Cottage of Sweets

If you ever want to feel what Charlie did in the chocolate factory then step into Cottage of Sweets. Very easy to find if you’re walking in downtown Carmel, it somehow feels hidden even though it’s in plain sight. The exterior makes it seem like it’s just another shop but once you step in you’re greeted by enough candy and sweets to make you pre-diabetic at first sight. The shop itself is very small and narrow but they pack it to the brim with goodies. From regular candies to special edition/harder to find ones to fresh baked sweets; this place has it all. We looked around searching for something that called out to us. This is a place where there are just so many options that it’s hard to decide what you want to sink your teeth into. After a lot of deliberating we went with the chocolate peanut butter cup (they have milk and dark, we chose milk) and the cookies and cream malt balls (basically cookies and cream Whoppers). Excited to get some cavities, they bagged our sweets and we headed straight across the street to eat them. That’s one thing to note, there is no seating in there so if you want to eat immediately then you have to find seating. Luckily there is a library on the corner across the street with benches. Searching for a sugar rush, here’s what we found: the peanut butter cup was great. The chocolate shell is a bit hard to bite through, definitely not as soft as a Reese’s but the chocolate is much higher quality. The peanut butter filling is soft and delicious, easily a better version of a Reese’s. Moving onto the malt balls, they were great. Very light cookies and cream flavor but sweet. Much more on the cream side of cookies and cream so be aware of that. The texture is fantastic, soft exterior and a nice crunch from the malt interior. We were very pleased by both things we got and it far exceeded what we thought they would be. Cottage of Sweets is a must go if you’re in the downtown Carmel area, you won’t regret it.

Cute little sweets store, great selection of sweets. The staff were kind and friendly. If you’re in Carmel I recommend you to check out their store.

Really cute spot with lots of chocolates and candies. A bit pricey, and the quality was just okay. We tried three different items, but nothing really stood out—pretty basic, similar to what you could find elsewhere.

I finally had got the time to write this review… I was on a road trip and I’ve been waiting to come to the cottage of sweets …be advised the place get packed. They have an absolutely amazing selections of all kind of treats from around the world when I got there, the place was still closed, but April went out of her way to show me around the place and even offered me some treats on the house, I would highly suggest for you to swing by and look at all the cool stuff they have.. The staff is absolutely amazing but again you just gotta be quick on your feet because the place get jammed packed and be patient. The staff is doing their best. I had a great time. I would definitely come back. and again April thank you so much for the Mars candy bar brought back so much memory from my childhood. I never thought I’ll see that candy bar again.

The Cottage of Sweets was our favorite stop in town for obvious reasons! The building is historic, and the chocolate / candy available inside is fantastic. Amongst other things, we had chocolate covered gummy bears for the first time ever today. They were really good!

Huge variety of sweets in this shop. Items can be $$$, some candies are $54/lb. Unless there's a specific candy that only this shop carries, you may find significantly lower prices elsewhere.

Order No. 10576 Placed on Jul 9, 2024. Delivery photos. I received the fudge order today and was disappointed the order was shipped without cold packs. It was definitely not a pleasant visual experience when I opened the 2 boxes. And to not have each flavor of fudge wrapped separately was a big mistake as the 2 different fudges stuck to each other. See photos below. As a result I will not be ordering any of your fudge for family or friends. The orders I’ve received in the past from you were fantastic quality and appearance upon delivery. From the photos unfortunately your shipping a quality product has deteriorated. Hopefully this honest email help to not disappoint a future customer.

A cute little cottage full of Sweets! It's smaller on the inside than it seems from the photos, so every nook is full of goodies and visitors. For those anglophiles, you'll particularly love their selection of imported British candies.

If you ever want to feel what Charlie did in the chocolate factory then step into Cottage of Sweets. Very easy to find if you're walking in downtown Carmel, it somehow feels hidden even though it's in plain sight. The exterior makes it seem like it's just another shop but once you step in you're greeted by enough candy and sweets to make you pre-diabetic at first sight. The shop itself is very small and narrow but they pack it to the brim with goodies. From regular candies to special edition/harder to find ones to fresh baked sweets; this place has it all. We looked around searching for something that called out to us. This is a place where there are just so many options that it's hard to decide what you want to sink your teeth into. After a lot of deliberating we went with the chocolate peanut butter cup (they have milk and dark, we chose milk) and the cookies and cream malt balls (basically cookies and cream Whoppers). Excited to get some cavities, they bagged our sweets and we headed straight across the street to eat them. That's one thing to note, there is no seating in there so if you want to eat immediately then you have to find seating. Luckily there is a library on the corner across the street with benches. Searching for a sugar rush, here's what we found: the peanut butter cup was great. The chocolate shell is a bit hard to bite through, definitely not as soft as a Reese's but the chocolate is much higher quality. The peanut butter filling is soft and delicious, easily a better version of a Reese's. Moving onto the malt balls, they were great. Very light cookies and cream flavor but sweet. Much more on the cream side of cookies and cream so be aware of that. The texture is fantastic, soft exterior and a nice crunch from the malt interior. We were very pleased by both things we got and it far exceeded what we thought they would be. Cottage of Sweets is a must go if you're in the downtown Carmel area, you won't regret it.

