With Chocolate-Dipped Fritos, Dozens of Ice Cream Flavors, and More, Upper Kirby’s Winfield’s Is a Winner

FORREST GUMP FAMOUSLY said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” And this was very much our sentiment after popping into Winfield’s Chocolate Bar in River Oaks for the first time. Molly Voorhees, president of The Chocolate Bar, Beck’s Prime and Agnes Café & Provisions, rebranded it to Winfield’s about a year ago to tie the business more closely to her family name. Currently, she’s in the process of opening a second Winfield’s in the Tanglewood/Galleria area.

Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate covered everything, ice cream — and even wines by the glass — indeed make every adult feel like a kid in a candy store. The new brand also has a sleek new look thanks to the design by Sean Garrison and Levi Lemaster of Garrison Design Office. The 1,800-square-foot space with gleaming shelves of confections offers comfy indoor and shaded outdoor seating.

Let’s start with what everyone has on their mind in August: ice cream! We were pleasantly surprised to see dozens of flavors available by the cup, pint or quart. Guest favorites gear toward the decadent like Let’s Go Oreo, Brownie Supreme, Junkyard ice cream, and C is for Cookie ice cream. Sophisticated selections worth stopping for include Coconut Bliss, Lemon Velvet, Cherry Amaretto, and Toffee Coffee Time. Don’t do dairy? Strawberry daiquiri, dark chocolate, or mango sorbet will do you right during this heat wave.

Both locations, including The Chocolate Bar in Rice Village, which kept its original name, offer gorgeous cakes whole or by the slice — and they don’t just star chocolate. Signature flavors include the towering Aunt Etta (four layers of chocolate cake with double-fudge icing); strawberry cake (two layers of cream cheese buttercream icing made with fresh strawberries) and Oreo cheesecake topped with dark chocolate ganache, to name a few. There are also chocolate and vanilla tres leches as well as tiramisu. Denizens have been dropping in for an impromptu dessert paired with a specialty coffee or wine. Some chocoholics rely on the new location for their go-to chocolate chip cookies and take-home brownies.

Great for a sweet last-minute gift, Winfield’s touts truffles in dozens of flavors sourced with the best chocolate, seasonal specials (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter), and chocolate munchies galore. Expect pecan or peanut butter bars, chocolate dipped pretzels, rice crispy treats, cherry bombs, chocolate popcorn, s’mores, double stuffed Oreos, and Texas Frito Brittle — literally Fritos dipped in chocolate. When a celebration is in order, pick up a solid chocolate Champagne bottle, a baby bottle, a cell phone, a cat, or puppies.

Speaking of man’s best friend, Winfield’s has pet-friendly “chocolate” dipped dog bone shaped treats.