Sharona’s Chocolate Shop

Beautiful chocolate truffles and goodies to look at. We really liked the chocolate covered things in the store like cherry cordials and nut clusters. However we did not like the truffles. And unfortunately we purchased 8 which came out to almost $ 30. We prefer milk chocolate but got an assortment with dark as well. The milk chocolate was not melty, chocolatey goodness that we had expected. In fact all of our truffles had that tough exterior that we personally aren’t fond of. But more importantly there wasn’t a lot of flavor in the middles. If we didn’t know what flavors we had purchased, we wouldn’t be able to distinguish the flavors at all. Out of the 8 purchased only the strawberry tasted as expected. Cheesecake, lemon, etc. Truffle flavors that should have been pretty strong and obvious just were bland. IIt would have been nice to have been offered samples to begin with. We were only offered samples of non truffle stuff after asking. Will probably come for non-​truffles in future, however I am a little apprehensive after reading an older review for this place and seeing a pretty nasty response from the owner. It’s one thing to be proud of what you have created but another to declare yourself the best chocolatier and berate a customer in that fashion after spending money at your place and giving it a try.

They have dark chocolate covered bacon that’s to die for!
Their boxes of mixed chocolates are also very nice.

The most delicious chocolate ever. My boyfriend ordered these amazing apples and sinful strawberries for Valentine’s Day. They were delivered to my job in a beautiful box and were so amazing we’re ordering more just because lol thank you for making it so special and easy!

OMG so happy to have found this gem! They have such a large assortment of chocolates and great prices. I made three custom boxes and got to pick and choose from a huge variety (prices ranged from $ 0.50 — $ 3.75 per piece). I also got to sample a piece of my choice! Staff was so sweet. Chocolate was super tasty! Such a great gift. Will totally return

They make amazing chocolate truffles. I also tried a piece of chocolate made with some kind of chili and it was seriously spicy. The heat from the chili and sweet chocolate actually works well on the palate.

I recently came here for a marketing team meeting — after lunch team building event thing. Very nice chocolate store, Sharona and her staff were excellent. The chocolates were amazing! I just wish I didn’t eat such a heavy lunch or I would have gotten to eat more delicious chocolates.
Anyways, very nice store. Friendly service… I’d recommend this place to anyone who’s in San Mateo! Check them out!

I recently had my daughter’s 9^th birthday party here with their fondue and it was fantastic! First off, it is decorated so beautifully and was decadent for the girls.
There were huge vats of the amazing chocolate in Milk, Dark and White Chocolate with plenty of goodies to dip… and the chocolate was the type that hardens. Yes! The chocolate is amazing and the Raspberry Truffles that we got as party favors were out of this world!
The girl working, I believe it was Malia (prob spelled her name wrong), was so sweet and accommodating to us. She was very attentive and made the party my least stressful birthday party so far with kids.
I would easily go back to have a party with just us adults and leave the kiddos at home. Thank you so very much!

We had a chocolate making class at Sharona’s for a work group — and it was amazing! Not only do you get to make lots of different chocolates but there was plenty of items to dip, hot chocolate, coffee, and beverages. Sharona and her team did a great job teaching us how to make truffles, bark, dipped s’mores, and caramel apples. Everyone loved the event, and there was enough chocolate to take home that would last awhile. I’d love to do another girls event here — thank you Sharona and staff for a fun day!

I really, really enjoy this place a lot! We stopped by after an early dinner to introduce my boyfriend and my son to this delicious establishment. Rolling in, you automatically smell the beautiful smell of chocolate and pure deliciousness. The selection of chocolate treats are a little overwhelming for those of us who enjoy it so much. My son ended up with a raspberry macaroon and a scoop of Coconut Pineapple Gelato. It was awesome! The Coconut Pineapple Gelato had chunks of pineapple and shavings of Coconut, which went really well with the creaminess of the gelato. I’m not sure how that raspberry macaroon ended up, but I didn’t hear any complaints. My boyfriend had the Salted Caramel Gelato. Absolutely tasted just like salted caramel with a creamy silkiness. Delicious! He and I shared a tequila and salted caramel truffle. It was very, very creamy and totally melted in our mouths with a touch of saltiness. Beautiful! However, there was not even an essence of tequila, which was a little disappointing. The combination of tequila and chocolate is very nice, if done well. Unfortunately, there was none.
The young woman at the counter was very helpful, we asked her for her advice in our selections, and she gave very good recommendations.
Since my boyfriend and I are wheelchair users the accessibility was so-​so. The parking situation downtown San Mateo is horrendous, totally out of their control, so we parked in a parking structure near the chocolate shop and the restaurant we were going to. The space is a little tight if there are many people, including us with our wheelchairs in the shop. The glass case that the gelato is in is extremely high, and pretty impossible for us to reach in a wheelchair. The counter was a little high as well, although not as bad. The location is perfect, and very easy to find, as well as get to.
I remember when this place has recently opened, the owner of the shop was very sweet and I am so glad that they have been able to expand and have been able to remain in San Mateo. They also used to carry little gummy fruits that were super cute and super super yummy. I wonder what happened to them???
I definitely recommend everyone try this place if they have a sweet tooth. :-) I would’ve given it five stars if it wasn’t for the accessibility issues. Definitely a delicious establishment!