As a Brit living in California I was excited to see somewhere selling British chocolate bars. We purchased a few things and left. The place is extremely cute but literally everything we got was expensive. We drove down the coast to home and decided to open some things. Make sure you check the British chocolates expiration dates as the Cadbury Cake Bars we got were expired by over six months. They are a pack of five but there was a sixth one in there all smushed and broken up. All six bars were unsealed somehow but the outer packaging was still sealed. I was willing to try one and it was stale as hell. Dunno what I expected to be honest. When you're going to sell something imported please make sure to check your dates. Kinda messed up but that's $9 down the drain for one bite of stale, unsealed cake bar. Not a good nostalgia trip after all. It wasn't a backward British date thing either, plus it doesn't matter when you're almost at month five of 2025 and the date says 26/7/2024. Almost a year past the date! Not okay! The Yorkie bar, 2 Frys Turkish Delight bars, 2 packs of Maltesers were all within date though. The fudge was expensive but delicious. Very annoyed about the cake bars though! For anyone that has a World Market near them, they sell some of the British chocolate bars for literally half the price of this place. Honestly doubt I'd ever come back in here. Maybe to get the fudge but that's it.

Beautiful building! Beautiful area (and very walkable)! Wonderful staff! Excellent sweets. Yes, expensive, but worth the treat. I came here with my wife and daughter and we had a really nice moment. Certainly looking forward to returning.

What's dinner without dessert? We always end our evening at Cottage of Sweets. The smell of chocolate as soon as you walk in is so warm and inviting. I love their wide selection of chocolates. My go to is the caramel turtles in both dark and milk chocolate.

I'd give the candy 3.5 stars, but the young people who were happily serving customers at 930 PM on the 4th of July deserve all five (please tip these hard working kids!) Excellent selection of packaged British candy, and beautiful looking fudge varieties . We got a smores bar (don't be scared by the 52 dollar a lb price, one was like 8 bucks). It was decent. The watermelon jelly slices were not the best. Berries red and black candies were fine. This place smells like what I'd imagine heaven smells like. Super cute and open late!

Cottage of Sweets is such a charming little spot in Carmel! The salted caramel dark chocolate fudge was insanely delicious, and the salted caramel dark chocolate marshmallow cloud was sooo good too. Perfect place to grab sweet souvenirs for friends and family! Only downside-- I got charged for the chocolate covered tangerines but they didn't make it into my bag (my mom's fave... bummer but oh well). Service was friendly otherwise, and I can see why this place is a local favorite. Oh and their pistachio bonbons are chef's kiss-- the coffee bonbon was solid too. Definitely worth a stop if you're passing through Carmel.

The chocolates are fine. Tastes like any other better than average chocolates and caramels but certainly not worth the price. We got a peanut butter cup, two nuts & carmel turtles, and 2 chocolate covered caramels. Came out to $25.

i think this is my favorite sweets store in downtown carmel the ppl working are always so nice its a small store with tons of chocolate, fudge, candy, gifts and much more its always packed i love their fudge, they make it in house

If you have a sweet tooth, this place is like heaven! There are so many options that I could have spent all day there. I decided to try the salted caramel dark chocolate fudge and it was decadent. Super rich and creamy!

Fun, cute, and cozy candy store. They have a pretty extensive collection of licorice and chocolates (heavy on milk chocolates and not a lot of dark chocolate). Was super fun to visit after dinner nearby.

I always love coming to this shop. This shop is so nostalgic as it holds so many types of candies from other countries! It is a small shop but hold so many delicious candies! Came here this time to get their fudge. Best ones I like are the smores and rocky road fudge. Just a taste of their ooie gooey chocolate in one bite and it is just a delight! Gotta try here if you haven't already!

