Soma Chocolatemaker

This is my go-​to store for chocolate in Toronto, I have never been let down by the flavour combinations of their chocolate.
They also have one of the best chocolates for diabetics for those who have been unable to enjoy decent chocolate due to their condition. It’d be nice if they could expand the selection for those that cannot indulge.
The gelato is also good in terms of Toronto standards. I’d like to have more original flavours.
Definitely a place to stop by and check out, if you’re in the distillery district.

This chocolate shop is purportedly one of the best in Toronto. My friends and I decided to stop in for some souvenir and gift shopping after a Toronto native pointed it out to us.
They offer a variety of chocolate bars, candies, and snacks but also have a full café bar where you can order coffee and hot chocolate.
I asked one of the store clerks for recommendations on their bestsellers and she was very kind to point out what they’re famous for — gathering chocolates from different countries. I bought a dark chocolate one with a hint of jasmine and a toasted white chocolate bar that tastes like «biting into a roasted marshmallow.» Both were delicious! I only wish I had bought more.

Love the taste of this brand of chocolate. We have Guittard, TCHO, Recchuti, Jade and Ghiradelli made locally in SF. But this artisanal chocolate is sensational. The small individual pieces cost $ 2 each and a bar will run you about $ 10 but they are so good. There is a big grinding machine as well as other things so you can watch them make the chocolates sold. I found the staff to be sort of snooty. Not sure why as they just work in a high end choc store. It’s not Neiman-​Marcus.

I love the assortment of chocolates here. I like getting chocolate bars over truffles and chocolate candies, and this place offered so many kinds of chocolate bars… more so than any other chocolate place I’ve been too, and I’m one to explore chocolatiers at pretty much every city I visit. I like how each bar also tells you a bit about its taste, and where the beans come from. I also really liked the hot chocolate here. I got the hot chocolate with milk, though next time I may just get the drinking chocolate because I thought there was too much milk in the chocolate. I also liked that there’s a nice large indoors seating area. Great place to come to for chocolates if you’re someone who likes exploring different kinds of chocolates. I will most definitely come back to this place every time I’m back in Toronto.

Absolutely incredible chocolate at this printing shop in the Distillery District. We grabbed a few of our favourites:
Chocolate shortbread
Milk chocolate toffee almond clusters
Salt and Peppa butter crunch
Hoping we can limit ourselves to eating one piece a day so that it lasts as long as possible.

If one can gain weight by just smelling the deliciousness of this place, I would be… 300lbs.
Came by for a hot chocolate while waiting for friends and ordered a classic hot chocolate with soy and the mister got the spicy hot chocolate. I really enjoyed mine but not so much his. I love spicy things but hot chocolate is not one of them. I thought that my soy-​based hot chocolate would be a weird combination but it was actually very tasty.
I really like this place because it’s very relaxing to watch people come in/​out and enjoying their purchases or if you’re lucky, you can see the masters at work through the windows.
Definitely recommend this place.

Absolutely amazing chocolate. I’m from Belgium and I have been sad to find only bakeries not many chocolatiers, but soma just saved me. It is very pricy but then again you are getting high quality chocolate. It just brings me back home with all of the creative flavors and smells. My favorite in toronto so far.

It’s worth it to come here just for the smell. I only had the spicy hot chocolate with milk, but it was great. Tasted like quality hot chocolate, then left a spicy but bearable aftertaste. A great warmup on a cold day. I’m taking a star off because I found the staff rude and impatient even though we were the only ones in line.

Location: right inside the Distillery.
A great little place to get freshly made gelato in the summer or a piece of heavenly chocolate for yourself or a gift.
The gelato is quite tasty with several flavours to choose from. Due to it’s thickness, the serving is just about right.
My favorite chocolate to get there is the dark chocolate covered almonds!!!
So delicious. They cost $ 6 but they are to be savoured one piece a day as a treat.
This has Peruvian chocolate, which I am a fan off.
Service is typical, cash in, cash out, next…
I tried the hot chocolate once, and oh boy, this was like drinking thick dark chocolate. Not something I would get again. I know they are all about chocolate but this could be diluted.
Sorry no pics but I will update it as I go there every time I need to stock up on the almond chocolates.

The smell of this place alone makes it worth 5 stars … So heavenly!
It was so hard to chose which chocolate I wanted here, but I settled with the classic hot chocolate and a salted caramel chocolate … Amazing!!!
I will be back a lot more to try all of their delicious looking chocolates :)

Boutique dans le quartier charmant de Distillery District.
Ils fabriquent leur propre chocolat et le vendent aussi directement dans la boutique.
Nous sommes venus ici pour prendre un chocolat chaud et il en existe 2 sortes: classique et épicé. De la même manière il existe deux façons de le consommer avec soit le classique mélange avec de l’eau ou lait ou alors en shot en le faisant fondre et en le consommant directement.
Le classique avec lait est bon, on boit un vrai chocolat chaud. Quel plaisir de récupérer le chocolat en fond de tasse lorsque l’on a tout finis !
Attention à ceux qui prenne l’épicé car il est vraiment épicé et cela peut déconcerter un minimum si vous n’avez pas l’habitude !
Il y a quelques places pour le consommer à l’intérieur.
Il existe aussi une autre succursale dans un autre quartier mais celle-​ci est bien positionnée et vous permettra de faire une pause dans le quartier.

