Sjolinds Chocolate House

The Sjolinds Chocolate House is a misleading name, in my opinion. Sure, they have wonderful chocolates and lots of it (I highly recommend the chocolate covered toffee, btw), but they have so much more. They have quiche, sandwiches, wraps, tarts, danishes, cheesecake, cake, and a million other things. My fiancé and I stopped in a few times while we were visiting Mt Horeb. She fell in love with the Winters Mix sandwich and the quiche (had french onion soup, and crab & asiago). My favorite thing was Princess cake, which I can’t even describe it other than saying it has green icing, and white and pink stuff in the the middle — I’ve never had any cake like it, and I loved it. I also really enjoyed the beef pie and the apple cherry tart. Everything we had tasted like it was prepared with care and passion, and had a very ‘homey’ quality to it.
There are so many options at Sjolinds, and chocolate is just one of them. If you stop in, you’re bound to find something delicious. A true gem on the Mt Horeb trollway.

Amazing tuna melt! Stopped in for coffee and loved the atmosphere. The staff is very friendly and prompt! The credit card machine took a little longer than normal, so that slowed us down just a bit. There were lots of people sitting inside, so it is clearly popular for a reason.

Funnily enough, I never come to Sjolinds in the mood for anything sweet; I want the savory dishes. I grew up in a Swedish-​and-​proud family so I spent lots of time around limpa, lingonberries and lutefisk, and one of the things I love about Wisconsin is that I can actually find those things without too much difficulty.
Sjolinds is a winner because it’s some nice Swedish dishes and they’re priced very, very fairly. I’d always stuck to the Swede sandwich until my recent visit, which I certainly don’t regret. However, the potato sausage plate is an absolute steal. $ 7.25 for sausage, potato salad, cabbage, and limpa. I practically had to be carried out of the building.
For those not interested in Swedish food (madness), there’s coffee, tea, quiche, cake, cookies, and chocolate. So I imagine the next time I’m in Mt. Horeb and my sweet tooth gets to me, this is where I’m going.

The tea is always nice but I have yet to have food that is not odd in some way. The quiche is pretty good but microwaved so it gets mushy and has hot pockets in it as well as cold. The oatmeal had a decent base until they covered it with so much sugar it became hard to eat. It’s a good homework spot and the staff is very friendly.

I love Sjolinds for many reasons.
The food is fantastic. Since I’m usually there in the morning, I get a scone or piece of quiche right out of the oven. They are simply fantastic! I’ve never had food there that I didn’t like or wasn’t good. Besides pastries, the also have a combination of in house crafted chocolates and treats as well as some from all over the world to purchase. Their hand made truffles are amazing! The coffee is nothing special (this isn’t a starbucks or coffee shop), but it passes well to accompany the breakfast foods. They also carry an assortment of juice boxes and milk for little ones. You can get day old scones and bakery treats for a fraction of the cost and they are still quite delicious!
The atmosphere is nice and local. There is local artwork and pictures from local events. There is also a bulletin board to advertise local events and activities. When you first walk in from the street, don’t be deceived by what seems to be a small amount of seating. There is twice as much seating in the back. They also have a stash of toys for little ones to play with. This is definitely a family environment. You can also find lots of locals here talking shop or catching up.
The staff has always been friendly and kind. This is a family owned and run business, and it shows! We are always warmly greeted and they love to interact with my 2 year old son.
Overall, this is a great local gem of a business. Sjolinds has the right combination of good food, quality service, and welcoming environment. If you are in Madison, you definitely need to stop in!

During a break in the action from my daughter’s soccer tournament, we ventured to Sjolinds Chocolate House in search of a home-​style cooking. While the experience did not blow my hair back, the food was generally well prepared with fresh ingredients. Even factoring in the imperfections, I would return if travelling through Mount Horeb.
On a brilliantly sunny day, the sunlight struggled to make it into the interior of the store. If you are looking to catch some rays while you eat, there is a nice elevated patio behind the restaurant.
The cashier, the pastry display case and the tiny kitchen are located in the center of the restaurant. It gets a little cramped in the ordering area when more than a couple patrons queue up to order. The lunch menu is small (six sandwiches and three savory Finnish pies). In addition, several soup, salad and lunch specials change on a daily basis.
The food is prepared by hand with fresh ingredients. Because the small kitchen size, our food came out two dishes at a time and it took a while for all five members of our group to receive our food.
The food is generally worth the wait. When discussing the meal, everyone in our group liked their food, but there was always one thing that prevented them from loving the dish.
The roasted tomato soup with bacon was brimming with tomato flavor, but the smokiness of the bacon seemed out of place. The borscht was chock full of vegetables, but the tomatoes seemed of place with the cabbage and the beets. While I enjoyed the soup, it lacked the deep earthy flavor that I associate with this dish.
The sausage in my lunch special ($ 7.25) was superb. When I saw that it was sliced in half lengthwise, I was worried about it being too dry. However, that was not the case. It was moist, well seasoned and packed with flavor. My only misgiving — it was far too small in relation to the massive serving of potato salad and Limpa. Please sir, could I have some more…
The red potato salad served with my lunch was lightly dressed and well seasoned with a generous dose of dill. I also enjoyed the hearty slices of Limpa (Swedish rye bread), peppered with caraway and anise was practically a meal by itself. Cut into triangular wedges, I imagine Frodo and Sam could sustain themselves on their journey to Mt. Doom with just a slice or two of this bread.
My gooey mozzarella and cheddar in my daughter’s grilled cheese sandwich would make the heart of a seasoned Cheesehead melt in delight. However, the English muffin bread was too dry and in need of a little more butter.
The lefse wrap ordered by my wife and mother-​in-​law spawned a strong difference of opinion. My wife thought the lefse served as an effective wrap for the succulent turkey and crisp greens. My mother-​in-​law, who probably gone through a metric ton of potatoes making the holiday lefse for her family was less than impressed with the quality of the lefse and was not a fan of her sandwich.
I have enjoyed the scone and cinnamon rolls and they are an excellent value at $ 2.
I soooo wish I could give Sjolind’s a 3.5. It’s clearly better than A-​OK, but the rough edges to the meal make me hesitate from entering «I’m a fan» territory. Since I have a soft spot for family-​owned and operated businesses and for restaurants that apply some effort when preparing their dishes, I’ll round up to four stars.