Ethel’s Chocolate Lounge

The store is really cute and the chocolate looks good. But you’ll be disappointed as soon as you take a bite. I rate it poor on texture, taste, and quality. I’d take a Hershey bar over Ethel’s.
For good chocolate I recommend Vosges, Fanny Mae, or a high quality candy bar from Whole Foods or World Market.

I know, you might be wondering how on earth I can give this place two stars when its chocolate is so delicious? I agree, it is delicious. But a «chocolate lounge» (wow, really?) doesn’t need this much hype. Goodness.
I’m too lazy to look up the pricing for EACH combination of chocolatey stuff you can get right now, but it’s overpriced. Hot chocolate sets you back about 5 bucks. It’s rich and delicious, but $ 5. Put whipped cream on Swiss Miss and get the same creaminess for a lot less. And so on. This place is highway robbery. Why? Because their chocolate is supposedly skimming the stratosphere of quality? Because they have velvety couches where you can sit there and feel sophisticated as you eat overpriced fondue? (For the price you pay, you don’t get much either.)
«Melissa!» you say. «How can you hate this place? It’s so cute and I like to go there with my friends and induce food comas on myself!» Okay, fien, this place is cute. And after all, I’m a sucker for cute and like to pepper that word into daily conversations. But come on. Even I can see through this place! If you want a cute communal experience where you sit around a table, either eating or drinking with friends, and laughing the night away, go somewhere else. Cozy Noodles is great for groups and better priced. So is Lulu’s. Kaffein works well, too, and they have plenty of sweet treats. There is almost no need for a place like Ethel’s. Overpriced cuteness? No thanks.

Ethel’s in Evanston is super cute. I came in January 2007 w/​a girlfriend who visited from Florida (they don’t have cute/​girlie places like this — wish they did).
The place was pretty empty, so we were able to grab some comfy seats right by the window. It had been a long day so we both welcomed the quiet break.
We each ordered the hot chocolate and it was delicious.
What I liked most about the place, aside from their super girlie décor, were the comfy seats. You feel like you’re sitting in your living room couch. It was late, but the staff didn’t try to rush us to leave, and were attentive when needed. The ambiance wasn’t loud, so it wasn’t distracting from our conversations.
Taking one star away b/​c although I’m glad it was pretty quiet, we were the only two people there. And I kinda like to see a shop this cute with a little more buzz. The one in Old Orchard is always packed with people, and I was hoping to get the same girlie-​afternoon experience as in the movies when girls are sitting at a café [i got that experience at the Ethel’s in downtown — see review].

I love chocolate, so it’s not hard to make me happy with it. It is, however, pretty hard to impress me, and Ethel’s definitely did that. The hot chocolate is to die for (I had mine dark) — it’s made from a bar, none of that powder crap. The chocolates were also excellent, although I only got to sample two (I kind of wish I had sprung for a box now). The décor is also very cute and very pink. It’s definitely a girly place. It would be a great spot for a party with your girlfriends (they have party packages). The woman working when we went in was incredibly friendly and helpful. And they sell cute pink chocolate fondue sets. AND there are free samples. What more could you want?!

Ok, so yes Ethel’s chocolate is amazing (even though it is expensive for myself, but every once in a while it is sooo worth it). The reason I am writing this particular review is because of the Sunday staff. So I have been here twice and both times the staff has been the same and each time they are super nice and helpful, they laugh with me and my friends and are patient when we can’t decide on what chocolate we want or when we want some complicated drink.
I still can not get over how they recognized us (I came here once with 2 friends and then today with one of the original friends not here and with another one, did that make sense? whatever). They guy, Kyle, even remembered what my one friend ordered to drink last time (the complicated one). Both the girl (I am kicking myself for not getting her name, I told myself to get it, but of course I forgot) and the guy were super nice and they gave us free Rum Liqueur chocolates! My friends and I will definitely be back several times to hang out!

Choco-​lots! The truffle selection is lovely. The décor is lush and chic. The hot chocolate is RIIIICH but in a splurging, decadent, wonderful way. And the employees are sweet without being obnoxious. It’s a great place to relax with friends and not have stinky coffee breath afterwards.
If you can find them by the window the chocolate trivia cards are awesome.

