The enormous and newly renovated Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience Store is now open in San Francisco!
Ghirardelli has been working to create a new, streamlined experience in collaboration with Eight Inc., the design firm behind Apple’s retail stores. The 5,985-square-foot Woolen Mill Building, which dates back to 1864, has been transformed into an open-concept experience. The new space unveils the chocolate-making process for the public to observe in real time, like roasting nuts and creating hot fudge from milk, vanilla, and pure Ghirardelli chocolate. They’ve also installed giant new windows for better views of the Bay, hand-painted murals, and a display of vintage Ghirardelli advertising.
“In collaboration with the Ghirardelli team, we aimed to blend historic elements of the iconic space with new and engaging components of the Ghirardelli retail environment,” said Edmond Kuan, managing principal of Eight Inc. “The space captivates visitors with incredible views, interactive features, and a bit of nostalgia—all a great backdrop for enjoying Ghirardelli chocolate.”
Customers can enjoy the world’s largest Pick and Mix, which lets you create our own customized selection of Ghirardelli Squares, as well as limitless sundaes, milkshakes, coffees, hot cocoa, and plenty more. The location boasts “wall to wall chocolate” with freshly-made chocolate bars bursting with roasted almonds and hazelnuts, pure chocolate flowing from tempering taps, and hand-dipped chocolate strawberries.
The Chocolate Experience Store in Ghirardelli Square is just the first of three phases slated for Ghirardelli’s SF storefronts. They will next tackle a renovation of Ghirardelli’s Original Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop starting in January 2023.
“Ghirardelli Square is one of our city’s most beloved destinations that tourists and residents always come back to,” said Mayor Breed. “We know that COVID had a significant impact on our tourism industry, and as we continue to recover, it is critical to establish new experiences for everyone to enjoy. Ghirardelli has helped bring people to San Francisco’s waterfront for almost 130 years, and they will continue to do so with the reopening of their Chocolate Experience Store.”
You can find Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience Store at 900 North Point Street in San Francisco. It will be open from 9am-10pm Sunday through Thursday, and until 11pm Friday through Saturday.