Dylan’s Candy Bar

Sugar High? Yes! You will get it even if you don’t touch a piece! I heard about this place on a talk show that it was owned by Dylan, Ralph Laurens daughter. Everyone talks about the candy which is amazing and brings back memories from when I could eat candy without a care in the world… but wait for it. there is a full bar inside the store. You cant leave the bar to go into the store so I recommend getting your candy first and then try some of the candy inspired drinks. Perfect for a small bachelorette party or girls night (there are kids nearby so don’t get too wild but a nice idea) We ate all our candy before we got to the hotel so we had to go back the next day. Happy that Chicago is a place you can walk off the candy before it hit the hips.

Kid in a candy store that has drinks!
If Willy Wonka had a wonderland for adults, the bar inside would be it. I had no clue Dylan’s served liquor until walking in to this heaven and seeing the bar inside. It was like seeing the pearly gates of heaven. My first question for the bartender: «can I walk around the candy store with my drink??» I wanted the best of both.
While I couldn’t take the drink outside the bar, I got my sugar high from the awesome cocktails. I had a pop rocks explosion, sampled some of my friend’s drunken sour patch and shared a birthday cake shot. Half the fun was just watching the bartender make the drinks. My friends and I were very giddy walking in and even more giddy walking out. Even though they have candy in them, these drinks are potent.
I love Dylan’s (more so the bar)! I can’t wait to go back for some more crazy candy and cocktails.

Dylan’s Candy Bar is located on a corner right across the street from the Corner Bakery Café and Starbucks.
Current Unilocal Check In Deal: 10% off total purchase, 20% off café purchases (check out their special happy hour
This late afternoon, my husband and I stopped by Dylan’s since we were walking the Magnificent Mile. As soon as you see walk in, you can already tell how fun a store like this could be. With it’s cute and whimsy candy like décor, you know it’s gotta to be good (and also a big tourist trap).
Just as you would guest, this store sells candy (including candy themed clothing and other random cute items). One thing that made me laugh was the gummy chicken feet (lol).
Anyways, on the 2^nd floor is the fudge bar, Here you can get as many samples as you want. But the best buy in this bar is the chocolate covered graham cracker (with your choice of 1 topping), as it will only run you $ 1 even (yep, that’s it… tax included). However, I do have to mention that the male employee who making this treat used the same glove to handle payment and dip the graham cracker into the chocolate fountain.
On the 1^st floor is the café (check out the adult only Happy Hour: Monday– Friday 1 – 4 pm) where you can find sweet treats/​desserts, adult beverages and entrée food items (so not just desserts).
Definitely worth a visit if you are in downtown Chicago and are in the mood for a little something sweet.

In the wise words of rapper Trick Daddy, «Hold on! Wait one mothaf*uckin’ minute! You’re telling me a giant, two floor candy store has a bar inside of it where you can get some of the best cocktails in town? Ummm, where do I sign up to own stock in this place?!
After opening the doors to walk inside, you’re instantly mesmerized by the crazy, candyland-​like décor for your inner child to go buck wild. It’s okay, y’all, let loose here… no one will judge (except maybe your dentist or endocrinologist, if you’re a diabetic. Lol). There is a wide, wide, wide selection of candy here you can choose from! ranging from chocolates of all kind to sour patch or worms. They have a celebrity section too where famous people who have gone in have chosen their favorite candy and they display it. Like a little celeb candy museum. Cute.
But what’s better than the candy itself? The candy cocktails! I’m talkin’ pop rocks martini that actually pop in your mouth while consuming every sip, cotton candy martini that has an actual wad of the pink, cotton-​like guilty pleasure, and a sour patch kids mixed vodka drink that’ll def get you tipsied and smiling fo dayzz — all of which are delicious as hell and worth every dollar. Yum!
The prices are steep here but I heard they have happy hour! What’s better than happy hour drink specials? Only a happy kid in a candy store! ;)

Fun place. I love the colors and atmosphere.
My kids enjoyed filling their paint can with all of their favorite sweets.
A definite must stop in if you’re cruising Michigan Ave.

