Kilwin’s Chocolates of St Armands

No line at 9pm on a Wednesday night and our server let us sample before choosing. My husband chose well with an in-​house made waffle cone. I’m lactose sensitive and the server was kind enough to let me pick the tiniest of servings to avoid making those around me dislike me.

Wow first time visiting this shop and just sorrounded by yummy goodness. You can see why they would have lines out the door, during our visit we did not have to wait long. So many options for chocolate lovers cant go wrong, just know that this quality is pricey ($$$) Great spot worth stopping by.

I think this place is overpriced. $ 30.95 a lb for chocolate dipped oreos and just about everthing else wss that price except the fudge. The oreos were good but are something you could easily make at home. The fudge was ok. It definitely isn’t the best and not worth the price. Maybe check out their popcorn or pre-​bagged chocolate.

Worth the splurge. This old fashioned ice cream parlor cum candy shop is very good. Even though it is a chain, you wouldn’t know it by the authenticity of homemade fudge, popcorn, endless candy options and delicious ice cream.
We went here after dinner and dessert seeking some fudge and treats to bring home. The fudge was decadent and fresh, the caramel corn perfectly balanced between salty and sweet and the choices of homemade chocolate… wow. We opted for chocolate marshmallows on sticks, pecan turtles and some peanut butter chocolate fudge. You just can’t go wrong here if you have a hankering for the most indulgent of sweets! What a treat!

Located along the ritzy St Armand’s Circle, you cannot help but be drawn to this delectable treat of a store. The storefront allows you to view their marble slabs where they make their fudge. Catch them at the right time, and you can view the whole process from start to finish. A great show and one of the few things on the Circle that is free. Upon entry, you are greeted with the intoxicating scents of chocolates, ice creams, and other enticing confections. While the stores wares are pretty standard to most sweet shops, complete with knickknack items that have probably been on the shelves since they opened. They do boast «Kilwin’s Specialties» including Kilwin’s Mud, a white chocolate, caramel, chocolate delicacy available in fudge, ice cream, or even dipped Rice Krispie Treat form. I find the set up of the store to be a little claustrophobic. If you follow the subtle path that they have wrapped around the store to maximize traffic flow, you are suddenly trapped in the ice cream window line whether you want to be or not-​there is scarcely enough room to pass by those who are waiting for ice cream, and you are one oversized purse on an emphatic and unaware tourist’s arm away from disaster. They do provide customer bathrooms, although getting to them requires you to go back into the pathway carousel.
The seating inside is a little lackluster-​a few small tables that are always full-​but step outside and you are sure to find an unoccupied bench within a short distance. Like all things on the Circle, it has the standard tourist up-​charge. A half slab of fudge with run you about 5 dollars and a small ice cream is a pricy 3.50. But, if the craving for sugary sweetness hits you hard, Kilwin’s more than fits the bill.

I grew up going to Kilwin’s with my family as a kid, and now enjoy taking my kids there. There are a few ice cream and gelato options on St. Armand’s, but Kilwin’s is special. Their homemade ice creams (with more flavor options than you can imagine), homemade fudge, and specialty chocolates are hard to beat. It’s fun to watch them make the fudge if you happen to stop by at the right time. The lines can get long, especially after dinner, but it moves quickly and is worth the wait.

Lines may appear bad, but don’t skip out and go to Ben & Jerry’s just yet… it goes by in no time and you’ll seriously miss out. Kilwin’s has so many different flavors of ice cream, and even after 20+ years of patronage, I still never know which one I’ll get next. You’ll have ample time to look at the menu though, as you wait and circle around to the counter. Get a waffle cone, they’re homemade and soo good. The fudge assortment is extensive as well and you can view the crafters at their fudge making thru the front window, or again, as you wait. They usually have samples of something at the door, I love it when it’s the peanut brittle though. Favorite.

I am a maple walnut ice cream expert. This is at the top of the list of the best maple walnut ice creams I’ve eaten. And it comes in a homemade waffle cone. Incredible. And its maybe the most expensive ice cream cone I’ve ever eaten also. Maybe all that homemade cost bucks.

Disappointment
Been getting high quality ice cream here for over 20 years but this time experience not so great. Long line out the door but have improved system to move line quicker.
They have cut the portion size but not the price, a small cup $ 4.29 plus tax is now a single small scoop, what used to be sold as a kiddie cup. Certainly a good way to enhance your margins but not to build customer good will. Nearly $ 20 for 4 small cups of good ice cream is not a great deal or even a good deal. Guess they figure most of their customers are tourists and will never return so churn them and burn them. Makes Ben & Jerry’s look like a good deal and Big Olaf like a great deal.

After having dinner in St. Armands, and wandering around several of the local shops, we stopped at Kilwins to end our evening with one of the best parts of any beach vacation… nightly ice cream treats! They had a large selection of both traditional flavors and more unique flavors. The ice cream was rich, creamy and delicious. We also ordered a slice of the chocolate peanut butter fudge to go, which was melt-​in-​your-​mouth creamy and delicious! Candy shop fudge always reminds me of vacations as a child and Kilwin’s didn’t disappoint!

Stopped with my son. I was told by Barbara at the counter that I must move. So rude and not what I am used to. The banana fudge had ice in it. The prices went up because its «the season». $ 17 for 2 waffle cones. Last time I go.

We have gone to kilwins for years. This time was our last. The ice cream tasted like it was ice based. No longer creamy!!! Melted fast and had pieces of ice in it. Toasted coconut, chocolate and chocolate chip was all the same!!! A Sarasota tradition is now over.

