A modern, minimalist hole-in-the-wall on a narrow cobblestoned side street in Old Town, Max Chocolatier might have been inspired by a child, Max König (the owner’s chocoholic young son), but this boy’s Willy Wonka fantasy is no mass-produced chocolate factory. Rather, the atelier hand-makes each delectable morsel with ethically sourced ingredients and no chemicals, preservatives, or palm oil. It even creates limited editions of one, customized with personal stamps or photos. “When you make something with heart,” explains shop manager Javier Francisco Tamborino,“it makes customers happy.” Max Chocolatier approaches chocolate like fine coffee roasters approach their own beans: it sources single-origin bars based on grand cru from Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Indonesia, Madagascar, and Venezuela. It shines for creative flavors, too: mirabelle flowers and rosemary; mountain pepper and roasted sesame; candied rose petals, hazelnuts, coconut and passion fruit; and—this is Switzerland—caramel with alpine hay, cassis, and violets. And Max’s fave? The himbeer branchli—a cigar-shaped wonder of raspberry jelly, sweet hazelnut gianduja spread and short crust pastry enrobed in 68% dark chocolate. Top that, Willy! Schlüsselgasse 12