Northern Chocolate Company

Jim and his shop are the best: best chocolate; best RECIPES best stuff ever. Call first Andre nice or you’re out! EnJOY

Delicious and oh, so interesting! Everything you’ve read about the place and the owner is true. If you’re looking for some really special chocolates and an unusual experience, this is the place. Knock on the door or ring the bell, then wait for him to answer. Make sure to stand where he can see you through the window. Enjoy his tunes and listen while he enthusiastically sings along. If you’re lucky, he’ll be in a talkative mood and you’ll get an interesting story. But don’t forget he’s a busy guy — a one-​man show — so keep that in mind. Jim’s collection of Victorian Christmas ornaments are just lovely. The shop is small but the chocolates are plentiful. SO many wonderful things to choose from… peanut butter melts, mint meltaways, blueberries in white chocolate, chocolate covered cashews or walnuts with cherries, and on and on and on… And then there are the molded chocolates — absolutely beautiful!

Yes it was nerve wracking the first time visiting Jim. I read about his store claiming him to be the «chocolate nazi’ of milwaukee. But its part of the legend and joy of finding this gem of a store. Now I stop 2 – 3 times a year. Shoes on? Shoes off? No phones, No kids, No hoodies… Who kNows. The bottom line is he makes fantastic chocolate. Wife loves the mint meltaways. Personally I am addicted to the chocolate covered Freeze Dried Bananas. To describe is difficult but. first its melting chocolate then a hint of banana. If you bite into it the crunchy texture behind the smooth chocolate is perfect then the banana melts and becomes smooth. Just try them.

Remarkable chocolate handcrafted by a genuinely authentic, refreshing, and enjoyable human. Jim is special. Northern Chocolate reflects this.

This place is out of the way, quirky and great local chocolate. You must, must, must. have a sense of humor if you are going here. Roll with Jim the owner and you’ll do just fine.
Bring cash or check.
Ring the door bell.
Be polite.
Don’t touch unless you are buying ;)

Jim’s chocolates are the real deal. I’ve been everywhere to try all sorts of chocolate, from homey mom-​and-​pop shops to high-​end boutiques where they ship chocolate in from all over the world, and the quality of these is inimitable. They’re not ultra-​luxurious or anything, but with each bite you can tell how much hard work and passion went into these. Jim’s just a dude who’s crazy about chocolate and works his ass off on every piece — who can really blame him for wanting to run his own store by his rules?
Everyone I know who’s tried the mint meltaways fell in love with the darn things. I didn’t even like chocolate and mint together, until I had a bite! Now, every time my boyfriend in Milwaukee comes home to DC, his family sends a list of chocolates he needs to bring home.

I didn’t want to go here based on the Unilocal but my Valentine insisted upon it and so we went. It’s such a pretty store. Those antique molds are just lovely. And then Jim comes out and he kinda didn’t bother me in a way because I think it’d be kinda cool if everyone blasted people with musical notes and then after a while I thought, okay I think I want to be done here but oh the chocolate. It’s very clean tasting-​if that makes sense-​or is the word I want closer to pure? Not really fluent in chocolate but the Meltaway is fantabulous and the white with blueberries were really nice and the coconut with the bittersweet chocolate-​wow.

I always enjoy my visits to Northern Chocolate, and I find Jim a lot of fun to deal with, but then I follow his rules… RELIGIOUSLY. If I don’t, I won’t get my chocolate, and my Wife will be horribly mad at me for not bringing home her favorite Coconut Clusters in the world, not to mention the Mint meltaways. If Mama ain’t happy, nobody’s happy.

Three Haiku’s for Northern Chocolate Company
Shoes off, I enter
It is quiet, like a shrine
And Jim sings softly
What happened to Jim
So long ago in his youth
That made him this way?
But I forget that
When I take my first bite of
His mint meltaways

All that has been said is true. I haven’t seen mentioned though that if it is wet weather, expect to take off your shoes. Jim lays out a towel, with a chair if needed to change, and you will shop in stocking feet. He won’t have water/​salt tracked all over the floor. The store itself is architecturally beautiful. Be sure to look up a the pressed tin ceiling. Happy Holidays!

I forgot about the cash only rule and whipped out my credit card — oops! I was afraid I would get booted out, but thank God, I didn’t. I had enough cash for several boxes of chocolate for Christmas gifts and a big box of the mints which I shared at work. We all are blown away by how good this chocolate is! I will definitely be back and hope I remember to bring lots of cash!

I purchase many treats from Northern Chocolate to give to my Real Estate clients at Christmas time, and Jim’s chocolate never disappoints (How’s that for a plug?! Hire me as your Real Estate agent and get free Northern Chocolate at the end of the year!). I worked with Jim at Ambrosia Chocolate during the early 90’s, and our chocolate knowledge is a little above average for the common consumer. He collected many different types of chocolate molds over the years, and his Santa Claus molds are probably turn of the century in age. They are very unique… this year, I purchased about 30 chocolate frogs to give to clients. How is the quality of the chocolate? Excellent. His milk chocolate is smooth and very creamy. Even better is his dark chocolate. Never harsh in flavor at all. A smooth after-​taste and a fine robust flavor that doesn’t burn your throat. True chocolate connoisseur will grade and analyze dark chocolates as the best test of quality. You can’t go wrong. Hershey bars will taste like potted soil when put side to side with Northern Chocolate. Treat yourself and your friends and families this year with the best chocolate in town. If it’s good enough for my Real Estate clients, it’s good enough for the ones that you love!

