I'm Russian and grew up eating this food, so I had high expectations. The borscht was just like mama makes at home. It came with some amazing bread and garlic butter dipping sauce...my fave! Followed by crepes that where delicious! Clearly this is a family owned, authentic establishment. Ill be back!
Review Source:I met the owner and tasted food at some tasting events and wanted to visit fo ra long time. So a few weeks ago, I brought a meetup dinner group to this place. The idea was to try different Ukrainian dishes, so we ordered a buffett style. We had enough people inthe group to close th eplace for the dinner.
A staple salad Olivye followed by boiled potato stuffed with real, not pickled, herring. Three soups, mushroom, chicken noodle, and borch were superb. That followed by Golubtsy, -stuffed cabbage -, and two different type of Vareniki, -Ukrainian dumpling -, one with sourkrout and another with potato and mashroom. We also had Pelmeni small size dumplings with meat.
The feast ended with three types of cakes. All superb. Everyone left happy. Some took a note fo the place for family events. Try this place and let me know what you think.
Went after hours on Sat night and someone book the place for a buffet party. Â The mushroom and beets soup with garlic bread was so good. Â My favorite was the sauerkraut pierogi, stuff cabbage, meat pelmeni, berries crepes, the chocolate mouse cake and coffee. Â It's was all for $25(w/o tip tax) !! Love the food and byob. Will back for the cookies and pastries.
Review Source:I love them for their sweets and pastries. My favorite is Drunken Cherry, Opera, and another one that has passion fruit in it, I think it's called Midnight something. Being a European, this is my little haven. Nowhere else can I find cakes of such exquisite taste -- they are not overly sweet like majority of pastries I come across, the cakes are very very filling, but as you eat them they taste light. Customer service is very nice -- the girls that work there are very friendly and polite. Their cakes are always fresh yum!!! I wish they were open later though because by the time I come from work they are closed .
Review Source:I wish I knew how to say delicious in Ukrainian. I've eaten at just about every Polish, Ukrainian spot in this neighborhood because I work in the area and this one is by far the best. This little gem is small, quiet, modern and the food is very good. It's a little pricey for Ukrainian food but it's worth the extra few dollars if you're on a date or a business lunch. I'm not knocking some of the older, more rustic spots in the area (I can appreciate those). I'm just saying this place is quaint and almost perfect. I would've given them 5 stars if i didn't drop twenty bucks on some dumplings and cucumber salad. Let's call a spade a spade here...this type of food should not be that costly. That being said, I'll be back.
Review Source:Atmosphere: Comfortable, well lit, quiet, peaceful, clean.
Service: The young woman was very nice, friendly and attentive. She let me stay after hours which was truly appreciated.
Food: I had the borsch along with their home baked bread. Superb. Best borsch I've had in Chicago so far.
Conclusion- I'll be back =)
4 stars!
All I know is, I looove it here! Shokolad is the boyfriend I've always wanted! The name itself should pull you right in. Shokolad just sounds sexy and appetizing! If it doesn't , stop by and try any of the following:
The Napolean: this cake was filled with light layers of heavenly filling
Dark chocolate covered cheescake pop-mmmm
walnut brownie: perfect texture and taste(and I can make  me some brownies)
Walnut cookie: the most popular treat. This is made with condensed milk, brown butter and walnuts. It's not too sweet and oh so tasty
Seared honey dijon chicken breast: The way honey dijon should really taste!
Carrot slaw: Shredded carrots lightly seasoned and delicious
roasted potatoes with tarragon I believe. I just know they were delicious
Borsch soup with ricotta rolls and garlic sauce: This is a beet based soup. Who knew beets could be so damn good but they were. The rolls and that sauce-Dahnya came and politely asked if I was done and I damn near had a heart attack. No because I plan to sop up every last bit thank you verry much. I was kind of ashamed but not really.
