Queens Chocolate Shop Named Best In New York

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS - Aigner Chocolates was named the state's best chocolate shop in a national roundup. Founded in 1930, the Forest Hills chocolate shop is one of the oldest confectioneries in New York City.

"I'm still kind of in disbelief. My husband [co-owner Mark Libertini] and I feel honored and really fortunate to carry on the tradition of Aigner Chocolates, because it's a neighborhood institution," co-owner Rachel Kellner said, as she restocked chocolates to accommodate a busy Valentine's Day. "We're thrilled to be making chocolate and to be making people happy."

Why Aigner? "When it comes to chocolate, New York City is a competitive place. But Aigner Chocolates is a step above the rest, as evidenced by the shop's long history," reads Mental Floss's blurb on the store.

Suzanne Raga, the list's author and a former Mental Floss writer, said of her choice: "What set Aigner apart over the other great chocolate shops in NY was its long history (founded in 1930), use of antique equipment/kettles, and commitment to handmade and small-batch chocolates."

Aigner Chocolates began as Krause's Candy Kitchen. John Aigner, an Austrian immigrant who had studied chocolate-making back home, started working at Krause's in the 1950s. When the owner retired in 1960, Aigner bought the business; his family would run the shop for three generations. In 2009, the family changed the shop's name to Aigner Chocolates.

The Aigner family sold the shop in 2015 to Libertini and Kellner. Libertini is the founder of Brooklyn's Little Cupcake Bakeshop

"What makes our chocolate shop different from almost any chocolate shop you've ever been to is we use antique equipment to make our fillings and our chocolates," Libertini told Patch in 2017.

Aigner is located at 103-02 Metropolitan Ave. For more information visit their website.

(Lead image: Aigner Chocolates, used with permission)