Ethel's Chocolate Lounge
Category: Chocolatiers and Shops [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Near North Side, Magnificent Mile520 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60686 (312) 464-9330
- Nearest Transit:
Grand (Red)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Garage
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
14 reviews
Neighborhood: Near North Side
"This is a great place for any chocolate lover (such as myself). The truffles are flown in once a week from Switzerland and are absolutely…" read more »
29 Reviews for Ethel's Chocolate Lounge
This place looks like it would be so good but I find their chocolates mediocre and their mocha tastes mostly like water, cardboard and a little bit of something that slightly resembles mocha. If I do purchase something here, I get their hot chocolate which isn't bad and quite comforting on a cold winter day. They do have some comfortable seating which is helpful if you've done too much shopping and need a breather. If you want good chocolate, go up to Vosges which is in the same building and so much better.
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You know how hot chocolate SHOULD taste? That's what Ethel's hot chocolate tastes like. It tastes like what I'd imagine hot chocolate would taste like, if I had never tried it before and was hearing it described to me for the first time. Creamy and delicious, not watery and weak like you get lots of other places. Yum. Expensive but totally worth it.
The truffles and chocolate bars are pretty good too but I'd probably only give them 3 stars, especially with Vosges right upstairs. I am a big fan of the peanut butter truffles but other than that, everything I've tried is just okay. Except the hot chocolate! The hot chocolate is to die for.
Apart from the slightly pricey numbers, the chocolate is excellent. I got a dozen different dark chocolate truffles for $14 which really isn't cheap but at least it tasted flawless and rich and relaxing and, most of all, very indulgent. The staff were really nice and helpful and were telling me how working at Ethel's was bad because they could eat as much chocolate as they wanted... Now, now, I always say... The good things in life are chocolaty, like ME, and fattening.
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I've been sick all week and after 5 days of eating nothing but soup and popsicles, I was finally in the mood for solid food. ....and by solid food I mean cupcakes. Luckily, my wonderful husband loves cupcakes, oh and me, and offered to pick me up one on his way home from work. Since these cupcakes were delivery, I can't comment on the dcor or service, but as for the taste, I wasn't that impressed. They were good, not great.
At $3.50 each, they seemed like a good deal considering the size. These things are huge, and topped with a big old glob of kind of melty frosting. We had one that was some nondescript coffee kind of flavored and a better one that was rich chocolate with vanilla frosting. It was okay, but would have been better had the frosting been a little more firm. I might try some of their other items if I am nearby, but for cupcakes, I don't think I'd rush back - there are much better places in the city.
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This place is super cute and it's also very tasty. I had hot chocolate here about a month ago and it was very tasty! They made it with whole milk (I'm a skim milk drinker) so it was very rich to me. It was worth every calorie :)
I just noticed there is a new location at State & Lake which is nice and close to my office. When I'm having a bad day at work, I know where I'm going...
Sigh--was really looking forward to my first visit to one of these, but probably should have been tipped off as to what to expect when someone told me it was owned by Mars, the Snickers people. Hardly 'gourmet chocolate' street cred.
Nothing to 'snicker' about in prices, that's for sure. Very, and I mean, VERY expensive stuff..and only mediocre taste, at best. If they slashed the price by 2/3, I might go back. But, on second thought, think I will just pick up some Hershey kisses and call it a night...
Way way way overpriced...very limited selection...and less than the quality of product you would expect for the price. But then, what do you expect from the people who brought you M&M's...yes, it's owned by Mars.
There are way too many good, REAL chocolate hangouts to choose from...save your time, and appetite, for another place!
after leaving the food court - you almost have no choice but to pass ethel's on your way out to the front of the mall. it's almost like it's calling your name trying to pull you in. now for myself - i try to be strong. i know this isnt the cheap stuff. i only come when i know there is a sale or have one of my coworkers drag me with. so bring will power with you and take the long way out to grand if you reallly need to find a way to avoid it!
I was having a PMS induced chocolate craving this afternoon and decided to stop here instead of Vosges upstairs since I'm trying not to blow all my money....Shouldn't have bothered.