The spicy mayan hot chocolate was really nice, strong chocolate taste to it. It has a kick to it as well with the spiciness and very aromatic.
The espresso drink was ok, nice creamy and aromatic coffee and chocolate flavour. However, both drinks were around $ 5 which is a bit overpriced. Little seating as well.

I think I gained a couple of kilos by just walking in the door… the smell of chocolate is intoxicating.
Stopped in while in the area for the Christmas Market and the small store was packed. Not packed as it was busy… packed as in difficult to maneuver in the store. Managed to get to the counter and order a hot chocolate to go. Loved every last sip.
Prices are a bit higher than other stores, but it was very good.

Must see when you’re in the distillery district. Don’t be intimidated by the long line (during the Christmas Market) because it will move fast. Obviously you should have the hot chocolate because it’s delicious. My mother has declared it the best hot chocolate she’s ever had. I was really impressed with the «milk old school» chocolate bar which only had three ingredients…“unique crumbly almost cookie-​like texture”. Very good!

Soma can definitely deliver some fine chocolates. Did not get to try those delicious bites, but their Mayan Hot Chocolate hit the spot on a cold rainy day. The spice just warms you up inside.

Chocolate ! Who could say no to fancy chocolate. Got a hot chocolate with milk, it was smooth and had a a very rich cocoa flavour. After all the foam on top was gone, there was an oily shimmer on top of the chocolate.
Simple white walls, minimal decorations but the main focus is on the chocolate displays. Two glass rooms, one for chocolate creations and one for gelato making. Only a few tables for sitting down.
Definitely coming back to buy chocolate for friends. Award winning chocolate must try some. Packaging awesome very presentable as gifts.

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate so brace yourself. A must visit when in the distillery district.
They have a variety of beverages buy just go for the hot chocolate, trust me! You can get it with milk or water (please don’t ever have hot chocolate with water). You can also have it straight up. YES, a shot of pure melted chocolate. I am ashamed to admit that I didn’t have the chocolate shot. I kept it classy and opted for a creamy cup of chocolate with milk. So creamy, rich, satisfying, and just pure comfort. They also have a great variety of truffles, bark, cookies, and pretty much any and every thing dipped in chocolate.
You can also enjoy your snack while you watch the chocolatiers making the treats in the back of the shop.

To be honest, it’s a great place for Hot Chocolate ($ 5) especially if all the other hot chocs you’ve had before are basically a concoction of brown powdered hot beverages (think Nesquik or Milo). Soma uses real chocolate that really injects some serious dopamine (happy hormones) into your system. If you don’t intend to spend anything in Distillery District, it’s still a nice place to get a whiff of fine smelling chocolate (:
We shared a classic with milk among the 4 of us – less is more, my friends — and one of us suggested that, «maybe they could’ve added in some salt to bring up the oomph!», and that we agreed.
There are other reviews here that talked about the grittiness of the chocolate pieces but based on personal experiences, it’s a good indicator that actual chocolate pieces were used (chocolate is not 100% soluble with liquid)
Personally, it’s not the best place for hot chocolate simply because, homemade ones triumph everything else (even if it’s Soma).
Quick tip on making the best hot chocolate ever:
1. Head out to Bulkbarn, grab a few pieces of Baker’s Chocolate Squares $ 1 – 2 tops (unsweetened) — more cocoa = more bang for your buck
2. Heat up a small pot of milk (about 1.5 — 2 cups, whole milk even better), and when it’s warm/​hot add in 1 ½ chunk of the Chocolate Squares and melt it down, stirring often to dissolve the pieces. Sweeten with 1 – 2 teaspoon of sugar.
3. Heat it on high and stop cooking when it looks like it’s boiling over. Can serve for 2 people.
Enjoy the most delish’ hot choc with the best value for money ever!

Definitely should stop by if you’re in the area. A selection of artisan chocolates and a selection of gelatos. I have been to both locations of Soma and enjoyed very much how they had a display of how chocolate is made in their factory.
My favourite flavour of icecream is pistachio and favourite purchase of packaged chocolates is their ginger chocolate which had actual ginger pieces in the chocolate and was made so that the spice of the ginger came out, although it was already sweetened. The gelato is slightly better than average in Toronto, but still fairly far from European gelatos in my opinion. The chewiness and smoothness of the gelato was there, but not to a fine amount.
Some of my pictures included the price of some of the products, I would say it’s about average price for artisan chocolates in Toronto.

Got the extraordinary popcorn flavored gelato. Sounded weird, but wanted something different and it was actually too good to fully express it. The taste of the mild buttery popcorn taste appeared slowly at the end of each lick and left that butter taste lingering on for moments after. I will definitely go back and also get the caramel miso gelato, which I did already get a small sample of, and was pretty fantastic, and will also love to try the spicy mayan hot chocolate.

