There's no shortage of candy stores in Western New York. I asked members of the Buffalo.com team and friends of Buffalo.com to share their favorite places to score the best bites of chocolate.

While the results varied, there were clear favorites among the bunch. One particularly popular chocolate shop is Watson's, which has multiple storefronts throughout WNY. I was invited to visit the Watson's candy factory last year, and I shot the video above. If you've never seen the sponge candy-making process, now's the time.

Without further ado, here's our list of favorite chocolate shops in the Buffalo area:

S.J. Velasquez (that's me!): Ko-Ed Candies, 285 Abbott Road, Buffalo

"I've never met a chocolate I didn't like, but I sure have encountered some cocoa-based candies of which I'm especially fond. Ko-Ed Candies is located just a few blocks from my South Buffalo apartment. I grew up eating Ko-Ed's Easter bunnies and holiday suckers, but I have an especially soft spot in my heart (err, gut) for the chocolate-drizzled popcorn. My mom gets me a tub of it every Christmas, and I usually plow through it by New Year's Eve. Also, must give a deserved shout-out to Oh Pour L'amour Du Chocolat in Amherst for the delectable chocolate-covered potato chips. Only tried a few last year, but I'm jonesin' right about now."

Sam Disorbo: Village Sweet Shoppe, 1 Buffalo St., Hamburg

"They have cute decorated chocolate-covered strawberries that are huge and delicious. She also make cool candies -- Lego-shaped, chocolate chicken wings, etc."

Beth Stanford: Swirls Cupcakery, 634 Main St., East Aurora; Elm Street Bakery, 72 Elm St., East Aurora

"I'm not one to head out to buy sponge candy or a box of assorted what-nots on V-day. But rather, I prefer indulging in a giant slice of chocolate cake or a frosted brownie. My go-to spot for these delights was Sweet Tooth. :( Now that it's gone and I, too, am gone from the city (we just moved to East Aurora), I now depend on Main Street in EA -- Swirls Cupcakery and Elm Street Bakery, which is just off the Main Street path -- to get my chocolate fix."

Avery Hartmans: Village Sweet Shoppe, 1 Buffalo St., Hamburg

"My favorite place to get chocolate in WNY is the Village Sweet Shoppe. They have a great selection of sponge candy (including dark chocolate sponge, which is my favorite) as well as really unique truffles: champagne, creme brûlée, hand-painted....you get the picture. They also do chocolate, wine and massage parties which I haven't been to, but sound amazing."

Donnie Burtless, Buffalo Eats blogger: Watson's Chocolates; Choco-Logo, 141 Broadway, Buffalo; Chow Chocolat, 715 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo

"If I want a good ol' plain milk chocolate sucker/bite, I think there's no better chocolate place than Watson's. If I want something adventurous, I love Choco-Logo on Broadway or Chow Chocolat. Also, the peanut butter chocolate sponge candy from Yia Yia's on Transit in Depew is or favorite sponge candy."

Ben Tsujimoto: Antonoinette's, 1203 Union Rd, West Seneca; Watson's Chocolates

"Although I used to be a sucker for Antoinette’s in West Seneca, Watson’s has become the go-to chocolate spot for me. I enjoy their chocolate covered pretzels and, surprisingly, their chocolate-covered pineapple."

Ben Kirst: Choco-Logo, 141 Broadway, Buffalo

"My favorite chocolate shop is Choco-Logo. I had heard about it for a long time and never got there until a few Christmases ago when, in a pinch, I decided to pop in for a Secret Santa gift. About $50 later, my wife and I were knee-deep in chocolate and my Secret Santa was getting a $10 gift card to Starbucks. I love the way this place smells, the fact there is a chocolate factory in the back of the store, the way it is tucked into this industrial-looking building in a pretty nondescript part of the city. I still don’t get to Choco-Logo as much as I should, but when I do, it is one of the highlights of my week."

Photo courtesy of Flickr / Mykl Roventine.