Darrell Lea Chocolate Shops Pty

I’ve always pictured Darrell Lea and Haigh’s being mortal enemies. Haigh’s has been around for decades in South Australia, but then so has Darrell Lea. With its beginnings in NSW, I’ve always considered Adelaide to be Haigh’s turf, and Darrell Lea being the outside intruder. But considering they’ve both been coincided in Rundle Mall for many years, I presume that they’ve resolved their differences (if there ever were any to begin with).
Whilst I’m not too into sugary treats, this shop does have some nice little sweets to offer. Their rocky road is great, and their licorice is always a wise choice. Their product range is a little wider than that of Haigh’s, so anything that isn’t chocolate is inevitably found here.
But seriously, how cool would a chocolate war between the two rivals be, right? I’ll patiently wait it out.

You’ll regularly find me in here getting my liquorice fix, cause it don’t get any better than Darrell Lea. Everyone who thinks of liquorice thinks of DL, and with good reason. It is the freshest, nicest liquorice you will find anywhere. My thing of the moment is the strawberry liquorice.
If that’s not your thing, don’t despair, there are many other goodies from chocolates, to lollies and old time favorites such as peanut brittle.

14/​12/​2011
The first thing that hit me about this store was the very wide range of prices, as well as the wider variety of chocolate and candy to choose from. You have to look at the entire store to finding great deals and will lead you to finding the cheap chocolate and candy!
For me, candy and chocolate is sooo primary school, anyway. Maturity is the arch-​enemy of chocolate, sadly.
At a busy hour, it’s a bit of challenge to get around the several customers coming in. You have to constantly keep watching where the spaces are in the store, before you can feast your eyes on the chocolate. So much… chocolate. Small candy all over the place. It perplexes me. This is a sweet-tooth’s paradise — everywhere you look there is something tiny to pick up and smile at! The behind-​the-​counter staff are always kept on their toes with the constant flow of customers walking in, so it will be a very long wait before they approach you.
Decide on your own and move on, is the way to go! Or come back another day, on a less busy hour.

Two words people: «Christmas Pudding»! For those of you who think I am talking about that fruity thing that you boil up and put syrup on it… HELL NO!
For as long as I can remember on Christmas day, along with the pressies etc. my Mummy dear has alway bought a Darrell Lea Christmas Pudding each. This is the most amazing X-​Mas pudd on the planet! Chocolate on the outside, nougat on the inside. Stupidly sickening for those not used to it, and for most it takes 4 or 5 sittings to get through it. Mine is lucky to be still recognisable by lunch!
This, of course, is not the only nugget of gold that is up for grabs at the magnificent store that is Darrell Lea. If you ask 10 different people, you will probably get 10 different answers as to what their favourite product is. Giant Jaffas, Licorice All Sorts, Candy Strawberrys and even the Scorched Almonds are popular answers. For me it will always be the x-​mas pudding and the Caramel Snows.
My mouth is sad now… and it had Meat for tea! That is how good Darrell Lea is!

I feel as though Darrell Lea is the less popular, and less South Aussie version of Haigh’s Chocolates. So how fitting that these two stores are situated right across from one another right?
To be honest I actually find Darrell Lea to be the more colourful and sweet chocolate store, which in many ways I like. I am a sucker for a good Rocky Road, and Darrell Lea makes a splendid one at that. Oh, and their dark coated chocolate red liquorish things (obviously I have no clue of the name for these) are SO SO SO good. I swear these must be hid whenever they get in my accessible reach.
Like Haigh’s Chocolates, Darrell Lea is reliable, delicious and a chocolate lovers dream. Plus the service I have received here has also always been great. In terms of gifts, I believe Darrell Lea is a great option for children and teens because it is colourful, bright and fun.

Adelaide has its fair share of outlets that deal in chocolate it’s true. Adelaide is isolated from the rest of Australia, there’s a lot of distance between our city and the next; so is it strange that we have a variety of places where the most obvious comfort food known to humans is available? Not at all. Why worry about being isolated from the rest of the country when you know there’s a good chocolate shop in town?
Darrell Lea are a bit of an institution around here. They have been in a very prominent position in Rundle Mall for as long as I can remember, ironically opposite another well known local chocolate enterprise. Their catch phrase, «Creating sweet magic» has always appealed to the masses, but I doubt it is the business’ slogan that really gets the punters in. I think it’s the product that people really respond to. The variety of confectionery available is not limited to chocolate but that is the main draw card. They keep up with all the ‘events’ of the year, Mother’s Day, Christmas, Easter (all the usual suspects) and they make nice little packages for each.
The chocolate they produce is creamy and rich without being too sweet and sickly. The service is always pretty good and usually the customer is offered a sample of something nice after a purchase is made — a custom that I think works well — making a purchase in some stores seems to make you the ‘annoying customer’ to some shop assistants these days, so going somewhere that appreciates your custom by offering you a chocolate kiss or a pearl mint is quite the outstanding difference.
Worth looking for a gift here, not too over the top price wise and the product is always good.