African Nectar tea- another tea to add to my collection
So that's the food. On to the service. The service was very good. I came in after five. I was going to just grab a few treats since they close at six. Dahnya(I hope I didn't butcher her name) assured me that I could order whatever I wanted and take whatever time I needed to finish it. As long as they were open I would be served. Served I was and I felt like the most special person ever!!! It's not like she was even overdoing it . She just appeared to be herself and that really made the experience that much more enjoyable and she was the same with everyone. They have really cute decor too. One day I'll post the photos. So yeah this is my new spot.
Absolutely scrumptious mushroom soup here on the weekend. Light, but densely flavorful. The small bowl is super generous and I'd go back for this soup alone!
Pelmeni were lovely. Handmade, simple, tasty pork filling and generous dollop of sour cream. Perfect comfort food.
Very good tea on hand also.
Friendly, casual service.
The food - 4 stars, all the omelettes were bursting with fresh fillings and the salads were loaded with toppings. Â Yay, they're not cheapos!
Service - 3 stars (SUPER SLOW but we weren't in a hurry)
Bakery - 2 stars. Â Maybe I'm not a fan of European desserts - not sweet or rich enough for my palate
(4 + 3 + 2)/3 = 3 stars :)
I had an early lunch here with one of my parishioners. Â Her nephew had just married a Ukrainian girl the weekend before, and had briefly stopped by Shokolad at some point during the festivities....she decided a return trip for coffee, worship planning, and stroganoff was in order.
The goods were delivered on all fronts here. Â The beef stroganoff was perfectly prepared and served over egg noodles...the beef just shredded with a little fork pressure. Â YES. Â It came with a great cabbage salad, dressed with a little oil and vinegar. Simple, delicious food. Â I didn't get to try any of the baked goods, but I have ever intention of going back and doing so; they looked amazing. Â
The real star, though: the service. Â Small, family owned with really attentive, friendly servers. Â Combine that with good food, and we have a winner!
We had wanted to come here for a while due to the great reviewes on here - plus I was craving some good ol' home country cooking. The place itself is fairly simple looking and small with an outdoor seating area on the side - again, all simple, fairly close seating arrangements. Â I would say that everyone inside excpet for 2 people were Russian and or Ukranian - always entertaining...and often a sign that, yes...indeed the food is very good and up to par with the motherland. Â
I was excited...until I saw the limited menu. Â They have weekly specials, and the items you can get during th week, are much better the the weekend specials. Â The food they offer on a daily basis...pretty basic (at least I thought so).
Service - nice, yet slow....I was getting our table refills on coffee myself, and they weren't that busy.
We ordered the following items.
Pelmeni - tiny little pork dumplings with sour cream. yum...but standard and I can buy this in ANY european store and make them at home (boil and serve).
Borsht (beet soup) was good, not made like mom made it with meat, but veggie based and still tasty. Â Served with warm little rolls and garli oil...which was probably my favorite part. Ask for sour cream for the soup...like a real Russian would eat it!
Crepes - good, but just as good as anywhere I have had them.
So, overall everything was fine...just nothing above average as I had been hoping for. Â Don't get me wrong...it certainly fixed my craving for some home cooking...but we won't be back..
I have been coming here for about a year and a half now and have never been disappointed. The service is friendly, but not intrusive. The environment is casual and well-maintained. The food is to die for! I especially love the borscht so much that I even take quarts of it home when I stop by.
I am Russian and am usually disappointed with the food at other Russian restaurants, but the food here is always consistently authentic and fresh. If there is one complaint I have, it is that Shokolad is not open late enough.
In our quest for some really good Ukrainian food, my friend and I were actually heading to another place down the street from Shokolad, but I happened to ask a random man on the sidewalk where to get the best food in the neighborhood. Lucky for us, it turned out he was Ukrainian and knew the area well. He recommended Shokolad
The restaurant interior is nicely done, tasteful and newer. Our Ukrainian server was friendly and happy to help us "Uhmurricans" figure out what to eat. There are daily lunch specials that change throughout the week, and the chef/owner is originally from the old country... Service was slow but attentive.