This is a fun place to visit. Just like walking through Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory I would assume. Yes the candy is way overpriced. And yes it’s a little strange that the concept of the place is based off some spoiled little rich girl asking her daddy for her own candy store/​space to display her stuffed bunny collection. very Veruca Salt vibe to the whole thing. But anywho. if you look past all that its just a fun little candy shop to visit when you’re in town.

Definitely cool.
Definitely overpriced.

This place gets 4 stars because the store is truly like stepping into Willy Wonka’s home. They have so much candy and everything is so fun it’s amazing. The bar gets 3 stars. Walked in and it took so long for someone to come up and greet us. We ended up sitting at the counter since we were just having drinks, but when we got up there we were not greeted at all. Sat for about 5 minutes before I finally said «ok I’m ready» and then the bartender finally acknowledged me and asked what I wanted. The jabber jaw was amazing and was garnished with a gummy shark which was pretty cute.

Dylan’s Candy Bar was absolutely EPIC! I felt like i was in the movie with willy wonka. They had 2 floors of candy, chocolate, merchandise, gifts ect.
On the first floor, there was an entire floor of candy, mechandise & gifts. There is also a coffee bar with bakery, a REAL full bar & little café to eat.
Upstairs theres was even more gifts and mechandise. The second floor also held the fudge, chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate fountain. along with rice krispies, strawberries and marshmallows to dip in. We ordered pretzels and smores fudge. It was amazing.
Dylans was so cool that we stopped by twice on our 3 day trip. They play cool 60s-​70s soda shop music. It was awesome here!!!

OMG!!! CANDY!
I mean who doesn’t love a candy store?
Three freaking floors of diabetes inducing yum.
I could have spent much more time and much more money there, but was able to exert a little self control, not much, but enough.
Will definitely pop in any time I’m in Chicago to load up. Especially on some of the more niche things from my child hood or overseas that aren’t easy to come by.

This would easily be every kids dream. I mean they have everything candy-​related you could ever think of! And a fondue station, plus a little café right in the store. Crazy prices up the you-​know-​what haha, but it is on Michigan Ave so not much of a surprise there. It smells like sugar on the 1^st floor and pure chocolate on the 2^nd floor!

Wow, wow, wow — i so want my birthday party in the party room!
So many options, old school, new school, by color, by type etc!
Cow tails, foreign options, jellie bellies of all colors, gummies of all types.
Staff is friendly but doesn’t get into your business.
Pro tip:
start at the bottom, and then head up and around up, then back down to pay (back o the store) and out!
I could definitely spend alot of time and money here. Luckily it’s not near home!

I loooooooved this place!!! It was so awesome that we had to come back twice on our short trip! As a major candy fiend, you can’t do much better. Man, I wish our Sweet Factory was half as awesome as Dylan’s!
Retro candy section and FUDGE section were my two faves. They make their own giant button candy! It’s softer than normal button candy and tastes yummy. I only tried 3 fudges upstairs (I know, what was I thinking), cherry cordial, apple cinnamon and red velvet. I wasn’t a fan of the red velvet, but the other two were phenomenal.
They have a very small international candy section upstairs… I really wish the Japanese candy section had more interesting stuff. They had Hichew in there, I mean seriously? You can get Hichew at the grocery store!
Other than the crappy international section, Dylan’s is awesome. Some complain about the bulk candy bins being expensive, but they have stuff in there I’ve never seen before. INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED FRUIT SLICES. I almost died. That’s like my favorite candy.
The décor and music is super fun here too. All of the songs are candy related! I didn’t try the restaurant, but maybe next time. And there will be a next time, because Dylan’s is AWESOMEEEE.

