5 Local Chocolate Shops Where You Can Find Easter Candy

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHUTTERSTOCK

With Easter less than three weeks away, fish are frying, eggs are being decorated and one thing in particular is on every shopping list: chocolate. For those who like to shop local, Pittsburgh is full of family-owned chocolatiers, many of which have been cooking up confections for decades.

Whether you’re looking to pick up a classic chocolate bunny, foiled chocolate eggs or even a fully chocolate Easter basket, you don’t have to travel far. In most cases, the chocolate can even come to you.

1: Sarris Candies: 511 Adams Ave., Canonsburg

Sarris Candies was founded in 1960 by Frank Sarris, who began making chocolates in the basement of his Washington County home. Now headquartered in Cannonsburg, less than 20 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, Sarris Candies produces about 50,000 pounds of chocolate per day during its peak holiday seasons. For Easter, the chocolatier’s retail shop is selling a range of seasonal sweets, including its famed chocolate bunnies, colorful jelly beans, egg-shaped meltaways and even Easter ice cream cakes. 

Chocolates aside, the shop itself is worth the trip. Beyond handmade chocolate and classic penny candy, visitors can enjoy ice cream from a retro-inspired ice cream parlor; at the center of the venue is a 1,500 pound chocolate castle, complete with chocolate waterfalls.

Sarris chocolates also are sold in local grocery stories and online.

2: Betsy Ann Chocolates: 322 Perry Highway, West View 

Betsy Ann Chocolates has been making handcrafted chocolates in West View since 1938. The shop owners pride themselves on using all-natural ingredients and time-honored recipes that have been enjoyed by chocolate lovers for generations. 

The family-fun company operates its West View retail store, as well as a shop on Route 8 at Shopper’s Plaza in Hampton. For Easter, Betsy Ann Chocolates is selling its own take on the classic chocolate bunny, as well as Easter eggs, Easter truffle eggs and an assortment of brightly packaged Easter basket fillers. A significant portion of the company’s revenue comes from its partnership with grocery stores such as Giant Eagle and Sam’s Club, where shoppers can find an assortment of its confections. 

Betsy Ann Chocolates can also be purchased online.

3: Pollack’s Candies: 352 Butler St., Etna 

This Butler Street staple is a third-generation, family-owned-and-operated business that has been manufacturing chocolates since 1948. Each piece of candy is made from scratch and decorated by hand in the same style pioneered by the shop’s founder, Mike Pollack. By day, Pollack worked in a steel mill, but by night, he produced chocolate in his basement with the help of his wife Helen and his children, Bob and Dick. 

In 1953, the family purchased a storefront in Etna’s business district, the neighborhood the business would return to once again in 2011 after stints in North Hills Village and Ross Park malls. Today, it is owned by Mike Pollack’s grandson, Dick Pollack, and its candy kitchen is on the same side street that its original owner opened more than half a century ago.

Pollack’s Easter confections include chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs, chocolate crosses and even chocolate Easter baskets, along with fun “cone creations,” sugar cones topped with assorted truffle centers and dipped in milk chocolate.

Pollack’s chocolates can also be purchased online.

4: Boulevard Sweet Shoppe: 614 Ohio River Blvd., Oakmont 

While Oakmont may be better known for its famed bakery, the family-owned Boulevard Sweet Shoppe has quietly been producing hand-dipped Belgian chocolate treats for more than half a century.

Boulevard Sweet Shoppe’s seasonal offerings include foiled Easter candies, chocolate bunnies, almond toffees and Belgian chocolate Easter eggs, 

In addition to their retail location, the owners also operate an Etsy shop with an overall satisfaction rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars. While they don’t have a traditional website, their Facebook page encourages folks to stop in or call the shop at 412-517-8696 to pre-order popular items.

5: SpectroDolce: 711 Mall Circle Dr., Monroeville

This chocolate shop  is a standout thanks to its mission to provide meaningful employment to neurodiverse adults while still running a thriving confectionery business. 

With an unemployment rate of more than 85% among adults diagnosed with autism, SpectroDolce’s owners wanted to create a place that would close the gap for that population. With gourmet fudge, chocolate-covered pretzels, chocolate truffles, dipped strawberries and gift baskets, the shop offers something for every kind of chocolate lover. 

Some items are available for purchase in-store only, but most can also be bought on SpectroDolce’s website.

Bonus: Hershey Chocolate World: 101 Chocolate World Way, Hershey

Located about a little over 3 hours east of Pittsburgh, the town of Hershey is rife with chocolate history. It was founded in 1903 by Milton Hershey as a “model town” for the employees of his chocolate factory, leveraging the area’s abundant milk supply. 

Unlike some of the other industrial towns of the era, Hershey provided a comparatively high quality of life; employees were provided with electricity, plumbing, educational opportunities and even a park, which by the 1970s would grow into the Hersheypark travelers know today.

For folks looking to make a day trip before Easter, Hershey’s Chocolate World houses the world’s largest Hershey’s store, offering just about any of the brand’s chocolate treats one could think of, from chocolate bars and Hershey Kisses to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, KitKats and Jolly Ranchers. For Easter, the shop is selling classic Reese’s and Cadbury eggs, as well as limited-edition KitKat bunnies and Easter-candy-themed apparel.

The Reester Bunny also will be in Hershey for select dates through April 5, offering photo ops and breakfast events for children and families.