My favorite item was the sorrel soup (shav), only available during the summer, and prepared with fresh sorrel from the owner's backyard. Unbelieveably delicious, but probably an acquired taste for some
I thought my heaping plate of beef stroganoff was very good, and my friend's potato pancakes were ok, but not very flavorful. The pastries and cakes looked divine, but I didn't have time to sample them, unfortunately
I think a visit back to this Ukrainian neighborhood is in order when I return
This places seems like a the perfect, quaint neighborhood cafe... Just don't go if you want a quick lunch. There was only one server for almost 5 tables and unfortunately, I had limited time.
The food:
I can see how the Cheesecake Lollipops are a hit. Great to fix a cheesecake craving without eating a whole piece of cheesecake. I did prefer the white chocolate one vs the bittersweet. Perhaps, if the dark chocolate one was made with semi-sweet chocolate, I would have liked it better.
Try the Ukraine food... The soup of the day was 'sorrel' with boiled egg and I've never tasted anything like it. The potato pancakes were ok (I prefer the crispy German style), my friends beef stroganoff and noodles were awesome. The potato/cheese dumpling things (knisch? I can't spell) were super.
If I lived around here, it'd be a regular stop.
Really enjoyed my brunch here today! I had a pretty standard omelet with yummy hash browns, but really the standouts are the crepes and Ukranian pierogies!! The crepes seem more like a blintze-type crepe than a French crepe, but were great. I love pierogies. (Yes, oddly as a black woman, I ate a lot of blintzes and pierogies at my neighbor's house as a kid... yum) These were fresh and great flavor twists to the traditional potato/cheese ones. You must try the mushroom, potato and tarragon pierogies! I had cherry pierogies for dessert with sweetened sour cream and powdered sugar... mmmm. I didn't try the other bakery goods, but I'm sure those will be just as good on my next visit. Coffee was also great, and there's free wifi and an outdoor patio. Great little spot!
Review Source:I've lived blocks away from Shokolad for almost two years now, and despite some recommendations and its convenient location, I never made it in to try anything. Â Now that I have been, I'm supremely upset that I've missed out for so long.
I went in with a couple of friends this afternoon for a late brunch. Â I was hungry for something breakfast-y, but once I perused the menu, I realized there was the possibility for some delicious Ukrainian/Eastern European-style dishes with which I have little experience.
After some negotiating, the three of us decided to split the mushroom, potato and tarragon varenyky (Ukrainian pierogies), the Ukrainian sweet cheese crepes, and a Saturday special, gutsulske pechenya, which was essentially a hearty beef stew. Â While we were waiting, I noticed a table order a handful of little cookies before their meal, so we decided to follow suit.
The cookies turned out to be shortbread wrapped around a delicious honey hazelnut butter. Â They were so well executed--perfectly buttery, not too sweet--that my already high hopes for the impending meal were substantially raised.
We were not disappointed. Â Everything was absolutely, amazingly delicious. Â The varenyky were served in a deliciously smooth cream sauce and topped with fresh chopped dill. Â The potato, mushroom and tarragon filling was earthy and herby, though not overwhelming, and the dough was perfectly silky. Â The crepes were also very well prepared, avoiding the cloying sweetness that many brunch spots in surrounding neighborhoods push on their sugar-crazed acolytes. Â The gutsulske pechenya was phenomenal. Â It was, essentially, the platonic ideal of pot roast: deliciously tender beef, soft potatoes, whole braised mushrooms, and a thick, well-seasoned and freshly herbed sauce.
I've been home for a few hours now, and everything I ate has haunted me with memories of gastronomical delight. Â I want to go back. Â Like right now. Â I will go back, probably tomorrow. Â And sometime next week. Â And at least once a month for as long as I continue to live in this neighborhood.
A couple other items of note: for this kind of quality, Shokolad is insanely cheap. Â Our tab for all the items above, as well as three cups of bottomless coffee, was $39. Â Seriously. Â $13 a person. Â I think the exact same meal, served at Lula cafe, would have been nearly twice as much.