Best Carmel apple in the area! You pick the apple you want and they make it! If you’re in the downtown San Mateo area you gotta stop by! Friendly staff too :)

First time stopping in here & I was overwhelmed with all the deliciousness that filled the counters. The service was awesome — I only ordered a few things trying to be kind to my waistline & the sweet girl at the counter gave me to complimentary truffles & oh boy did they not disappoint at all! They were soooo amazing, rich, creamy… to die for. I almost wish she hadn’t given them to me so I won’t be craving them as I know it will be a frequent visit for me now.

I selected about $ 25 worth of chocolate — a pretty wide selection — and ended up throwing almost all of it out. Most of what I ordered just wasn’t enjoyable. At all. Beautiful to look at, certainly, but it seemed that a lack of flavor was being compensated for by way, way too much sweetness. I’m not sure the fudge I selected was even actual fudge — it wasn’t rich at all and lacked the typical thickness. I love chocolate and have a huge sweet tooth, but this was borderline inedible.
I would have given one star, but the young woman who helped me was one of the most pleasant people I’ve ever encountered in retail. Great hiring, poor chocolate.

I was so excited when a friend invited me to attend her wine and chocolate party at Sharona’s…because to me, those are great combinations! The shop was filled with candy and chocolates and in the back of the shop, there were several tables set up for the party. It was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers and delicious chocolate as part of the center pieces. We started off by dipping several food items, fresh strawberries, oreo cookies, marshmallows, and graham crackers into large pots of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate. We were all in chocolate heaven! We even dipped a large caramel apple into the chocolate! It’s definitely a fun place to go if you’re in the mood for chocolate!

This is my one stop shop for fine candies.
I’ve been shopping here for little over 2 years and have always had excellent service. Find it extremely difficult to comprehend these bad reviews about this store, these reviewers must have personal ego issues. I’m not one to make an appointment for anything, get things done when I can and Sharona’s staff has yet to let me down on any of my last minute requests.
9 times out of 10, I receive bad service around the Bay Area. But this is 1 place I can count on without a doubt.
I frequently purchase the chocolate covered: smores, oreos, marshmallows, strawberries, pretzels, honey comb etc.. Cannot beat the quality, freshness, nor the price.
My nieces and nephews can attest to these facts I’ve stated here.

Wonderful service —
I walked in and needed six
Dozen truffles
Sharona made them right there for me and they were
Not only delicious but also gorgeous

Hi. My name is Michelle and I’m a chocoholic…
I heard about Sharona’s when I was preparing for Outside Lands and had to check it out. Stepping inside the store smelled amazing. Two workers were in the back preparing truffles and they let me drool over their pots as I watched they concoct gorgeous looking treats. Up at the front Sharona was incredibly friendly and happy to let me sample some of her delicacies. She made some suggestions and in the end I found myself purchasing a piece or two more than I’d initially expected.
The truffles are huge and great to share. The smaller bites are also great and there are a few dozen options to try. Apparently she rotates them frequently. I’ll admit that I was a touch disappointed with the chocolate covered s’more. Granted I shouldn’t expect it to be like my childhood memories of camping.
Overall I like Sharona’s and would come in again to get some chocolate for a special occasion.

Thanks to FroyoGirl for being my tour guide of the peninsula when I was last in town
After lunch at Ramen Dojo, we wandered round town and Sharona’s caught our eye. It’s nice to support local businesses and Sharona’s is the epitome of one. A really fun chocolate shop with sweet treats sufficient to tempt Hansel and Gretel
It was almost halloween and they had a selection of seasonal treats, perfect for FroyoGirl to stock up for the holiday. The staff were very helpful with her queries
Recommended!