Wow they have a whole lot in here. Heads up the shop is kinda small so you might be elbow to elbow with other sugar craving folks lol. The employees are super nice and they let you sample the fudge! We walked out with a whole bag full of goodies. Everything's pretty good! A little pricey but it's expected.

Probably 2 dozen types of fudge and 50 different types of chocolate treats. The chocolate marshmallow, large chocolate peanut butter cup, truffles, chocolate dipped apricots and orange peels are all a win in my book. My daughter found it very challenging to decide one treat. She had a meltdown from the conundrum between gummies in the shape of sea creatures, and the tower of lollipops from airplanes, unicorns, and other novel shapes It can get busy but the line moves fast!

Great options especially many of their homemade chocolate items like fudge and chocolate covers marshmallows. Excellent brittles as well. Lots of options for imported candies as well!

Great place to go for quality and classic sweets Amazing and knowledgeable service A comfy ambiance nestled in a town known for its angst to tourism and picturesque environment.

They advertise their most popular fudge here. I believe it was the walnut chocolate fudge. I can see why it's their most popular. I would have liked if they also advertised their least popular fudge. I wanted to try that one too. How would they define the least popular fudge? Is it whatever fudge gets purchased the least? Or do people leave reviews or come back to the store telling employees that they hate a certain fudge? I'm assuming it's the first theory. So the least popular fudge might just be the least understood. It hasn't even been given a real shot to be the most popular. Why does it need to be a popularity contest anyway? The walnut chocolate fudge can just be labeled "the most understood". Anyway, I got the strawberry short cake fudge too, which I was hesitant to get at first. I thought fudge needed to have a chocolate flavor. It was like I was ordering chocolate cake flavored orange juice. The strawberry short cake fudge ended up being really good. In my eyes, the walnut chocolate fudge isn't more popular than the strawberry short cake fudge or vice versa, but I do have a better understanding of both of them.

Just Sweet It British-style sweet shop that's located in a historic building built back in 1922 and originally located on Dolores St. It was moved the following year (1923) and has had several other iterations in its lifetime before becoming what is now Carmel-by-the-Sea's favorite candy shop back in 1959. The candy shop has had several owners since then and was even named one of "America's Ten Best Candy Stores" by USA Today® back in '09. The Good: *Building is very cute and reminds me of something that would belong in The Shire™. *Lots of varieties of candy that you can't find everywhere. Even hard-to-find Harry Potter© themed candy, and lots of my favorites from Cadbury®. *Service was friendly *I'm usually not that big of a fan of caramels but theirs are pretty dang good. *Housemade fudge and other goodies. The Meh: *Prices are fairly high but not as high as I thought; I cross-referenced some of the prices with The Amazons™ and they were both ±$1 within each other. The Ugly: *While the shop is cute, it's not made for big ogres, like myself. This is the kind of place that makes me want to vamoose as quickly as possible because of the claustrophobia it produces. TLDR: Great place for candy lovers--just not the morbidly obese ones, such as I. :(

It was a little under whelming - unless you really like fudge. They have bulk candy - the same you can get at any store. Kids liked it, but there was nothing sweet about it for me.

Such a cute shop and I have memories of coming here as a child. Glad to see it's still in business. Walked in to buy some fudge and was happy to see they still have a huge selection. They weigh it at the end to determine the price, so keep in mind that it's fairly expensive ($28 per pound). I got four pieces/squares and it was about $26 total. Despite the price, it's totally worth it!

This little shop on the main street in Carmel offers a nice selection of candy and chocolates. It is a bit overpriced as you can get Dick Taylor Black fig chocolate at Whole Foods for $10 and Fleur de Sel on Amazon for $14. They sold them for $16. What matters more though is customer service. The two women behind the counter were efficient but unfriendly and cold. Carmel is touristy and I expected a more welcoming attitude- didn't get a hello or a thank you.

Hold on to your wallet! I think their scales are faulty! I was charged for 4 lbs of chocolate when I bought 1 lbs! Outrageous and the hackstacks were stale. I would not go back. Staff NOT friendly! I wondered why it was the only place that didnt have a line on that block!

Oh, so many yummies here. This was a fun place to stop when out walking for the evening and needing a little "something". Fresh made candies, chocolates, etc. Their pecan Carmel turtles were absolutely delicious!

If you love sweets then this is the place for you! So many and I mean SO MANY to choose from! You have to go to and see it! We got a pack of lemon drops, a Harry Potter chocolate, and peanut brittle. We love what we got! We'll be sure to come back! The staff are friendly. If you're ever in Carmel by the Sea, this one is a must visit!