Finally, I would recommend you avoid the mistakes made by some reviewers of this spot. Â You can get an omelette anywhere, or a turkey club, or a caesar salad--all of which Shokolad also serves. Â Why go for ubiquitous deli/diner staples when hard-to-pronounce deliciousness awaits you on the other side of the menu? Help yourself to Shokolad's specialities. Â Order something off the daily specials list. Â Order something with an intriguingly vague description.
My buddy put it best: everything we ate tasted like someone's Ukrainian grandma had spent all day cooking it at home. Â What else could you want? Â God. Damn. Delicious.
I am finding the high ratings very hard to believe.
We went in and sat down. The TV was blaring a daytime "judge" show and some escort was suing the guy that had hired her for a cancellation fee of $500. We were the only people there. Should have walked right back out.
I ordered the sweet cheese crepes, my boyfriend ordered an omelette with a side of bacon, it came with toast and hashbrowns.
We waited and waited...
Out came the food.
My boyfriends omelette was a brick, overcooked, burned on the outside and missing ingredients. The hashbrowns weren't cooked through and had obviously came from a bag. The bacon- so rancid you couldn't even take a bite of it and the rancid bacon grease was all over the food. How do you cook rancid bacon and not smell it? It stank of rotten flesh and I could smell it across the table. Â We told the waitress, who spent her time on her laptop in the corner or talking to people on speakerphone, and she had no idea what we meant by rancid or rotten. The meal was inedible, not taken back and not comped.
My crepes were ok. Nothing to write home about.
I will never be back.
It is one thing to have rancid meat in the kitchen, accidents happen, but to serve it to a customer?!!! Horrifying.
Visited on a Friday at 12:20pm.
Do you like rancid bacon?
Do you like uncooked processed convenience-in-a-bag hash-brown shaped potato-emulating mush?
Do you like your omelette missing one of it's two supposed to be included ingredients cooked in artificially flavored hydrogenated technology run-off?
Do you like extremely stale rye-bread  toast? (You know the kind! where the bread just shatters into powder when you so much as look at it)
Seriously though... re-read the first question.
Yep, I was served cooked, completely rancid bacon. The second it hit my mouth I had to eject it immediately.
It's not hard to know if the food you are preparing is rotten...
It's not like I ordered something foreign or unknown or novelty..
It's bacon- a pork product that is more than ubiquitous in Eastern-European (the theoretical regional flavor this place is supposed to exude) life and kitchens.. make that 'omnipresent'
Cool, I just saved a bundle on some travel expense experiences- I didn't have to go to a foreign country that has no refrigeration to get served rotten bacon. I got it right here at home in Chicago- NOTE: at one point in time, Chicago was  hailed as 'the hog butcher for the world'.
Proof this place (chef/cook/social malcontent stationed where food is supposed to be prepared) could give a sh*t less what it serves to it's clients.
The TV was blaring the best of early afternoon 'judge/reality/he wanted a stripper not an escort so she gave him herpes for not paying her a cancellation fee' type programming.
The waitress had a lot of facebooking and speakerphone calls to get done in between watching me gag on the plate she gave me and not caring.
What they prepare and call 'food' here is literally inedible- this is a fact, not an opinion.
I refuse to believe the rating here.
This is a Ukrainian place that also serves veriaties of foods. If you are looking to get real eggs for breackfast and no powder mix, or any add ons This is the place to go to. Their omelets are by far the greatest i have ever had. My favorite one is Athena Omelet. The owner is a pastry sheff, this means their sweets are awesome, anything you will taste you will love.
i come here a lot, one of the greatest spots to get breach fast or lucy, and even dinner plates.
The food is fantastic. Not traditional Ukrainian, sort of a fancified version, but wonderful nonetheless.
The service is traditional Ukrainian. So if you don't know what that means (COLD), or don't care for it, just be prepared. It's nothing personal, and no they won't change it for you. Some of us find that to be part of the fun...
Shokolad is not what I expected it to be. I was expecting more breakfast-y place-- busy and bustling with lots of servers.
