San Francisco Chocolate Tours

Today's San Francisco Chronicle has a story about San Francisco Chocolate Tours conducted by Gourmet Walks, a company founded in 2007 by Andrea Nadel. The tour, packed with info on artisan chocolate, is a three hour walking tour of the San Francisco waterfront/Union Square area and includes the background on the history of chocolate and how the best chocolate is made, tips on tasting, purchasing and storing chocolate, chocolate at each boutique, and more.

Want to create your own tour? Here are a few locations.

Chocolates
8 Westfield San Francisco Centre, 845 Market St., (street level), San Francisco. (415) 896-5222. www.cocoabella.com Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.


Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop, Union Square, 1042 Stockton St., (between Geary and Market streets), San Francisco. (415) 397-3030. www.ghirardelli.com, Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Fog City News, 5455 Market St., (between Fremont and First streets), San Francisco. (415) 543-7400. www.Fogcitynews.com. Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Scharffen Berger Chocolate, Joseph Schmidt Confections, 4 One Ferry Building, Shop #14, San Francisco. (415) 981-9150. www.scharffenberger.com. josephschmidtconfections.com, Hours: 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

Leonidas Belgian Chocolates, 650 Post St., Crocker Galleria (street level), San Francisco. (415) 956-2338, Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Recchiuti Confections, 3 One Ferry Building, Shop No. 30, San Francisco. (415) 834-9494. www.recchiuti.com.Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Richart Chocolates, 11393 Sutter St., San Francisco. (415) 291-9600. www.richart-chocolates.com Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Schoggi Swiss Chocolates, 787 Yerba Buena Lane, (on Mission, between Third and Fourth streets). (415) 243-4444. www.schoggi.us, Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Teuscher of Switzerland,9307 Sutter St., (between Grant Avenue and Stockton Street), San Francisco. (415) 834-0850. www.teuschersf.com, Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

XOX Truffles, 1754 Columbus Ave.,San Francisco. (415) 421-4814. www.xoxtruffles.com, Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Tcho, 2 Pier 17, on the Embarcadero at Green Street, San Francisco, (415) 981-0189. www.tcho.com/store, Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.