Memphis knows its way around comfort food, but the city also has a serious sweet tooth. From century-old chocolate shops to colorful candy counters packed with retro favorites, Memphis is full of places that feel like stepping into another era. Whether you’re hunting for handmade fudge, fresh-roasted peanuts, or the kind of candy you forgot existed until you saw it in a glass jar, these shops deliver.
Here are some of the best candy shops in Memphis worth saving room for.
Dinstuhl’s Fine Candies
Dinstuhl’s is a Memphis institution. The family-owned chocolatier has been making sweets since 1902, and walking inside feels like entering a different decade in the best possible way. Glass display cases line the shop, classic candy boxes are stacked everywhere, and the whole place carries the kind of timeless charm that’s hard to fake.
The shop is best known for its handmade chocolates, including truffles, fudge, chocolate-covered raisins, and seasonal specialties. Locals especially rave about the chocolate-covered grapes and pecal rolls, which have developed something close to cult status around town.
If it’s your first visit, grab a mixed box of classic milk chocolates and a container of those famous grapes.
The Peanut Shoppe
The Peanut Shoppe is tiny and old-school in the best possible way. The smell of fresh-roasted peanuts hits before you even open the door, and the vintage storefront really adds to the vibe.
This downtown favorite has been roasting peanuts throughout the day for decades. Alongside the warm nuts, you’ll find chocolate peanut clusters, brittle, nostalgic candies, and snack mixes stacked floor to ceiling.
The move here is simple: order a bag of hot roasted peanuts and pair it with chocolate peanut clusters. It’s sweet, salty and pure deliciousness!
Beale Sweets Sugar Shack
Located right on Beale Street, Beale Sweets Sugar Shack leans fully into the fun side of candy shopping. It’s bright, energetic, and packed with colorful displays. There’s usually something happening behind the counter, too, including fudge-making demonstrations that make it nearly impossible to leave empty-handed.
The shop offers more than 15 flavors of homemade fudge, along with saltwater taffy, nostalgic candies, and novelty treats aimed at visitors exploring Beale Street.
The pecan fudge is a standout, but adventurous eaters should try one of the rotating specialty flavors that tend to get a little wild.
Sweet Noshings
It’s all about over-the-top dessert creations at Sweet Noshings!
Along with house-made fudge, they serve ice cream (try the salted caramel mocha), gourmet popcorn, cookies, and themed candy collections, including plenty of Harry Potter-inspired treats. You’ll definitely be sampling more than one thing if you visit here.
Personally, we say go for a scoop of banana pudding ice cream in a waffle cone and take home a bag of honey-butter popcorn.
Wayne’s Candy Co.
If you grew up loving penny candy stores, this place taps directly into that memory. Rows of bulk bins make it easy to build your own mix of childhood favorites and random discoveries. The warehouse-style store carries more than 2,000 different candies, from classic to novelty. We’re talking Krank Pops, Big Slugger Gumballs, and even candy necklaces.
Love snow cones? Wayne’s has over 20 flavors, like blue raspberry, tutti fruity, pink bubble gum and black cherry!
Bluff City Toffee
Bluff City Toffee takes a smaller, artisan approach to sweets. This local operation focuses on preservative-free recipes and small-batch production, giving everything a homemade feel.
Their buttery toffee is the star of the lineup, though they also produce cookies and popcorn. The business has a strong community-driven focus, which adds another reason locals love supporting it.
A. Schwab
A. Schwab is technically more of a historic general store than a dedicated candy shop, but skipping it would be a mistake. Open since 1876, the store feels like a mix of a museum, a souvenir shop, and an old-fashioned mercantile.
The candy counter is packed with retro sweets and hard-to-find classics that are increasingly difficult to track down elsewhere. Browsing the shelves becomes half the fun because you never know what forgotten favorite you’ll spot! There’s even an old-fashioned soda fountain.