When I dined here with my husband, the lone server/cashier/barista/hostess was running here to fro. We had a hard time getting her attention to give us our bill and felt so bad asking her for milk for my coffee when she was so busy.
I had crepes and they were.... decent. The lollipop cheesecake were to die for but I don't know if I'd make another trip this way for it. Too bad, I really had high hopes for this place.
When this Russian/ Ukrainian cafe opened in the neighborhood, I was ready to welcome it with open arms. Chicago has suffered a sharp decline of Russian restaurants in recent years but the food of Russia and the Former Soviet states is delicious.
The borscht at Shokolad is amazing. I would love to get their recipe. As a person that grew up eating borscht her whole life, I have never had a such a lovely warm take on this healthy stew. My favorite borschts, up until now, have always been the vegetarian varieties. A major difference with this borscht is that it is made with chicken stock. Most meat borschts in my past were made on beef or veal stock. Chicken stock really lightens the soup, as beef bases can create an oily finish. Not only is this a much lighter and refreshing version, it is punched with flavor. Skokolad's version comes already mixed with sour cream (smetana) and the fresh herbs really bring out the delicate flavor of the beets. Every order is served with the very traditional garnish of fresh baked bread pom-poms and a garlic sauce dip.
I have picked up from here, dined-in, brought family from the suburbs and Canada to try their wonderful fare. If alone or with a group, you must order a plate of varenkiy (Ukrainian Pierogies). You will not find a more tender dough which is properly cooked in the city. I can recommend the mushroom and eggplant varieties.
My only complaint is their hours. Shokolad, please stay open past 5pm. After a strong craving for borscht, I have found myself standing outside your locked door too many times.
I had wanted to come here for a while since I read so much about it being the one of the best brunch places in town. The place itself is beautifully remodeled with big windows & beautiful wood work throughout. We ordered
perogi - stuffed with peas, potatoes & eggplant & a yummy sauce.
pelmeni - tiny little pork dumplings with sour cream. yum.
roast pork - huge serving with cabbage salad & mashed potatoes
napoleon cake - just right sweetness & super good
Overall we were very impressed with this restaurant. Everything was made in house and fresh, and flavored just right. Will come back for other desserts!
First of all, get the borscht. It is fantastic. Beets and cabbage and purple soup! Fun, tasty, and nutritious. They do a really great job here.
Second of all, don't be lame and say "I don't want the rolls with my borscht". I overheard someone say this and wanted to punch them in the neck. The rolls aren't amazing but the garlic oil that they are served with is heaven! I essentially ate a whole ramekin of garlicky, oily goodness... so you must have the rolls (aka perfect vehicle for garlic oil).
Then you can peruse their diverse menu and order a variety of things. The Saturday special is the roast leg of duck. Very tempting but I was there to try one thing: Pelmeni.
Pelmeni are dumplings, Russian dumplings. The ones are Shokolad are filled with pork and come with vinegar and sour cream. There are a lot of them and the carb/meat flavor does get a little overwhelming near the end, so if you come with someone, coordinate your dishes. (I couldn't eat anything with ground meat in it for 3 days). I was there alone and ate them all. Tasty little things.
I left with 2 dozen pierogies/vareniky -- potato and cheese, meaty (mixed meat), blueberry and cherry. At home, the potato and cheese and blueberry were standouts.
This is a really cute little place to eat. The girls working here are sweet and attentive. I highly recommend this if you are in the neighborhood, but for borscht and pelmeni I prefer to head to Russian Tea Time - more expensive but also far more seductive and foreign feeling.
Still, I'm curious about that roast leg of duck...
I have to give those real estate agents credit. Â They are trying really hard to make the rebranded moniker of "West Ukrainian Village" that they've slapped on this section of Chicago Avenue between Western and California stick - even if it's, in reality, Humboldt Park. Â Why those real estate marketing machines even constructed a convincing little storefront "Ukrainian" coffee shop/restaurant!
And those actors the agents/marketers paid to pose as "customers" on Thanksgiving Eve and speak in flawless Ukrainian to add to the feel - priceless (to the cause of driving up property values).
