Padovani’s Chocolates

Padovani’s Chocolates is owned and operated by Chef Philippe Padovani, one of the founding fathers of Hawaii Regional Cuisine. Hawaiians regard him as the Willy Wonka of Hawaii’s finest chocolates.
His hand-​crafted chocolates have a distinct local flavour, unparalleled to any chocolate I’ve had before. Everything from his signature Lilikoi (Passion Fruit) Chocolate to his Cognac truffles and Ginger ganache will absolutely blow your taste buds.
The chocolates are a bit on the pricey side ($ 5/​piece) but guaranteed that they are worth every penny. Must visit when you are in Hawaii.

Padovani is the most legit chocolatier on the island by far. $ 4.25/ea if you gift them in a box. $ 2.25/ea if you have them thrown in a bag.

They didn’t have my usual Panna cotta, so I asked the owner to make me an ice tea of any flavor. So he made me the Lillikoi ice tea which was okay, also got a couple of coconut macaroons which was okay.
My total for the ice tea and macaroons was almost $ 9.00.

The chocolate is the best on the island I have had so far. The pice might be high but the quality is good. if you want cheap chocolate go get a Hershey bar or somthing. The owner is so full of himself. I don’t mind hearing a little bit of chocolate talk, but not your whole life story since you had your first chocolate at the age of five. I bought my girlfriend a box of chocolates for her birthday it was a box of six. He rolled his eyes at me and asked if that was all I was buying. He is lucky I didn’t smash his head through the glass display and took what I wanted. If your selling something be glad you have customers and treat them nice. I send people there because the chocolate is good but I tell them the workers are complete jerks.

I work very near. My coworkers fix every morning. Homemade hot chocolate, vanilla latte, padovani coffee, homemade pastries, quiche and chicken pot pie and more! Super nice family owned business with history of working in top hotel restaurants. I just love it!

Padovani’s crusty bread is P-​E-​R-​F-​E-​C-​T. At $ 7 a loaf, it’s priced around average for a gourmet bakery in Honolulu, but will last longer in your breadbox, soft and tasty, than others – edible for almost as a week, by some customers’ accounts.
Mine was devoured in a day, so guess I’ll have to visit again, to test this opinion out.
The mouthfeel is perfectly crusty on the outside and bready-​chewy-​soft within, delicious with slivers of Kerry Gold butter from Sam’s Club or CostCo (Irish butter drawn from allegedly happy cows… though my vegan buddy would say, how d’you humans truly know the bovines’ state of mind?). Taste is not too yeasty, nor too floury/​grainy – just has a delightfully complete feel, like something artfully made for years and years according to bakers’ traditions.
Better’n Fendu Boulangerie in Manoa (which has the form, but not the spirit, of such rustic breads, right), Brug in Shirokiya (great healthy ingredients, plastic execution… very Asian-​French that way), or Baker Dudes’ downtown and at Ward (decent but generic working artisanal loaves for farmer’s market yuppies who don’t themselves cook).
This is bread for grown-​ups. No baby tricks engaged, such as seductive savory elements (garlic, olives, onions) slathered onto it, or cheese/​chocolate/​etc. within. Not pre-​sliced, because why would you? Confidence, sophistication, and maturity required for appreciation.
At last. Found my ideal bread mate. Wedding of my jaded tastebuds and its subtly addictive form. Honeymoon to proceed.
Plus: VEGEMITE!

You cannot go to close to Honolulu without stopping by and visiting Padovani’s Chocolates. Recommend the hot chocolate. Tastes better than Mason du chocolat in Paris. Recommend … everything.

Love, love, love this place. I come here about 3 times a week lately. I have been ordering the iced cold lattes, with the coffee ice cubes of pure awesomeness. So far I have had the following iced latte flavors:
Hazelnut, Vanilla, Thai and Chai lattes.
Next week, I think I will try the Iced Mocha! Oh the many options to discover!
They also have Italian soda which I still need to try.
Variety of pastries including but not limited to; macarons, croissants, muffins, & cookies. Let’s not forget their HUGE display of many different kinds of chocolates, you can buy for gift boxes for that someone special.
The chocolately scent drew me in the first time there… I had some gift cards from a few co-​workers. Oh what a treat that was and now I am forever addicted to this cute and quaint little place.
It is located on the 2^nd floor of Dole Cannery but on the outside shopping area, on the same level as Eye Sight Hawaii center.
The shop owners are always so friendly and courteous to all customers.
Happily to add, I am a regular now at Padovani’s!

