Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop

Let’s be real folks… ice cream is ALWAYS going to be delicious. So I’m not going to review the ice cream, instead I’m going to review (1) the presentation of my ice cream, (2) the price of the ice cream, and (3) the service I received.
Ice cream presentation: 2 out of 5 stars. Maybe the person/​people making my sundae were bored cause the store was dead when I came in there so decided to make my sundae look boring. It was sloppily made and looked like someone with one eye and hand (no offense meant to the handicap) made it.
Price of ice cream: 2 out of 5 stars. If I made a million dollars a day I still wouldn’t wanna pay these prices for ice cream. My sundae cost me $ 10.95 plus whatever tax and I damn near fainted. I mean I could go buy a gallon of ice cream for that price! The only reason why I didn’t give the price 1 star because I understand they have to play that Michigan Ave price.
Customer Service: 4 out of 5 stars. The greeter on the first floor was cheerful and helpful when explaining the layout of the store. The person who brought me my sundae was really nice and seemed to be enjoying life based on the huge smile he had on his face.
Overall, while I appreciate having a candy/​ice cream store so close to my house… those prices will keep me from going back there anytime soon.

Yum Yum Yum!!! You can’t go wrong with a Ghirardelli chocolate! We stopped in to grab some coffee, however by the time we got to the register, we settled on ice cream instead! We will be back.

There’s a relatively new Ghirardelli location in the Wrigley Building, which seconds the first location that has been facing the Water Tower for many years. Unlike the first location, which always seems super busy due to its somewhat restricted footprint, the second Ghirardelli is moderately busy with two levels. The ground level space is basically a smallish candy store. When I came in, I was the only person in at that time but was greeted by an employee and promptly handed a sample Ghirardelli candy square — yay! I walked up the stairs, and the upper level is where you want to be. Besides displays of a variety of Ghirardelli candies, there is the counter where you can order ice cream fountain treats. This floor is expansive, with plenty of tables looking out upon the lively scene along the Michigan Avenue bridge. They do need a better sign pointing towards the rest rooms, as they are along a corridor that is tucked around the corner from the ordering counter.
I ordered an ice cream sundae and shared a spoonful or two with my friend, who had a large latte. The full title of my item is the World Famous Hot Fudge Sundae — vanilla ice cream, fudge sauce, whipped cream, chopped almonds and a cherry on top. It’s pretty good and a bit of an extravagance to eat it solo (it’s not a huge serving though), so bring a friend and share one. Also thumbs up for the pleasant service from the workers.

High end chocolate nicely displayed, just calling for you to come eat it. A small lower level, featuring individual squares, bags of squares, and large specialty bars. You can buy them buy bulk weight, or 85 cents per square. Upstairs there is an ice cream/​sundae bar, and also various chocolate-​covered goodies (nuts and berries) sold by weight. There is a minimum limit of ½ pound of mix&match, but you can combine the squares with the goodies upstairs. Staff is very friendly and helpful. You get a small sample square for just walking in the door. I personally love caramel and Ghirardelli’s are very good (on par with Cadbury and much better than Hersheys). They do have lots of extremely dark chocolate with things inside, I tried the Cherry Tango (cherries and almonds) and liked the flavors while lamenting that it was only available in dark and not the obviously superior milk chocolate. Fun to frolic around in for 10 minutes, but all the ice cream was prohibitively expensive (for $ 10+ that better be a d*&^ good ice cream). Chocolate a bit expensive, but very tasty and the price encourages you to enjoy in moderation.

I stopped by this Ghirardelli shop after a somewhat unimpressive dinner on my second night in Chicago a few weeks back. Given the high ratings and expectations, I was expecting my visit to this shop to heighten my mood significantly, since I am always a fan of high quality chocolate. Unfortunately, my visit didn’t live up to my expectations, however.
Upon entering the store, I was greeted and offered a complimentary square of caramel chocolate, which was a nice touch. Caramel isn’t my favorite candy flavor, but I don’t like to look a gift horse in the mouth, so whatever. Knowing that I wanted to check out the ice cream fountain, I headed up to the second floor and put in my order. Given that I always try to order items that a place is known for on my first visit, I decided to go with the Square Sundae ($ 12 something). Despite the $ 1 check in discount, I found the price rather exorbitant, heightening my expectation even further.
The sundae came out promptly, about 5 min. after ordering, and was served to me where I was seated, at the bar by the windows overlooking Michigan Ave. Though the sundae was rather large in size, the first thing I noticed was that the portion of hot fudge was skimpier than I’d expect for a shop specializing in high-​end chocolate, and even more so for the price. While the sundae was good, the flavor of the fudge didn’t blow me away the way I’d expect at a Ghirardelli shop – it just tasted like generic hot fudge. I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t be able to distinguish this fudge from Smuckers’ fudge (or, heaven forbid, Aldi mystery brand) in a blind taste test.
As I was eating my sundae, I noticed an employee go by with a brownie sundae for another customer that looked quite impressive. Had I ordered that, I’m certain I would have left satisfied. As it were, however, I left feeling like I’d paid twice as much for a sundae that just wasn’t as special as I’d hoped it would be. Fortunately, it was comped by my employer since I was in Chicago on business, but I certainly wouldn’t pay this much of my own money for this quality of product. Knowing the quality of Ghirardelli chocolates, I’m sure the candy was much better, but even so, keep in mind that you’re probably paying a premium for the location alone. 3.5 stars.