I don't believe it for a second though. Â Sure the incredibly flavorful red borscht they have - with authentic slightly crispy bread and garlic butter to dip it in, just like in Ukraine - cut through my cynicism a little. Â And at $2.00 for a cup it warmed my belly as much as it warmed my heart that there could be a Ukrainian restaurant west of Western.
But then I came to the mains. Â Searching through the paninis, breakfast choices, and sandwiches to find something Ukrainian proved a challenge. Â Sure they have varenyky in potato, meat, and desert varieties ($7.75 a dozen and available to be bought cold and warmed at one's leisure) but I was looking for something more than dumplings. Â I ended up getting the farmer's cheese crepe. Â And, well, it was deliciously spectacular. Â Savory. Â Just sweet enough (farmer's cheese is basically a sweet cottage cheese used in Eastern European cuisine). Â Filling. Â And, well, a crepe. Â Not exactly Ukrainian. Â
But by this point I didn't even care that they had incorporated the mixed nature of the neighborhood into their menu.
This stretch of HUMBOLDT PARK (there's no shame in it, take back the HP!) is a mish-mash of Ukrainians, Puerto Ricans, hipsters, and people looking for affordable large apartments. Â In the end, I'm glad that Shokolad reflects a little of each. Â But, more importantly, I'm glad it has incredible, moderately priced food conveniently located right off of California or Chicago.
On my one and only visit to this place I can definitely say one thing, their treats are as advertised ... yumtastic.
At a recent office hours, I tried a few of their treats and they were very good. I liked the mini macaroons with a chocolate base and I also liked the mini gingerbread cookies with creme in the middle the best. I tried their mini empanadas as well and was happy to have done so but I was even happier when I tried their eggplant poppers. I hate eggplant and yet after having one bite I realized I had no basis in hating such a vegetable ... or it can just be that anything deep fried is bound to be good!
The place is very cozy and very well kept. The staff seem nice and answered any questions I had. I also like that this place is a BYOB and I may need to come back and try them for dinner - that way I know I can have dessert afterward.
Uh-oh....that smells like bad-taste joke....sorry but I can't help it...
(Last) word of wisdom: don't read any further if you are touchy about religion. Or bad jokes.
So....yes. On Easter Sunday around 7pm, Shokolad rose from the dead. In style. There was no special effects, lights or heavenly trumpets - just some really good home-cooked food, some delightful company and a place all to ourselves. I loved every minute of it - from the piping hot soup to the delicious lamb stew of my hubby to the perfect potato cake and the wonderful green beans that would have made my great grandma proud (yep - she was growing her own and I had the chance to eat them until I was 15). My chocolate cake was deeply satisfying and judging from the loud noises coming from my right so was the rhubarb and strawberry tart...
A second chance, another life filled with love between my tasting buds and Shokolad. Not enough to found a new religion but I'll still call it a miracle.
Amen.
I'd heard a lot about the fabulous desserts at Shokolad, so after yet another trek down Chicago Ave for something or another, I popped in to check it out.
I was expecting a bakery, but in actuality, Shokolad is more of a restaurant... with a dessert case in the front where you can grab some goodies to go. Â There was one slice of Napoleon left, so I grabbed it, paid the lovely guy behind the counter and drove home to devour my treat.
The Napoleon is, in a word, sinful. Â Layer upon layer of flaky pastry sandwiching a delicious lemony cream and topped with a strawberry, it's a little slice of heaven on a plate.
If I had one complaint, it would be the lack of variety in the dessert case, but then, it was mid-afternoon during the week. Â Perhaps they are better stocked in the morning and on weekends.
Say it with me, "Show-Co-Laad"...if only I wasn't such a wuss to ask a local Ukrainian customer in helping me out with the pronunciation. Â Ooo and trust me, I'll leave it to them because I'm sure it would sound ever so sexy compared to what I could mumble! Â On a similar note, I couldn't believe all the Ukrainians who reside in what I would call Ukrainian Village/Humboldt Park and who came in to visit the boy working. Â They must truly see pride in supporting their cultural community.
