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Argentina chocolate is celebrated in the city of San Carlos de Bariloche located in Argentina’s Patagonia region.
Bariloche, as it is commonly referred to, is also known as Argentina’s Chocolate Capital.
While in Argentina exploring the local food specialties, we couldn’t miss Bariloche chocolate. Further, Bariloche in Argentina is also one of the most popular outdoor destinations in the country.
Located on the shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake and the foothills of the Andes, it is a beautiful city with spectacular views and exquisite scenery.
For more about Argentina chocolate in Bariloche, read on.
Let your taste buds be tempted by the luscious and decadent Bariloche chocolate.
Table of Contents
Argentina Chocolate in Bariloche
Bariloche’s history with chocolate began after World War II when European immigrants moved to Bariloche looking for a better life in the 1940s.
The stunning natural beauty, surrounding mountains, crystal clear lakes and forests made Bariloche an attractive destination.
During the cold winters, some of the European immigrants started making hot chocolate as well as chocolates at home.
This led to the popularity of Argentina chocolate which then spread throughout the area.
As more immigrants started moving to Bariloche, the architecture took on a European construction style. Buildings were built in an Alpine architecture style using Patagonia hardwood and stone.
The combination of the weather, architecture and chocolates earned Bariloche the moniker, “Little Switzerland.”
AUTHENTIC FOOD QUEST TIP: If you never tried any Argentina chocolate brands and are curious, try Havanna, which are available on Amazon. These Havanna alfajores are coated in chocolate with heavenly dulce de leche in the middle. Get to know the chocolate in Argentina starting with Havanna.
The Avenue of Chocolate Dreams in Bariloche, Argentina
In 2015, San Carlos de Bariloche was officially declared by Argentina’s Congress as the National Capital of Chocolate.
This was done in recognition of the rich history of chocolate in Argentina. And, the vast number of chocolatiers making artisanal chocolate using regional products.
In the downtown area of Bariloche is where you’ll find Mitre Avenue, or what Argentines call “The Avenue of Chocolate Dreams.”
There is a surprisingly large number of chocolatiers concentrated in this area. Everywhere you turn is chocolate temptation.
We started our food quest with the goal of eating as much local Bariloche chocolate as possible.
However, once we saw the sheer number of stores and options available, we knew we had to revisit our goal.
We didn’t want to suffer from “chocolate overdose” and not enjoy the full Argentina chocolate experience.
One huge help in narrowing down the option was the fact that most stores give our free samples for free, just for walking in.
So, after sampling way too many bite-sized pieces, we narrowed our focus to our favorite seven chocolate Bariloche stores listed below.
Top Argentina Chocolate Bariloche Stores Not To Miss
1- Rapa Nui Chocolates
It is difficult not to miss Rapa Nui on Avenida Mitre with its large storefront and beautiful chocolate fountain by the window.
Rapa Nui started as a family owned business by Diego Fenoglio, son of the pioneer of chocolate in Bariloche, Alfredo Fenoglio.
The store is quite expansive with a variety of Argentina chocolates on display. There is also a section within the store where you can enjoy ice cream or have a cup of tea or hot chocolate.
Within the store, we enjoyed samples of milk chocolate with a peanut creamy paste in the middle. These were not our favorite as we are not huge fans of peanuts.
However, samples of the actual chocolate were very good. You can taste the high quality ingredients in the actual chocolates.
With this level of quality, it is no surprise that Rapa Nui is known to offer some of the best chocolates in Bariloche.
If your travels take you to Bariloche, Argentina, this is a highly recommended sweet stop.
2 – Mamushka Chocolates
The Mamuschka store is a popular place to stop and enjoy the delicious chocolate made in Bariloche.
Nestled on one of the busiest streets, Mamuschka dominates a prime corner of the street with its distinctive Russian-style decor.
The most striking feature are the huge matryoshka nesting dolls or Russian dolls on display at the entrance.
Many locals describe the chocolate at Mamuschka as among the best chocolate in Bariloche, and we cannot disagree.
The chocolates are high quality and we enjoyed delicious milk chocolate balls that look like “Ferrero Rocher” chocolates.
Mamuschka also has stores in Buenos Aires if you don’t make it to Bariloche Argentina. And, if you do make it to the Avenue of Chocolate Dreams, definitively visit and indulge in Mamushka chocolates.
AUTHENTIC FOOD QUEST TIP: If your travels take you to Bariloche, Argentina, consider taking a Bariloche flavors food tour. This walking tour will take you to iconic places in Bariloche as you sample delicious local specialties. From chocolate and ice cream to Patagonia beer and regional foods, you’ll learn about the history while discovering local food stores and restaurants. Click to book your Bariloche food tour.
