Like a Girl in a Candy Store: Lolli and Pops in Roseville, CA

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Growing up, I had a fantasy of roaming an actual Candy Land (I’m sure we all had it). I’d crawl my way through Molasses Swamp, chow down in the Peanut Brittle House and get a brain freeze in the Ice Cream Sea. I learned this week that Candy Land is not just a board game- it’s an actual place!

Lolli and Pops – Westfield Galleria
1151 Galleria Blvd, Roseville, CA 95678
http://lolliandpops.com

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I had the pleasure of taking a sweet tour, followed by a tasting at Lolli and Pops in my hometown, Roseville, CA. The best part, they have multiple locations all over the USA! Foodies, this was the ultimate candy experience. As you can see, the storefront has a more mature feel to it than the mall candy shops from my childhood did.

Chris

The Candyman, Chris!

I never thought I’d see the day where I would have a candy shop all to myself… Okay, I may not have had it entirely to myself. My tour guide/Willy Wonka for the day was L&P manager, Chris Ruzic, who knew everything about each product. I couldn’t believe how knowledgeable on candy Chris is, he is living the foodie dream. Next time my friends or I are organising Event rentals in Roseville, CA we’re definitely going to through in some candy goodness. Can never go wrong with sugar.

Lolli 2I have to give this shop major props cause the organization is great; L&P is so easy to navigate! When you first enter, to your right, we actually started at the “adult section”. Don’t worry, it’s not like the local video store days where there’s a curtain blocking you from entering. These treats for the 21 and over crowd are the “choc-ahols”, which are very popular. You have to make sure to keep them out of kid’s hands, cause they do contain up to one shot per serving. Talk about drunk on chocolate. The Jack Daniels chocolates are the top-sellers. They also stock ChocoBeer, Belgian chocolates with beer. How can you go wrong with that?

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We moved along into the regional treats. I started with Quin candies from Portland, OR. I got to taste the Tropical Breeze Dreams Come True Chews and loved them. Quin chews are like an elevated Starburst, they melt the second they hit your mouth and releases real juice favor. My mouth is watering as I type this.

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L&P carries Sugar & Spun, gourmet cotton candy out of San Francisco, CA. These treats are cotton candy in texture but all have different flavors. I tried all of them and my top 2 were the Li Hing Pineapple (sweet and salty) and the Cookies and Cream.

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Then I made my way into the Gumball room (see video here), which brought me back to my childhood. This is where all of our favorite candies are, everything from rock candy to jawbreakers to smartees are represented in this room. I was also blown away by the selection of Icee Candy, bacon candy and chocolate cigarettes (still very popular) they had to offer.

who can resist a lolli selfie?

who can resist a lolli selfie?

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Icee Candy!

Lolli 9Then there’s the Chocolates room (see the video tour here). Once you walk in, any symptoms of PMS immediately disappear. In addition to bulk items, there’s a selection of what I refer to as “designer chocolates”, the smaller produced, higher end independent chocolatiers that make bars for those of us with more grown up pallets. I did get to try all kinds of different chocolates for the adult and kid in me. There’s also a room devoted to Gummies & Sours where your mouth will immediately start to pucker.

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Lolli JapThere is a fantastic selection of imported candies. The Kinder chocolates from Germany are the most popular but my favorite imports are the Japanese imports. I’m all about gummies and green tea.

American favorites get a green tea make-over.

American favorites get a green tea make-over.

Lolli chips

I took home Japanese Pringles Caesar Salad and Cheese Fondue flavors. Sounds weird, but they were amazing.

Lolli hello K

You also can’t have a Japanese import section without lots of Hello Kitty treats!

Lolli 12One exclusivity that is delightful is the Mr. Stanley’s Classic British Confectionary. You can’t get these candies anywhere else in the USA.

Then the actual tasting happened. That’s right foodies, I got to sample as I went, but I hadn’t even done the tasting yet. My eyes widened when I realized I had only just begun… Could I handle MORE candy?

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As you can see, I had a lot to sample. I started with the gummies and sours. The gummy bears were Albanese brand (legit, there’s an “A” on the belly), which are made with real fruit juice. My favorite was the black cherry; it’s so different than what I grew up with. The sour belts, which are imported from Spain, are a classic for those of us who love a good pucker. Then I got to sample the bulk chocolate classics. I had my first chocolate covered gummy bear, a sea salt caramel, red velvet coated cherries, chocolate covered blueberries and chocolate-coated almond butter toffee.

Lolli 13 I also tried my first Toxic Waste candy, which is painfully sour. I loved Warheads growing up, but these were too much. They are a big seller though, so there are plenty of people out there brave enough to try them.