I came in here for the Yelp Office Hours event but kept a distance from the other Yelpers to allow myself to be closer to the Shokolad treats that were DANGEROUSLY Cheap, Adorable & Yummy!
At 50 cents a mini cookie, $4.00 a cake/pie slice and $1.25 "a pop" (yes, I'm referring to the Cheesecake Lollipops that all the other Yelpers boast about and are amazingly smooth and sweet), you just can't go wrong...or you just can't stop buying & eating 'em!!
I loved all the mini cookies but especially the Oatmeal Cookie Patties and Powdered Sugar Rounds (which in Sweden are called Crescent Cookies and taste just as amazingly delicious as my mother's--yes I know, it's not Ukrainian but still European).
My only few complaints are on the selection and the ambiance. Â The decor is fairly plain and there were only 4 cookie varieties to choose from. Â They do, however, offer Wi-Fi (the worker will write down the network name and passcode for you) and brunch (including yummy looking soups). Â Go out and support this local European cafe!
A cheesecake lollipop? No way! Ok so they DO make these, and they are perfect! I like this place because they have a bunch of small, inexpensive treats so you can stop in and satisfy your sweet tooth without feeling too guilty about calories or price! Â The only weird thing was I was the only person in there. it was like 4pm on a Saturday so maybe the toward the end of the day, the crowd dwindles down.
So... want a cheesecake lollipop? go for it!! MMMM.
This place is the best new find!!!! Â It was recommended by a coworker and as I was driving down Chicago I began to wonder if it existed, but the it popped out of nowhere. Â I was not so familiar with the area but actually found it to be the cutest growing neighborhood with so much character and diversity. Â
When I walked in I was surprised by how upscale and trendy it was. Â It was very clean and they utilized the space well.
The food was delicious!!! Â On top of that the presentation was perfect. Â They really pay attention to fine detail. Â Everything from silverware, to coffee to service. Â The pastries are so different and have great flavor. Â They are all displayed right when you walk in so you can't help but want them. Â I prefer to take a few home for later.
I could definitely see this being a regular Saturday excursion. Â I love the welcoming small cafe atmosphere, good service, delicious food and trendy neighborhood. Â Oh and I forgot to mention at how resonable the price is! Â Its the best deal I've gotten in a long time! Â What else do you need???
Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Toasty! Err, that's another sandwich shop's slogan but ahh well, i'm appropriately nicking it for this review.  Stopped in for  a quick bite to eat and chose the Tuna Salad Panini, which was absolutely toastastic if I must say.
For about $5 you get a full sized Panini sam, a side of a zipped up, peppery, Â vinegar based slaw, a similar pepped up side of shredded carrot slaw, a few fresh asparagus spears and sliced tomatoes. Â Total quality in taste, presentation and service. Â
I've yet to try the desserts, chokolat, or crepe's, which they specialize in, but will next go around....the owner is the pastry chef for Limelight Catering. Â Great local breakfast, sandwich and dessert shop.
I brought 25 delicious mini treats over to Brett D's house to enjoy as dessert during our weekly Project Runway "dinner party". Â At $0.50 per mini item it was a steal; dessert for the 6 of use was under $15! The pizza ended up taking so long and the goodies looked so good it took all of our will power to not break into the desserts early! Â Luckily, our willpower (barley) prevailed and we were actually able to wait until after dinner to devour the sweets. Â We had mini pyramid, shaped, chocolate dipped macrons, apricot bars, Russian tea cookies/Mexican wedding cookies, airy sugar cookies which were all amazing but the of the evening mini ginger sandwich cookies with cream cheese filling. Â Everything was moist and fresh and wonderful. Â
I believe I have converted the rest of the girls into "Shokolad-ers" as well. Â I am also sure that I will not be allowed at the next get together unless I promise to bring more items from this pastry shop. Â
Hmmmmm, I believe next week will be the chocolate dipped cheesecake bites!