The red wheel licorice was the perfect taste of childhood. It took a bit longer to receive package, but was well worth the wait.

This is a nostalgic must-visit whenever I am in Carmel. It's the cutest cottage filled up with a ton of candy and chocolates. Grab a few pieces of fudge and chocolates to enjoy. My favorites are the oreo cookies and cream and dark chocolate- pure heaven. For nut lovers, the milk chocolate walnut is good. I would skip the tiramisu- much too sweet.

Hours on yelp are different from in person. Very disappointed. Planned a trip to Carmel to visit this store specifically and planned to go after dinner since it's listed as "9pm" for closing. Got to store at 8:02pm and it was closed and there were two staff inside looking at us like "too bad". Just left with very disappointed kids after hyping it up all day. At least update your business page on Yelp to let potential customers know. "Disappointed" is an understatement.

I visited cottage of sweets at the end of June and purchased a variety of fudge to bring back home to New Jersey. Considering I grew up at the Jersey shore, where fudge is plentiful, I wasn't expecting this fudge to blow me away. Boy, was I wrong! We tried the sprinkle donut, strawberry shortcake, creme brûlée, and tiramisu because they all were unique flavors. It was some of the best fudge I ever had and it traveled well too! Definitely stop here if you're in the area!

It was a nice building the staff was nice. This was my mistake i just assumed i grabbed more than i realized. The signage on the price of candy isn't exact for certain candy and they don't tell u before ringing up the rest of your items. So it was my mistake to not ask but it seemed misleading.

This shop is racism, we are Asia and they pretend they don't hear from us, serves everyone in the store but not us. Until no one else in the store, and we ask for service and they laugh us behind and thought we didn't see at front. Also fudge is too sweet, not our favorite.

The atmosphere is great, tucked into one of the cottages in Carmel and that makes the experience worth it. We made out with a load! We were disappointed that the Canadian-imported bars my husband bought (we bought 10) were all stale and the maple fudge was so-so. Their fresh selection of in-house treats are the best. The gummies and licorice were great!

Cute place, but overpriced because it is more of a Carmel landmark. Fudge and other homemade items are pretty good, but all bulk candy is priced super high compared to buying somewhere else. Worth a visit to see it and grab a couple items.

#ThankYouThursday2021 I always appreciate a business that makes their own fudge in house. 'Cottage of Sweets' deserves a high five and five stars for their fudge alone. Displaying a plethora of creative and mouth watering flavors of tasty fudge! Wall to wall candy for all the Sweet Tooths out there. First candy shop I've ever visited that offered Vegan Cashew Brittle! I didn't know there was such a thing. Right after a salty meal, Cottage of Sweets delivered the sugary goods. Left with the Tiramisu, Creme Brulee and Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge assortment. Honestly, that fudge didn't stand a chance against me! Definitely going back there next visit to Carmel.

A perfectly charming little sweets shop that blends into the picturesque town around it. Of course I had to go! It's very cozy inside, so be prepared to wait for people to leave if there's more than a handful of patrons ahead of you. There's a ton of options, from handmade chocolates, fudges, and toffees to packaged chocolate bars and sweet treats. I used to work in a toffee shop so I am pretty particular about my toffee, but this was a good option, albeit a bit sweeter than I wanted it to be. I also tried some chocolate peanut butter fudge, which was indulgent as hell, and a dark chocolate turtle, which I've definitely made better versions of (sorry!) but was still nice with tea later in the afternoon when I was at the beach. Everyone was very friendly and patient as I perused the options and then packed things up very nicely so I could take them to go. Definitely worth checking out!

