Chicago Chocolate Tours

I was on the loop chocolate tour and loved it! It was a small group so that not only did we get plenty of samples but had a seemingly private information tour as well. Our guides were very good at taking us from place to place and giving us interesting information of the scenery as well as the Chocolate. These girls were delightful!!!

I can't wait to take another tour on our next visit to Chicago. We come every year to see the Cubs play ball so I definately plan to take the Andersonville tour next year.

Since I'm one of those people that orders my dessert first when I eat out this was a perfect birthday gift from my husband.

It was great!

Thank you again for a wonderful day on Sunday. Bob and I enjoyed our anniversary Chocolate tour.
Jonathon and Nicole had a great time too. I told everyone at home about it and sent my pictures and the ones you sent as well. Some are jealous :)
I will make this an event to be enjoyed again in the future. Looking forward to joining one of the other tours next time. Not sure when I will be back in Chicago, but already made a reservation at my son's for my birthday in April. I had such a great time this past birthday that I want to come again in 2009. All 3 of you made our day a very fond memory!!
Peace and thanks again ~ Mary Lou

What a great way to celebrate our anniversary,
go on a Chocolate Tour with some great people!
Thank you for great memories to come back to Michigan with. Looking forward to taking one of your other tours next time in Chicago.

Wow cool blog site. Chocolate tours of the world. Now that's a vacation. I am so happy that you included LA Burdick. They rock. I send their mice for office gifts every year.

Touring these companies is a great way to experience our long traditions with sugar, cocoa and European cultures.

Paul & I had a great time on our Chicago Chocolate Tour and have told all our new friends at Harvey House B&B that this is a required tour for those who want to get Chicago history, architecture, chocolate and fun all densely packed into a couple of hours. The Chiciago Chocolate tour is really the only way to go if you have limited time in Chicago and want to get the best/most for your time and money. Each of our stops on the tour was unique and each had a unique chocolate experience to offer.
Carpe Xocoatl!
Anne Isham

Hi Valerie,

Thanks again for the wonderful chocolate tour this past Sunday for my sister’s birthday. We all had a great time—I’ll definitely be spreading the word!

Mary

We had a great time and loved the chocolate. It is hard to choose which chocolate was the best. There were so many that were wonderful. Thanks again!
Karen

I had a wonderful time on the tour!!!! It was the perfect decandent beginning to the second decade of my life! Laurie

we had a great time and have told many friends they should try the tour if going to chicago

I went on the Anderson Ville Choco tour first week of October 2008, and here's my overall impression.

Positives: The tour guide and understudies were friendly and knowledgeable. The chocolate samples were good. I discovered some very unique and innovative creations at Bon Bon's, which also offered us the best hot chocolate ever and free of charge. Every shop offered something for free, hot tea, marzipan, cookies, if not chocolate samples. Anderson Ville is easily navigable on foot, and the chocolate shops are located close to each other.

Negatives: For collecting choco samples, we received a pink plastic meant for recycling batteries. I was expecting more free samples, and hoping for nicely wrapped samples. $40/person was too expensive. I didn't get any discounts.

It depends: If you already know much about chocolates, the history and chocolate trivia might not come as a surprise (but it might confirm what you already know and perhaps believe about chocolates). If you're new to Anderson Ville, you'd appreciate the historical insight from the tour guide.

If you're adventurous, willing and able to go on a self-guided tour, you'll find it easy to find the shops on your own. But you probably won't have access to the samples, esp. the free cup or as many cups as you'd like of that heavenly hot chocolate at Bon Bon's.

So I guess it's a matter of picking the right tour.

Overall, I'm pleased. Thanks!!!


Note from the Founder:

Dear Anonymous,

I'm glad you're pleased! Andersonville certainly is a delightful neighborhood, and I'm so happy that you enjoyed Bon Bon's divine hot chocolate and other treats along the tour.

Sorry if the pink bags were confusing; October is Awareness Month and we're doing our part to fight women's cancers and domestic violence, and the bags can be used to send old cellphones and ink jet cartridges postage-paid to help women in need, through the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation.

