Ethel’s Chocolate Lounge

I’m SUPER disappointed to find out Ethel’s is closed! I cannot believe it. I even created a Unilocal account to vent on this. Ethel’s is a great place, I have been going there since I was in high school (it was literally right in front of my high school) with friends and my HS sweetheart. Last year we went to Ethel’s for Valentine’s Day and it’s been that way for 3 years now. I wanted to see if Ethel’s was having any events on Valentine’s Day and saw that the Chicago place was closed. This breaks my heart, I guess we will have to find a new Valentine’s Day tradition.
Well apart from my emotional vent, like I said, Ethel’s is a great place. I love the chocolate fondue and the people who worked at the Chicago place were so friendly and nice. They let you sit wherever you want, and the place is just gorgeous. Really nice decorations, really nice home-​feeling cozy feeling as well. Clean, always welcoming, the smell is amazing and the drinks/​chocolate there was amazing.

My visit to Chicago was memorable for many reasons! I enjoyed visiting my friend, I remember running through rain and hail only to find this amazing chocolate lounge! I love the pink interiors and I have to say that my Chocolate Rum was amazing! I could imagine bringing a book and just having a cozy time here after a day of shopping or meeting clients. I found everyone to be really nice and informative on what they sold. This is definitely a must! I have to say that prior to us ordering, the staff did hang out (yes all three) behind the counter as if they weren’t sure if they should say something. It’s definitely a cute place to go to with your girlfriend, book club or even a group who is knitting together!

Great Chocolates, yummy fondu, but really bad service.
Very girly. My manly man, ex SF officer, friend had be dragged in there with a promise to go to a rugged pub later.
Mostly they have not heard/​trained to attend/​acknowledge their customers within moments.
It is very easy to acknowledge someone’s presence and say we’ll be with you shortly. There were three people behind the counter, only one was attending to a customer, the other two were just cleaning.
We got better service at the rugged pub :-(
Sorry, I will not go back.

Even though I don’t like chocolate (I know, the horror), this place had a very lovely black current tea which I enjoyed piping hot. My mother enjoyed a latte, since she is one of those coffee-​loving people. That evidently didn’t run in the family, since the best I can do is say the smell isn’t always terrible.
They were running a special as noted on the blackboard outside, «free gift». As another customer was shocked, in order to get the aforementioned free gift, you had to spend $ 40 on chocolates. It was a wee bit much, and she left without a free gift (as my mother and I did as well).
Nicely decorated and laid out, Ethel’s had an awesome restaurant magazine on the front table, which was the highlight of the trip.

Very girly and fun atmosphere… but wow they are expensive! I walked by here with my husband one day and stopped in. We got 4 pieces of chocolate and two strawberry smoothies… I think it came out to $ 15?!?
Very neat designs on the chocolate but the chocolate wasn’t very decadent. I would do this as a once in awhile treat for a VERY special girly occassion with girlfriends but not more. I also wouldn’t recommend bringing your boyfriend/​husband here… there is pink everywhere and my husband felt a bit out of place.

It’s really pink up in here, like a Super Barbie Chocolate Happy Corporate Dream House by Mattel.
If you are a 35 year old woman who likes to call her friends «girlfriend» and have them playfully call you «bitch» in return while talking about how «bad» you’re being for eating a piece of fucking candy in a «chocolate lounge», comparing cell phone pics of small dogs in fancy sweaters, or competing in a challenge to see who can say «mani-​pedi» the most times in a conversation that isn’t even about manicures — make no mistake — you will love it here. You will probably also love the staff, which are pretty much like their customers in training. I don’t love any of that — sorry «bitch»…
You know that «Spa Girl», «Yoga Girl», «Shoe Girl» crap they sell at the worst «boutiques»? They should sell that here along with the $ 15 hot chocolate «service» and wee $ 5 pieces of overpriced Targetish Choxie-​knockoff candy here. Bitches, girls and girlfriends would eat that shit up. They will even sell you the girly 13 year old’s birthday party of your nonstop, reoccurring dreams that you never got to have, because your mom (that bitch!!!) made you eat dinner with your grandma instead.
This is literally steps away from Vosges — local, fancy and good as hell. Coco Rouge — a real chocolate lounge — and Hot Chocolate which is the perfect place to lounge with chocolate, are also way too close for this type of nonsense. Chicago is a chocolate city with absolutely no lack of serious fancified sweets. If you insist on dropping big time money on this soulless chain here? Girlfriend, you deserve what you get.

