If you're visiting Ellicottville, stopping at Watson's Chocolates is an absolute must. The shop has that perfect old-fashioned charm, but the real star is their incredible sponge candy. The light, airy honeycomb center has the perfect crunch, and it's coated in rich, silky chocolate that melts in your mouth. Every bite is the ideal balance of crisp, sweet, and decadent. You can tell they take pride in making their chocolates with quality ingredients and generations of craftsmanship. Whether you choose milk or dark chocolate sponge candy, it's the kind of treat you'll be thinking about long after you leave Ellicottville. The staff is always welcoming, and the entire store is filled with amazing chocolates and sweet treats. If you've never had Buffalo-style sponge candy before, this is the place to experience it. Watson's doesn't just sell chocolate--they create a tradition that's worth coming back for. Five stars without hesitation! read more

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An update: Now that Lent has begun, jellybeans, chocolate eggs, and a giant 15 lb "Big Boy" Easter bunny wearing Mardi Gras beads are for sale. Ice cream always available in cones, dishes, milkshakes, and sundaes. read more

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Really great spot for chocolate lovers. You can purchase chocolate by weight at a glass bar or in prepackaged boxes. They also have ice cream and other sweets to purchase. The staff were very friendly and the space was super cute. The amazing smell of chocolate hits you as soon as you walk in. read more

Watson's Chocolates - Chocolate display - Candy Stores Near Me - Ellicottville, New York

Spectacular place to visit for your sweet tooth. Variety of fresh chocolate treats. Friendly and patient workers. Small shop but decent space to browse the selections. The chocolate was delicious. They also have ice cream section as well. read more

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Beautiful store right on the main strip. I couldn't commit to a single flavor box, so I picked my own variety. Gorgeous presentation, quality and taste! Something nice to take home. Case chocolates are mostly $27-$30/lb read more

Watson's Chocolates - a display of chocolates - Candy Stores Near Me - Ellicottville, New York

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I love the chocolate here and the awesome blossom gummy's is is a little expensive but it is worth every penny A+++++

We sent a Christmas gift mail order to family in South Carolina and wanted to say that it arrived and their thank you included a photo which looked beautiful and so yummy! We're going to have to make a trip over the hill to buy some for ourselves!! Watsons candy and ice cream is always so luscious!!! Keep up the great work!!! read more

First off I'm not a chocolate or fudge lover. However this place has some of the best. It's one of the few places open later than 6pm in ellicottville during the week and the staff are super friendly. They have ice cream from Perry's as well. We got amaretto fudge, some really good taffy, and a mixture bag of chocolates to include sponge candy, butter crunch, turtle and peanut cluster. The sponge candy is so nice and light and airy. The fudge isn't overpowering sweet or gritty it's nice and smooth. They have melt aways I'd love to try as well. read more

Cute chocolate shop. Very nice looking. Staff were helpful and friendly. Chocolates are really good and that's coming from someone that isn't a huge fan of chocolate. Fudge is some of the best I have ever had. A must visit if you're visiting Ellicottville. read more

What a small delight! Great selection and variety of chocolates and more. Young staff were super friendly and helpful. And the sea salt caramels were delicious!! Wish I bought more for gifts tk bring home! read more

Watson's Chocolates - Outside the cute shop! - Candy Stores Near Me - Ellicottville, New York

We like to stop at Watson's chocolates after dinner somewhere in EVL. Usually a better dessert option than the restaurants in town, in my opinion at least. My go-to's are the dark chocolate coconut patties or the licorice. The licorice option may sound odd, but it's awesome. The texture is great and good flavor. read more

Watson's Chocolates - Candy Stores Near Me - Ellicottville, New York

Visiting from Ohio, went into Watson's to purchase some fudge and chocolates. My wife, who had a broken foot, was wearing a walking boot, and asked to use the bathroom. The rude salesperson refused her, despite her situation, and told her to "walk to the town hall" to use the public restroom! We left and this place lost a $50 sale. Great welcome to Ellicottville! read more

Can you really go wrong with a chocolate place? Nooppee. You walk in and get smacked in the face with pure chocolatey goodness! The place was clean, has many many different options of chocolate prepackages and per diem. I especially loved the variety packages that we're offered for $6 and you got to try sponge candy, chocolate covered pretzels, toffee, etc. You are supposed to get a peanut cluster in it but ours did not have one so we were pretty sad about that. I was drooling as I looked over the different options of home-made fudge and I regret not getting any. Everything in here is pretty pricey but you are paying for great quality chocolate! read more

Amazing, cute chocolate shop! Staff was so friendly and helpful - they do a great job answering questions, providing service and maintaining covid-safe capacity. Chocolate was fantastic and so many fun varieties! 10/10 recommend read more

I always stop at Watson's when I am visiting Ellicottville. The staff is so friendly and all of the chocolates are delicious! As soon as you walk in, the aroma of the chocolatier will make you want to try everything! Highly recommend! read more

Watson's Chocolates - Candy Stores Near Me - Ellicottville, New York

Never miss a chance to stop here. Amazing chocolate, smooth, delicious and fresh. It was quiet when we went and one of the few stores opened past 6 in EVL. We were grateful they were still open. read more