Decadent! Sharona is THE place for TRUFFLES! I come here to get my dark chocolate fix and especially when I have parties and gifts that needs a few sweet things. I suggest trying her macaroon ice cream sandwich — they are out of this world. The mango one is sinful. Try her mocha truffle and her salted caramel — they are delicious. Sharona has a huge selections of chocolates that is sure to please everyone.
Cheers! :p

I’ve been forced to write this review again as Unilocal felt the need to remove my previous one because of ”Promotional content”. I can only assume that the content they were referring to was that I purchased some Truffles from Sharona’s and pointed out that they were creations of another Chocolatier. Seems very silly to remove a review for that. If it was such a concern that this content made it into reviews why was the store selling them in the first place? Bit of a grey area if you ask me.
Anyhow, this has led me to re-​write omitting any content that can be deemed as promotional, leaving no reason for Unilocal to remove my review again.
I may also note that this removal came within a day of the owner contacting me and asking that I remove my review presumably because it was less than stellar. Shady!
In that message the owner tried telling me that I couldn’t possibly find the Chocolates chalky because they use a popular brand name Chocolate to make their Chocolates. This brand of Chocolate really doesn’t mean that much as there are many different varieties, tastes and textures which depend a lot on the amount of Cacao cream and Milk used in producing it. Also, just because some may like the taste and texture of the brand used doesn’t mean everybody does.
It’s also useful to know they don’t make their own Chocolate as I always thought they did.
Anyway, I have been to Sharona’s 3 times and it was actually after the first time I said I wouldn’t return but I’m all for giving a place another chance but I was left less than impressed on each occasion.
First trip I purchased a small selection from the display case with various centers. Neither myself nor my Husband liked them and found them to be of chalky texture with no real prominent flavor. Nonetheless, on a more recent visit I again tried them only to feel exactly the same about them.
Another trip I purchased what I thought were S’mores (that’s what I asked for) One in white chocolate and one in Milk, again both were chalky and the white had nothing but a few tiny Marshmallows in and the Milk a few Marshmallows and a tiny bit of Caramel. I was hugely disappointed and quite disgusted at the taste that both went in the trash after 2 bites.
Well, according to the message that the owner sent me she implied that what I actually had was their Rocky Road. It could well have been and if that is the case then maybe they need to look at retraining the staff as it was not what I asked for.
I also purchased the above mentioned Truffles from here which I did enjoy but upon inspecting the wrapper I discovered that they were not even made by Sharona’s but another Chocolatier. According to the message I received they no longer sell these now which explains why I could not see them on my last visit. That’s a real shame as the only good thing I thought Sharona’s had going for them they no longer do.
Yes, the store is cute and they do have a large selection but I just found that the quality wasn’t there.
*** I find it HILARIOUS that after posting this reviews from brand new members post 5 star reviews personally attacking me just because I don’t like something. Suspicious. There were other 1 and 2 star reviews that vanished overnight too so it’s not just me.
The owners response is also laughable. Accusing me of going around writing nothing but negative reviews. Honestly? Out of 700+ reviews I have posted just 13% are less than 3 stars and close to 60% are 4 or 5 stars. All correspondence i have had with business owners up until now has been nothing but positive with them thanking me for writing positive reviews.
Personally attacking someone telling them they need therapy and getting their friends to do the same is not at all how a business owner should behave. I think if Sharona spent less time getting peoples reviews removed and more time improving on the factors people didn’t like her business would be a lot more successful. Just a thought ;)

As a Bay Area native, I confess I mourned the passing of the See’s Candies that had been in this location for a long time. But truth be told, I sort of knew it would happen eventually; there’s a See’s at the mall, rent downtown can be pricy, and the service was, at best, meh.
For this reason, this loyalty to See’s made me reluctant to enter Sharona’s for a while. But tales of fondue parties and locally made chocolates eventually drew me in. And once I’d entered, I no longer rued the passing of (this) See’s.
Ya see, Sharona’s local, too. And she makes some pretty fantastic chocolates! I love the big candy cups filled with chocolate and peanuts or almonds. But you’ll also find gorgeous truffles in many different flavors. If those don’t suit you, never you worry; you’ll find SOMETHING, because she offers quite the selection.
More of a bar person? Sharona makes bars! And she sells super brands like TCHO (watch out for the Blue Bottle Mokacchino bar!), Moonstruck, and Chocolove — with several varieties available.
Not into chocolate? Well, there’s something for you, too! Gelato! And macarons! Not sure where she sources those, but they were cute, too.
And… parties. If you want chocolate decadence, arrange a party here. For a fairly reasonable price per head, you’ll have tons* (OK, I doubt it’s «tons,» but you get my meaning) of chocolate and dippers at your disposal. I haven’t done so yet, but man… sounds like an experience to me!
If you’re downtown and need a chocolate fix, stop into Sharona’s. Tasty goodness to suit just about anyone’s chocolate cravings!