great, GReat, GREAT service here! The girl who helped us was very knowledgeable and was able to offer suggestions and tell me her favorites when we wanted to try a few truffles after a long day of running errands and shopping (FREE sample truffle… dude…). She was also able to tell me about the possibility of throwing any sort of bridal or baby shower or whatever other kind of party there. The decorations and comfy chairs on the main floor are perfect. Chic yet cozy. The patio in the back has fun white lights to make you feel as though you’re enjoying chocolate in Lothlorien.
The chocolate itself is fantastic. Try the champagne and the honey truffles for sure. As per usual, my partner in crime can’t turn down a brownie, so make sure you have someone to share that with because it is RICH (but oh, so good. =mouthgasm). The coffee was also nicely brewed and served at the perfect drinking temperature.
It’s a great place!

This is a great place for a ladies afternoon. They have fun girly décor (FYI – I am not that girly, but I love chocolate so I am willing to put up with it), outdoor seating, and a comfortable 2^nd floor – feels somewhat intimate. It is kind of adorable (I know I am rolling my own eyes typing this).
They have a good variety of chocolates that can be a tad overpriced. The sales people know their stuff & can make good suggestions. I recommend getting the fondue – it is great to share & very tasty. If you are looking for a nice way to treat yourself, check them out.

Too pricey for crappy chocolate. Some of the truffles are imaginative (my mother and visiting sister were bemused with, and bought a load of, the alcohol-​influenced ones), but they’re just not very good. The chocolate tends to be rather stiff and hard, not the melt in your mouth kind. The staff has always been friendly and helpful, though.
The best thing they have going for them is a very cheap fondue dish — I think it was $ 20 to share amongst 4 people — that includes a big ‘olé pot of chocolate fondue with strawberries, graham crackers, marshmallows, and pretzels. It was delicious.

I was here for a baby shower yesterday and I thought it was the cutest place to host a party. This location in Lincoln Park used to be a 2 story house and for private parties you get the entire 2^nd floor to yourself. The place is decked out in hot pink & brown.
We had chocolate fondue with strawberries, bananas, granny smith apples, pretzels, homemade shortbread & marshmallows! I am a chocolate freak so I loved everything! You have to try the shortbread dipped in chocolate! We also had sparkling red & white grape juice for this special occasion. For my complimentary piece of chocolate, I had the dark chocolate honey truffle which just melts into this rich cool cream in your mouth. Delicious!

I love Ethel’s and I love this location in particular. Comfortable seating areas for a drink and a treat with my girl friends.
The chocolate selection is fairly diverse and they have outdoor and indoor seating (on 2 floors!). My favorite chocolate is the champagne chocolate. I also love the little turtle chocolate.
Granted, these chocolates are pricey at $ 6 for 4 chocolates, but it is a treat to have once in a while and price enforces portion control!
Definitely a stop any time I’m shopping on Armitage.

I stumbled onto this place after being propelled down the street by the sense that chocolate was to be found somewhere. We were greeted at the door by an adorable sales assistant who asked us what our favorite tastes in chocolate are and then proceeded to pick out free truffles for us based on our feedback. I choose cinnamon/​ginger and my SO chose orange. The piece of chocolate I received was «cinnamon and hazelnut dark chocolate» and was amazing. SO enjoyed, but didn’t adore his orange/​chocolate dark chocolate.
I used to live really close to the chocolatier that consistently wins best in the country (Garrison Confections in Providence, RI) so I admit to being a bit hard to impress with gourmet chocolate.
Ethel’s aren’t quite the aesthetic marvels or the degree of adventurous that Garrison specializes in (and for, adventurous, Voges’ up the street is better), but they have some options that suit my palette nicely. We bought five to go — a gingerbread, a cinnamon spice, an earl grey tea, and a crème brûlée. They’re $ 1.50 each.
Haven’t tried them but will update when I do. I was tempted to get an espresso-​based drink to go with my chocolates here, but was already too full. Just lettin’ you know it was an option. Oh, and they do parties. There was one going on upstairs and the kids sounded like they were having an amazing time. My head would have exploded from joy to be in a place like this as a kid.

So adorable and ‘lax to have chats with friends over hot cocoa and dessert fondue. Absolutely perfect!