Time to try a new restaurant, checked
and decided to try Dylan’s. I didn’t realize there is a restaurant in this candy store.
Upon entering this candy store… it visual and sensory over load with the sight and smell of the candy. The restaurant is to the right. The hostess stand is right next to the door so I was seated right away.
The décor is very decorative — very whimsical. The noise level was average, at least the time I was there.
Christina, server, had greeted me within a few minutes after being seated. She was pleasant. Since I knew what I wanted, I had ordered right away. Ordered the curly fries and an order of pig in the blankets.
Few minutes later, the food was delivered to me. The fries were seasoned just right — really nothing special. The pigs in the blankets were really good. The crust was nice and flaky.
Christina made sure everything was okay. Then she went MIA for about 10 — 15 minutes. The restaurant is not that big. When she resurfaced, it was to late for dessert — check time.
This restaurant is off of my bucket list It’s okay for a very casual restaurant.

I was excited for Dylan’s Candy Bar to be open this time around to Chicago. We stopped in here to check it out before heading back to Cincinnati. When walking in you feel like you’re in this crazy candy wonderland universe. It’s a pretty cute store design wise. Obviously, there are lots of sweets. Lots of candies, Jelly Bellies, and chocolates. A bar for sweet drinks. Two floors. Lots to look around at. The store is full of also cool candy influenced or inspired merchandise.
It was cool going in and checking it out. I only left with a «Mean Girls» and Dylan’s Candy Bar collaboration pink hot chocolate called «You Go Glenn, Coco.» Everything just looked really over priced, and it wasn’t anything I couldn’t get from the handful of awesome candy stores in Cincinnati for way cheaper. The staff wasn’t really helpful, welcoming or nice. So, that was a turn off from wanting to spend any money there.
If you’re visiting Chicago, I wouldn’t make this a priority, but if you’re walking by it, I would just take a peek.

I’ve always wanted to go to this place. I was recently in the neighborhood and decided to head in to see what they had. Now, mind you, I’m a huge chocoholic, so I didn’t think there would be much there for me. Boy was I wrong! There was way more of a selection than I expected. And multiple levels! This place has three floors!
On the main level, they had things like Pez dispensers, Star Wars-​themed candy, gummies, etc. One floor up, they had all the old school candy you can think of! Charleston Chew, Dots, Razzles and more. Awesome selection and all the displays were impeccably neat and uniform. One more floor up is the fudge bar — my weakness! I got their brownie fudge: a cosmic brownie covered in fudge. Best. Idea. Ever. I was only bummed that their chocolate covered coffee beans were so expensive. $ 8 for a small bag, when I can go to Albanese in IN and get the same thing for half the price.
Also, the fudge and other candies are not made in-​house, but at their NY location. However, I can overlook these things since they do have so many other great candy and sweet options here. They are a bit pricey, but a) the candy is shipped in from NY and b) this place is located in Streeterville — say no more. I will definitely be coming back here, and bringing my candy-​obsessed friends with me!

What a joy in the heart of the busy city. This is truly a trip the kid at heart will love to go on. Once you walk in you feel like you were transported to another place full of promise and candy. It reminds you of a time when things were simple. They have three floors full of candy greatness. They have some familiar candies in their wrappers from way back in the day. They also have some old classics you don’t see around very often, like the mallow bar. They even have an assortment of Dylan’s chocolate bar with a variety of common flavors for those of us who are more traditional and some unique flavors for those who are adventurous. I really enjoyed the chocolate caramel because you cannot go wrong with that. Another good flavor was the red velvet and chocolate brownie.
I am a chocolate girl, so that is where I gravitated, but they also have sour candies, gummy candies, lollipops, and jelly beans just to name a few. The only down side is the insane prices. I know they are going to charge more because of the ambiance and most of these candies aren’t easy to find, but you could easily spend $ 50 here and it wouldn’t get you as much as you think depending on what you get. We spent $ 35 and bought 5 candy bars and 2 cans of pop. That’s like a meal at a nice restaurant. Now I was excited for my mallow bar and the other treats, but when a snickers bar costs over $ 3 (no I did not get a snickers bar here) you have to say this place is NOT cheap.