3 – Abuela Goye Chocolates
Abuela Goye is conveniently located in between Mamuschka and Rapa Nui. It is another one of the long-time chocolatiers in Bariloche.
The founders of Abuela Goye immigrated from Switzerland and brought with them their European techniques for making chocolates.
The Bariloche chocolates at Abuela Goye are made in an artisanal manner using local ingredients from Patagonia.
They have a focus on sustainability and on minimizing the environmental impact of their products.
The name Abuela Goye is a tribute to the first migrant women in Bariloche. With little resources, these women made the best possible home cooked meals for their families in their new home in Patagonia.
The grandmother imagery represents a nice grandmother cooking and making homemade products like she would in her own kitchen.
We enjoyed tasting their full size samples of their chocolates. In particular, we enjoyed milk chocolate with dulce de leche.
Unable to resist, we were also tempted by their chocolate helados or ice cream. Incredibly tasty, we were won over by the high quality rich chocolate and minimal sugar.
This is another Argentina chocolate store not to miss in Bariloche.
4 – Chocolates del Turista
Chocolates del Turista has several large and imposing stores in Bariloche. Their presence is everywhere in the city.
We walked into three different locals and noticed that they all had souvenir packages to go, emphasizing their focus on tourists.
Chocolates del Turista have also been around for over 50 years. The Secco family immigrated from Swiss-Italian Alps and brought the tradition of chocolate making with them.
We particularly liked the Chocolates del Turista store on Avenida St. Martin. This is because this location has a production-making process that is free and open to the public.
This is a wonderful way to see the creamy and delicious chocolate in the making. This experience alone makes it worth visiting this chocolate store.
We tasted chocolates and had hot chocolate at the different locations and found them to be quite good, though not the best in the area.
Chocolates del Turista sells their chocolates throughout Argentina and also in Chile. And, if your travels take you to Bariloche, don’t miss seeing the chocolate production process.
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5 – Torres Chocolates in Bariloche
Walking into Torres Chocolates, is walking into an artisanal family owned store.
Started in 2008, this is a smaller chocolatier in Bariloche that offers an intimate and personalized experience.
There are two large chocolate stores in the center of Bariloche where you can taste authentic homemade chocolate in an intimate environment.
Not only did we sample their chocolates while in the store, but we also learned about the delicate chocolate hand-making process.
Nothing in the chocolate fabrication process is made by machines. Each step in the process is handled tenderly by an expert chocolate maker.
The dark chocolate we tried was exceptional. A personal favorite of Rosemary’s, the chocolate was creamy and decadent.
Torres chocolates offer a unique experience that is more exclusive than at other chocolate stores in Bariloche. And for that reason, a visit to Torres for handmade chocolate should not be missed.
6 – Chocolate Patagónico or Patagonia Chocolate
Chocolate Patagonico has a smaller store on the Avenue of Chocolate Dreams. Offering authentic and artisanal chocolate, everything is made by hand with local Patagonia products.
Combining local Patagonia fruits and the famous Argentina dulce de leche, the chocolate offerings are delectable.
While at Chocolate Patagonico, we sampled milk chocolate filled with a milk cream paste. We found the chocolate to be of high quality, but a little too sweet for our tastes.
We both prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate. However, the chocolate quality is superior and we recommend this store.
A nice change from other large bustling chocolate stores on the Avenue of Chocolate Dreams, you’ll also appreciate the subdued environment.
7 – Chocolate Ice Cream in Bariloche at Helados Jauja
While not a chocolate store, this famous ice cream store, inspired by Patagonia chocolate cannot be overlooked.
Helados Juaja is said to be one of the best ice cream stores in Bariloche and in Argentina overall.
Founded in 1982, this family owned business brings the flavors and aromas of Patagonia into their ice creams.
All the ingredients used are natural with the best local ingredients including the famous calafate berry.
The selection at Jauja helados ice cream is quite substantial. Just within the chocolate ice creams, there are at least 10 different types to choose from.
The server who helped us described their ice cream as “special” because it is made daily with quality raw ingredients sourced from Patagonia.
Fortunately, he let us try several chocolate flavors to help us decide on what to get. Rosemary ended up picking the ‘Chocolate Profundo’ or deep chocolate flavor. “Absolutely to die for” is how Rosemary described the taste.
The ice cream was not as sweet as other chocolate flavors and the overall quality of the chocolate was rich and exceptional.
To taste the transformation of Bariloche chocolate into ice cream, you cannot miss helados Jauja.
Today, Jauja has a few locations throughout Argentina and a restaurant specializing in Patagonia food in Bariloche.
READ RELATED: 10 of the Best Authentic Food in Patagonia You Don’t Want To Miss
Museo Del Chocolate or The Chocolate Museum in Bariloche Argentina
To dig deeper into the Argentina chocolate culture, we visited the Chocolate Museum or Museo del Chocolate.