Interesting flavors. My favorite was the Lilikoi Ganache with Manoa Lehua Honey Crème, something like that. I also tried Waialua Chocolate, Mint, and Almond Lava Rock. Meh. None were worth the $ 2.20 apiece price. I’d rather eat See’s Dark Almond Clusters. I guess I don’t have gourmet taste.

Excellent chocolates; all of them! The chocolate mousse with a touch of Cassis liquor is wonderful. The quiche is yummy and my favorite is the hot chocolate.

You have not had REAL chocolate, until you have had a morsel of pure goodness from Padovani’s. Padovani’s is not a place you «stumble» upon, since it is in a location where there is very little foot traffic. This is the kind of place that exists because of word of mouth, Unilocal (duh!) and because they make AMAZING chocolates!
So where exactly is this place? It is in Dole Cannery, Costco side, on the second floor above Mesh. Park in the same parking lot as Iwalei Costco (near the tire center) and go up the escalator towards Dole Cannery and you will find Padovani’s there. What will find once inside Padovani’s? The most divine chocolates, homemade quiche, non-​perishables from Europe (think gourmet lentils, pastas, pestos, truffle oils and more), gourmet coffee and other sweet confections! Chocolates are handmade and hence, they are not perfectly shaped, but that’s the beauty of it. Often times you will find Padovani himself there, and he will give you a lesson on the art of chocolate, and if you are buying any of the imported food items, he may even throw in some tips and recipes of how to cook and prepare them. His brother may be working on the computer and his wife may make your coffee. This is the kind of establishment that I LIVE for! Small, friendly, family businesses, that provide quality products!

Padovani’s Chocolates is one of my new favorite spots! Chef Padovani is friendly, helpful, and a chocolate GENIUS! My wife has already put a limit on my trips per month.

Its a rare occasion that you find yourself so enchanted with shop owners that you start thinking «I don’t care what the product tastes like, I love this place,» but that is what happened at Padovani’s Chocolates.
My girlfriend and I found ourselves in this lovely shop before a movie the other evening and decided to look around. Salivating over the display case, we decided to buy a six piece box to share. The Padovani brothers were not only assisting us with our chocolate choices, but began making conversation with us, telling us about making their chocolates on site, and about some of the ingredients in their pieces.
They shared with us their passion for food and their love for chocolate, and showed us some of their custom made chocolate boxes and shared some of their custom work they’ve done for their clients. They also showed us their «naughty» chocolates which I assure you would make a wonderful gift for a bachelorette party or a gag gift.
The Padovani brothers told us about their other menu items to include iced coffee made with coffee ice cubes, Italian Sodas, quiche, macaroons, and merges.
They were even gracious enough to allow us to sample a piece of Goldshlagger chocolate and a macaroon and all I can advise you is if you’re reading this is, go and get yourself a macaroon. They’re heavenly.
The assorted chocolates that we purchased were nothing short of heavenly. The passion that the brothers shared with us while talking story translated well into the taste of the chocolates. The Padovani brothers are true chocolate artists and I will definitely be back. If you have an opportunity to stop in and see them, do it.

While I’m impressed with the reviews I’ve read, I would give the chocolatiers in Paris a try before settling on any specific chocolatier as a benchmark.
Sadly, the chocolates I bought today looked fabulous, but they were for others at my former job. I’m just a week and days back from Paris, so you’ll understand that I sampled some of the best chocolates on the planet.
Now that I know where the store is located (Dole Cannery), I’ll be a repeat customer.
Bön Appetit!