 

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Then we moved on to their truffles. I tried 5 different flavors (front to back):

  • Triple Chocolate Cake – Decedent chocolate explosion!
  • Sea Salt Caramel – Can’t go wrong with this combo!
  • Strawberry Champagne – My top choice! It’s ooey gooey, fruity and I loved the creaminess.
  • Sundae – It’s a birthday in your mouth! Loved the cherry jellybean on top.
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter – Rich, dense, sweet and savory.

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Then, Chris went from Willy Wonka to chocolate sommelier for the tasting. He actually taught me the proper way to try chocolate, which is similar to tasting wine. First, take a small piece of the chocolate and keep it at the tip of your tongue. Then let it melt a bit (it’s amazing how much it can bring out flavors), then start to chew. This tasting technique is no joke; I don’t think I’ll ever just gorge on a chocolate bar ever again. It was also interesting to hear that a lot of people think they don’t like dark chocolate, then realize after on of these tasting they do. Here’s the rundown on the designer chocolates:

  • Dandelion Chocolate – From San Francisco, CA. This bar is named after the origin of its cacao beans, Mantuano, Venezuela. It starts very dark then lightens up. The cinnamon and espresso flavors stood out to me. Every bar is also closely inspected and has a legit signature from an employee on the back.
  • Chuao – From Arcadia, CA, focuses on different textures. I had the Firecracker bar; it seems like a common dark chocolate bar when it hits the tongue. Then you start to notice a chipotle kick. Then it starts to crackle- cause it has Pop Rocks in it! I turned into a little kid, opening my mouth so I could hear the pop.
  • Marou, Fraiseurs de Chocolat – A Vietnamese bar that has a very dark taste at 76% cacao, and then also lightens up with notes of honeysuckle.
  • Mast Brothers Chocolate Makers – This bar uses cacao from Belize that some how tastes very light, even though it’s 70% cacao.
  • Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate – From Eureka, CA. I had the Black Fig bar, which uses cacao from Madagascar, reminded me of a chocolate Fig Newton.
  • Mulate – Dark Milk Chocolate with Tahini and Roasted Sesame, which is from Lithuania. It’s my top choice out of all these. It’s so unique with its softer texture and smoky sesame flavor.

Lolli Official

Lolli and Pops also have their own brand of chocolate bars that are sold here and they were hands down my favorite brand. Plus, they have 3 bars for $18 deal, which is great for mix and matching. Their brand offers traditional chocolate bars with different flavors, as well as topped bars, which are chunky with toppings. I started with the traditional bars; the Gimmie S’more and Strawberry Champagne (would be great with a Prosecco) were my top choices. Out of the topped bars, I loved the Almond Chocolate the most; it was like a nutty cake bar.

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My tasting tour of Lolli and Pops finally came to a bittersweet end. One great aspect of L&P is that they’re all about experiencing treats with others and they encourage customers to try samples. It’s almost like Bath & Body Works, but edible. Based off my experience, I don’t see how anyone could walk away unhappy. I hope L&P expands to more malls, so the kid in all of us can experience one!

 
Lolli and Pops Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Julianne

Actress and Founder of Girls on Food: I was born and raised in the suburbs of Sacramento, California. I grew up a typical “McDonald’s kid”. I was very picky about what I ate and refused to try new foods. No fun, I know. My Mom started taking me on trips to Europe when I was a teenager and that’s when my palate for finer foods began to develop. Some of my most memorable favorite meals include Veal Bolognese in Rome, Gyros in Athens, Paella in Lisbon and Duck L’Orange in Paris. While this helped me grow out of a fast food phase, I still eat out quite a bit. I know I should be at home cooking, but I love dining out. I started working in restaurants in various front of the house positions at age 15. Since my start, I’ve worked in every casual restaurant setting you can think of: a teriyaki stand, brewery, sushi nightclub, trendy Mexican, family-style Italian, American diner, pizza parlor and even a BLT themed food truck. I can't help but notice that many of the LA food bloggers don't have any sort of background working in a restaurant. A lot of my perspective on food and dining out comes from my years of experience in the biz. Since starting this blog, I have shot appearances on a couple of cooking competition shows as a taster (including MasterChef Junior and another upcoming show). We have also started producing a Youtube Channel. IMDb page here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2023647/ For this site I contribute content from all over Los Angeles (and the world) to showcase my favorite fine-dining spots, steakhouses, exclusive supper clubs, Hollywood nightlife and our very own #GOFx events, which I plan and coordinate.

3 Comments

  1. Marji Milam

    September 8, 2015

    This was a great article. Made me want to get up and go there on the spot! Can’t wait to savor this shop!

  2. Rio

    November 21, 2016

    I just went to my first Lolli and Pops shop and it was just as amazing as you had described! It’s truly a magical candy shop. Thanks for sharing!

    • Julianne

      November 22, 2016

      Glad you had fun! Thanks for stopping by Rio!

Comments are closed.

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