocolate is made.
Although I did enjoy the chocolate, I think there are better bars of chocolate elsewhere in Lima. I think the Lima Chocolate Museum is perfect for families with children wanting to learn about one of their favorite candies. For the avid chocoholic, better bars are waiting ahead.
ChocoMuseo (Multiple Locations) Diagonal 400 Entrada, Pje. San Ramón, Miraflores 15074, Peru
3. Sra. Buendia – House Made Chocolates In Lima
Located in Miraflores, Sra. Buendia is a chocolate shop showcasing house made chocolates and sugar shelled treats called Tejas. Although I love dark chocolate bars, I needed something more substantial to curb my cravings and Sra. Buendia gave me exactly what I asked for with cream and nut filled milk chocolates that hit every major flavor profile.
I went into the small chocolate shop with about thirty different varieties of chocolates and tejas available for me to try. Of course, I didn’t know what to expect, and biting into my first chocolate came with a wonderful sensation of milk chocolatey goodness and a relieving “thank goodness” reaction because it was exactly what I needed.
My favorite chocolate was filled with pecans, creating one of my favorite chocolate pairings to date. Crunchy and melt in your mouth delicious, these pecan chocolates would make the perfect “I’m sorry” gift for the next time I upset my wife. Too bad I can’t get these in the U.S.
Sra. Buendía Av. Ernesto Diez Canseco 306, Miraflores 15074, Peru
4. Helena Chocolates – Must Try Cakes And Chocotejas
My first experience with Helena Chocolates came from buying a box of Chocotejas at the local grocery store not far from our apartment in Lima. The chocolate morsels come filled with all sorts of sweet goodness like orange, pecan, guava, and many more.
With the different flavors, I plowed through the box like a kid fresh out of fat camp, double fisting chocolates into my mouth like they would run away if I didn’t eat fast enough.
I can see why these became a hit when the founder Elena Soler started her sweets shop in 1975. Since then, multiple locations sprouted up across Peru and even the United States.
Located on the north side of Miraflores, Helena Chocolates opened a cafe serving their incredible chocolates along with coffee and chocolate cakes.
Walking into the cafe was delightful with a strong aroma of chocolate dominating the whole cafe. My kind of cologne.
We ordered a latte, Mochaccino cake, and a Cafe Bombon, a cappuccino made with condensed milk, garnished with chantilly cream, chocolate shavings, and a Helena chocolate truffle on top.
The cake and latte were both perfect, but the standout flavors came from the Cafe Bombon. A creative coffee concoction, the Cafe Bombon played between coffee aromas and sweet creamy dessert. The chocolate truffle was a nice addition, giving me bites of chocolate richness between sips.
If you visit Helena Chocolates, be sure to grab an assortment of their Tejas and Chocotejas to enjoy in your room. Although it sounds strange, my favorite was the Prune Chocotejas which projected a sweet umami from the dried prune.
Helena Chocolates Av. Sta. Cruz 905, Miraflores 15074, Peru
5. La Iberica – Lima Chocolate Shop With The Most Locations
Almost every corner store and supermarket carry some variety of La Iberica chocolate with the most common being their milk and dark chocolate bars. If you are short on time but want to try Peruvian chocolate, here is your easiest option.
What I found amazing about La Iberica chocolates came from going to one of their independent chocolate shops sprinkled throughout the city.
There I bought a milk chocolate bar with caramelized chestnuts. Unbelievably delicious. The chocolate itself was wonderfully creamy but still complex with the caramelized chestnuts having a shatter like crunch with each bite. I found the experience similar to chocolates filled with toffee chunks minus getting pieces getting stuck in your teeth.
If you are in Lima for only a short while, there is most likely a La Iberica close to you, so you have no excuse for skipping delicious Peruvian chocolate.
La Ibérica (Multiple Locations) Centro Comercial Larcomar, Tienda, Mal. del Parque Salazar 610, Miraflores 15074, Peru
6. Puku Puku – Amazing Cafe With A Great Chocolate Selection
If you love coffee then Puku Puku will be your best friend. One of the most prominent coffee shops in Lima, Puku Puku is first and foremost a cafe, but its location in San Isidro showcases a market with all sorts of Peruvian goodies.
I stopped into Puku Puku on a whim when passing by their open front door and a beautiful scent of coffee pulled me to the front counter.
I grabbed a latte and browsed their wide selection of coffees and delicious treats when I saw a whole shelf filled with chocolate. With many different varieties and brands of chocolate in Peru, no place can carry them all. I was glad to see the selection and made sure to buy a few options that fit my cravings.
Since options for buying specialty chocolates are limited, take advantage if you are close by.
Puku Puku Av. Pardo y Aliaga 695, San Isidro 15073, Peru
Conclusion: EAT MORE CHOCOLATE IN LIMA, PERU
Any visit to Lima will be filled to the brim with delicious food with some of the world’s best restaurants and of course, some of the world’s best chocolate. With the diverse climate and terrain, the chocolate coming from Peru rivals the very best in the world, creating complex and rich flavors.
When you visit, be sure to try at least one of these best chocolate shops in Lima and see which options are your favorite. Now is your time to try chocolates you can’t find outside of Peru, and may never have the chance to eat ever again. Take your time and sample as many chocolates as possible during your stay in Lima.
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Chris Kretzer has traveled the world visiting over 35 countries and eating his way through every city. With his wife Tiarra, they explore different food cultures and create food guides, podcasts, and travel articles helping everyone experience the world through food.