The 9 Best Chocolate Shops In The Chicago Area
By Staff in Food on Feb 11, 2015 4:00PM
We've got many a strong sweet tooth here at the Chicagoist, but not just any boring milk chocolate bar will do. When it comes to our confections of choice, our main concerns are quality ingredients and of course, taste. Thankfully we live in a city that shares our passion for all things sweet, as obvious by the outstanding chocolatiers that call Chicago (and the surrounding suburbs) home.
We'll travel far and wide for our favorite truffles, chocolate bars, caramels and covered fruit, but lucky for us some of the best are pretty close to home. Below are our favorite picks for the best chocolate shops in Chicago. We encourage you to stop by these sweet spots, indulge a little and treat yourself today. As always discuss, dissect and share your own favorites in the comments.
Katherine Anne Confections
Handcrafting truffles and other artful chocolate morsels requires both mastery and an unbroken passion. It’s laborious work but when it’s done right, you can taste the love. That’s why I tend to spend my chocolate binges at Katherine Anne Confection in Logan Square. Owner Katherine Anne Duncan is creating some of the best chocolates and caramels in the city, all while reducing the carbon footprint of her shop. The prices are steep- pairs of truffles can cost $7, but it’s worth the splurge. Katherine Anne is also one of my top destinations for hot chocolate in the winter. Each mug is dolloped with homemade marshmallows ranging in flavors from earl grey to strawberry balsamic. I’m equally smittin’ with her caramels, especially the rosemary sea salt. If you’re looking for a real splurge, the shop is currently selling a 24-piece box of Valentine’s candies for $65, featuring orange tarragon Fleur de Sel and fig and olive oil truffles. — Erika Kubick
Katherine Anne Confections is located at 2745 W. Armitage Ave.
The Fudge Pot
This popular Old Town spot is best known for its chocolate covered strawberries and caramel apples but you may want to focus on their truffles and chocolates. These fourth-generation chocolatiers also make some amazing fudge and can personalize your chocolates with a custom mold. Chicagoist-branded chocolates, anyone? Don’t mind if we do. —Chuck Sudo
The Fudge Pot is located at 1532 N. Wells St.
Anderson’s Candy Shop
Though I have never been to Richmond, I order all my special occasion chocolates from Anderson’s. Why? Because not only are their chocolates truly delicious, they also do mail order really well, shipping things efficiently so that your order arrives fresh and on time. And you can add a gift message at no charge. But about those chocolates. I love their assortments the best, especially the dark chocolate creams. All hand-made and so exquisitely decadent that eating one at a time is enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. Though I don’t always stop after just one.— Rob Christopher
Anderson’s Candy Shop is located at 10301 N. Main St. in Richmond, Illinois.
Solid chocolate butterflies at Chocolat Uzma Sharif/Photo: Chicagoist
Chocolat Uzma Sharif
For Uzma Sharif, the small things matter in her confections and that’s the main reason why her chocolates have proven popular since opening her Pilsen storefront in 2012. A veteran of Wolfgang Puck’s culinary empire, Sharif’s truffles contain unexpected ingredients like candied rose petals, Kashmiri chai and cardamom. The designs of her truffles and chocolates are wonderfully expressive, harkening back to her background as an artist and henna tattooist. The proof, as always, is in the first bite. And the second. And subsequent nibbles. These are some of the best chocolates in Chicago, hands down, and another reason I feel blessed to call the South Side home. —Chuck Sudo
Chocolat Uzma Sharif is located at 1823 S. Halsted St.
Vosges Haut-Chocolat
If you’re not much for quaint or traditional but you do like experimenting and expanding your palate, Vosges Haut-Chocolat is a wonderful option. Vosges’ dark chocolate truffle collection is a must if you love the dark stuff and even better if you like to be adventuresome in your chocolate choosing. Founder Katrina Markoff went from Paris to Spain hunting down chocolate know-how and we get to enjoy the fruits of her labor right here in Chicago. We recommend starting with the Exotic Truffle collection, which has some amazing selections like the perfectly piquant Oaxacan and the Viola, a milk chocolate morsel made from violet extract, which lends a beautifully delicate perfume and slight sweetness we love. With five boutiques scattered around town, you have no excuse not to try some. And you can be sure, no matter who you’re buying for, they will feel spoiled by these sweets. — Marielle Shaw
Vosges Haut-Chocolat has several boutique locations throughout Chicago. Check out their site for the one nearest you.
Blommer Chocolate Company
It’s no secret that Blommer’s is the source of the chocolate smell in the air that permeates River North and the West Loop on breezy days. But what many Chicagoans don’t realize is that attached to the unassuming chocolate factory on Kinzie Avenue is a small chocolate shop packed wall to wall with candy. From the street and sidewalk many miss the sign that says it’s open to the public, but those adventurous few who walk in are rewarded with plenty of confections to choose from. There are chips and blocks of pure chocolate for baking, beautiful gift boxes of truffles and bags of chocolate covered fruits, nuts, malts and pretzels to mull over until you make your final decision. Picking out more than a few things is easy, since everything in the shop is reasonably priced, most likely because it’s made fresh on site. So follow that smell, walk in the factory door, make a right and sweetly satisfy that chocolate craving. — Gina Provenzano
Blommer Chocolate Company is located at 600 W. Kinzie St.
Veruca Chocolates
Luckily these beautifully crafted chocolates taste as good as they look. Like Veruca's version of a turtle: dark chocolate emblazoned with an iridescent pale green mist and filled with salted caramel and pecans. Or their peanut butter and sea salt bonbons etched with flowing leaves. While you are grabbing a box for a gift (or for yourself), treat yourself to their house-made hot chocolate. — Melissa McEwen
Veruca Chocolates is located at 2409 N. Western Ave.
Belgian Chocolatier Piron
Steeped in Belgian traditions and craftsmanship, brothers Robert and Fred Piron have sated the sweet tooths of scores of Evanstonians and others for years with their confections. Their signature line includes some of the best ganaches, buttercreams and liqueur-filled chocolates in the area, while their chocolate tower is an ideal gift with a pound of chocolate, a pound of toffee and a pound of fruit. They also import dark chocolate bars if you aren’t of mind for all that milk and semi-sweet chocolates.— Chuck Sudo
Belgian Chocolatier Piron is located at 509-A Main Street, Evanston, Illinois.
Long Grove Confectionery
To start off, yes, this isn’t in the city proper. Long Grove Confectionery is about a half hour’s drive north on I-94. But since 1975, Long Grove Confectionery has been making a name for themselves. And the shop, a brick red schoolhouse replica, couldn’t get cuter or quainter. Their version of the turtle, the Myrtle, is to die for, with silken chocolate and the kind of caramel that stretches on for days. But my favorite thing is their famous chocolate dipped strawberries. The town of Long Grove is obsessed with strawberries, holding an annual festival every year, and they have every right to be proud of their perfect, sweet ripe berries. Drape that silken chocolate over them again and you’ve got something truly wonderful for Valentine’s Day or whenever you feel like indulging. The great news for everyone who doesn't feeling like heading to the highway? Long Grove Confectionery, now a part of Chicago-owned Arway Confections, is distributed in local Jewel-Osco stores. If you haven’t tried their candies, we guarantee you it’s worth the trip or the change at your local store. Check out their site, and instead of going with a larger company farther away, sample the many delights from Long Grove. — Marielle Shaw
Long Grove Confectionery retail store is located at 220 Robert Parker Coffin Rd. in Long Grove, Illinois.