The Old City Roastery

Pistachio and chocolate. Enough said!Old City Roastery commands a presence in downtown Hayward as likely the only shop selling the infamous Dubai chocolate (chocolate bar with pistachio filling) in addition to a variety of nuts, chocolates, and sweets. If you're a fan of pistachio, this is a must visit for you!This mom and pop shop operates just a block away from the theater and public parking. It started up shop relatively recently (about 5 months ago) so I'm not surprised if it hasn't yet gotten the foot traffic it deserves. But if you happen to be free to come by, you need to make your way and stock up on some of their delicious chocolates.At $25 a bar for their Dubai chocolate bar or a pound of their individually wrapped chocolates, it's quite pricey but the quality is definitely worth it. Coming in milk and dark chocolate varieties, the pistachio loaded Dubai chocolate bar is a decadent treat fit for royalty, and you, my friend, can follow the figuratively red carpet through their doors to grab your own. As you crunch into the perfectly tempered chocolate exterior, you are met with a green, rich and nutty interior bursting with pistachio. This is just the start as you'll find that one bite is just not enough; one row may not be enough; one bar may not be enough!And if you happen to be adventurous, you pay by the pound for the individual chocolates so go wild and mix and match to come up with the perfect bag. Are you a purist or looking to get a tasting menu of sorts? Why not both?!When I happened to come in during my visit, specifically looking for the Dubai chocolate bar, I was greeted by the friendly shopkeepers who offered some Turkish coffee while I browsed. They even allowed me to sample one of the individual pieces before stuffing my bag with more of their goodies. In addition to all the chocolates and gummies that were available, they also had some exports including this really interesting pistachio cream (like a spread for toast). I was literally a kid in a candy shop and was tempted to buy a bit of everything.With a little self control, I was able to limit my purchases to just the chocolates and the cream but I cannot wait until the next time I am back to try more of their treats. The Dubai chocolates were great gifts for friends and family - most of whom didn't even know what Dubai chocolates were (granted I didn't know either until I had a taste of Old City Roastery's at an event). Overall, Old City Roastery is certainly a niche shop but if sweets are on the menu, this is the destination. With a convenient location, clean storefront, welcoming staff, and probably some of the best chocolates you'll have, you'll go nuts and get chocolate wasted simultaneously for this little gem in Hayward. If you happen to be in the area, I highly recommend stopping by here and picking something up to eat on the spot or to bring home and enjoy with friends and family. This local business is making a splash and I sure hope Dubai chocolate bars are here to stay because by golly, Old City Roastery has got the recipe down perfectly!

Came here since my friend raved about their Dubai chocolate . She told me the man there let you samples anything you want in the store. When I got there on a Saturday afternoon, I saw a man in the front and a lady in the back. The lady asked me what I was looking for and I said Dubai chocolate. She told me where the bars are. And I asked if I could sample it. She first said no! She didn't sound too welcoming. Then she said "you can try the individually wrapped ones." So we tried out the dark and milk Dubai chocolate. The dark was very good. Not bitter. Ratio of chocolate and fillings was good. The milk one was a bit too sweet for my taste. So I got a bar of dark Dubai chocolate. They actually ran out of the milk one. I didn't sample other chocolate like my friend did since the lady didn't offer. For $25 a bar, it's pricey but this is viral now so that's why they increased the price so quickly . It was $14 5 months ago!

Omgg they have the Dubai chocolate bar ($25)! SO SO GOOD!! The ratio of chocolate to filling is perfect, it's packed with kanfeh and pastachio cream. Get service with attentive staff.

