Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop

A great pit stop for the family for a cool off after a day in the sun. The dessert was great but our favorite part was the shaded balcony overlooking Monterey Bay!

I love Ghirardelli chocolate! Anyways, was hanging out in Monterey and decided, why not get a treat? So my family and I searched up ice cream places and found Ghirardelli. I’ve never tried their sundaes so I was like, «Why not? This place is on my bucket list.» So we drove to cannery row, did some exploring, and finally found this place. When we walked inside, it smelled amazing. Smelled very chocolatey, and like the ocean, since the store is located near the ocean. There was so much chocolate, types of sundaes, milk shakes, etc. So we ordered the Land’s End sundae and it was really good. Whipped cream, two chocolatey brownies, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, two scoops of vanilla ice cream, and a cherry on top. It was delicious, but very rich! Definitely will be back for a chocolate craving!

I love Ghiradelli’s! At every location, they almost always have someone handing out free samples of caramel chocolate squares to everyone who checks out the store, and this location was no exception! They have a variety of sundaes and ice cream shakes/​other drinks. Prices are on the expensive side ($ 11 – 14 for a sundae), but if you check in on Unilocal you can save $ 1 on your sundae.
We decided to get a chocolate dipped waffle cone with two scoops of ice cream ($ 6.55), since we had tried a sundae two days ago. The waffle cone was huge! The ice cream is high quality and very creamy.
The best part of this location is the outdoor seating in the back that overlooks the water. The view is gorgeous!

Going to northern California would never be complete without a trip to Ghirardelli. I have always thought that their chocolate and their sundaes were to die for. The place is quaint, with a balcony overlooking the bay, it is cozy, but do not expect it to be the all engaging factory that the one in San Francisco is. Just come in sit a while and have some chocolate and ice cream while looking out onto the bay.

what?! no review?!
I was ever so glad to see that a Ghirardelli Ice Cream Shop opened within a short walking distance of the Aquarium.
We always make a point of dropping by because, let’s face it, there’s always room for awesome hot fudge.
Hot Chocolate — always always good. I mean, what do they use in here? Real melted chocolate?! OMG wait, that’s it, isn’t it?!
Hot Fudge Sundae is always a good choice.
If you want a chocolatey mocha, they have a really good one.
Chocolate Dipped Waffle Cone, if you don’t’ have diabetes, go for it! Always.

This is only my third time having Ghirardelli sundaes, 3 different kinds at 3 different locations! I have to admit that I normally go to Carmel and Pacific Groves vs. Monterey as the area has gotten way too crowded for me, similar to the SF Fisherman’s Wharf. But during our last day trip, it was surprisingly quiet so we decided to stop by the Monterey location of Ghirardelli for a sweet treat. Since it is a chocolate and ice cream shop, you are greeted with a complimentary square of chocolate.
Prices for sundaes are on the high side averaging about $ 13, however most are big enough to share, Lands End last time and Banana Split this time. The split comes with 3 scoops of ice cream, vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate. Since the strawberry is the tarter scoop of the 3, I would prefer to have that as one of the end scoops as we all know that eating sweet first (vanilla and chocolate) makes the second scoop even more tart.
Sundaes are pretty consistent among the different shops but what makes this a 5 star for me is the beautiful ocean view at one of the outdoor seating areas. The only downside is the birds that fly by and tends «to nest» in certain crevices above you. So pay attention to avoid having any extra «toppings».
No restrooms on premise but there is a public one in the upstairs of the building next door.

Fabulous! After having been to Monterey several times I finally treated my family to this yummy dessert spot. Well worth it! The double scoop waffle cone, coffee milkshake and root beer float was generously served and delicious!

Espresso coffee was good and vanilla ice cream was a little bit too frozen but good (and I’m Italian so I do know real espresso and real gelato!).
Unfortunately the line was so long both at the cashier and later at the pick up station!

Convenient location on Cannery Row, but a bit cramped with the crowd on a weekend afternoon, but not unexpected. I always welcome the free chocolate sample upon walking in to Ghirardelli :) There’s always some kind of «sale» or promotion going on, so sometimes it is worth it to buy chocolates here. I usually just get the value packs from Costco (but of course, those are very limited in variety).
We stopped by here for a sundae, which is a bit pricey, but I got a $ 1 discount for checking in (valid only on ice cream sundaes!). Service was pretty fast and we were able to find a small table inside. Turns out there’s quite a bit of seats in here, as I spotted a section near the back with a bunch of booths as we were heading out.
The banana split sundae was pretty and good for sharing between 2 – 3 people, though a bit on the pricier side for $ 12.95. The chocolate ice cream is definitely the best of the 3 flavors. Another plus is that you can see the water just outside, and there’s a beach for the kids just steps away. Great location, delicious ice cream and chocolate :)

Free samples. Need I say more? Honestly, we only had coffee and chocolates… but, their coffee was way better than Starbucks or Peete’s! We filled up a bag of miscellaneous yummy bite size chocolate squares for $ 15.00. Great deal!

