Mindy’s Hot Chocolate

Stopped in for dessert. We had the cake of the day and a strawberry rhubarb dessert. Both were excellent but I can’t justify paying 13 for each. Service was also great and the atmosphere was great. The price is the only reason it does not get 5 stars.

Duuuuuuuuude. I get that this place has a lotta hype surrounding it but $ 7 for hot chocolate? $ 12 for a slice of cake? GTFO! And I had to actually get out of my seat TWICE to find the server cuz that mofo just ghosted our table. Food & desserts were pretty good but only for 3 bites. After that, you start feeling sick cuz it’s sooo decadent. Super disappointed after looking forward to this place for so long. Would not revisit. Would not recommend. All hype, all hype

Soooo good!!! Great dinner stop during my short-​but-​sweet whirlwind trip to Chicago for a conference! After business comes pleasure, so I left the conference and met my best friend and her husband at their home, and then we headed here for some delicious dinner. First off, adorable little spot — energetic and bustling without feeling cramped. Great service too. The killer? The hot chocolate. I downed an entire mug of Mexican hot chocolate by myself, and it was rich, creamy, and just fantastic. It was a nice way to start with dessert and distribute it nicely through the entire meal. LOVE. We ordered the grilled octopus and mac ‘n cheese as our appetizers, and my friend and I split the gnocchi (with rabbit) and split pea risotto. Highlights were the grilled octopus (so nicely done, very minimal chewiness, great flavor) and of course the mac and cheese, and then the gnocchi was quite delicious as well. The risotto was just okay, though this may be because it was the last thing I ate and was stuffed to the brim!
No room for an official dessert after all that, though I was incredibly happy and satisfied. I would LOVE to return the next time I’m in Chi-​town! More flavors of hot choc are calling my name… O:)

The rating is for the hot chocolate on ice only! We were on a walking food tour in Chicago and this place was on one of our stops. We only got the drink but with a homemade marshmallow on top. I’m not a huge sweet eater or drinker, so I was hesitate to try the drink, but it was fabulous and I only wish I had a bigger serving. The marshmallow was divine! It melted in my mouth. I’ve bookmarked this place on Unilocal to remind me of a return visit for more tastings. Until then I purchased Mindy’s (the owner and chef) cookie recipe book! Yum!

Another well-​deserved 5 stars in the city of Chicago.
Excellent dinner/​dessert place. In a set up like this at other restaurants one sometimes outdoes the other. For example, comments like «dinner was ok, but dessert was incredible!» Here, both were equally amazing and we couldn’t figure out what to look at/​taste first.
For appetizers we got the octopus and Mac n cheese for the table. The Mac n cheese is the kind of thing I can see myself asking for as a side during my last meal. It was, yes, INCREDIBLE.
Another incredible item– the burger. Grass-​fed and local. Accompanied by the cutest pair of ketchup/​mustard bottles I have ever seen.
Then dessert, determined not to be overshadowed by the main course, came along and KILLED IT.
We started with a round of hot chocolates split amongst 6 people. Amazing. Better than my favorite hot chocolate place in the world, Au Festin in Montréal, Canada? Close!
The carrot cake had layers of ice cream between the cake. I don’t know how they did it, but the cake was normal temp, and the ice cream layers tight and frozen in place as should be. Magic.
Other highlights were the doughnuts and strawberry rhubarb.
If you buy her cookbook, Mindy herself will sign it for you!

Visiting Chicago and doing my usual foodie adventures, I had to trust my fellow Unilocalers and check this place out. I love chocolate, but am I a big hot chocolate fan? No… not really. I’m a coffee/​tea kind of guy. But I have a huge sweet tooth. This place… was awesome.
It’s a cool environment — it feels like an upscale, refined, hipster coffee shop with the right amount of «this is also a restaurant and we have a full bar» mixed in. The staff at the front were super inviting and friendly. I’ve never been to a place that asks if you’re having dinner or just dessert — I liked that I had the option. Clearly, I was there for dessert. Maybe it’s just me, but I go to places just for dessert and the server seems disappointed or confused that I’m not ordering a meal.
I got the butterscotch hot chocolate — a tad bit sweeter than I’d like, but I mean, that didn’t stop it from being amazing. We tried the Black and Tan, also a good choice. The coffee milkshake was amazing too! Lastly, we tried the cake of the day «because sometimes you’re just in the mood» as it says on the menu, and it was awesome. I’d go back to try it all. Oh! And their marshmallows were awesome — I don’t even like marshmallows, but these were homemade and just the perfect compliment to the drink.
If you want a place that lives up to the hype and a chill place to get your sweet tooth fix, or anything else, check this place out. Cool for a night with friends, a chill date or a solo run.
Great job, team. I’ll be back to try the rest on my next visit to the Windy City!