Okay, I received some amazing fudge from this location this summer as a gift and it was so good that nothing had come close. I went to the Wharf in SF for some fudge and although it was good it didn't fill the void Cottage of Sweets made for me with their house made fudge. My first batch from this location was the salted caramel fudge, rocky road fudge (my FAVORITE), toffee fudge, and I want to say birthday cake fudge - I remember it was a blonder fudge of some sort! My best advice is if you like a chewy fudge, leave it room temperature, but if you like a tougher cooler fudge, the fridge gives it an amazing texture that makes it so enjoyable. Both are delicious though! I just came here for the first time tonight and it was a cute, small, shop that caters to every sweet tooth. Sour, sweet, chocolate, gummies - it's a cottage of all goodies. This time it was fun to pick my own fudge which matched the same quality I had been gifted. It was DELICIOUS! It was textured, chewy, the marshmallows were fresh - it brought back the same flavor I've been missing. Service was really great there were three associates who were ready to help and I was able to get my fudge packed quick and ready to pay. I liked how they had packaged them in boxes so they weren't bouncing around in a bag when we head back home. Prices here can add up, but the quality is unbearable. I've paid much less for fudge and ended up throwing most of it out at other places, but this is the only place where the through wouldn't even cross my mind! The salted caramel was so chewy and the caramel was fresh and perfectly layered between the fudge, it tasted even better fresh. You can tell that this location cares and is thoughtful about its products. I enjoyed seeing the imported candy section too since a lot of it was completely new to me. I even saw some candies I don't see at the grocery store as often anymore, which was fun to see. Overall, this spot may be small but it is lovingly kept and freshness is guaranteed. This spot got busy around the time we came in post dinner, and I think everyone else had the same idea too. We ended up spending $100+ on fudge, just for reference. We don't mess around when it comes to good fudge, and knowing we'd be away for a bit made it worthwhile. If you have a big sweet tooth, this spot is perfect.

I always stop here for house made chocolates and imported candies. They have plenty of options and it's always busy. It's in an English style cottage on the main road. .

Warning eating a LOT of candy will put a smile on your face, but may also give you a tummy ache. This cottage has ALL the sweets and a TON OF HOSPITALITY! My new sweet shop when I am near the coast!

Cute little boutique. I did my research online and found this fairytale cottage in Carmel that I couldn't miss. There's a framed information history for visitors to study about this historical building. What makes this cottage extra special is it's a candy shop. My 10- year-old loves it like we were in Disneyland.

Really great service- willing to give samples of fudge that are large enough to actually taste. Good fudge and many unique flavors! Definitely planning on going back.

Not only is this an adorable spot in a fairy tale house, it the sweets offered are surprisingly good. Although I didn't love the truffles, the peanut butter cups, English toffee, and fudge were great. I tried a few fudge flavors- I liked the espresso and creme brûlée bette than the Bordeaux and health bar.

Took a brief pit stop here for some of Carmel's famous saltwater taffy and we were not disappointed. It was in a great location and adorable building but pretty busy even we were there.

Cute place, but do not purchase the English Toffee, it was terrible. $10 - one piece, 1 bite and in the trash. Maybe the fudge is better?

Pricey. Generally stale as I've experienced at most tourist trap candy shops but their lollipops saved me from dealing with a massive toddler meltdown.

Been coming her since I was a kid and now as an adult I bring my child here, my Kiddo loves the fudge and I always get at least a half pound of rum cordials.

Everything seems to be just a bit off in their chocolate. That combined with the fact that it is very expensive means that we will not be back. There are much better chocolate shops out there. It's almost like they use a chocolate with a paraffin content, like Hershey's rather than other commercially available bakers chocolates that are much smoother.

Definitely try any of the fudge and the fruit slice gummy candies! I bought the tramisu fudge + watermelon & blue raspberry fruit slice gummies. This was my first time trying this place out. If I had known how top quality the items were I would have bought & tried alot more. Glad to know about this deliciously cute cottage!

Perfect place for the sweet lovers! It is a British style sweet shop and filled with chocolates, fudge, candy, marshmallow, gummies, etc. The price is per pound and they have different size boxes too. We bought an assortment of single piece of creme brulee and cookies and cream fudge and cinnamon marshmallow. The flavors were on point and sugar was high.

What a great little candy shop! Lines were out the door! We were very happy with the service and all the little goodies we got. Staff were very friendly and patient. We got some English toffee and some salted vanilla caramel thing and some gummy candies. We went to the store on our last day & wish we would have gone earlier in our trip. We love sweets and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We will return Cottage of Sweets!

Super cute quaint candy store! They had vegan brittle which was made with coconut milk and cashews. It was really good and addicting -- a slight bit more pricey than the grocery store for candy but has more nostalgic and homey feel.

If you want to find the biggest selection of Turkish Delight, look no further! I love Turkish Delight and it's rare to find it at a candy shop, and if you do, they usually only have two or three flavors. Oh my gosh, they all had almost 10 flavors! And they were all delicious!!! Got milk chocolate toffee and chocolate haystacks, those were awesome. And pumpkin fudge which was so so so good! I am not a licorice fan but read online that they started making licorice years ago and they had a big selection - Staff was nice, definitely recommend swinging by here and then walking down to the beach!! :)