My father buys Puccini chocolates once a year and when he does, the entire family sits around the table in silence eating & enjoying.

If you have some extra money and want to give yourself a treat, go to Puccini. Their chocolates are simply divine! The last time I was there (in the Staalstraat) I noticed they’ve got a cafe too where you can enjoy chocolate cakes and such. A friend of mine once went there and really loved it.

Looking through the window, you see just one large, wood table in the center of a minimalist, almost barren shop. The table is laden with chocolates, each calling out your name. You enter, and quickly learn that minimalism has its boundaries. Not even the best style-conscious designer can tame the wonderful aroma that envelops you.

I don’t know if it’s the best chocolate shop in Amsterdam, but it’s certainly done everything it can to make you believe it is, and the chocolate really is excellent.

Not to mention, you’ll feel very hip indulging here, rather than in a Delft-and-Tulips tourist trap.

Worth a sidetrip, at least until word gets out further. (I’m quite sure it’s not a true hidden find, but when we were there it was calm.)