11 British Chocolate Bars You Need To Try

There are some brilliant chocolate bars out there, whether you're looking for chocolate brands with the highest-quality ingredients or you're happy with anything that's sweet and delicious. But after a while, you can get bored with the selection on offer in every grocery store, and that might leave you wondering about the options available in other countries. This article takes a closer look at the best British chocolate bars you're missing out on in the U.S.

I'm British and have lived in the U.K. all my life, meaning that I'm intimately acquainted with our chocolate bars, both good and bad. I made a shortlist of the chocolate bars everyone should try at least once and made sure these aren't ones that are readily available in the U.S. All of them feel distinctly British in their own ways, and there's something to suit all tastes, whether you like your treats intense or more understated.

Perhaps you're planning a trip to the U.K. and want to know which chocolate bars to put on your shopping list, or maybe you just want to make your mouth water from afar. One thing's for certain, though: If you ever see one of these British chocolate bars in the wild, you need to try them.

Wispa is an aerated chocolate bar, which means it's filled with bubbles. There was once a Hershey's version of this called Air Delight, but it was pulled from shelves some time ago. It might seem like adding air to your candy just means you get less chocolate, which is true in theory, but think of it like chocolate mousse — the bubbles add to the experience.

Wispa originally hit the market in 1981, though it wasn't available nationwide until '83. It was a popular bar until it was discontinued 20 years later, in 2003. That's not the end of the story, though. The British people missed the chocolate bar so much that they launched a campaign to bring it back. We might not stand up for many things, but we know how to complain about snack food. In 2008, the people's will was granted, and it came back for good.

If you like Cadbury Dairy Milk, you'll probably enjoy a Wispa. It's made with the same chocolate, but a chocolate bar's shape somehow impacts its taste, so the bubble, aerated texture brings an additional dimension. And if you want something more from your chocolate bar, there's also Wispa Gold, which is similar to the original but with an added layer of caramel. It's a classic for a reason, and a bar that you should definitely try when you get the chance.

Although I don't eat dairy these days, Boost has historically been one of my favorite chocolate bars. Its squidgy center is hard to describe in mere words, but I'll do my best. Cadbury says the middle is biscuit and soft cocoa, but that doesn't really do it justice. It's almost like somebody made praline on a budget, but in a tastier way than that sounds. Then, there's a chewy caramel layer surrounding this center and a thin layer of chocolate coating everything.

Boost has gone through some changes over the years. When it first appeared in 1985, it was called Coconut Boost and had a caramel and coconut core. Then a biscuit version launched in 1989, which is the Boost we know and love today, alongside a Peanut Boost, which was a Starbar rebranded. But, by 1994, the Coconut Boost disappeared, Peanut Boost went back to being Starbar, and only one Boost remained to tell the tale.

Although I wish I'd gotten a chance to try Coconut Boost (there isn't enough coconut chocolate in the U.K. for my liking), the fact that the one true Boost made it through the years is enough to console me. If you're looking to try an iconic British chocolate bar that's stood the test of time, it's one to look out for. And since it's made by Cadbury, it's readily available in basically any mainstream grocery store.

Double Decker is a two-layer chocolate bar with its name a tribute to the iconic British double-decker bus. The bottom layer is crispy rice pops in a smooth chocolate filling, and on top sits a layer of soft, chewy nougat. The whole thing is then coated in Cadbury milk chocolate. If you're picturing the hard, nutty nougat you find in some U.S. candy, this is nothing like that. British nougat in a chocolate bar has a texture closer to marshmallow, and it's a great contrast to the crunchier layer below

Cadbury launched the bar in 1976, but it used to be different. The base layer originally contained raisins and cornflakes alongside the puffed rice. This was the case until the mid-1980s, before the recipe was changed to the one we know now. Raisins have their time and place, but in my opinion, that's rarely in chocolate bars, so it seems like the current incarnation is the best one yet.

Double Decker has had its share of spin-offs. Dinky Deckers are bite-sized versions, and there was once a Double Decker Nuts bar, which was introduced in 2004 but has since disappeared. The original is still around, and the truth about Cadbury chocolate is that it's all over the U.K., so you can pick up a Double Decker in most grocery stores.

