Jelly Belly Cafe

We were driving from San Jose to Lake Tahoe and made a stop in Fairfield at the Jelly Belly Factory.  (They also have a factory in Wisconsin.)  Once you enter, it's very colorful and seems like a smaller version of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.  We waited in line for about 45 minutes for the tour.  They take groups of 50-60 people every 10-15 minutes for a 45-minute tour.  Be sure to go during a weekday to see the factory workers working and jelly beans being made, otherwise you'll just see videos on the weekends.  For participating in their free tour, you get a free paper hat and a free 2-oz bag of Jelly Belly beans.  They also have a sample bar, where you can try different flavors of jelly beans (I like Chili Mango and Pomegranate!) and other candies, such as candy corn and Sunkist slices.

After the tour, we had lunch at the Jelly Belly Cafe.  You can order jelly bean shaped pizzas and burgers, but we split Garlic Fries ($3.50).  I thought they were pretty good and had lots of garlic flavor.  The Steak and Bleu Cheese Salad ($6.95) and the Chicken Breast and Brie Sandwich ($6.95) were good-sized portions.  The sandwich is served with caramelized onions and a package of Mott's applesauce.  We were full before finishing our meal, so no dessert for us, but they have lots of options for something sweet.  Ice cream and churros at their Ice Cream/Coffee Counter.  Caramel apples and truffles from their Chocolate Shoppe.  Tons of jelly beans (and gifts) at their Jelly Belly Candy Store.  It's possible to spend hours here!

Oh and BTW, there are two other companies nearby offering tastings of olive oil and beer!  Just look for the signs!