They had free samples, that was cool. But the two truffles I had (the dark chocolate and honey truffles) tasted identical, and were way too sweet with a sugary fondant chocolate filling instead of the creamy, fatty, rich chocolately goodness I was craving. Ugh. The espresso was watery, like it came from a dispenser instead of a real espresso machine. My total came under $4 for espresso and 2 truffles, which was kind to my wallet, but really....nothing to write home about.
At least they had nice comfy seating?
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Totally unimpressive. Totally just lives off of hype.
$5 (after tax) for a hot chocolate??? Give me a break. Get a life. Even their plain old coffee drinks are significantly more $ than they are elsewhere. (a small plain old brewed coffee is $3.50).
This is one of those places that puts adjectives in front of everything in their menu to make things sound better on paper than they actually are. Their hot chocolate could not just be called that, no no no no. It's "heavenly hot cocoa"
And it comes in one size. I typically order a large of just about anything in a coffee shop, so I assumed that their one size and enormous price tag would mean it's a decent sized cup of hot chocolate... but when she reached her hand for the very tiny (12 ounce???) cup I almost told her to forget it... but I said in my head I'd give it a shot.
Well, what a waste of money. It was good, but not *that* good. The hot chocolate served at Starbucks--or anywhere else--is equally as good and cheaper.
This place makes Starbucks look cheap. Apparently it's a chain owned by Mars.
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I work with this particular location on a regular basis. They have been more than accomodating and kind on all of the occasions that I have dealt with them.
Ethel's has a wide variety of chocolates available for any appetitie. Who doesn't love their champagne/rum/liquor filled sqares? Come on! Personally I can't get enough of their fruit filled chocolates, especially the lemon flavored.
The cute little couches allow folks to sit back with their best friend, chocolates, and melt their sorrows. My boss loves the fact that you get two free chocolates with the purchase of any coffee. I don't know how I'll get him out of this place now!
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Okay, I really like the chocolates here just because they are unique and so pretty. Is it the best chocolate Ive ever had? Probably not, but for what they lack in taste (and they ain't lackin' much) they make up for in cute-ness. Therefore, they make great presents or handouts for parties, etc. They have the cutest little liquor-flavored chocolates with little martinis and such on them ... perfect for bridal or bachelorette parties. They have a huge variety as well, so make sure you take your time! They're a little pricey at $1.50 a piece, but what else is new in Chicago?
I have yet to try their fondue, but it's something I've been dying to do. One of these days I'll hopefully get around to it.
I actually prefer the location on Armitage much better if only because it's not right in the middle of a mall, so it's a much better experience.
If you like chocolate, you'll like Ethel's. Plain and simple.
Ethel's chocolate was good. The Cabernet piece was OK. If you really wanted chocolate and cabernet executed well, then you will have to get the cabernet truffles from http://www.deldottovin...
These are the ones we tried.
Cabernet
Ginger Citrus truffle
Maple Brown sugar truffle
Earl Grey Truffle
Chocolate and raspberry
Chocolate and orange
If I had to choose a favorite out of the bunch I would say it would have been the Earl Grey truffle. The chocolate was a good match to the tea. Each ingredient provided a deeper layer of flavor to the other and the tea providing a smoky like flavor that was surprisingly good.
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So unless you read all of my reviews, you probably don't know I am a chocolate fool. I don't know how it happened, because I loathed it as a child, but alas, I love it.
So we were walking through the mall and saw Ethel's and if I remember correctly I had been to the Ethel's factory as a youngin' in vegas. So I thought, oooh I should try their hot cocoa. After prying myself from the case of delectables, I ordered my hot cocoa with whipped cream. Really I should give this a 3 star rating because the service wasn't great and they ended up giving me someone else's hot cocoa without whipped cream. But the cocoa was so rich and yummy, I can't bear to mark it down a star.
perfect for a crisp afternoon. Oh, but I only was able to drink 1/3 of it because I sloshed 1/4 of it on my face while trying not to burn my lips. Joy. Then the rest was just too rich for an afternoon treat.
I was really excited to try this place when I first moved here. When I lived in Denver, a Chicago native had raved about this place.
