Schakolad Chocolate Factory

I love chocolate but this place’s chocolate tasted terrible… Tried about 6 different kinds and all tasted the same. They put like one pecan on top and call it «Milk Chocolate Pecan»… Seriously? And it’s all expensive for some reason?

Great chocolates! They don’t have the selection of some other chocolate shops in bigger cities, but I found what I wanted. The chocolates were perfect for a gift, and they tasted great. The service was not the best (bored college girl behind the counter), but I can get past that since this place is a quick in and out.

I’ve been there a couple times and the chocolate is tasty, if pricey. Went last weekend and got a nasty surprise when I bit into the chocolate — the filling of the champagne truffle was covered in green mold. Disgusting. The worker looked horrified and did refund $ 1 for the chocolate.

Hmm. I usually find the reviews here on Unilocal to be accurate and reliable. Not this time. The chocolate here is totally mediocre. Think… A little better than Whitman’s Samplers. The craft on display is woeful. Sugar bloom all over their ‘masterpieces’ and seam marks that should have been cut away. Plus, it’s pricey and the service was grumpy. Skip this place and go to Cherry Republic around the corner. At least they take pride in what they do.

I am sad to have discovered this place is no longer one of my Ann Arbor favorites. While the chocolate is delicious and the custom shapes they have on hand are incredible, the service is horrendous. I custom ordered a dozen chocolates for a special gift, placing the order in person on a Friday, and told the employee I needed them by closing on Sunday. I was told there was no problem and that they would likely be done Saturday anyways. I came Sunday afternoon and was met with the most angry looking woman (not the same person as the one who took the order). Perhaps it was a bad day, but she made me feel like it was my fault that no one had even looked at my order. There were no apologies and only a bunch of excuses, such as many people called in sick, short staffed, etc. That’s all understandable but I would think a professional shop like this would check all the special orders and inform customers that the orders could not be completed. I planned to take my business elsewhere, but she did say she would make them after closing or before opening on Monday morning. She had them done after closing for me, which was good, but didn’t following the instructions I had gone over when I placed the order and the cost ended up being twice what I was quoted. When I placed the order I was told they could fill the mold a little less than full to make each piece a little less expensive. I spent $ 50 on a dozen plain chocolates with a little gold! While it was nice that she got them done, she was totally unfriendly and uncomfortable to work with. We had a lot of plans of using the custom services but I can’t bear to go through the rudeness again. Ann Arbor is a town full of incredible food choices, so I will move on to the next one.

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!
Perhaps some of the best truffles and assortment of dark chocolates in the area. How can you not buy one of their divine treats once you’ve stopped in?
Yes, they are a tad pricey, but the chocolate is so good. $ 20 for a box of chocolates might seem a bit steep, but it’s top-​notch quality for which you are paying. The chocolate assortment is nothing short of superb. Very few times have I stopped in here and walked away empty-​handed.
Sometimes the service is a little slow and inattentive, but most of the employees are usually nice and helpful. It largely depends on who is behind the counter that day.
If you have a hankering for some chocolate, this is the place to be. Plus, they love handing out free samples to customers, so it’s not hard to fall in love with something new that you haven’t tried before.

Visited Schakolad today for Valentine’s Day… my treat was to pick out my own box of chocolates. The store smelled heavenly and the display cases full of goodies was enticing… you could see the chocolates being made and there was a very good variety to choose from. We got the 15 chocolate box for $ 19-​a bit pricey but everything is delicious so far and it was a special occasion. My only critique is that some of the chocolates were too large to fit in the box and we had to eliminate some of our choices. But I’d definitely go back!

What a lovely place to stop for a little treat! There is so much to choose from and the woman who waited on me was a gem. The shop has everything imaginable from truffles that can be purchased individually to large boxes that can be custom packed. I loved the raspberry ganache! Schakolad is in a convenient spot in downtown, and they are open late — perfect for a dessert after dining in Ann Arbor! Love this spot!

Not as much of a selection as I had hoped, and the chocolate wasn’t spectacular. But it wasn’t overly expensive compared to other chocolate shops. The dark chocolate dipped crystallized ginger was a nice change. There really isn’t much else to say shout this place, but sometimes that’s a good thing… it’s a safe place to get a decent piece of chocolate.

The name was intriguing and I really thought I’d discovered a gem in Ann Arbor. My husband and I selected 4 different truffles to share: white chocolate cherry, dark chocolate sea salt, chocolate ganache, and a chocolate caramel to try. Neither of us were all that impressed with the chocolate. The chocolates just weren’t that interesting or delicious. I’m sad to admit this since I’m typically not a big fan of chain businesses, but I must admit I prefer the chocolates at See’s Candies.
I thought this place was unique as I’d never heard of Schakolad (pronounced shaq-​oh-​LAD) before in California or Arizona (where I spend most of my time) and it claims to be «one of the truly custom retail chocolate boutiques in the business.» While the name of the store and display of chocolate were enough to entice me in, the quality of the chocolate and price will keep me at bay in the future. What was most disappointing was not the just «so-​so» chocolates, but learning that the name Schakolad is just a made up word based on the owner’s last name. If you can’t stand behind your product and instead have to make up a word for your business, I thinks that says something…

THE CHOCOLATE: not that pretty, not that interesting. I’d rather go to Babo and get some interesting well-​made chocolate with a story.
THE SERVICE: the woman behind the counter seemed distracted and uninterested. I don’t think she cracked a smile once.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Don’t bother.