I love the hot cocoa here! The staff was very sweet to me & helped me to pick out a wonderful assortment to send to my hunny bunny for the holidays.
I also love the turtles, the pb&j, the pumpkin pie & the toffee.

Great spot to take pre-​teens =) Took my sister and her friends here for part of her birthday celebration and it was definitely a hit! A bit pricey but their fondue is a decent deal. However, the chocolate itself was cool, not even slightly warm. And for the amount of chocolate they give you, it would help if they gave more items for dipping. We had almost ¾ of our chocolate left.
Seating is cute, but minimal. I could definitely see this becoming a problem if you come in and order prior to finding a place to sit w/​your group.
Service was friendly and attentive.

No one’s mentioned that this location is excellent for people watching (weather permitting) since it’s right across the street from Charlie Trotter’s! I went here last summer with 2 girlfriends and we shared the fondue… we were content eating the goodies while watching the fancy cars line up for the valet at Trotters. If I recall, the fondue was a little pricey, but we were just looking to have some sweets and good conversation, so it was all good :)

All you need to know about Ethel’s is this: Within 5 minutes of buying a chocolate bar there, I was hiding in an alley on Armitage secretly gouging my face with peanut butter chocolate.
‘Nuff said.

What’s a perfect ending to a girls’ day out shopping?
Some chocolate indulgence in a cute pink Barbie-​land chocolate store! Welcome to Ethel’s!
Need I say more? You should go check it out for yourself!!!
Also: Try the fondue if there’s enough of you!!!

This was a fun place to go with friends after shopping on Armitage. There was a really nice selection of chocolate, but it seemed like there were few drink options.
The service was good and I was especially appreciative when they offered us the upstairs lounge so that we could enjoy our chocolate in peace. A cute place and definitely worth a stop in if you’re in the mood to tempt your sweet tooth.

Hi, it’s chocolate, what’s not to love?
A friend of mine and I stopped in after being at a local shop. We decided to get some chocolates and sit around drinking chocolate. Perfect Saturday afternoon.
The space on Armitage is nice, it’s got a great seating area where we were lucky enough to get a spot to gab and chat for about an hour.
I always prefer dark chocolates and I wasn’t totally disappointed by Ethels. I think the tiny pieces that you order out of the case are pricey, so I opted for the bard of chocolate that I could take a bit of and then bring home. I’m evil and smart like that.

I like chocolate; I don’t LOVE chocolate but I do know good chocolate when I have it– this is not good chocolate. Remembering that most of us Unilocalers are probably in our 20s and 30s we unfortunately grew up on chocolate bars, bad chocolate bars made by big corporations. Of course as a kid I thought a Whatchamacallit rocked but as an adult I realized it tasted like wax and stopped eating them, limiting my chocolate fix to something like a Ghirardelli or Valrhona bar.
When I first heard of Ethel’s I thought it was going to be a cute independent place where they hand made the chocolate. Then I saw that there were multiple locations, even one in Old Orchard mall. So my second thought was maybe it’s a local chain where the chocolate is made off site but sold exclusively at Ethel’s. Then I found out the truth that is in fact owned by Mars, you know M&Ms, Twix, etc.
I recently went in to try the chocolate for myself. I will give them two stars for two reasons, excellent customer service and variety of flavors. The chocolates were not as waxy as mass produced candy bars but they were not any where near the quality for the price they wanted. I was impressed they let you try multiple flavors. If you had a question on any flavor or if the lady behind the counter overheard us mention a flavor we thought sounded interesting, out she came with a sample.
I think Ethel’s popularity revolves on good marketing, they call it a lounge (you know some women are picturing a «Sex in the City» girls night at the chocolate lounge– the bad stereotype spell that people fall under). And producing a chocolate that seems as if it is «different», like I said, hand made in the back, not mass produced at Mars Corp. So we think this has got to be good chocolate because we didn’t buy it for $.55 (what is the price of a bar now?) and unwrap it from it’s metallic casing.
If we are going to think gourmet (as Ethel’s seems to want to be seen as), I found the chocolate no where near the quality of a Petrossian, Burdick or even a Sees. In fact I think Target’s own brand of Choxie is of higher quality than Ethel’s– for half the price. If you want to spend the money on fine chocolate, do some research and find a local store that makes it by hand or order it on-​line from a renowned chocolatier. If you just want fast good cheap chocolate try Choxie or go to World Market– they have a great selection of chocolates from around the world.