Great ice cream and chocolate. Pricey, my 3 year old daughter dropped her $ 5 ice cream cone during her first lick, fortunately for her, they replaced it for free. Nice of them. Thanks.

It’s very nice to have a cup of hot chocolate while sitting by the sea. This store gave you $ 1 off on sundae and ice cream when you checkin with Unilocal.The hot chocolate tasted like powder which we thought they made with real chocolate since we were in the chocolate factory store. Their chocolate was on sale though.

I always pass by but, didnt think much of it! First time here and we LOVE it!!! My favorite was the Hot fudge Sundae. The outside seating in the back area is beautiful. Oceanside. And they also have a front of the store seating. The service was fast and their staff are super friendly. They definitely made it on my favorites list to go for desserts now!

What can I say. Ice cream is good no matter where you go. Garredelli is even better because it’s the best chocolate around.

Who doesn’t love Ghirardelli? Huge sundaes and beautiful views.
Sitting on the deck eating ice cream, we saw otters playing in the water just off the docks, and then in the distance we saw a whale swimming right there in the bay, just a few hundred yards out.
Nice.

Mehhhhh. I mean, people are always raving about Ghirardelli and I just don’t see the differences between chocolates.
Check in on Unilocal and get $ 1 off your Sundae!!!
I guess you can say I’m a little biased due to the fact that I’m not a big fan of Chocolate. However, I came here after a long day of hiking in Big Sur with some of my friends and decided to get a sweet treat as a reward for all that hard work.
My friends and I got Lands End, which is a sundae with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, brownies, sea salt, caramel, and chocolate.
Presentation was alright, I mean it didn’t look amazing or anything of that sort.
Taste:
Vanilla ice cream tasted like any other vanilla ice cream out there. The sea salt wasn’t very strategically placed because every now and then I would get a spoonful of salt, which wasn’t pleasant at all. It all tasted like diabetes to me… I felt as though I was going to walk out of there and contract diabetes.
I didn’t get a chance to try the brownie, but according to my friend, it was moist and delectable, aka «heaven.»
I’d probably wouldn’t come back for a Sundae… but maybe to try some of the espressos and hot coco.
I’ll give this place another .5 stars because they handed me a free caramel milk chocolate piece when I walked in. hehe

I tend to not go to any of the Ghirardelli locations just because its usually a mad house of customers or a main tourist destination… BUT, if you’re ever in Monterey on a weekday, its worth stopping in and getting a little tasty treat!
We came in on a Tuesday mid-​morning and we were the only customers here! Got a ice cream sunday, sat in a booth, kids got icecream all over their faces, sat on their balcony that’s RIGHT ON the water, enjoyed watching the birds fly past, waves crashing on the beach just a few feet away, it was simply a perfect experience. Location Location Location!
Oh, and of course the chocolate and ice cream is pretty awesome.

What an amazingly yummy place. It was packed inside. It was beautiful to be able to sit out on the patio and see the ocean. Please note this review is for the Monterey Bay location in Cannery Row. The line was quick but the wait was a little long. But, it was so worth the wait. They use such good quality ingredients. My daughter and I shared this huge caramel sundae. The place is very clean. Definitely a place I will go back to.

I have yet to be to a Ghirardelli store that isn’t super touristy and this location is no different.
It was a cold night when I visiting on a Friday evening, so I did appreciate these fire heat lamps that were providing warmth in the patio area even though my friends and I decided to sit inside. While the lamps were neat, you had to be standing next to them to keep warm and not sitting down at a table next to them.
We decided to go here to get some hot chocolate since a hot beverage seemed like it would be a comforting option to be paired with the cold weather. As expected, the hot chocolate was overpriced and on top of it the inside of the shop was very crowded. We were able to grab a table, but it was dirty with someone else’s half eaten ice cream bowl and random napkins. Luckily, I was able to flag down the staff to remove the last customer’s leftovers from the table (but they did not wipe it down with a cloth).
My sea salt caramel hot chocolate was unremarkable and too sweet to finish. I thought to myself that I just wasted $ 5 on a drink in which I didn’t even finish half of it. There was also kids and families all over the place, so it was a little too noisy and chaotic for my taste.
It could be worse, but I’m just not impressed with this place. Especially since their chocolate is widely available even at Safeway, so there is no reason to pay ridiculous prices for it here.

Yep, I got my free piece of chocolate when I walked in!
Everyone working here was friendly and perky.
I ordered a salted caramel sundae. After ordering, it was soon delivered to my table. The delicious vanilla ice cream was drenched in caramel and fudge sauces with the perfect amount of saltiness to offset the sweet. It was enormous but I finished every bite and restrained myself from licking the glass.
I sat on a small outdoor patio which overlooks the beach. There is also indoor seating and a street-​side patio. The patio table we sat at was a bit sticky; I don’t think it had been attended to for awhile. 4.5 stars!