Regina’s Fine Candies

Walked into this shop late on a recent Saturday afternoon and was embraced by a heavy scent of chocolate mint. Mmmm! Beautiful candies and chocolates all about, including «sugar free» candies and chocolate truffles. A friend’s elderly mom loves good chocolate but because of diabetes, seeks out «sugar free» chocolates. Apparently, she’s been unable to find decent sugar free chocolate for a while now, and that’s why I poked my head in here. Per a request, I asked for a pound box of a mix of truffles (@ $ 22.95/#): chocolate, choice-​mint, and hazelnut. After listening to my request, the young women behind the counter attending to me began collecting the wrong flavored truffles and I had to correct her. She excused herself and said she was going in the back to prepare the box. Several minutes later, she came out and showed me her arrangement in a box. It looked fine. Meanwhile, I spied on top of their counter a jar of «coconut brittle» and I asked for a single piece of it — «to go». I paid for the treats and bit into that brittle and, brittle it was — very hard & crunchy — and oh, so tasty with thick cuts of coconut and peanuts encased in well-​caramelized sugar. Yum!

One of St. Paul’s hidden gems. They have a lot of great prepackaged candy, but the real deal is their selection of hand dipped chocolates. They have been making them in house for almost 100 years.
Dark chocolate dipped English toffee and the dark chocolate dipped orange peel are long time family favorites.

I love having this little candy shop in the neighborhood, and this falls in that category of «I haven’t reviewed that before? Really?»
Regina’s is easy to overlook, tucked away on Saint Clair Ave. right next to the Roxy dry cleaners. It is totally worth the stop in. They have big glass cases full of delicious chocolates. There are jars lining the shelves with hard candies and gummy things. There is almost always someone making some kind of candy behind the counter, and there are often women bagging up candies in pretty gift bags tied with big long pieces of ribbon (for some reason I am really enamored with the giant spools of ribbon behind the counter). You can pop in for a prepacked box or bag that makes a great quick gift. Or, you can ask them to pack you a box or bag on the spot. They have a lot of old-​school candies (my favorite are the fruit slices) and will pack you up whatever you want. By weight. Of course. I’ve found the chocolates to be delicious and rich and other candy to be fresh and tasty. Prices are reasonable but not cheap — it’s homemade gourmet candy after all. The little flier they put in some of the boxes say the store has been around since 1926. That’s quite a tradition!

This brings my senses back to the traditional candy store I used to visit when I was a child! Lovely displays, incredible variety and the staff are very welcoming and helpful. My mouth is exceedingly happy right now!

Walked in and was immediately greeted by who I presume was the owner since she was so knowledgeable and nice and she actually cared about my satisfaction as a customer. After being patient with my endless questions and explaining things as clearly as I could have asked we wrapped things up and I was on my way. On top of the service being wonderful, the chocolate was incredible. I’ll be going there for all of my quality chocolate needs from now on.

Great candies, nice selection. They make a lot of their own candies here, and the chocolates and toffees are wonderful. A great little neighborhood candy shop!

I have been going there for years, and as much as I want to see them thrive, they are about as unfriendly as you can get. I don’t think they like kids, and they seem so inconvenienced when you go in – all hard to believe given it is a candy store. High prices, bad attitudes. I guess the fudge is good but Regina’s is not nearly as good as it could be. It’s a disappointment.

This is the place for you if you are into fudge or salt water taffy. I love bringing my four year old here after playing at a nearby playground as she has a killer time picking out a half dozen or so candies that end up costing about a buck, and she thinks it is the most amazing thing. And if you were a kid, it would be an amazing place… as the other reviewer wrote, the focus here is not on a themed décor, but on the candy, and it shows. Love this local candy store.

Not sure why, but a trip to Regina’s always makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. I guess there’s no way around it. Serious wall-​to-​wall candy is bound to have that effect.
I like that this shop is a bit off the beaten path, in a mostly residential neighborhood. It truly doesn’t call attention to itself. And how Minnesotan is that? There’s nothing fancy about the interior either. Regina’s Fine Candies is all about the fine candies. So let’s talk candy.
The candies themselves are varieties that three generations have been producing at this combination candy factory/​storefront since 1926. According to Regina’s web site, the name gracing the business comes from the bride of its Greek immigrant founder. His marble tables and copper kettles are still in use. Better yet, so are the old family recipes. After all, they’re what make Regina’s Fine Candies «a complete candyland fantasy.»
If it seems like there’s a lot to take in, it’s because there is. Regina’s produces over 400 varieties of candies, all in small batches. You’ll find everything from gummy bears, Swedish fish, licorice snaps, and candied fruit slices, to colorful – and flavorful – salt water taffy and terrific varieties of fudge, truffles, and other fine chocolates.
Whether picking up a treat for the kids, a gift for grandma, or a sweet little something for yourself, you’re sure to find just the right thing here. And if you’re like me, you’ll walk out of this store with more than you’d planned.