Despite just being called Lion, this chocolate bar is always referred to as a Lion Bar in the U.K. — don't ask us why; we don't make the rules. It's one of the most popular U.K. chocolate bars for good reason. It's got everything you could want: crisp wafer, slightly chewy caramel, and a chocolate coating with a puffed rice crunch. Delightful!

It started off life in 1976, when it was launched by the confectionery brand Rowntree's. It was named for Rowntree's branding, which featured a lion, not because any big cats go into the ingredient list. In 1988, Rowntree's was taken over by Nestlé. This didn't change anything, though. Nestlé simply took over production and kept this iconic candy bar going. It's simple — just caramel, chocolate, puffed cereal, and wafer, but sometimes you just need classic flavors without anything too fancy.

That said, over the years, Nestlé has made some new Lion varieties. White Lion is like the classic version but with white chocolate instead of milk chocolate. There's also a Brownie Lion, which has a brownie-flavored filling alongside the classic wafer. You'll find Lion Bars at all major retailers in the U.K., so you won't have to go far to find one if you make it this side of the pond.

Yorkie is made of thick, chunky pieces of milk chocolate, and the sheer heft of it is the whole point. If you're used to the thin, snappy squares of most American chocolate bars, Yorkie feels like a different beast. If you're not confident about the strength of your bite, it's best to leave this one on the shelf.

The bar was created by Rowntree's and launched in 1976, but its roots go back further. It was inspired by York Chocolate, a range that was a big name in block chocolate in the 1920s before falling out of favor after World War II. That original line was dropped in 1966, and Rowntree's needed a new product, so Yorkie effectively brought the York name back. It was meant to compete with Cadbury Dairy Milk, and while it might not have the same name recognition, Yorkie was kept on when Nestlé took over Rowntree's in 1988.

Over the years, it's fallen foul of some bizarre, frankly sexist, advertising. It once had the slogan "It's not for girls," because clearly only men could handle such a chunky chocolate bar. Luckily, things have changed since then, and nobody is trying to gender this chocolate bar anymore. Alongside the standard Yorkie are classics like the honeycomb edition (my school vending machine favorite) and biscuit and raisin (I'm personally not a fan, but each to their own). Limited edition flavors, like salted caramel and pretzel, also sometimes pop up.

Fry's Chocolate Cream isn't the most flashy of British chocolate bars, but it's a vintage classic that deserves a spot on this list. Fry's has been going since the 1700s and created the first-ever mass-produced chocolate bar in 1847. Not many years later, in 1866, the Fry's Chocolate Cream was created, making it the world's oldest chocolate bar.

But what exactly is a Chocolate Cream? Ultimately, it's just plain fondant inside dark chocolate. Some people think the filling is vanilla, but really it's just a sweet, sugary filling, not dissimilar to the center of a Cadbury Creme Egg. And that's no coincidence. One Cadbury Creme Egg fact you might not know is that Fry's originally released the Creme Egg before Cadbury took over the chocolate brand.

If you like your chocolate old school, you need to try a Fry's Chocolate Cream. It's old-fashioned in the best possible way. Not showy but still tasty. The brand also makes Orange Cream and Peppermint Cream bars, but the chocolate cream is the original and best in my opinion. It's certainly the place you should start to understand the brand before you branch out into any other flavors.

Imagine a rich dark chocolate filled with crisp flakes of buttery croissant. That's exactly what the Pump Street Croissant chocolate bar is. This isn't the kind of chocolate you'd find at just any grocery store, but it has gradually been gaining popularity in recent years and is found in bougie delis and specialty stores across the U.K. If you're looking for something beyond the big name brands, this is a brilliant place to start.

Pump Street was founded relatively recently, in 2010, in Orford, Suffolk, by a father and daughter duo, Chris and Joanna Brennan. It started out as a bakery and cafe, but the brand soon moved into chocolate making in 2012 and infuses its delicious bakery flavors into its chocolate.

While the croissant flavor is a big hitter, Pump Street makes an amazing array of chocolate bars. Other favorites include sourdough and sea salt, walnut brownie, cookie chip, and rye crumb. It's a brilliant combination of the brand's artisan baking prowess and chocolate-making skills. Pump Street remains a small, independent producer, so it's somewhere you may feel better buying your chocolate from compared to the bigger names.

