Everyone loves chocolate and my family is no different. My parents were in town recently and we went to Meridian Mall to do a little shopping. On our way to Younkers, we went by a little candy shop where a choclatier was hand dipping chocolate in the window. My mom and girlfriend went in to see what the store was all about and not long after, I followed after seeing a soda fountain the back of the store.
The shop is pretty tiny. Like I said, there’s a place off to the right when you walk in where you can watch the employees hand dipping just about anything into chocolate. To the left, there’s a couple big display cases where they show off their hard work. To the back of the store, there’s an old timey soda fountain where they serve a full menu on sandwiches, soups, and salads.
This isn’t your normal chocolate shop. Instead of seeing a lot of fudge and homemade peanut butter cups, what you actually see is a lot of things dipped in chocolate. They do some of the traditional favorites. My mom got some peanut brittle along with chocolate covered cashews for my dad. My girlfriend got chocolate covered gummy bears or “muddy bears” as they’re called. I got a chocolate covered Twinkie. Everyone loved their selection….except me. I don’t know if it was a Twinkie knockoff, if it got stale, or if the chocolate changes the flavor, but it really wasn’t that good. The muddy bears were so good, I had to melt some chocolate when I got home and we made our own because what she got at the mall wasn’t enough.
I sorta wished I had gotten a soda, but maybe next time. That was the part of the store that I really gravitated towards. Just seeing a working soda fountain brought back a few memories. I’m not old enough to know of soda fountains in there time, but there were a few leftovers in the early mid-80’s when I was growing. I have memories of going grocery shopping then going to the drugstore for a soda. Not sure why I passed up this opportunity, but I’m looking forward to going back again. Caruso’s has been in business since 1922 in their oringal location in Dowagiac, MI. They’ve opened this second store in Okemos, but have brought along the 70+years of experience.
Mid-Michigan Dining 
It’s surprising to see a place like that in a mall. Can’t wait to try it!
I thought the same thing.
I live with a chocoholic, so I’m sure we’ll be checking that out soon. Thanks for the tip.
The place is fantastic- its made the Meridian Mall my favorite in town!
[…] were in town one weekend and we wanted to go to Meridian Mall to go to Caruso’s (reviews HERE). After a 3 1/2 hour drive, they were hungry, so we needed a place for lunch first. I did a […]
I grew up in Dowagiac and can’t go back there without visiting Caruso’s. I have been around the world with the U.S. Navy and Caruso’s has the best carmels I have ever had!