This is my ice cream wonderland! We park right beside Tommy Bahama and the moment we stepped out of the car, we can already smell the fudge. I love ice cream and chocolates and it is better than ben & jerry’s that is right across the street if I remember correctly. They have benches outside the store too, you can enjoy the ice cream and do people watching at the same time.

My fellow Americans… Good that you made it here. Bad if you finish them all. It’s a sweet place to sample flavors. I’m not a dessert eater, so I asked for a scoop. A scoop at Kilwin’s is enough to feed 2 people. But if you like ice-​cream and chocolates you should hold a birthday party here. My husband ordered heavenly hash ice cream. Mine was pretty simple, vanilla (without ice ice baby). OK, taste-​wise? Approved! Of course everything was so sweet. Hard to swallow because I am not into too much sweet. That’s not all. Hubby went berserk by ordering a bag of peanut brittle! I tried to stop him but I failed! The brittle was pretty good. We came here last year and this year again. I’m sure we’ll go back next year. For the rest of the entire year I pledge to go sweet-​less. FYI, there are 2 lines. If you enter to the right you get the chocolates, if you skip that chocolates line, you go straight to the ice-​cream corner. So don’t just stand in line waiting, pick a line. There’re benches you can sit outside to enjoy your desserts but standing-​up is fine too. The price? A little expensive but it’s worth it for those sweet lovers. You only live once, so pick your choice. Excellent service, fast and sweet. Have a brittle life everyone! *:)

If you want to get ice cream, chocolate, fudge, etc. then you have to stop here! We go to Ben & Jerry’s each year when we’re at St. Armands circle and we even went there this time and purchased an overpriced milkshake. Kilwin’s is 10 times better, a lot more variety, and freshly made there. We bought ice cream, fudge, and some homemade caramel popcorn — so good!
It is quite crowded, but it’s worth it – stick it out, stand in line, and enjoy!

We smelled the fudge before we ever saw the shop! You can watch them make the fudge from the large front glass windows. Excellent fudge and ice cream! We got the Sea Salt Caramel fudge – twice!
hey get a lot of business and have benches out front to sit at to eat your purchases or to just watch the fudge being made. We loved this place!

I’ve been visiting Kilwin’s ever since I was a little girl. Most every year, family vacations were spent at our place in Sarasota. Hitting the circle a short drive away where Kilwin’s is located was simply a family ritual and was also where my fondest memories of this place were formed. They have some of the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted (aside from gelato).
It was customary for us to walk around ‘the circle’ at night. We would window shop and then end up here for some homemade ice cream. Super yummy sweetness. We’d wait in the usually long line (it was always busy) get our desserts and sit outside and indulge.
It was pretty cool watching the ‘candy man’ make the homemade fudge too! You could see him from outside the window… Usually I would just get a scoop on a waffle cone, sometimes I’d get a sundae… but one time I vividly remember ordering a banana split! I think I was around 10 yrs old at the time and I remember my parents looking at me with this gigantic bowl of ice cream in my hands and laughing because my pathetically skinny, petite frame couldn’t even finish half of it (I’m sure they knew this all along)…yet I was determined and positively sure I could finish that whole banana split. Well, I couldn’t… I think I felt sick that night too cause I really tried my hardest to eat it all!
We still visit Kilwin’s to this day, just not as often… they really do have the best fudge I’ve ever tasted and I’m not even a fudge eater. I do enjoy their tuttles though (aka turtles). They also have some really good chocolates but I gotta have mine with nuts… pecans, walnuts, cashews, you name it, it needs to be in my chocolate. They have a variety of great sweets & treats… salt water taffy, caramel, taffy apples, toffee, caramel corn… I would always buy something to bring home to friends, mostly fudge.
Really good memories here. They now have one in Elmhurst! I haven’t checked it out yet, that will be next on my list… but I think I’ll always be fond of this location more for obvious reasons. I will always have a soft spot for Kilwin’s.

Kilwin’s Fudge Special: Buy 2 Full Slices, Get 1 Full Slice FREE
The waffle smell is what lead me into Kilwin’s. However the fudge is what caught my eye. After sampling two, I knew I had to buy their fudge. Each slice is $ 8.40. We ended up getting two half slices — Cookies & Cream and Peanut Butter.
The Cookies & Cream is very sweet. It is a ⁹⁄₁₀. I recommend pairing it with Peanut Butter which is a few notches down on the sweetness scale (⁶⁄₁₀).

There is a reason this is the busiest ice cream shop at the circle… just delicious, homemade tasting ice cream in an overwhelming array of flavours, creamy fudge, and tons of chocolates on display. The whole place always smells amazing, and it’s fun to watch the bakers make the fudge in the window. I could try to recommend an ice cream flavour… but I don’t think I could narrow it down…

So so yummy!!! After having a nice lunch next door at Tommy Bahama we decided to stop in for some sweets. Kilwin’s is one of those places that smells sooo delicious that you almost feel like you could take a bite out of the sweet air.
After a short wait in line we were helped by a friendly employee. We picked up some fudge. They have a ton of varieties available. We got the double chocolate brownie fudge. In addition to fudge they also have lots of other chocolates and candies. The double chocolate brownie fudge was so thick and rich I couldn’t believe it.
We picked up my grandmother some their hard lemon candies. Those are her favorite. I was surprised that their prices were very competitive being that it is located in such an expensive touristy area.