Went and got a free truffle for my boyfriend’s birthday! He chose the butterscotch, which was delicious! Not too chewy, and I don’t even like butterscotch all that much…
She even gave me a free one too! Staff was very nice, I’ll have to say, and even recommended other places nearby that give free birthday treats (like Cupcake Station, right around the corner basically)
definitely will go again!

Stopped in to buy a chocolate here yesterday and the guy behind the counter was so nice and ended up giving my friend and me three free chocolates! I had one of the milk chocolate peanut butter cups and a Macallan truffle and both were delicious!

Got some Valentine’s day chocolate here and they had some solid selections. Chocolate is fantastic, and the girlfriend grazed on them for days!
They also had boxes that could hold anywhere from 2 – 4 chocolates to 16+, so chocolate for all of the herd!

What a difference a person makes!
I have never been impressed with Schakolad. The stores are franchises and are pretty much cookie cutter. Chocolate’s okay, so the people inside have to make you want to stop and spend.
Today, I happened to stop in and was entranced by the accent of the young man behind the counter. He was finishing up a cornucopia for a customer and when I asked him the price, he told me it wasn’t for sale, but if I wanted to order one, he’d be happy to make one up for me. Since I was crunched for time, I demurred, but had to ask where he was from. He told me Haiti and while we talked he made me want to buy something because of his warm and friendly manner.
I don’t know if he owns the store, but he is definitely a treasure!

The real deal — this place is overflowing with chocolate goodness. When you walk in you are hit by chocolate scented air and might even be waited on by the owner.
We sampled their hot chocolate — probably the best I’ve tasted outside of Paris. Thick rich chocolate with steamed milk (caution — keep stirring the concoction to get the ultimate chocolate experience). The perfect solution for a cold day.
We also tried some of their chocolates, but they didn’t match the quality of the hot chocolate so just stick with that.

Tried their hot chocolate. Delicious!
They use real chocolate and it’s piping hot as you would expect. They have other sweet morsels and giant chocolate molds.
Small quiet lounging area makes a great place to relax in the freezing weather.
One place for improvement would be their staff. One staff was on earphones as she was working. Not a big deal as she was very nice (but softspoken) when she helped us.

Frickin fabulous chocolate! I picked out 5 pieces and it’s nice that all of the pieces were the same price by pound. Cost about $ 6. Oh but what a treat. Anything more that I treat, I wouldn’t recommend, but it is oh so good.
Did i mention Yumm?

Carillon Chocolates changed into Chocolate House again and their hot chocolate changed as well. Thinner, less chocolaty and more disappointing, a quest to find another cup of hot chocolate began
–and ended on Washington St. in Ann Arbor @ Schakolad.
Despite it’s difficult spelling, this is place has everything that marks a great cup of hot chocolate. Option of which type of chocolate you want (Dark, Milk or White), a thickness that coats your mouth when you drink only a sip and a bottom littered with a beautiful remnants of the liquid joy that you just enjoyed.
Not only is the hot chocolate up to par (if not better) than Carillon Chocolate’s cup of the good stuff, but the service is as well. The man who works behind the counter does not only makes you smile, but generously grants jokes but great service with the occasional extra sweet treat.
My heart is filled with joy, chocolate and anticipation of my next visit here!

I don’t stress out too much about spending money on good chocolate because good chocolate is something of a religious experience for me. Schakolad is nice in that they have great chocolate without it being break your wallet expensive. I know $ 15 may seem like a lot for a 15 piece box but if you look at Vosges a 16 piece box will set you back around $ 40 bucks. Doesn’t seem so bad now, does it? Granted Schakolad doesn’t quite do the same level of exotic chocolates as Vosges but what they do do they do quite well.
They mostly stick to your standard fare – fruits, liquors, nuts. I’m a bit of a dark chocolate fanatic so I do love their Grand Marnier ganache and their raspberry ganache is fruity heaven. Fillings are fun but if you’re into simple you can’t go wrong with just their plain dark chocolate (which they’ll mold into some really adorable shapes should you have the need). Every time I visit I attempt to reign myself in so I’ve unfortunately not tried everything but I can’t say I’ve gone wrong with anything I’ve had here. I also seem to find myself there in the wintertime and I never leave without a cup of hot chocolate. Their hot chocolate is just as tasty as you could imagine. A thick and rich beverage which borders more on sipping chocolate than your standard café hot chocolate.
So if you’re looking for great chocolate but a bar of Vosges at Zingerman’s is a little out of your price range head over to Schakolad where you’ll save your pennies but you won’t skimp on taste.