We’ve dined at Hot Chocolate several times since my original review, not just for dessert but for also dinner. It’s one of our staple places we like to take our out-​of-​town visitors, and hasn’t disappointed. The service has always been great! Our servers are so nice and friendly, never rushing use to order, and give great recommendations. Several of our guests have complimented the excellent service. I also appreciate how family friendly this place is, now that we bring our daughter with us.
We haven’t had a bad dish here. The Grilled Octopus is a great, with the bed of roasted veggies. We always order the Mac & Cheese — it is the best dish and one of the best mac and cheeses I’ve ever eaten. Don’t question, just order it. Every time. For our last trip, we tried the Sourdough Foccacia, which was delicious. However, it only came with 4 pieces of bread so you may have to order more for a larger party. The Hamburger is pretty good — it’s been listed on a few best burgers in Chicago lists. Friday’s are Fried Chicken Fridays — so good! The chicken pieces are smaller than regular fried chicken, but tastes great with a crispy outer crust. Maybe the smaller pieces makes me feel less guilty for devouring the entire plate of chicken. Insert pig emoji here.
I make it a point to either have a milkshake (malted milk chocolate) or hot chocolate every visit, in addition to at least one dessert (if it’s just Hubby and I) or two desserts for a party of 4. Don’t judge. Insert double pig emoji here. How can you resist trying dessert, or two, from a James Beard award-​winning pastry chef? My favorite hot chocolate is the Medium because it has a caramel profile. The Butterscotch is a little too sweet, even for me. The homemade marshmallows are the best. The cake of the day has been great — we tried a chocolate cake with rich milk and white chocolate frosting as well as a mint chocolate cake that was their take on the Girl Scout thin mint cookie (so delicious). The doughnuts are always good.
After every visit, it only takes a few weeks before I’m already asking Hubby, hey can we go back to Hot Chocolate? He keeps me in check and says, too soon too soon. Maybe good for my waistline, but also makes every visit a special decadent treat.

Many of my friends recommended the hot chocolate here so I thought I’d give it a try. I came on a cold afternoon, so it was perfect hot chocolate weather.
This review is for the hot chocolate only.
I ordered the dark chocolate because my friend warned me that what she ordered was really sweet after a few sips. My dark hot chocolate was smooth, rich, and slightly creamy. I really liked their homemade marshmallows because after it melted in the hot chocolate, it brought the perfect amount of sweetness into my cup.
My friend and I split a cup (+$ 1 for split cup) after seeing the neighboring table. The regular cups were HUGE! And I came for an afternoon snack so we thought it’d be the perfect portion if we shared. If you like marshmallows, you can also request extras if you pay a little more!
Though the chocolate was good, it didn’t blow me away. It was delicious, but there wasn’t anything unique about it, so I’ll just give this place 4 stars as of now.

*This rating is purely for the hot chocolate.*
Let me start off by saying that I really do not care for hot chocolate but Mindy’s knows what they are doing! It was so rich and creamy. I loved the fact that they made their own marshmallows! How did I drink my hot chocolate? I pinched off a piece of the marshmallow then took a sip soooooo tasty!
Wait I lied. we did get to try a few of the cookies near the hostess and they were yummy as well!

I had pretty high expectations going into Mindy’s but was sorely disappointed. I like desserts but this place did not live up to the hype. My friend and I came here on a Saturday night and the wait for a table was pretty ridiculous, so we were seated at the bar.
We ordered the Chai hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows which was nicely flavored but we couldn’t finish it because it was too rich and sweet.
We also had the Rocky Road with marshmallow, almond nougat, ganache, chocolate graham, smoked sugar chantilly, whisky truffles which had a great presentation but the flavors fell flat and stingily portioned for a $ 13 price tag.
I don’t recommend you come here for dessert unless you absolutely loooove hot chocolate or if you want to impress your date (its super dark inside and the décor is very cute). Maybe I’ll come back and try their non-​dessert food but I’m not hurrying to do so any time soon…

I anticipated loving this place a lot more than I actually did, BUT I did come for brunch, and it seems like the move is to come for dessert. The restaurant itself is so cute. Lots of warm toned hues, which, appropriately, reminded me of chocolate lol. The area it’s located in is lovely as well. I noticed a TON of families during my visit.
We ordered both the Dark hot chocolate as well as the Half & Half (½ espresso and ½ dark chocolate). They were phenomenal. I didn’t know hot chocolate could be so good. 5 stars.
To eat, I had the Chicago Scramble and my friend had the Greens & Grains Scramble. I feel like ratings under 4 stars on Unilocal are seen as the kiss of death lol, but the food was good – just nothing to write home about.
I’ll definitely be returning, but for dessert or just hot chocolate next time.