I went here before going on my way to Sephora and Nordstrom's to order an Iced Mocha. Let's put it this way, I ended up throwing the whole thing out it was so nasty and thank goodness I carry my sonicare with me in my handbag! IF I go here again it won't be for an Iced Mocha. I will stick to Godiva for tasty Iced Mocha's or even Dunkin donuts for crying out loud.
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I walked into the mall to do some shopping. What a pleasant surprise to find Ethel's Chocolate Lounge. It was pretty crowded, but the staff was very friendly. There were tons of options. I had a peanut butter truffle and a milk chocolate truffle. Yummmm. I can't wait to go back and try some more chocolate goodness and sit on the comfy couches.
The best darn hot chocolate. Ever. I"m not a big truffle person, but their basic dark chocolate is excellent, too. Did I mention that I like the hot chocolate?
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I just went here last night and it was great. I went for a little meeting and the couches we were on were super comfortable and the chocolate was great. We had fondue, which I didn't know they did, but how awesome. The staff was very attentive to our needs, but also left us alone while we were in the meeting.
I can't wait to go back to hang out with my girlfriends and eat some fondue, nothing is more fun then that.
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My family stopped by this location the Friday after Thanksgiving. We thought it was a nice place to sit and relax in between lunch and pictures with Santa. What a mistake! There wasn't a sign to say which way the line started, so myself and 3 other people stood in the wrong place for 15 minutes before another patron directed us to the correct line. Not one time did the workers come and tell us themselves. Once in line, I placed the order in which they lost because it took another 20 minutes to get 4 hot chocolates. I inquired about the cocktail flavored chocolates for a NYE favor and they were so busy I was instructed to visit the website. Oookay! Finally, I received the drinks. OMG! I was trying to stay warm not go to sleep. It was literally, warm milk with a light brown color. My toddler enjoyed it but the rest of us threw it away...$15 in the garbage. After the experience, it wasn't worth asking them to re-make them.
I am by no means a "chocolate connoisseur," but I know what I like. & this location had what I like.
We went in to buy a simple bday gift for a co-worker & came out with a cute little box full of yummy goodies for her & two free samples for us. She was pleasantly surprised & we looked like the two coolest co-workers.
Also, the guys here were extremely friendly, funny, & helpful.
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Call me a chocolate snob but this place is for the amatuer chocolatier. The quality of the chocolate here is matched only by Hershey's -- in which case you might as well march down Michigan and spend $5 less at their store.
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I was not impressed with the location nor the chocolate here. Nothing really appealed to me at all. When I think of a Chocolate lounge I would think of something out of the ordinary where they offer you a selection of very good chocolates. Everything here was very basic and not that good.
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This is a relatively new outlet in the North Bridge mall, and what a prominent location it has. It is just off the main Michigan Avenue entrance so you cannot miss it. The candy counter is colorful and the lounge seating is cozy (I even saw a woman breastfeeding her baby here). What sets this Ethel's apart from the others is the cool graphic blocks that have been retained after the gutting of the McGraw-Hill Building where this mall resides. Marvel at the bold figures as you enjoy some chocolates or a drink.
cute little lounge the kind of place you go to if you wanna splurge.. i think i had four truffles for $6, and according to them it's a deal. assorted chocolates- try pina colada (actual alcohol inside) and mango-coconut. there are also simpler truffles (peanut butter or just chocolate) for the picky type. for alcoholic truffles.. i.d. is required.
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Ethel's is not for the indecisive. There are over fifty different chocolates to choose, cinnamon bun, key lime pie, and mimosa. Fondue with friends, for $15 you can have a huge pot of chocolate fondue complete with all the confections you need. Love the atomsphere. Ethel's is chocolate heaven.
Take a break from shopping and relax at this magnificent lounge on the Magnificent Mile. This place is a chocolate lover's dream come true, and trust me, I would know. They've got everything from truffles to fruit and nuts. It can get a little pricey, but it's definitely worth it. Can you say yummy in the tummy?
a glorious place to get chocolates.. they've got a great lounge too where you can enjoy the ambiance
So much fun! Go with a friend to enjoy a wide array of chocolate, and relax in their big comfy seating!
yum! this is the perfect place to kill that afternoon chocolate craving!
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