It was formerly the Fenoglio Museo del Chocolate in tribute to the founders of chocolate in Bariloche and is today the Havanna Museo del Chocolate.
Located at the exit of the city, about 2km from the Civic Center, we were eager to learn more about the history of chocolate in Bariloche.
The visit starts with a short introductory video talking about the origins of chocolate. This is followed by an evolution through time and continents starting from Central America where the Mayans and Aztecs were early users.
While watching the video, we were surprised to be served a cup of hot chocolate to enjoy while learning about chocolate’s history.
The history of chocolate into modern times was fascinating. Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez was the first European to drink chocolate.
He exported it to Spain in 1522 where it was also made into a drink. Portugal and France soon followed Spain in the import of cocoa and drinking chocolate became a popular luxury for royalty and the upper classes.
It was Swiss born Henry Nestle who discovered a way to mix chocolate liquor with milk by heating them both together into a powdered form.
Rudolphe Lindt then added the cocoa fats back into the “milk-chocolate” to stabilize it at solid form. This is when chocolate became sold in bonbons and bars.
American Milton Hershey came up with a similar technique at about the same time and shortly thereafter chocolate was being mass produced and available to all.
In Bariloche, Aldo Fenoglio, an Italian immigrant, started making chocolate in 1947. Together with his wife Inés Secco and their children, they built successful Argentina chocolate businesses in Bariloche.
In fact, Diego, their son, founded the successful Rapa Nui chocolate store. At the end of the visit, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase and sample Bariloche chocolate.
Consider including a visit to the Museo del Chocolate Bariloche on your visit.
READ RELATED: The Best Guide To Chocolate In Oaxaca, Mexico
In Summary
Bariloche does live up to its chocolate heritage and to it’s moniker, “Little Switzerland.”
The Avenue of Chocolate Dreams is an experience, especially for sweet lovers. Although we could not agree on one single favorite chocolatier, we were impressed with the quality overall.
The smaller artisanal stores offer intimate experiences with consistently good chocolate. One tip we would offer is to skip eating desserts at restaurants.
After eating, simply head over to any of the Argentina chocolate stores for samples and a sweet finish for the day.
If you happen to be in Bariloche Argentina during Easter, don’t miss the annual Chocolate Festival.
A giant Easter egg, more than 8 meters high, is broken and shared with thousands of attendees.
While other festivities include making bars of chocolate, food and cultural entertainment, making it a popular and well attended festival.
In the comments below, please let us know which Argentina Chocolates in Bariloche you would like to try.
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Claire, ex-engineer, is a digital nomad and content creator at Authentic Food Quest. Since 2015, with her partner, Rosemary, they travel the world in search of the best local food experiences. Their mission is to help you enjoy the best local specialties on your travels or via recipes in your home kitchen. Favorite country for food: Vietnam. Favorite local dish: Hainanese Chicken Rice. Favorite way to keep fit: Cycling. Claire is responsible for the website and the fun food & travel videos on Youtube. She is also co-author of Authentic Food Quest Argentina and Authentic Food Quest Peru, available on Amazon.
Hi! Welcome to Authentic Food Quest. We are Claire and Rosemary. Our goal is to help you explore local culture through food. As digital nomads, we travel to share authentic food recipes and food guides from around the world so you can savor them during your travels or in your home kitchen.
Food is such an important part of traveling. Avenue of Chocolate Dreams sounds like heaven. 🙂
Yes! It was really amazing how many chocolate stores there are, all giving away samples. You can eat chocolate all day 🙂
I just gor back to Pennsylvania after a month in Chile and Argentina. I spent three nights in Bariloche and adored every minute of it! The chocolate was my favorite part. The leader of our small grouo advised us to avoid Tutista. I only went in RaPaNui. I was alone on that visit, so I didn’t have to worry about appearing a glutton as I sampled many, many diferent kinds. I purchased several boxes for myself and friends back home. I sampled the milk chocolate/peanut fream combination (“Marroc”) and I was hooked. Then I discovered the ice cream part. O. M. G!! I am a big-time chocoholic so I was ovr thw moon to see so many varieties of chocolate ice cream. I ordered two different chocolate varieties—-one with Dulce de Leche and another called “Mil Hojas”. I savored every bite!! Bariloche was my fave spot in Argentina, for its views and breath taking beauty, but mostly because of its out of this world chocolate! If you’re planning a trip to Argentina, Bariloche is a must see!!
Could not agree more Courtney, Bariloche is a gorgeous area and the chocolate history is not to be missed. So glad you shared your feedback. We also fell in love with the chocoate ice cream as well. Yum!! Thanks for stopping by.