Heads up-​make a reservation. I called and there was no wait, and in the 10 minute walk to Mindys, the wait had increased to 45 minutes. They also won’t seat you until the entire party is there.
The interior of the place was cute. Simple and nice, nothing spectacular. It reminded me a lot of Bucks on Division in terms of decorating. Our service was good and what you would usually expect.
I ordered the butterscotch hot chocolate, and it was AMAZING. I initially thought $ 7 was a lot for hot chocolate, but it’s so worth the price.
Ordered a ham and Gruyère quiche. It came with a side salad, but I subbed breakfast potatoes cuz I’m a fat ass and love carbs. The potatoes were delicious-​crispy but still soft and seasoned perfectly. The quiche looked like a little pot pie and tasted good, but nothing spectacular. Honestly, it was cold… it wasn’t freezing, but enough to where I noticed. My friend who dined here had a similar issue so maybe it’s a quiche thing. Who knows.
There’s better places to dine in wicker park, but Mindys is definitely something you should try once.

We arrived at the restaurant about half past six with a couple tables open. We were to be seated at the dark corner of the façade, but was honored to be at seated by the window by request. The spotlight outside was almost necessary.
Old fashioned hot chocolate was essentially a given to be the speciality of the house. This is heavenly thick, creamy and smooth! Loved the chocolate mousse and melted marshmallows on top! The lighting singing from the lights outside made for great dining experience.
Next was the hamburger with curd cheddar cheese, sunny side up, bacon and lightly buttered buns. The burger was juicy but not as succulent and savory as Au Cheval’s. I would switch out the chips for potato or thin frites instead.
The highlight presentation was the Bucktown Buckeye hands down. Presentation and hot chocolate makes Mindy’s a popular foodie haven, and I’m impressed. Will definitely come back.
May 11^th, 2016 Edit. Yes, and she’s back! Asked for the most aesthetic dessert and was recommended the Dark Chocolate Pavé – a chocolate mousse with orange accents. Creamy, sweet, and puts a smile on my face. Loved the crumbs surround the smooth chocolate mousse.
Can’t get enough of beautiful desserts!

This review is purely rated for the hot chocolate.
On a typical cold day at Chicago, I wanted something warm to drink and walk around. What could be better than hot chocolate. So I pulled out the handy dandy Unilocal app and searched hot chocolate.
I grab the medium. Surprising price tag on a small cup of hot chocolate. The marshmallows were amazing and I typically hate marshmallows. So I emptied out the marshmallows into the cup of hot chocolate. Holy jesus this thing is SWEET but rich in flavor. It was insanely sweet for my taste and I do have a crazy sweet tooth. Even for my friend it was too much and we had to throw it away half filled cause we couldn’t bear.
Maybe the other chocolates would of been better, but for $ 7 a small cup i’ll have to pass.

Very busy, I suggest making reservations early. In a nut shell service was excellent, food was excellent, and the hot chocolate the best I have ever had.
I actually cam for desert and the only thing on the menu that looked good they were sadly out of.

Love seeing marshmallows melting on hot chocolate. I got the dark chocolate and it is so creamy. It has a strong chocolate flavor. I think it won’t be as sweet as the median, milk or whit chocolate one, although I didn’t try others. It first taste a little bitter, but after the marshmallow melting on top it is just soooo good.
I want to come back have another bite.
The dessert is not worth $ 13. Just order the hot chocolate and go have fun in wicker park.

The hostess was a little snappy which almost ruined it for Mindy. Luckily the «baristo» & another young lady working the line were life preservers during my visit. Had it not been for the sheer coolness, apologies and good service of these 2 I’d give this place a huge thumbs down.
There was not a line but somewhat of a crowd totally unorganized in the small space located at the entrance. If this sounds like a cluster F, that’s exactly what I’m intending to convey. The seating/​waiting/​name taking system was terrible. There was no destination of who was waiting to be seated, who was trying to squeeze out the door or who was simply waiting for a drink to be made. All of these groups stood in the same area. And the hostess had the audacity to snap at me for asking if I could put my name down! «Ummm she can take your name over there, she’s over there with the clipboard.» Wow… your sitting here at the podium in front of the iPad smart ass.
Anyway, the «baristo» was full of positive energy and I appreciated that. He explained the steps of making my dark hot chocolate and recommended my nephew & I split its richness. I also grabbed a couple mini treats from the display case. The dark chocolate thumbprint was delicious. In interior décor was nice and offered a good amount of seating. There was coffee, apparel, ceramic mugs and small gift items available for sale as well.
Cute but no need for me to return.
~Christy

