When you’re craving chocolate, where do you go? While it’s easy to pop into a convenience or grocery store to grab a candy bar by the cash register, I prefer visiting a shop that makes its own chocolates and candies. Critchley’s Candies, a delicious chocolate shop in New Jersey, is a classic, nostalgic confectionery shop that has been open since 1957. Going to a place that’s been around for nearly 75 years, you know the quality is there.
Critchley’s Candies has been a fixture in the New Jersey borough of River Edge since the 1950s. It’s classic, it’s nostalgic, and it’s the place to go for a sweet treat. The shop occupies a former Grace Lutheran Church, and some of its original style, including an arch that once stood over the church altar in the back, has been retained. So, the store certainly has a historic and nostalgic feel. The original owners were Nicholas S. Philips and his brother Ed, two of its many owners since its opening in 1957.
While the shop offers plenty of seasonal goodies, numerous sweets are offered year-round, including its famous Mint Oritani, an after-dinner mint that has even been trademarked. Critchley’s Candies still makes many of the same recipes as when it first opened but has offered additional handmade sweets over the years.
One sweet treat they created in modern times is a variation of the Dubai Bar, but Nutella is used instead of a pistachio cream filling. And who doesn’t love Nutella? I mean, it’s one of my favorite things ever!
You can also pick up licorice, gummy bears, chocolate-covered strawberries, cocoa bombs, bark, and more in addition to assorted chocolates. So, what will you get when you come to Critchley’s?
Have you ever visited the classic and nostalgic Critchley’s Candies in River Edge? Do you have another favorite chocolate shop in New Jersey? If so, please nominate it; maybe we will write about it in a future article!…