Garrett Popcorn Shops

I love Garret’s Popcorn! The Chicago mix is delicious. It’s a nice blend of savory and sweet, with the cheese and Carmel corn. They now also have a spicy cheese flavor, (which I’m eating as I write this) that is to die for, and justifies this Unilocal post. If you like spicy foods, you need to try it! Garret’s has always been a staple every time that I visited Chicago, and now that I live here I can’t get enough. This location is right next to DePaul, which is an optimal location to stop in to get a sneaky treat to or from school. The service I always receive from this Garret’s is also outstanding.

«A moment on your lips, a lifetime on the hips.»
Screw that! I’m a sucker for anything sweet and salty so to my utmost glee, it was a no-​brainer to get the biggest bag of GARRETT MIX aka CHICAGO MIX popcorn (Jumbo/​$ 14) — CheeseCorn and CaramelCrisp mixed together. Trust me when I say there’s no stopping once you start munching on these.
The Cashew CaramelCrisp was delicious too, thanks for the sampling you can do inside the store. I already knew what I wanted before coming in without plans of trying anything else but the guy helping us out was pretty convincing about us trying other flavors. They actually encourage you to sample away so don’t be shy about it.
They also sell popcorn in souvenir cans but that doubles the price. Nice for gifts, sure, but for personal consumption, go big in a bag. Don’t worry about it getting stale because if you won’t consume it in a day (I know you will after having a taste of it), you can always move it to an airtight container and it should last you for a week or so.
Two words: GARRETT MIX!

Best popcorn that I have ever had. Garrett’s is one of the things I look forward to most when coming home to visit.

The staff at this location is every friendly. They made me feel at home. I am a Chicago native that has lived in San Diego for the past 12 years. It had been many many years since I’ve had their classic caramel and cheese corn. It is exactly as I remember, perfect in every way. I purchased the snow flake 12 pack filled the same above. Thank you to the two ladies and gentleman who helped me!

You know you’re near a Garett Popcorn shop when you can smell it from a block away. The Chicago mix is the perfect ratio of sweet and saltiness, a combination of cheese and caramel. How can popcorn taste so good?!? There is almost always a line though employees are quick and the wait is never too long. Don’t forget to bring some home, especially if you are visiting.
P.S– not suitable to those who are allergic to nuts.

There is nothing like the greasy, sweet and salty awesomeness that comes with every bite from their Chicago mix! Bad around the waistline, but so good in the tummy! I host couchsurfers and I generally say it’s a must stop for anybody who is not overly health conscious. But hey, they’ve got to balance out all the calories they burn walking around the city and lakeside, right?
When you enter any of the locations, you’ll likely find a line. It’s because the popcorn is worth it. Though it’s a little spendy for what you get, I have yet to hear anybody I know complain much about it. When my family visited, they made three stops over four days. Now, my dad does like his ice cream and related junk food, but my family’s appreciation for Garrett’s just goes to show that the popcorn is good. Enjoy!

Garret’s Chicago Mix = chest popcorn & better than you’ve ever had caramel popcorn. It’s the best! Annnnd they also have caramel popcorn clusters with almonds, cashews or pecans. Of course you can buy the cheesy or caramel alone and you can even keep it simple and choose buttery popcorn.

I absolutely love garretts popcorn! I’m from the suburbs and pretty much every time I come to the city I get garretts popcorn and I’ll pick some up for friends/​family or anyone I feel like that deserves a delicious sweet taste of garretts popcorn. They also have tins that you can have wrapped/​sealed if you want to ship/​send anyone garretts popcorn. I know it’s a Chicago thing so if your looking to give someone a «taste» of Chicago this is a super nice treat for them. They make it fresh daily and I actually had to wait 10 minutes because they ran out of it… So I had it nice and hot! They also have free samples so if you want to try any of the different kinds, which is super awesome!

Great popcorn that I’ve ever met! Fall in love with caramel chips!!! So delicious~ Nice advise for you, bring water with you! The popcorn is too sweet. Lol

Best caramelcorn and cheese popcorn I’ve ever had. Is there much more to say? Oh, get the mix if you can’t decide!

The Mecca of popcorn places. If you happen to see this place in any of your travels or you happen to be in Chicago, stop in and get the Chicago mix and you can’t go wrong.
Even better, if you can’t go the store in person, you can order online and it is shipped to your home.