I had high expectations of this place and was pretty disappointed. The dessert and shake I tried wasn’t light but left you with a very heavy feeling. The ice cream flavors left nothing to the imagination. I had better at a Haagen Daz shop and I’m not even crazy about Haagen Daz.

Stopped here to grab dessert with a friend who was in town. They were nice enough to make us our own chocolate chip cookie sundaes… we each got a cup with vanilla ice cream and they warmed up the cookie and split it for us on top of our ice cream. It was amazing!

I love stopping by this place when I am in the city. Ghirardelli chocolate is some of my favorite and their ice cream doesn’t disappoint. They have some of the best sundaes in the word. All of their ingredients are fresh. Especially their banana split. They even have free water available if you get a little thirsty from eating all the sugary goodness. They even offer free Ghirardelli chocolate pieces! They take care of their customers, so it isn’t so agrivateing when you pay $ 10 for some ice cream (even though I admit those prices are a lot for even the best icecream) It is a home run in my book!

wow was not expecting this Ghirardelli to be here in Chicago and was impressed that the quality of everything we had was as good as San Fran. This location has some great views and the staff was very good providing great service.
This will be on the to do list again to visit Ghirardelli next time we are downtown.
For those wondering what to do for a treat … you have to go here. Holy Cow so delicious!

A visit to Chicago is not complete without a trip to Ghirardelli! The chocolate sample when greeted at the door is such a nice welcome.
Hubs had a root beer float and 10YO and I had sunday’s.
Our cozy window seat overlooked the Chicago river/​boats, Michigan Avenue, bridge and trollies — what a view!

I’m guessing this is a new location. We stopped here after binging at a chinese restaurant.
We ordered the Ghirardelli square and the Espresso Escape. Both of them were hands down one of the best ice cream we’ve ever had. They contain a ton of delicious chocolate.
Also, you can see them make the chocolate in that massive steel boilers. When they started pouring them into containers, it looks like molten chocolate lava. The whole place has that sweet chocolate smell.
Portions are huge. You can make a meal out of them. If you’re here on a date, a single item will be sufficient for the two of you.
Will be back to try other items on the menu

$ 10.00 for an ice cream sunday? I actually think that is a fair price for what you are buying. This is the closest I have ever come in Chicago to the classic New England ice cream parlor that I remember as a child. The ice cream was rich, with an icy-​creamy texture that was truly a special treat. And being right there at the river walk is a fabulous location.

I think I found another new getaway spot to spend my lunch hour. There’s so much seating (indoors and outdoors) here than the other location. There are two floors, with the dining and seating mostly upstairs. Can’t do the stairs? No worries. There’s an elevator. What a great addition to this section of Michigan Avenue/​Wrigley Building. And the view from upstairs while enjoying a chocolate, milkshake, ice cream, or whatever your heart desires? Not. Too. Shabby.
PS: Save your receipts. At the bottom is a 10% discount on chocolate and ice cream for your next visit.

As far as I know, there are 2 Ghiradelli locations in Chicago. This particular location is found in the historic Wrigley Building on Michigan Avenue.
Ghiradelli’s makes some of the best chocolates anywhere. Whenever we spot one during our travels, we tend to stop in. As usual, we were greeted by a friendly employee upon entering. She asked us if we were allergic to nuts before offering us a delicious sample of their chocolate. Always great to find a business that looks out for their customers. She also informed us that their chocolate shop is located on the ground level while the ice cream shop was on the second floor. 5 stars for customer service.
I do not have a favorite chocolate to recommend. I can say that most are simply delicious. Their sundaes (especially in a chocolate dipped waffle bowl) are really good. Too bad they do not make their own ice cream though.
Terrific spot to check out when in Chicago! Find them in the Wrigley building!

My boyfriend and I stopped here because I wanted ice cream. I got the cookie bits sundae and he just got a latte. The latte was normal (nothing long with a reliably normal latte). My sundae was very good — so good that my boyfriend (who didn’t want ice cream, hence the latte) ate a fair portion of it. Definitely shareable. Only downside was that the hot fudge wasn’t hot, so it almost started to get a chewy texture. Whipped cream was very airy and delicious and the cookie (from whence the bits came) was super good. Cute place, we enjoyed eating my ice cream and drinking his latte in their outdoor seating area.

Ice cream was fabulous but barely finished our sundae and the Waite staff was clearing the table. No time to even enjoy ourselves

This layout is much better than the other location downtown.
It’s in a fantastic location for them, I only wish it were all on one floor.
Despite that, once you get upstairs, it’s a much better layout and there’s plenty of outdoor seating. The entire plaza between the Wrigley Buildings is finally being developed to its full potential, everyone has outdoor seating including Pete’s and Walgreens.
Their chocolate is their chocolate… it’s good and pretty much the same. Their ice cream concoctions are standard, and well made. Go for the cookies and the brownies, they’re absolutely spectacular.
Worth going.

Consistently good ice cream and chocolates. We love this new location — it has a large area on the second floor with plenty of tables for sitting and enjoying a delicious treat.

Great place in the summertime! :) the desserts are to die for and you can’t beat the chocolate selection. Definitely recommend the Strawberry Hill Sundae!

Wow, this was a surprise and picked up some chocolate to go and a gift tin. At the door, the greeter immediately gave us samples to try. Afterwards, the clerk helped me pick out some chocolate. I always try to find this specialty chocolate shop since it has some good combination of dark chocolate with sea salt, caramel, etc.