We stopped into this shop last night for ice cream and were not disappointed. They serve Perry's ice cream and had at least 20 flavors to choose from. A large single scoop cost about $2. When you walk in you are surrounded by the smell of homemade chocolate! There is all kinds of candy to choose from, or you can head right to the ice cream counter. Next time I go I will bring cash, because their credit card reader was far away so the cashier had to keep walking back and forth. read more

Watson's Chocolates - Super cute candy/ice cream shop on the Main Street! - Candy Stores Near Me - Ellicottville, New York

We always come down to Ellicottville for ski races once or twice a winter, and this place is always on our list of places to hit before we leave. They have the most amazing chocolates and candy, it is a little pricey but it's homemade so I don't mind it. It is small and easy to break things so I would try to keep the amount of children you bring in to a minimum. The staff is friendly but sometimes get noticeably irritated with the children. If you're in Ellicottville you must stop here, it's so delicious. read more

If you've never had sponge candy you're missing out!! This really is some of the greatest stuff! They make it in dark chocolate or milk chocolate. I say get both. I've heard their rice pudding is to die for, but they only make that occasionally?? read more

What a fun hole in the wall candy store this place is?! They specialize I believe in sponge candy which is a crispy disintegrating concoction covered in their chocolate that disappears when you eat it into nothingness. It's pretty cool! I got some dog biscuits covered in carob(?) from here and my dog goes nuts over them. The store experience is great too, it's like you're a kid again. A must stop in Ellicottville, no doubt! read more

What can I say? It's chocolate and it's homemade and it's wonderful!

Maybe it's just the nostalgia talking, but Watson's is my most favorite chocolate on earth. I have to stop there every time I go home and get some of their sponge candy. Whether I get 2 pieces or 20, I'll polish it off within a couple of days (Santa always makes sure that some makes its way into my stocking every year too). You can quickly tell the difference between this and store bought chocolate (or other "candy store" chocolates I've had for that matter). There is no waxiness to this; it is so creamy and rich and delicious and melts in your mouth. Sometimes I mix it up and get one of their meltaway bars (rum is my favorite) or their coconut clusters. I'm not usually a huge fan of plain chocolate bars, but I even love their straight chocolate. I usually like dark chocolate (the darker the better!) more than milk chocolate, but I'm actually a bigger fan of their milk chocolate than their dark. read more

Oh, the smell of this place is so wonderful, you can't think of anything but chocolate as soon as that door swings open. Dark Chocolate is my favorite, they have some of the best around. The dark chocolate turtles are to die for! My sons' favorite are the milk chocolate covered pretzels. Nice little shop located in the heart of Ellicotville - is worth taking the time to visit. read more

Love chocolate and don't mind paying for good chocolate...BUT BEWARE, bought 8 chocolate pieces at $19.95 per pound and 2 pieces at $24.95 per pound and was charged $22.95 per pound for all, not sure how they can justify that this is acceptable. If I had known all would be weighed together I would have bought the two $24.95 pp separate since the cashier decided what the per pound price for all would be. Won't ever go back there again!!! read more

I finally got a chance to visit a Watson's store front! On my past visits to Buffalo I have been gifted with boxes of their chocolate, but this was my first time visiting a location in person. Watson's is a third generation family owned company since 1946. They are well known for their sponge candy, which is a native Buffalo, NY treat. Watson's sponge Candy is made by hand in small batches, each sponge is carefully cooked in traditional copper kettles.  They spin caramelized sugar to create the light crisp center, and then dunk it in their amazing silky creamy chocolate (plus, they are gluten free!). I absolutely LOVE their sponge candy. It is even better fresh. My preference is the dark chocolate. We recently also tried a variety of their creams, sea salt caramel, and cherry cordials. My least favorite was the caramel. The caramel was a bit too tough for my liking. But, it was still good. The dark chocolate is superb. The creams are well balanced in flavor and melt away in your mouth. The cherry cordials were also AMAZING. Almost all their flavor options come in either milk or dark chocolate. The staff are incredibly friendly and are helpful in assisting you in selecting chocolates from their vast options. You can purchase pre-packaged chocolate. But, when you are at the store, I recommend selecting fresh! read more

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Great quality chocolate at a decent price, and excellent customer service with friendly staff willing to help and making you feel welcome. They also have a selection of Perry's ice cream which is better than any other in Ellicottville. read more

I bought a half pound of assorted chocolate - with chewy stuff and nuts in them. I really like how they categorized their assorted boxes, all delicious! read more

Amazing candy. Also a great place for ice cream or milkshakes. You won't find better chocolate anywhere. Some of it is pricey but there are usually some nice bags of sweets for pretty cheap. read more

Still a-ok, still a bit overpriced, but still full of deliciousness as well. They do have really good sponge candy, would recommend giving that a try when you stop in. read more

Yeah, about that sponge candy... it's certainly different. I'm not sure I like it. But then, I'm more of a creamy gooey caramel filled chocolate kind of girl, and sponge candy is pretty much exactly the opposite. Oh well. read more

We tried the sponge candy because of the great reviews, but we didn't care for it. On the plus side, the peanut butter creams were awesome!!!! I will go back to try more of their chocolates. read more

Yaaaaaas the sponge candy is a must-have. quality family business with a wonderful selection for gifts or to eat right now!!

Just bought $100 worth @ Pittsford NY store - clerk informed me that the $25 rebate deal has ENDED ! ! That's the end of a good candy for me - way too expensive for a "mediocre" boxed candy source - back to Laura Secord & See's Candies.! ! read more