Sorry too if you thought the price was too high. We definitely want to give you first-class service, and a unique and wonderful experience. From the hand-rolled truffles at Chocolate Gourmet, to 10 flavors of chocolate-covered Terry's Toffee to sample, then freshly-baked chocolate raspberry cookies and chocolate rum marzipan at Swedish Bakery, then chocolates plus savory items and tea at City Olive, to chocolates and the famous hand-shaved hot chocolate at Bon Bon, you get a lot of top-quality items on the tour, plus the service, facts, and fun way it's all put together.

Thanks for sharing your impressions; I do appreciate it and am delighted you had a good time. Thank you for taking a Chicago Chocolate Tour!
Best regards,
Valerie

Thanks for the photos. We had a great time on the tour, and will definitely recommend it to our friends!
Mary Ellen

Me too. I enjoyed that tour so much. Just wanted to let you guys know..
Susanne.Leimstoll@tagesspiegel.de

Dear Valerie~

Outstanding! We were wow-ed!

My husband and I live in Naperville and took your Andersonville tour on Sat morning. (A birthday gift certificate we received last month.)

Knew it would be good, but want you to know how much it even exceeded our expectations.

Raving to everyone and we'll go again in a heartbeat.

So much character. The sampling was generous and diverse. From the toffee to the bakery rum rolls and swedish blonde cookies to the olives and chocolate covered bacon to the drinking chocolate. An ideal combination really.

I bought the fig balsamic vinegar, bacon chocolate, toffee, bakery goods, and even a bargain bracelet at the Galleria. My husband is transportation vp of a national specialty foods distributor and particularly enjoyed it, as well.

Our guide was charming, warm, delightful. Ideal. Handled everything gracefully. A natural. Ditto on her two apprentices.

Great, great time. Will do again.

~Kathleen

I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed my Andersonville tour last Saturday (10-4). It was so much fun and very enlightening--chocolate-wise. I especially enjoyed meeting the owners and staff at the stops and having the chance to hear how they got started. I have told many of my teacher friends and given you a high recommendation.

Hope to meet you on my next Chicago weekend.



Linda

Hi Valerie

I just wanted to thank you for the very informative and "delicious" chocolate tour on Friday, September 26 2008. It was wonderful sampling all the different types of gourmet chocolate. I truly felt like a mayan queen. I also enjoyed very much all the various architectural highlights along the way. I don't want to forget to also thank the tour guides, they were fantastic. Your company is truly impressive and I wish you the best in your future endeavors. I would DEFINITELY recommend this tour to everyone I know!

Best Regards,

Amale

Hi Valerie & Catie Leigh!

Our tour on 9/29 of the Gold Coast chocolate shops was a fabulous finish to a first-class weekend in Chicago! We loved your city and your tour of the chocolate shops. We would DEFINITELY recommend it to everyone!

Thank you for the informative tour, the hospitality and the wonderful samplings of the different types of chocolate. You have formed a fantastic company and we commend you again on your dedication to helping others in need.

We found most Chicagoans to be warm and hospitable, but you two were especially sweet! We wish you the very best with all your future endeavors.

Thanks again,
Jolene, Stacy, Trichelle, Stephanie & Yumi

Hi Valerie,

Just wanted to drop a line to tell you what a fabulous time I had on the Chicago Chocolate Tour on Sunday (Gold Coast). I attended with my
mom and I really appreciated that you went out of your way to accommodate her dairy allergy by making sure that she had a dark chocolate or soy alternative at each stop. I also thought the tour
guides were fantastic - I liked how all of your made sure to spend a bit of individual time with each guest on the tour and all the thoughtful details about various architectural highlights on the way from place to place, the history of chocolate, etc. And I thought it was just a fantastic touch that a portion of the proceeds are donated to CARE.

Best,
Lyssa

Congrats, On your company !

Valerie,
We had a lot of fun on your Andersonville Chocolate Tour, and have talked about coming back downtown to do the gold coast tour. You and your guides were very friendly and knowledgeable with the chocolate history, and of course the chocolates we tasted were delicious. Good luck in the future.

Valerie,
What an absolutely FABULOUS afternoon!!! Your tour was deliciously fun, fun, fun. Cecile and I loved it, and we both THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH for being so gracious and kind.
ALL THE BEST ALWAYS.
Marge