Philippe and Pierre Padovani are absolutely brilliant! I rarely ever get the chance so visit the Dole Cannery shops during the day while their open, but whenever I do, I’ve been making a point to stop here at Padovani’s Chocolates for a sweet specialty treat or a tasty beverage.
The Skinny:
OH YEAH!
+ High quality chocolate
+ Freshly baked pastries
+ Robust blends of coffee
+ Local flavors
OH NO!
— Location and hours aren’t too convenient unless you work near there
— A bit pricey
OH MY?!
* Were those frozen cubes of coffee instead of ice in my iced coffee? YES PLEASE!
Uncut:
When you walk in to this little shop on the second floor, outside of the Dole Cannery building you’ll notice glass cases full of delicious looking specialty sweets; Chocolates, truffles, tarts, chocolate dipped fruits, scones and more! Upon closer inspection you’ll notice the price…
*gasp*!
Stay calm! Breathe! It’s ok. You’re definitely getting what you pay for here. These are some serious high quality confections that the Padovani brothers create here.
Upon one of my last visits here I was looking for something a little heartier than chocolates, so I went with a delicious looking blueberry tart that was calling to me from under a plexiglass dome to the side of the entryway. A fresh chocolate chip scone had also grabbed my attention as it was sitting alone on the counter because the days previous patrons had spirited away all of this poor little guys friends. I decided to take it upon myself to rescue my new little friend from his loneliness of being the last kid picked. After all, no one likes to be the last one picked.
With my two items in hand I went up to the counter and chatted a bit with Chef Pierre who was manning the store at that time. He also convinced me that I needed a nice tasty beverage to wash my sweets down, so I opted to try an iced coffee for the first time. I paid handsomely for my three items (I flinched a bit at the price), thanked the Chef, and headed out to have my snack.
My spoils: Iced Coffee, Blueberry Tart, and Chocolate Chip Scone
As I was finishing my tart and scone, and drinking down my iced coffee, I started to notice that my coffee wasn’t really diluting as much as iced coffee usually does as the ice melts. I then began to notice that my ice cubes were a rich brown hue. I decided to test a theory. I drank the rest of the coffee in my cup, and kept the remaining ice in there to melt. I’m fairly certain it wasn’t just my imagination, but after the ice cubes melted I was left with more iced coffee! Ice cubes made from frozen coffee! BRILLIANT!!!
Unfortunately, due to their location in the Dole Cannery building, and their hours of operation pretty much coinciding with my work day I’m rarely ever able to make it out there. They do have Saturday hours, but I’m almost never in the area on a Saturday. I guess that’s kind of a good thing since if I were able to go there every day I would be flat broke in no time! I think I’ve got a couple days off coming up soon. Who’s down for a weekday trip down to Dole Cannery for a matinée and a stop off at Padovani’s for some high quality «sneak in» movie treats?

I work in the area and there is no Starbucks within walking distance, so for the longest time I was without coffee other than my boring company blend.
I kept seeing people walking around with coffee cups and finally I found that they came from here. You’d never think that a chocolate store would sell coffee, but if you work in the Dole Office building and need your morning coffee or an afternoon pick me up, I’d suggest this spot.
They have a good selection of coffees — hot and cold, and the woman who works here is really sweet. Great customer service.
As far as the prices go, it’s a little on the expensive side — for both the chocolate and coffee — but you’re paying for quality.

Legit chocolatier found here. Padovani is a freaking magician when it comes to chocolates.
So far, I’ve tried all of these chocolates:
— Pineapple ganache
— Lilikoi ganache
— Hawaiian Apple Banana
— Blood Orange
— Kona coffee
— Mauna kea (grand marnier)
— Cinnamon pistachio
— Calamansi — dark and milk
— Lilikoi caramel
— Matcha green tea
— Le Bouchon (champane)
— kahlua coffee
— fluffy marzipan
— Sea breeze (salt caramel)
with a list like that, you’d think i would have tried them all, right? wrong! there are TONS more that i still have to try!
he tempers the chocolate perfectly, so there is a nice sheen on all of them, and each ganache has delicate flavors. the cinnamon pistachio for example, has perfect balance where each flavor (cinnamon and pistachio) does not over-​power the other. just great!
AND he makes other things too. VERY DELICIOUS other things, like: french cheese quiche, bacon quiche, sausage rolls, chocolate mouse, apple raisin walnut strudel, mocha coffee with his delicious hot chocolate, cookies, biscotti, muffins, and MORE.
if he has quiche available, BUY ONE — they are freaking amazing. a little small for $ 7, but of course, this is quality, so well worth the price.
the chocolates will range about $ 2 a piece, and if you get 8 or more, he’ll recommend putting them in a box. the boxes make nice gifts, or nice treats for yourself: D
Padovani himself is a really nice, fun, friendly and amazing guy. Really cool, and passionate about his chocolate, and everything he makes really.
you NEED to try everything here.

