Matthew's Chocolates - Hillsborough

Not only are the truffles and bark amazing but gelato and hot chocolate is also incredible! Absolute jewel

The second part of my adventure was visiting this spot. My friend surprised me for my birthday month and brought me some things to try. Because I loved it so much, they brought me here to check it out in person. It's a cute shop with a plethora of options. I will warn you, this is in the downtown area and I went during Mother's Day weekend. When we arrived he was pretty cleaned out but since I've had some of the chocolates already, I really wanted to try the pie pops. I opted for Key Lime. It's literally key lime ice cream with meringue and a graham cracker crust dipped in chocolate. This hit the spot on a warm day. If you're in downtown Hillsborough, check him out as there are a variety of options from gelato, sorbet, pie pops, drinks, and chocolates. I'm sure they get a lot of traffic and they rotate some options so get there early. Enjoy!

We love to stop by for gelato and coffee after our stroll along the riverwalk. The treats are absolutely delicious! The staff is wonderful, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

This place is a hidden gem in Hillsborough. After dining on Churton Street, we always find ourselves gravitating towards Matthew's for either a gelato or a cup of hot chocolate, depending on our mood and the weather. We also like to grab truffles or chocolate bark to take home, as long as they haven’t already been snatched up by eager customers. If we're fortunate, the store's quirky owner may make an appearance when he manages to take a break from keeping up with the high demand for his handmade creations. No trip to Hillsborough feels complete without a visit to Matthew's.

I was looking forward to trying this restaurant because it had great reviews, but unfortunately, the quality of the desserts was disappointing and nothing special. I can't recommend this place, especially since the owner seems to exploit cultures he has no connection to, simply for profit. For instance, he named a dessert "Kerala Krunch" because it includes toasted coconut, as he believes Kerala, India, is a coconut paradise. While that might be true, he admitted to mispronouncing Kerala for years and only recently learned the correct pronunciation after hearing about the ongoing COVID-19 crisis in India. As someone of Indian heritage with family from Kerala, I find it offensive and shameful that someone would seek to profit from my culture without any real understanding of it. I have no issue with sharing and appreciating other cultures, but this experience felt disrespectful given the low quality of the product.