Alethea was the name of Dean Tassy’s great-grandmother, who was a chocolatier in Greece. Today, the store named for her is one of the top candy stores in America’s top candy city. The repertoire is vast, including bon-bons and barks, truffles and turtles, and the great Buffalo treat, sponge candy.
“I am an extremist,” Tassy told us. “When it comes to chocolate, we have some of the darkest dark in the country, as well as the lightest light. Good chocolate must have real cocoa butter, NOT palm kernel oil like most of your chocolate wafers.” One bite provides assurance that Alethea’s is the real thing. The dark in particular is more intense than espresso – ultimate chocolateness. Wrap that (or creamy milk chocolate) around some of Alethea’s homemade marshmallow and add toasted bits of coconut and cashews and you have Charlie Chaplin, a locally-liked confection found in no other city. Tassy told us the generally accepted story that the candy was named after the silent film comedian, who supposedly loved it, but nobody knows how it became a signature of Buffalo alone.
Like several of the other top candy shops in town, Alethea’s also is an ice cream parlor — one of the best anywhere. Here is grand ice cream topped with truffled hot fudge, dark-amber caramel sauce, freshly-made marshmallow topping, or crunchy-crisp, well-salted nuts. Have a classic “Mexicano” (chocolate sauce and Spanish peanuts) or a Delphi Maiden of chocolate chip and coffee ice cream topped with marshmallow, chocolate sauce, and toasted almonds. Or just a regular sundae topped with devilishly chocolaty hot fudge. For a distinctly Buffalonian treat, consider a sponge candy sundae, for which large chunks of candy are piled atop ice cream and crowned with (freshly) whipped cream.
Sunday | 10am - 8pm |
Monday | 10am - 9pm |
Tuesday | 10am - 9pm |
Wednesday | 10am - 9pm |
Thursday | 10am - 9pm |
Friday | 10am - 9pm |
Saturday | 10am - 9pm |
Other Nearby Restaurants
-
Bar-Bill Tavern
East Aurora, New YorkGorgeous (and delicious) Buffalo wings and masterfully built beef on weck sandwiches put Bar-Bill Tavern on the must-eat list of western New York.
-
Kelly’s Korner
Buffalo, New YorkPub grub means wings n’ weck at this late-night drinking hole. It’s a locals’ place that has been serving Buffalo classics and pouring beer since 1967.
-
Mike’s Candy Shop
Cheektowaga, New YorkOf Buffalo’s many great candy shops, Mike’s is among the best. Sponge candy is superb, as are the city’s unique Charlie Chaplins, made with fresh marshmallow.
-
Parkside Candy
Buffalo, New YorkBuilt in 1927, Buffalo’s Parkside Candy is a beautiful temple of sweets. Sundaes, sodas, egg creams are all fine; and the candy selection is staggering.
-
Five Points Bakery & Toast Cafe
New York,The open kitchen at Five Points Bakery produces artisan breads that are toasted and served with all the right companions in a temple of enlightened eating.
-
Chef’s
Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo’s family Italian dining experience since 1923, Chef’s is most famous for the buttery carb-fest known as Spaghetti Parmesan.