Esther's Sweet Shop

Esther's is a local gem that all Pittsburghers in the South Hills know and love. I come here for holidays the most often, to grab a peanut butter meltaway for my sister, chocolate strawberries for my mom and dad, and milk chocolate covered pretzels for my partner and I. The chocolate covered pretzels here are BY FAR the best I have ever had- beating Sarris easily. The chocolate does not just fall off of the pretzels when you eat them and there is a thick coating of the delicious chocolate around the small pretzels they use. As for the strawberries, I would agree with another yelper who mentioned they are not made with fresh strawberries. However, they are still very good. Juices do come pouring out when you take a bite, so just be prepared. Staff here are always so pleasant. I love this place.

They offer just about anything chocolate you could ask for. My favorite is hands down the homemade Carmel covered in dark chocolate.....its to die for. As for the famous chocolate covered strawberries, yes you should keep them refrigerated but let them warm up a while prior to attempting to eat them. The man behind the counter was esthers son, who was so friendly and put up with my child like indecision of what I wanted. He offered to try a few different pieces until I could decide. The old time personal service is like nothing else you will find anywhere else.

I had a meeting in this area, and was just walking back to my car when I saw a sign for "chocolate covered strawberries." I thought that was worth a detour, so I walked down the street into Esther's sweet shop. It's very no-frills, with lots of typical truffles, chocolate covered nuts, marshmallows, brittles/barks, etc. The chocolate covered strawberries were priced by the pound (4 strawberries were $11), which I thought was reasonable when I saw how HUGE they were! "Put them in the fridge!" warned the woman behind the counter.At home, after being in the fridge for a few hours, the strawberries were removed and put on a plate for me and my boyfriend - I had bought them for him to celebrate him doing well on his last final exam! When we bit in - I couldn't have been more disappointed. Sure, the chocolate tasted okay, but the confection was literally a FROZEN strawberry sitting inside a thick, hard chocolate shell. I was so disappointed - frozen chocolate covered strawberries? The berry was soggy and the chocolate didn't stick to it at all. Also there was lots of thawed strawberry juice sitting in the shell that poured out in a rush when we bit in. It was just....everything a chocolate covered strawberry shouldn't be. The berry is supposed to be dipped in chocolate, so the chocolate adheres to the skin of the fruit - you don't take a giant hard chocolate shell and throw a frozen strawberry in there. So disappointing, and way too much money for what ended up being really not special at all.I was really disappointed - I wanted to go get more treats next time I was in the neighborhood, but it's going to be hard to justify a return visit after this experience.

I received Strawberries in Chocolate as a gift. They were not the run of the mill half-ripe blah fruits that chocolate-dipped strawberries normally are. No, the berries used are not fresh. Frozen maybe, but soaked in something that enhanced the flavor--amazing! The chocolate shells were fantastic, thick amazing milk chocolate. It was a different and surprisingly tasty treat that reminded me of chocolate-covered cherries.

I love this shop! The chocolate is the best hand's down. I personally don't care how the strawberries are made - they are the best ever. And I have never received a frozen strawberry. And believe me - I have eaten them in the car immediately after purchase. Perhaps some reviewers have fridges that are just a little colder than normal. Well, on my way to buy more for gifts for Mother's Day.

We were in Pittsburgh for a family visit and stocked up on chocolates to bring back to NC. All our favorites in one box and everything was fabulous. We loved the chocolate covered strawberries, cherries, meltaways, coconut clusters, raisin clusters, krispy clusters and cashew turtles. Yum! Can't wait for another trip.