It is true... the lovely Erin P. brought over a smattering of Shokolad treats to our weekly Project Runway dinner last night. What else goes better with high-fashion and Heidi Klum's microass than a box of pastries?! I guess the bite-size portion minimizes the guilt, but the sinful deliciousness once you take that little bite certainly does not! Every treat was amazing (yes, I sampled all of them ::oink::)... and my living room quickly became a symphony of synchro-moaning. Yummmmy.
I agree the standout favorite was the gingerbread cookie sandwiches with cream cheese frosting... they were just so smushy and moist like little pillow treasures, impossible not to love. Of course the macaroons, sugar pastry, mexican wedding cookies and apricot bars were nothing to scoff at... 25 bite size treats, 6 girls, 0 leftovers. You do the math.
Tried this place for the first time yesterday and really enjoyed it. I easily persuaded two others from work to head out for lunch after reading Daily Candy's review (the options in that area are still pretty limited, so we were excited to give a new place a shot). Their menu is not huge, but they have a good variety of cold sandwiches and paninis (we tried the portobello panini and the grilled pepper and eggplant sandwich) and great salads. The prices are all $6-7 and come with a reeeealy garlicy, but tasty, carrot slaw on the side.
We were all happy with our food and the service was friendly, but not overbearing. We couldn't resist the pasty case on our way out, trying the cheesecake lollipops, red velvet cake (a small slice was only $1.50!) and a macroon - all fabulous! Overall, I think this place is a diamond in the rough and a really good value.
Usually I ignore Daily Candy's dispatches urging me to go to this business or that, but I couldn't resist today's email, urging me to try Shokolad, a new pastry shop/cafe on the edge of Humboldt Park and Ukrainian Village.
Although it was snowing, the space was airy and bright. A table of four Ukrainian men were the only people in the shop and each turned to stare at me when I walked in. I fixed my gaze on the sizeable refrigerated pastry case that groaned with pastries both familiar and unknown. I bought a small seletion of pastries to bring home - a custardy lemon bar, a honey walnut layer cake, a ginger snap, and a coconut macaroon in the shape of a small pyramid.
The lemon bar was easily the best I've had in Chicago - it had a thin layer of crust -perhaps too thin for some - and a thick, smooth, lemon custard layer. It was ooey gooey lemon bar non pareil, and measuring at about 1-1/2" by 1-1/2", it was the perfect size. The ginger snap was a sandwich cookie and had a creamy layer of icing between. It was soft and chewy and utterly delicious. The macaroon was adequate, but the chocolate had a slightly waxy mouthfeel. The honey walnut slice was also delicious. Five cake layers with a rich cream cheese icing loaded with walnut pieces tasted was simple but satisfying. The icing could have used a touch of salt, just to bring out the flavor of the icing.
There were many other tasty looking treats that I didn't buy during this trip. I'll have to keep going back until I can try them all.
I was actually preparing to got to Star Lounge Cafe.
I pass it by a lot and always see it.
And then I saw this place with a banner just opened on it.
Right across the street.
So I went there first. I was prepared to hate this place. Pretentious Euro style bakery.
But it was amazing. I got greeted immediately. I bought a tart with fruit and cream. I was offered a menu to take with me.
They bake everything there, the woman said her mom is a pastry chef.
It was an amazing experience! They were nice, pleasant and only open a week or so!!!!
i love great customer service at indie places and hope they do really well.
They brew Umbria coffee which i'm not a fan of. But if you like it it's there.
They have crepes, sandwiches, paninis, salads, and soups.
They have borshcht, traditional ukrainian and russian soup. I am ukrainian and have been traumatized with it as a child so I'm not a fan but if you like beets and eastern european soups, go for it!
I'm totally coming back to try the panini with portobella mushrooms.
Shokolad means chocolate in ukrainian. If you are in the 'hood totally go there!
The tart was amazing. I think i almost caused like 2 accidents 'cause i was trying to eat it in the car. Sorry, that was me.
They have cakes, and cookies and all kind of delicious pastries.
The tart was big, fruit was fresh, and the cream inside amazing!
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