This is chocolate done right, by an artist, with good quality chocolate. This is not mass produced and there are no free samples here. A little pricey, but worth every penny. THIS is chocolate! And if you’re anything like me and loveee dark chocolate, you will LOVE this place!
Hidden upstairs in Dole Cannery (across the street from the theatres) you will find a tiny, but amazing store. The guy who works here is so nice and you can pick from a bunch of delicious chocolates… kona coffee, sea salt, pistachio cinnamon, truffle (OMG please please try this melt in your mouth chocilate deliciousness!) kahlua, etc. They also sell some wicked good, airy, chocolately chocolate mousse (I took a bite from my girlfriend and had to stop myself from eating the whole thing myself!)and some baked goods as well (we had the streudel, so flakey and delicious!).
Fyi, if you order a box of these shiny chocolate treats, I have been told that he will put them in a gold box, layer with tissue, place a card with the names of the chocolate, and tie a ribbon of your choice to the box. Because I was just there to try, I just bought 4 chocolates and had them put it in a bag. I cant wait to come back…
Oh! And they sell coffee too. Their iced coffees ice cubes were made out of… coffee! Coffee ice cubes? Freaking Genius!

I walked in, and the lady that was there was on the computer. She said, «I’ll be right there.» …and so we waited. And waited. And then finally she slowly gets up and asks how she could help us.
I told her I’m on this special challenge, where I’m not allowed any dairy or oil, and I asked her if she had any without either. I think I totally stumped her because she went to the back, and pulled out an empty bag of cocoa? and started to read the label. That took a while… but then she’s like, well, there’s cocoa butter, are you allowed that? Actually I’m not quite sure… but whatever… which one?
So she points to the dark chocolate. It’s literally just a tiny block of dark chocolate. Sure… why not? And we got it.
I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t had dessert in SOO long, but it was pretty yummy. Although, I don’t think that the price matched the size. It literally was like those Andes chocolates…2 pieces for over $ 6? Crazy.
And to top it off, they weren’t perfect! There were air bubble chips and defects to the chocolate. If you’re gonna sell them at such high prices, they should look perfect… IMHO.
But don’t worry, I’ll go back when I’m off this silly challenge to have some of the other delectable looking ones.
Unilocal 365 Challenge #194/​365

Dear Padovani’s Chocolates,
Your decadent chocolate captures me, washes away all sense and logic. The voice inside me that says «Fool! if you eat chocolate at this hour (any hour after noon) you will never sleep again» fades into the distance as I stand entranced by your case of chocolates, your counter of baked goodness, lured by the promise of a rich chocolate flavor unmatched by any other confectionary on the island.
And even as I sit at 3am in the darkness of my room, wide eyed and trembling slightly, I do not regret.
Your chocolates are so smooth, so melt-​y, so delicious that your boxes will be my go-​to gift for people of special stature in my life. If someone were to pull me from the brink of certain death, I would gift them with an assortment of your chocolates and they would surely offer to save my life a second time.
As a connoisseur of the humble macaroon, yours are the best. Your brownie is magical (and not in a grass way), your lemon bars are sublime, and I can only imagine your scones and chocolate chip cookies are equally superb.
And your hot chocolate. I believe your hot chocolate is the ONLY hot chocolate my husband will partake of. He assertion that he does not like sweets becomes a falsehood when he finds himself within the walls of your store.
Thank you for quality. Thank you for being so kind and wonderful and making me feel as though we are friends. I will see you soon.
Yours,
Angela