Like a good neighbor…
There’s nothing like having a chocolate shop next door! And there’s nothing like having a neighbor like Jim.
Let’s talk about the chocolate. It’s delicious. The mint meltaways are a staple in my house. The white chocolate with blueberries are also a frequent purchase. I have also had the big @ss chocolate bars. Basically, anything you buy will be some of the best chocolate you have ever had.
Now let’s talk about Jim. He loves making chocolate and takes an immense amount of pride in it. I see some pretty negative writings about him here, and let me say that he is eccentric, but a good person. He LOVES animals and treats my dog like gold. He is the kind of neighbor who keeps his eye on the surroundings, and calls if something is out of the ordinary. That is a good trait to have in a neighbor in my neighborhood. He likes to talk, and is a bit unfiltered, so expect some off the wall things to happen when you visit, but have fun with it! You’ll leave with good chocolate and some healthy laughter. Two basic necessities in life.

Well, you need to ask yourself what you will go through to get locally made delicious chocolate. If that means getting verbally accosted by the guy that runs Northern Chocolate, then this is your place.
For starters, I work near here and every time I go in, the guy gives me the 20 questions on who I am and where I work and where I live. It is somewhat annoying. Secondly, I apparently «rang the doorbell wrong» and boy did I hear about it. I rang the doorbell, yes, you have to ring a doorbell to enter, and I stepped aside apparently far enough so he couldn’t see me. I waited and finally he came to the door and proceeded to YELL, not kidding, he was SCREAMING, at me about how I scared him when I stepped aside like that and I should know better than to do that. This went on for 5 minutes. No joke. I almost walked out because quite frankly, I was not in the mood to deal with his bat shiz crazed a$$. I told him «I GOT IT!!!» and he can go away and stop yelling at me. Jesus.H.Christ, I am there to patronize his store after all. I have been to his store numerous times but have never endured this type of behavior/​abuse.
So, I get my $ 20 worth of Chocolate (my brother wanted REAL chocolate this year and this is the only place locally that I love) and he says «Sorry, I am REALLY hung over this morning. I drank a whole bottle of whiskey last night. I mean, I don’t even drink. I am a coffee and cig type of person» Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. I’m like, «I don’t care. Just tryin’ to buy my stuff and get outta here» I don’t forgive and forget very easy. He proceeds to tell me this long story about how drunk he got and asks me if I have ever been so drunk I forgot what happened the night before. I responded, «Yeah, maybe when I was a teenager.»
So, thennnnnnnnn he tells me what he wants to have happen to the two teenagers who stole this owl that was held in a sanctuary recently. He goes into detail about how he wants them tied up to a tree naked instead of going to jail. Anyway, it was sick and I didn’t really care to hear about it. Listen, I love animals too but… he is a *tiny* bit extreme. Whatever you do, do not wear fur into his store (not that you should be wearing fur anyways, for real). Also, bring cash annnnnnnnnnd be prepared to get screamed at. Also, no kids allowed and this is for a good reason. The store is teeny tiny and kids would not be good in this store, esp with that dude.
My brother really liked the chocolate I bought him and that’s all that really matters :)

YUM! The owner didn’t do anything too weird in the short time we were in there. All he did was when we checked out, ask if we are brushing and flossing regularly. I guess it’s «no chocolate for you» if you don’t take care of your teeth! We got the «Big Adventure» box, which has two «logs» of chocolate, pecans and caramel which were phenomenal. It also has mint meltaways (YUM), dark chocolate toasted coconut patties (WOW), and cherry clusters. ALL were fantastical!

Good chocolate. If you like sweets, particularly chocolate, give this place a try. The place has character.
Two key things to know before you go: (1) the store is cash only and (2) no phones in the store. There is an 24 hr ATM a block or so south on MLK if you forget my first tip. Break my latter tip regarding phones and you or your phone might be exiting the store quickly.

Tried the dark chocolate; nothing short of amazing! Mint meltaways are next up.

The chocolate is simply lovely and delicious. I was surprised how reasonably priced it was considering the quality and how simply pretty it all is. The molded chocolate itself is art. My favorite thus far are the mint chocolate cookies I bought today which I have hidden away from the family
The owner has a reputation for being rude based on on-​line reviews but I found him to be funny and eccentric, refreshing even.

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! The mint meltaways are the best, but not quite as good as the assortment box including those yummy mint meltaways, caramels, cherry clusters, and much more. The store can be hard to miss on MLK Drive just south of North but is worth the trip. It’s a great local chocolate shop that I frequent for all holidays, birthdays and parties. The owner is the best, too. Huge animal lover with TONS of interesting things to talk about while you’re loading up on tasty treats! Once you go to this place you’ll be a fan who goes back weekly. TRY IT!!!

5 stars for mint meltaways. You can taste the love. I hope that if this guy ever retires, he lets his recipes live on. Call ahead for hours. Don’t wear fur. Don’t talk on your cell phone. Don’t hoard any particular item. Don’t handle the delicate molded chocolates unnecessarily. Keep an eye on your kids. (Actually, leave your kids at home. This is a candy store for grown-​ups.) Even with all that, still worth a visit.