The Old City Roastery opened in Doc's Wine Shop's space. Retail only. No coffee pours, no seating. Some of Doc's stuff still present. Offerings: coffee beans, halal gummies, chocolates, Turkish delights imports, nuts, spices...Quick service at counters. Some free samples..Bites: local made baklava buy 3, get 1 free.-crispy, flakey phyllo layers, green powder on top, pistachios in the middle with honey. turkish version less honey, less messy than adghan version. Not as sweet. Imported turkish delight candy (22.95/lb)-came in rolls. Sliced to order. 20ish flavas offered.Chocolate dubai-chocolate sprinkles on Nougat layer. Insides has pistachios and grounded pistachios. Chocolate superb, rest ok.Pistachio pomegranate -pistachio sliced atop nougat layer. Innards of dried pomegrante & pistachio pieces. Most popular. Many different flavas. -nougat chewy like taffy, made of whipped egg whites, honey, sugar. Milky Way, snickers has this. Roasted pomegranate -roasted pomegranate skins atop dried pomegranate fruit & chopped pistachio mix. Less candy-like than lst 2.4.5 this version of Turkish Delight much better than version in most Med. Stores which are jelly like with flavored fruit& powdered sugar.4.5 stars....

If you're on the hunt for The Viral Dubai Chocolate stop by and support this local shop, they have all kinds of amazing chocolate, nuts, teas and more! They even have mini size Dubai Chocolates in milk chocolate and dark chocolate. The store is clean, neat and organized, staff is friendly and helpful.

The Old City Roastery (Nuts and Spices) is the newest tenant located on busy Foothill Blvd in Downtown Hayward. It still has the beautiful remnants of the previous business: Doc's Wine Shop with wood-slat ceilings and openness.Place has a very welcoming vibe that makes you go WOW as you walk in and see the counter full of colorful Turkish delights. They also offer a variety of gummies and chocolate in the middle of the store in self serve bins with savory nuts and snacks behind the counter. The owner, Donya was very friendly and gracious offering me samples of anything I wanted. I've had Turkish Delights before but always thought they were cloyingly sweet...the variety I sampled today were made of soft nougat which is marshmallow like and filled with pistachio, pomegranate and an almond coffee... light, delicious and not overly sweet. I've been converted! Spot is a month new so still organizing and unpacking. The owner mentioned most their products are shipped from the Middle East (Palestine and Jordan) and only item made is the Dubai Chocolate Bar - $14 for a milk or dark chocolate Pricing: $23/lb for Turkish delights and $18/lb mix of candies. Coffee and tea available but not prepared drinks at this time. Suggested it would be great to have tables when she decides to make beverages to enjoy with their sweets. :) Street parking only

OMG they have DUBAI chocolates here!! I came in on a Friday and was super bummed because they were sold out, but the worker mentioned they usually restock on Tuesday or Wednesday. So I came back on Wednesday and they had 5 left (3 dark, 2 milk)! I went for the milk chocolate and woww it was definitely worth the hype!!! The filling was crazy good, just the right amount of crunch and sweetness. I think I just found my new favorite chocolate. Definitely coming back for more!

If you love chocolate, this is your next stop. Plenty of assortment of sweets: candy/chocolate with different nuts, caramel, coconut. The pistachio ones are out of this world! Dark and milk chocolate. I don't have a favorite, I have 10+ favorites. They also have other snack items, it's honestly a perfect place to grab things before you go out on a weekend or even to see a movie across the street. I recently tried their peanuts covered in assorted spice flavors and they also do not disappoint. The woman who helped us was very sweet. I will keep coming here for as long as they decide to stay in business. The only feedback I have is the incense smell doesn't really match for a candy shop. But it doesn't discourage me from going back for more. Thank you again for this amazing place

I love this place. Ambiance was pretty. We ate at Aama's and passed by and saw this sweet place. Everything was so good. We bought bags of chocolate, turkish desserts and more. Although, we live in SJ but visits Hayward once in a while. We will be back each time we come down. Friendly worker and we bought what we sample.

The people are lovely, the stores is super clean. I bought a couple of Dubai chocolates and a box of dates from here. Can't say anything less than amazing. I've never tasted a better Dubai chocolate or dates. I'll be visiting more often for sure. I highly recommend this place.