Notes from an Amsterdam chocolatier.

Guides, tasting notes and small histories from our atelier on Leidsestraat 87.

• Best Chocolate Shops in Amsterdam (2026 Guide) — Where Amsterdam locals actually buy their chocolate. A working chocolatier's guide to the city's best ateliers, bonbon boutiques and hidden cocoa rooms.
• Why Amsterdam Became a Chocolate Capital — Four centuries of cocoa have shaped Amsterdam's coffee houses, kitchens and shop windows. A short history of the city's chocolate obsession.
• What Makes a Handmade Truffle in Amsterdam — The word 'handmade' is on every chocolate window in Amsterdam. Here's what it should actually mean, from a working chocolatier.
• Why Your Chocolate Tastes Like the Country It's From — Madagascar tastes of red fruit. Venezuela of brown spice. The reason isn't the recipe — it's the soil. A short read from an Amsterdam atelier.
• Buying a Chocolate Gift in Amsterdam — Bringing chocolate home from Amsterdam? A short guide to what travels, what melts, and what makes the gift feel like Amsterdam.
• Chocolate Shops Near the Rijksmuseum — The shortest route from Vermeer to a proper truffle. Three chocolate stops worth your last hour in the museum quarter.
• Chocolate Stops Near Vondelpark — A loop around Vondelpark deserves a small reward. Three nearby chocolate stops, ranked.
• Where to Drink Hot Chocolate in Amsterdam — Real hot chocolate is rare. Here's where to find it in Amsterdam when the canals freeze and the days go dark.
• Why Tourists Queue for Chocolate in Amsterdam — Amsterdam's chocolate queues aren't a marketing trick. They're the visible side of four centuries of cocoa trade — and a tiny number of ateliers that still make everything by hand.
• Where Amsterdammers Actually Buy Their Chocolate — Forget the queues. Here's the map a born-and-raised Amsterdammer would draw for a visiting friend — the everyday ateliers, the Sunday-morning ritual, and the one box every local has in the cupboard.
• Best Hot Chocolate in Amsterdam — Real Cocoa, Not Powder — Real hot chocolate uses melted chocolate and milk. Powder uses cocoa and sugar. Amsterdam has about six cafes that do it properly — here are all of them.
• Best Amsterdam Chocolate Souvenirs (That Survive the Trip Home) — Skip the airport boxes and the windmill-shaped milk chocolate. Here's what to bring home from Amsterdam if you want chocolate that actually tastes of the city.
• Luxury Chocolate Gifts from Amsterdam — Handmade & Premium — What a working Amsterdam chocolatier actually gives when the gift needs to mean something — by price tier, by recipient, and by how much you want to impress.
• What Chocolate to Buy in Amsterdam — A Chocolatier's Guide — Don't buy 'chocolate'. Buy the right chocolate for the moment. Here's the framework an Amsterdam chocolatier uses at the counter every day.
• Amsterdam Foodie Guide for Chocolate Lovers — A one-day Amsterdam food itinerary built around chocolate — the pairings, the detours, the cafes, and the walking route a local chocolatier would actually recommend.