Incredible hot chocolate /​desserts. We ordered a variety for the table to share and everything was incredible. The «black and tan» and «Mexican» were my personal favorites for the hot chocolate. They’re very rich though and fill you up fast. Desserts were also excellent — their cake of the day is usually fantastic.
Difficult to get a table, so highly recommend getting a reservation.

I was not disappointed!!! I had the half of chicken, my man had the short rib, my nephews shared the mac and cheese and a burger. Desert was donuts and popcorn was to die for.
It is a little on pricier part for entries. But i will return for mac and cheese which was the best out of all our meals. And the desert because it was the best.
aaliyah was our waitress was awesome. She cleared table and made sure we had drinks. Made things easy for us to give the kids a smaller portion than meal.
A great place to go. But better to go without the kids.

Honest review: good. desserts arent that good like other Unilocalers claim though. After reading everybodys review i was skeptical to eat here but the food was really good. Its perfect for dates cause its dark and really cute but its really loud though. It was crowded, i didnt like the service he didnt give good recommendations n like when it wasnt crowded anymore he still took forever. I dont think this is the best place for desserts though for 13 bucks i wasnt blown away they were good but not worth to come all the way here just for dessert. The best things were the short rib n the duck confit appetizer
Soup of the day: on a cold winter night nothing makes u feel better then soup. It was a cauliflower soup omg was it flavorful. It was so richnit wasnt just a vegtable broth u could tell that there was meet in it. It wasnt one note either lot of depth of flavor. One of the best soups i ever had. lots of cauliflower flavor. Theres cheese in it but not melting cheese It added an interesting texture and flavor would have preferred melting cheese though. The bread was so good omg n it was toasted yum! Its a sin to not toast bread! But why only give such a little piece of bread dont be stingy!
Grilled octopus: omg the octopus was so tender To the point where a knife was not needed. Its grilled to perfection not burned at all. Seasoned beautifully no complaints. Theres nuts on top which i wish they were left bigger like not chopped up because they were to small to notice so they were like underneath everything. I didnt ljke the carrots at all thats such an odd paring. any other vegetables would have been better. Roasted potatoes would have been perfect. There should have been a slice of lemon cause nothing goes better with grilled octopus then lemon
Mac n cheese i didnt like this. First how do u make mac n cheese without bacon. This dish needs bacon for an added salty note. Then there was to much of an american cheese flavor that wasnt appetizing tasted to cheap. Then no bread crumbs come on mac n cheese needs a crunch! The only good thing though was that it was really creamy if u want the best mac n cheese go to kumas corners amaizin
Duck confit: i love duck!!! This was one of the best duck dishes i ever had. The duck was so crunchy. Picture chicharrones thats how crispy n tasty the duck was. N it was perfectly seasoned no complaints. The lentils were
Amaizin. This was the best lentil dish i ever had so flavorful. Like i wanted to order this dish again just for the lentils only thing though was the lentils were a lil too hard for my liking. Then theres sausage!!! This added a nice salty rich note to the dish would have liked if it was grilled though. Then the sauce omg so rich and delicous wish it was more thick but really good. I would come back jus for this
Short rib: every time is see this on a menu i order it! So tender that it melts in ur mouth like butter. Its seasoned perfectly this is what heaven must taste like. The mashed potatoes were amaizin i loved mash potatoes these were top notch out of this world not bland at all. The gravy was so rich i was licking the bowl then theres fried onion rings slam dunk must order
O.g donuts: these were good but the texture of the donuts were off they were hard on the outside. It was really weird idk how to describe it the inside was fluffy but the outside was crunchy picture like a pretzel. The popcorn was good but its jus plain caramel popcorn. Then theres a chocolate dippins sauce a lil bitter but since everything was sweet went beutifully together. To make the dish taste good u have to eat it all together in one bite dip the donut in the cholate and put some popcorn on it and eat it
Bucktown buckeye (if u dont like peanut butter dont eat it) ignore the weird name its just chocolate icecream
Under a peanut butter crisp. Its a fancy ice cream really delicious. It was good jus everybody said this was so amAizin it was good but not spectacular. It is really good though