The next time I ever go back to Chicago, I gotta hit up Garrett’s again because their popcorn is ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. Reminds me of my dreams where baby unicorns are jumping over countless rainbows and fluffy clouds in the sky. It’s happiness.
I could smell them with my eyes even as I was outside the door… Garrett’s popcorn aroma is one of a kind. They had glass boxes filled to the top with cheese, caramel, chocolate, and nut covered popcorn goodness. It’s a lot to handle if you’re a first timer like me. I highly suggest that when they offer you to sample, you take a bite of EACH FLAVOR so your tastebuds can experience a treat.
HIGHLY recommend the Garrett mix — which is Chicago’s classic. Whoever thought of mixing cheese and caramel together is a genius. It’s exactly how you would think it tastes like, sweet and salty crunchiness… the two flavors compliment each other very well. I also ended up buying the chocolate covered popcorn, but I think that flavor was for a limited time or a seasonal one.
Garrett’s was so good that I actually wanted to ship some popcorn back home in Hawaii. They did offer different sized tins, ranging from a quart to even gallons. I happened to use two quart sized ones and the tin designs were lovely. I happened to get my favorite colors — pink and silver hehe.
Now, the only downside to Garrett’s popcorn is yes. the freshness. Once you get it, it’s best to eat as much as you can ASAP because in my experience… the cheese gets soggy the next day :(The caramel and chocolate covered ones lasted longer. Also, if you plan on shipping your tins back via USPS… DON’T DO IT. They freeze-​dry the tins, however I think due to air compression and travel between states… the lids on my tins ended up opening a little and my tins sorta got. deformed? I was disappointed, but they weren’t that bad and the popcorn was still good. Though I would suggest putting the tins in your carry on luggage if possible!

Best pop corn in Chicago must get when you get here. I love the mix cheese and caramel plus the pea in caramel crisp I love the almond caramel crisp

My husband and I were almost running to get back to Union Station along Jackson when…*sniff-sniff*; the smell of sweet caramel corn hit my nose. We crossed the street and went into the simple yet gourmet shop to get some corn to go.
I’m normally a caramel corn girl all the way, but the 3 people in front of me got a mix… so, I copied them. This delicious mix was equal parts caramel corn and cheddar corn, shaken together in the bag by the pros behind the counter.
We had a 40 minute train ride and nothing but crumbs left when we got off the train! Next time, we’ll spring for a large, teehee.
Tip: grab the finger wipes and a few napkins!
Con: they use 3 bags to give us our 1 bag. I’m asking for 1 only next time!

Everyone told us that Garrett’s was the place to get popcorn while visiting Chicago, so we decided it was a must try. We made it there right before closing. The employees were nice and filled our orders quickly. I tried the Garrett mix, and it was good, but I found that smaller portions are better of it. Don’t go for the jumbo bag! I’ve heard the popcorn is fresher earlier in the day, so if I went back, I’d try to go earlier.

3.5 stars
I had no idea that caramel corn + cheese popcorn was a Chicago classic. This is what we bought back for our friends/​family/​coworkers as a souvenir. The caramel corn travels well, but the cheese doesn’t and becomes soggy very fast. Nonetheless, everyone enjoyed it. The caramel corn comes in a variety of different nuts: pecan, cashew, and almonds. There is also chocolate covered popcorn, which we did not try.
Personally, I don’t fully understand the combo of caramel and cheese, but they are both good.

I first had this at Planet Hollywood in Vegas so when I went to Chicago, I had to get it from the original. The chicago mix is the way to go since you want sweet caramel but salty cheese. Both flavors are so extreme. The cheese is sooo cheesey and buttery and then the caramel is so damn sweet it hurts. But you just gotta buy it and eat it. It gets soggy the next day, still edible, but by the third day, youre donesies. Eat it right when you get it and you will be happy hehe. This is a great souvenir if you see the person soon.

Favorite of the Garretts. Had great service here and great popcorn. The Chicagoans on the other hand-​they aren’t messing around. Don’t screw up your order or you’ll hear it from em!

Nothing beats fresh caramel popcorn mixed with cheesy cheddar popcorn to highlight the sweetness. Perfect mix of two taste bud experiences.
That said, what time you buy this popcorn is very important. When I’ve gotten it before noon, while they’re still popping fresh corn, it is really good. When I got it the other day 30 minutes before closing, the popcorn definitely was stale. What, you’re not going to pop a whole batch just for me right before you clean up the shop just so my entitled butt can have hot caramel popcorn? Yeah, I get that.
Worth the wait in line for the fresh stuff.

Popcorn isn’t something I’m normally enthusiastic about. BUT… every time I have Garrett’s Chicago Mix, I’m like #blessed #soblessed.
Also, f*#k that company in Minnesota. Garrett’s will always be the rightful owners of the Chicago Mix name.
Whenever you’re downtown, it’d behoove you to stop in and pick up some Garrett’s. So pray there isn’t a long line of tourists and don’t tell your family you’re there or they’ll ask you to get them some.