Location: In the Distillery district.
The place: While the space IS fairly big, I don’t think it’s big enough for the number of visitors they receive! That said, they’ve split out the gelato counter from the chocolate counter so things do move efficiently. You will also found pre-​packaged chocolate/​bars on the floor.
The goods: I’m an avid fan of chocolate. My friends will tell you — and they’ll tell you that I’m a total snob, too. My immediate reaction to the first bite: Oh f**k… this is GOOD. My friend laughed at the expression on my face. If you’re looking for quality chocolate, in a a variety of unique flavours, Soma is the place to find it. They make their own chocolate and it is goddamn good. You’ll find flavours such as Vietnamese Coffee, Pistachio Crisp, Bergamot, Douglas Fir and so on. They are truly exceptional. You can also find bars and other assorted chocolate things. I really have nothing else to say except, get your asses down there!
Service: Very good. The clerk who served me was friendly and patient.
Price point: Not cheap. If you’re selecting your own individual pieces, you’re looking at $ 2 a piece. I’m not sure how much the bars and bags were but if I recall, these seemed pretty reasonable. If you want to treat yourself, or your boyfriend was an ass and he needs to make it up to you, this’ll make for a splurge =-D

After hearing great things about this place, I ventured to the Distillery District and had a cup of Soma’s classic hot chocolate.
Yes, I could taste that they used real chocolate… but to my disappointment, it wasn’t that rich, nor tasty. In fact, the grittiness of still having blended pieces of chocolate in the drink was a turn-​off for me. The pieces were just small enough that you couldn’t chew them or even bite them really, but not small enough that they go undetectable in your mouth.
For a better rating, I feel the drink could’ve been creamier or richer in cocoa.

As soon as you step inside, you get a strong whiff of chocolate.
Gelato– all were true to flavor and very flavorful. Passionfruit sorbet was tangy, pistachio was nutty, burnt honey had bits of honey, and hazelnut was ok.
Spicy mayan iced chocolate had a nice kick but not as dark as Id like.

Fantastic place
It’s like I am in chocolate and gelato heaven
Artisan creations that melt away all your blues one bite at a time
I always have a hard time deciding on what I want

I don’t like how there is a condo standing in middle of the distillery district now. I don’t like how the area became so touristy and hipster-​y over the years (maybe it was always like that but my hipster phase is over now?). But I would still visit the area just to drop by soma for some chocolate treats.
My only problem with the place is the price. Yes, quality chocolate is always expensive but for things like basic chocolate bars I believe that things are a bit overpriced. It is somewhat understandable since quality materials cost money and pure chocolate bars will use up a lot of it. But it’s really the unique items they create like the chocolate covered corn or sparky truffle which makes me love the place since they seem more reasonably priced, at least to me.
I think soma is pretty experimental When it comes to these mixed items since they mix and match chocolate with various things when compared to your typical chocolatiers. Even things like spicy hot chocolate are pretty intriguing although some may be disgusted by the idea. At the end of the day most of their unique combinations do work and they work well. I think whoever sources the materials for this company knows what they are doing.
Between me and my wife we easily spend a hundred bucks here whenever we drop by buying a box of truffles along with bags of chocolate coated treats. And our only regret is always not buying more since we go through them so quick.

I had the classic hot chocolate. The chocolate was rich and you could tell they put a lot of effort in it. When I came here, I did not see any gelato? Is it seasonal perhaps? This chocolate establishment is pretty pricey, so be ready to spend.

Me and a friend visited Toronto in October and whilst around the Distillery District visited Soma. We were just passing but the smell and sights were too good to pass by so we stopped for a hot chocolate. I had the chilli variety whereas my friend went classic. We both agreed they were delicious and well worth the stop! Also, try the burnt white chocolate, delicious!

Soma is soma — it’s one of Toronto’s best. The more i come here — the broker i get.
I just can’t leave this place without emptying out my wallet. This year, they introduced some new and interesting flavours like the soma barberry tube. They’re really picking up some great flavours from around the world like calamansi.
I’m glad to see this evolution and exploration of Soma. The possibilities are endless and they’re creativity is welcomed. Prices have started increasing for an already expensive offering, but if they keep up the good work and don’t push too far over on the price scale, they’ll always have a following as Toronto’s best.

Choco-​lovers out there, this place has one of the best pistachio chocolate!
Came here during the Toronto Christmas market — hot chocolate seemed to be the way to go during the Christmas-​y season ;)
PISTACHIO CHOCOLATE
I’ll come here again just to order more. this was sooo good. crunchy pistachios within. you can buy these at the cashier!
CLASSIC HOT CHOCOLATE
Creamy chocolate flavour! It had a foamy texture to it. It was actually not as sweet as I would like it to be but this was probably because I ate the pistachio chocolate before I drank it hahaha :)

This place is worth a detour for the gelato alone in summer, add the amazing mayan hot chocolate shot I would say drop by in the winter as well.
Distillery kinda dies down in the off season especially when they don’t have an event going on here. I would say this store and the sake store are worth the trek here.
They are a bit pricey but this is Toronto for you. If you want to take something special for a chocolate aficionado can’t go wrong here.
4 Stars all the way.