Sweet Sightseeing in Beverly Hills

This easy walk will take you by many iconic Beverly Hills landmarks as you indulge your sweet tooth. With prices to match the chic neighborhood, these gourmet shops offer some of the most decadent and delicious confections in the world.

Begin your walk at the Montage Beverly Hills (225 N. Canon Dr.), one of the most luxurious hotels in the country. If you have a car, you can self-park in the public lot under the hotel.

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Walk through the Beverly Canon Gardens – a block-long park featuring outdoor dining tables and colonnaded walkways. Exit the gardens on Beverly Drive, cross the street, and turn right. Just one block up, on the west side of the street, you’ll find Vosges Haut- Chocolat (311 N. Beverly Dr.). UPDATE – The Vosges Beverly Hills boutique closed in May 2015.

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This beautiful boutique serves as the perfect backdrop for the chocolatier’s exotic chocolate bars. Here you’ll find chocolate infused with adventurous combinations of spices, herbs, and flowers from all over the world. The sales associates offer generous samples and tell you about the regional significance of each ingredient you experience. In the back, there is the lab – a kitchen with tasting salon where you can try out the latest Vosges chocolate and pastry creations.

When leaving Vosges, turn left and cross the street at the mid-block crosswalk. You’ll now be on the east side of Beverly Drive. Turn left. A few feet up, you’ll see the eye-catching bookstore and gallery of the German publisher Taschen (354 N. Beverly Dr.). It is worth a stop.

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Continue up Beverly Dr., to the corner. Go around the corner to the light and diagonally cross at Brighton Way onto Canon Dr. On the east side of the street, you’ll come to Edelweiss Chocolates (444 N. Canon).

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One of the oldest confectioners in Los Angeles, Edelweiss has been in Beverly Hills since 1942. Their delectable chocolates don’t come from a gleaming factory but are handmade in small batches right in the store. Using recipes brought over from Switzerland, Edelweiss became a favorite of entertainment royalty during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Step in to learn some sweet history and see the conveyer belt that inspired the I Love Lucy chocolate factory episode! Be sure to try their famous chocolate-covered marshmallows.

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When you leave Edelweiss, turn right and cross S. Santa Monica Blvd. You will be across from the new Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and the historic 1933 Italianate-style Beverly Hills Post Office. Just around the bend (to the east) is the architecturally unique 76 gas station, which you’ve probably seen in TV shows and movies. If you continue walking toward Crescent Dr., you get a lovely view of the tile-domed City Hall. Altogether, these buildings create a significant cultural landmark for the city.

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We suggest continuing north to cross “Big” Santa Monica Blvd. and see the world famous Beverly Hills sign. Be sure to enjoy the sculptures, fountains, and gardens as you walk Westbound (left) to Beverly Dr.

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Cross Santa Monica Blvd. back toward the shopping district and stay on Beverly Dr. until you return to S. Santa Monica Blvd. (known as “Little Santa Monica”). If you are a TV or radio buff, check out the Paley Center for Media (465 N. Beverly Dr.) on the southwest corner of Beverly Dr. and S. Santa Monica. This is a modern museum dedicated to TV and radio memorabilia.

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Otherwise, stay on the north side of Little Santa Monica until just before Rodeo Dr. You’ll be at the next gourmet candy shop – Sugarfina (9495 S. Santa Monica Blvd.).

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A very special candy store, this bright, white-walled airy space holds shelves and tables filled with acrylic cubes of color and sweetness collected from all corners of the globe. The products sold here are made by people whose creativity and craftsmanship are at the top of the candy arts. If you are looking for a candy store that balances fun with sophistication, Sugarfina is your golden ticket.

Walk out of Sugarfina – we know, it’s hard – and cross Rodeo Drive. If you stay on the north side of the street, you’ll pass Sprinkles (9365 S. Santa Monica Blvd.), one of the most famous bakeries in the world. Check out the cupcake ATM. Although Sprinkles is a lot of fun, what we are really looking for here is almost directly across the street on the south side of Little Santa Monica between Camden and Bedford.

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K Chocolatier (9606 S. Santa Monica Blvd.) is a tiny jewel box of a store filled with what may possibly be the best truffles you’ll ever have. There are no surprising mixtures – just superior chocolate confections made according to Hungarian recipes. The owner, Diane, is often in the shop, and she is as generous with the samples as she is with her tales about a fascinating life in chocolate. A local favorite, K Chocolatier offers luxury chocolates without any pretention.

Continue your sweets shopping spree by turning right as you exit K’s. Camden Dr. is the next corner. Turn the corner and walk south on Camden. This street is mostly galleries and salons, and, on any given day, this block may present your best opportunity to spot a movie star.

At Brighton Way, cross diagonally to experience Teuscher Chocolates of Switzerland (9548 Brighton Way), which is straight ahead.

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Teuscher is a distinguished Swiss chocolatier with an international reputation for using the world’s finest and most expensive natural ingredients. The chocolates sold in this old-fashioned shop are made each week in Zurich and flown immediately to the store. Many Beverly Hills residents swear that the in-store café serves the best coffee and cocoa in the city. The outdoor seating area is a perfect place to relax with your favorite hot drink and people watch.

If you’re in the mood for more sightseeing, you’re just one block west of the famous Rodeo Drive. You’ll know what to do.

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Comments

2 Responses to Sweet Sightseeing in Beverly Hills

Monica on May 27, 2015 at 12:58 pm says:

My friend and I followed this tour last weekend and we had so much fun! We bought a little something from each place — my favorites were Vosges and Sugarfina and my friend likes more traditional chocolates so she loved K’s (we both went crazy for the truffles), Edelweiss and Teuscher. It really made for a Memorable afternoon on the town! Love Your site.

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