Where to Get Your Chocolate Fix in Vancouver

Chocolate, delivered at the right moment, won’t just save your relationship; it could save your life. Here, the city’s best pieces of chocolate.

Medina
Cozy up in this chic Crosstown café and indulge in a Belgian waffle with your choice of tempting toppings that put maple syrup to shame: dark chocolate, milk chocolate lavender or white chocolate pistachio rosewater. 556 Beatty St., 604-879-3114.

Mink Chocolates
Sip a mug of “drinking chocolate” made with rich ganache while you decide what chocolate bar you want to take home: Exotic options include Taj Masala (milk chocolate infused with Indian spices) and Of Course Siam (passion fruit purée and Thai coconut milk in chocolate ganache). 863 West Hastings St., 604-633-2451.

Ganache Patisserie
Visit this French bakery in Yaletown for the city’s best pain au chocolat. For a special occasion, sample one of the elaborate chocolate cakes like “Passion et Chocolat,” which features passionfruit cream, mango-papaya gelée, Ghana milk chocolate mousse and flourless cocoa sponge. 1262 Homer St., 604-899-1098.

Gorilla Food
Head to this raw café for some “healthy” chocolate choices. Don’t decide between the Chocolate Hempseed Pie and the Butterfly Bliss (infused chocolate flowers topped with a fresh walnut and raw caramel); get both. 101 – 436 Richards St., 604-684-3663.

Giovane
This café’s popular Chocolate Zeppole, an Italian pastry filled with chocolate cream and glazed with dark chocolate ganache, gets prettied up this month with pink icing as part of the Tickled Pink Desserts fundraiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. 1038 Canada Pl., 604-695-5501.

Image courtesy of EverJean.