I’m a huge chocolate fan and I’ll eat just about anything with cocoa in it. That being said, I don’t think I’ll be going back to Ethel’s. Their chocolates were just ok. They do have a wide variety and their chocolates are very cute, so I could see a box of them being a great gift. However, I strongly prefer quality chocolate like the stuff at Belgian Chocolatier Piron over this. It’s just not to die for, and when I want fancy chocolate, it better be amazing!

It’s a cute place. Kinda pricey but a fun place for a date or girl-​party.
I’m just sad it’s not marly’s. I miss that place.

FONDUE!!!
My friend described it as «orgasmic»!!!
Make sure there’s at least 3 – 4 of you with the small one if you really don’t want to kill yourself on an over-​dose on chocolate!
I haven’t actually ever tried their chocolates, but their hot cocoa and their chocolate fondue both are really really really good!!!

This opened while I was working in Evanston and my lovely coworkers and I collected enough free chocolate coupons so all 7 of us who were friends could go. :) Hey, they were handing them out in front of Jamba Juice! Anyway, these truffles were truly mediocre and WAY overpriced! I personally find my chocolate fixes best met by a trip to Trader Joes’- they have great prices on high-​quality dark chocolate (I mean over 75% cacao). So it’s a whole bar– I’ll munch on it little by little.
Back to Ethel’s– nice concept– I LOVE chocolate, but poor quality chocolate for a choco-​snob like me.

Not a bad place to take a date. The atmosphere hit me as really, really good… everything follows a theme and seems to be coordinated. The owners must have an awesome designer…
I’m not a big sweets fan, but the girl I was dating at the time loved the chocolates. Needless to say that a little time and money spent in this place made my girlfriend happy, and me happier that I didn’t have to worry about screwing up for a week.
I’d definitely go back…

Holy crap. I found out what the chocolate river in Willy Wonka tastes like — it’s Ethel’s Hot Cocoa.
My friend offered me a sip of hers, and I couldn’t stop drinking it. It was like drinkable heroin.
Probably the most amazing thing I’ve ever drunk in my life.

I’ve had nothing but really good experiences here. I stopped by on a whim one evening and tried the hot chocolate. It was amazing. Luckily it’s a bit expensive, or I’d be there every day. The chocolates themselves were pretty good, but I don’t remember being overly impressed. The staff here are really great — they’ve always been very friendly and helpful.

Best Hot Chocolate ever! The chocolate is available online, so you can make your own Best Hot Chocolate ever!

The hot chocolate I had was easily some of the best ever. They didn’t have any sort of peppermint hot chocolate on the menu, so I asked them to throw a shot of the syrup in (They looked at me like I was crazy but obliged). It was really good, and the girl made one for herself and said that maybe I wasn’t crazy afterall. It is like $ 4.50 or something for a cup of hot chocolate, which is a bit expensive, but every once in awhile it’s worth it.

Once again, disclaimer; I am not a sweets eater and certainly no fan of chocolate.
However I do like mochas and I have purchased chocolates here for birthday presents. The mochas are fine but the chocolates are really kind of boring. Pretty, but boring. And I’m not sure they’re all that fresh.
I give big props to the owners of this chain for an original hangout, and I hope chocoholics everywhere enjoy. It’s just not for me.
Now if there was an Ethel’s Cheese Fry Lounge, I’d be there!

it’s the second year in a row that i celebrated my birthday there, so i guess nothing more needs to be said. the atmosphere is both a little exciting and comfortably relaxing. we were taking pictures and got a bit loud, so i explained to the staff that it was my birthday — he even brought me a free box of truffles!

this is a cute alternative to a bar when you want to hang out, but I wasn’t totally satisfied. the three of us had the chocolate fondue for 1 – 2 ($ 15), and were informed that they didn’t have the bananas, the strawberries or the marshmallows. OK. Then, oh yes they had the strawberries. Fine. the fondue was OK, (when we were there) included strawberries, pretzels, graham crackers, pound cake, and one more thing. It took forever to bring it to us. not a bad experience, but not great. hence, three stars.

It’s very trendy — I’ll give it that much but when a friend and I got the chocolate fondue pot here, it was a bit disappointing when we were used to real fondue places and the chocolate was a bit on the plain side but the truffles were delish adn the decorations/​atmosphere is super cozy/​trendy.

I love this place. Its perfect to go on a cold night and have a nice cup of hot chocolate. IThe hot chocolate is really delicious here. And it’s also a great place to stop in for some really yummy dessert, especially if you have a liking for chocolate.