Another East Anglian chocolate brand, Ombar makes its bars in Cambridge. You probably think of ancient universities long before you think of chocolate when you hear about this British city, but Ombar is gaining popularity and can even be found in supermarkets these days, as well as smaller independent food stores. The Ombar Pistachio Cream is on trend right now, and while it doesn't include the secret ingredient in viral Dubai chocolate bars, it also doesn't taste like a passing fad.

It has a pistachio cream center, but with 22% pistachios in the bar and unrefined coconut sugar, it tastes properly nutty, not over-the-top sweet. The cream is stuffed inside a 60% dark chocolate, which acts as a nice balance against the indulgent center. What's more, it's also certified organic and made with nothing but natural ingredients.

Sometimes you want to reach for an incredibly intense chocolate bar, but other times you want great flavors without an intense sugar crash afterwards. And this is the kind of chocolate that will give you the latter. It's also dairy-free and vegan, so it's great for anyone who needs to avoid milk for any reason. You won't find it over in the U.S., which makes it all the more important for you to come to the U.K. on a chocolate-buying mission.

What's more British than taking an iconic British dessert like sticky toffee pudding and reimagining it in chocolate bar form? That's exactly what the Gnaw Sticky Toffee Pudding Milk Chocolate Bar does. This brand is known for its punchy flavors, and this is one of the best. By giving these dessert flavors a new lease on life, it's reinventing them for chocolate lovers.

What makes this bar more than just a caramel chocolate bar is that, as well as a caramel sauce (to stand in for the runnier toffee sauce that the dessert features), it also has pieces of date, and it's this fruit that gives the sponge part of sticky toffee pudding its specific flavor and texture. The chocolate itself is also top quality and ethically sourced with no added palm oil, which is more than can be said for most of the big brands.

Gnaw has only been around since 2010, when it was founded in Norwich, but has already made a name for itself. This chocolate brand really seems to care about the quality of its chocolate bars and how it sources its ingredients. Even the packaging is sustainable, so this is a brand with its eco-credentials sorted. It's the British chocolate bar you need to try if you're looking for luxury.

If you're a citrus fan, Montezuma's Sea Dog should be on your list of British chocolate bars to try. Orange is usually the go-to fruit pairing with chocolate, but this 70% cocoa dark chocolate bar is flavored with lime and sea salt, and it's among my favorites. It might seem like a strange combo at first, but salt pairs beautifully with chocolate, making it taste even more chocolatey, and lime helps cut through and add brightness.

Montezuma's was set up in 2000 as a small operation, with its two founders making all the bars by hand in a tiny machine. The aim was to make chocolate with quality ingredients that were also ethically sourced. This clearly struck a chord with consumers, because it wasn't long before the brand had to scale up and started becoming more widely known.

It might be a luxurious brand, but Montezuma's can be found in supermarkets in the U.K., so it's not something that Brits have to search high and low for or end up buying online. It also has its own chocolate shops on high streets. This chocolate bar's zingy lime flavor sets it apart from others on the market, making it a tasty pick for salty sea dogs and for everyone else.

Anyone who loves white chocolate or wants to buy from a small, truly independent brand should consider Dormouse Toasted White. Some white chocolate bars taste like nothing but sugar, but this is a different story. Others lean heavily on vanilla for flavor, which is delicious in its own way, but you're not truly getting the white chocolate taste coming through.

This chocolate bar uses cocoa butter from Madagascar's Sambirano Valley, which has a naturally fruity flavor. On top of that, it contains toasted milk powder, adding a toasty caramelized sweetness. It's a grown-up white chocolate that packs in loads of flavor. And of course it's sweet, but it isn't too intense.

Dormouse Chocolates is made in Manchester, from bean to bar. It has an ethical sourcing policy and aims to buy beans in a way that is best for people and the planet. These aren't cheap bars of chocolate, but if you want a truly artisan offering made in the U.K. by a small business, you've found your new obsession. This is amazing-tasting chocolate, and it has the awards to prove it.

As a Brit, the recommendations in this article are largely based on my own opinions on the chocolate bars worth trying. I considered a range of popular big-name chocolates that you'll find in every U.K. supermarket and corner shop, as well as chocolate bars from smaller, independent producers. However, I also researched to make sure that any bars on this list aren't readily available in the U.S. Some you can find in British specialty stores, but others you'll have to make the hop across the pond to sample.