Garrett Popcorn Shops

Ummm… yessssss!
There is no way to walk past this shop in the Mart without stopping in. The next time I will have to be careful about passing by before lunch, because I will no doubt ruin my appetite and end up eating popcorn instead — hence I am on popcorn overload at the moment.
My new office is in the Mart, and today I made the good and oh-​so-​dangerous discovery of this shop near the CTA train entrance on the 2^nd floor. I forgot they were in the building and now I’m doomed… doomed!
Here’s what’s special about Garrett. The popcorn is large with a nice light crunch, even though it’s 100% coated in thick caramel and packed with cheese. The special there is the Garrett Mix, a combination of caramel crisp and cheese corn. It’s their most popular, but they have so many other flavors to choose from, like Cashew CaramelCrisp, Almond CaramelCrisp, Pecan CaramelCrisp… should I keep going?
Wait…pause while I take another handful of my popcorn writing this.
Thanks Garrett for being in the Mart! I’m so lucky :-)

The very first Unilocal review I’ve ever written. And it’s a poor one to the Garrett’s located in the Merchandise Mart. Excited to pick up the chicago mix for a date night I had planned with my boyfriend that evening, I was shocked when their employee informed me they were out of the cheese flavor. How can a shop that specializes in popcorn and popcorn only, simply run out? This was devastating and put a damper on our date night. The employee rudely said come back tomorrow after informing me they were out. Thanks for that. I’ll take my business elsewhere next time.

After popping into Garrett’s locations in super touristy locations (the Pier, Mag Mile) this place was the best. The staff are so friendly and sweet and there was no queue at this location at all. Obviously, go for Chicago Mix (Chicago Style) — half caramel/​half cheese. The popcorn is amazing and something any food lover must try. Savory/​sweet is where it’s at and Garrett’s does this perfectly.
This location is a little off the beaten path on the second floor of the Merchandise Building near a higher end food-​court right. Super conveniently located on the L as well, especially since there are no Garrett’s at Chicago-​Midway airport!
Also, Garrett’s was one of Oprah’s favourite things. Clearly, this is something you must check-​out stat.
«It’s the best popcorn on the planet, I think, and you don’t have to fly to Chicago to get it» — Oprah

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa???
I’ve had cheese /​caramel corn mixed together before, but never anything like this! The Chicago mix is ridiculicious!
The employees at this shop are so nice and friendly! I stopped in for the second time this week today to get some popcorn to send to my office in Cleveland overnight, and they were very helpful with tips on how to prolong the freshness of the popcorn.
Also, they gave me a generous sample of milk chocolate covered caramel corn, and it was pretty much the best thing that happened to me all day, other than the giant chocolate doughnut my coworker brought me from Doughnut Vault for breakfast. My favorite thing about working in Chicago is everyone I encounter tries to feed me! I love it.

I would like to start this review off by pointing out that I have visited a few Garrett’s locations now, and this was by far my best experience thus far! Read a little more, and you’ll see why this shop got a perfect 5 of 5 stars from me!
Location & Ambiance:
The location is great! its located in a nicer food court, so you can head over to Protein Bar and get a healthy meal. Then follow it up with some delicious popcorn.
THE POPCORN:
This should be the most important part of the review right? Well I can confirm Garrett’s is probably the most well known popcorn in Illinois, and its for a reason! Every location I have visited has given the same high quality great tasting popcorn! This shop didn’t disappoint. :)
Staff:
The staff really has the ability to swing the rating of a review for better or worse. I will say if it wasn’t for the amazing staff I would probably leave a 4 of 5 star review and leave it at that. With this in mind, the staff was extremely helpful in recommending different popcorns, and giving tastes of each of them. When it finally came down to me paying for the bag the lady accidentally got me a medium when I asked for and paid for a small. They handled it professionally and gave me the bag at no extra cost.
In conclusion, if your a Garret’s regular or in town for the weekend this location and brand is not one to disappoint! It is undoubtedly deserving of the 5 of 5 star «Woohoo! As good as it gets!» rating!
Recommendation: The valentines day lovers mix… its heavenly!