Missing NYC, I ventured into the city (Well New York’s little brother) and lo and behold there is a Dylan’s Candy Bar on Michigan Avenue. While it is a «chain» it is not really a «chain» since it is not readily accessible to the masses and is only in NY, Chicago, LA, Miami and the «hamptons» so basically where the cool kids hang out and then «long island».
The Chicago version is a Utopian empire if you need anything gummy, chocolaty or retro. I personally cannot spend too much time here, or I will lose all of my teeth. The bins in the front of the store contain my kryptonite: GUMMIES and will probably cause many fillings to fall out. They also have lollipops (or as you Midwesterners like to call them, suckers) the size of my head in the very front of the store.
I am not a huge fan of chocolate so I rarely get further than the front of the store.
Here are some tips:
1) get there early. I mean, as in, when it opens. Or there will be too many people.
2) Prepare to spend $$$. Things aren’t properly labeled with prices and it can add up quickly.
3) There is Booze. I told you this is heaven. You can die here in a gummy boozy mess.
Enjoy!

This is the kind of place that childhood dreams are made of. It is two floors filled with candy in every color, flavor, and character that you can think of, plus non-​edible candy themed merchandise too.
The bottom floor is mostly comprised of bulk candy like gummies and chocolate covered things. There is a ramp that leads to another floor, which in my opinion is more fun. There is a section for old school candies like candy sticks, Razzles, and wax bottles, which is pretty cool. There’s a fudge counter, and a million kinds of lollipops. There’s also an international candy section, and an entire wall of bulk candies that are sorted by color. I loved the candy-​themed goods like pajamas, pillows, headphones, and leggings. There was also a Hello Kitty section, which I adored.
An issue I had was with the cashiers. There are a good dozen registers scattered on both floors. However, only like half were open and the store was PACKED, so the lines were absolutely terrible. Also, there were TONS of items missing prices. I didn’t buy some stuff simply because it wasn’t worth the hassle of trying to track down a staff member to ask about multiple items without prices.
Still, this place is fun, bright, and colorful. It’s a great place for both kids and kids at heart.

Dylan’s Candy Bar is the ultimate time machine. I was eight years old again the second I walked through the doors.
With two stories filled with vibrant colors and enticing candy, there was so much to see! Some highlights:
Bulk Candy
On the first floor were at least 150 – 175 clear bins full of candy. I saw gummies, jelly beans, chocolates… everything from Techno Gummy Bears to Milk Chocolate Krispies. You pay by weight so you can mix and match to your heart’s content. The best part is that you can sample any of the unwrapped candies. You just ask one of the sales associates (they wear gloves) to grab a piece for you.
Nostalgia Candy
Near the checkout line was a room filled with retro candies from every decade… some I hadn’t seen since I was a child. There were others I had never seen before including Abba-​Zaba (a peanut butter taffy) bar that was originally made in the1920s.
Healthier Candies
Upstairs, there was a selection of sugar-​free treats, milk-​free chocolate bars and nut-​free candy. One I remember seeing was the nut-​free chocolate peanut butter cup. I thought it was cool of DCB to accommodate customers with food allergies and dietary restrictions.
International Candies
My favorite section of the store was stocked with unfamiliar candies from all over the world like Pink Cadillacs from Holland and Yowie from Australia. The Choco Stroopwafel – a caramel waffle disk dipped in Callebaut chocolate – was beyond delicious… my new favorite candy.
After seeing so much variety, I struggled to understand other Unilocaler complaints about the selection being too generic.
It’s true that there was a display of candies like Andes, Milky Way, Snickers and Milk Duds. But how could DCB set up shop in the candy capital of the world and not acknowledge Chicago-​made chocolates? If customers buy candy they could get at a grocery store instead of more exotic offerings… that’s their choice.
The only complaint I had (no star deduction) is that they didn’t put prices on most of the candy. I love surprises but not surprises at the register. I would have liked to know much things cost ahead of time. The items in my basket added up pretty quickly.
That’s a minor quibble about a store that can make you feel like a kid again. My visit to Dylan’s Candy Bar was a fun and unforgettable experience.