Shokolad

Raspberry crepes have fresh berries and the borscht is great.

I really like this place. The food is simple and tasty. I usually always get the pelmeni (mmm… With white vinegar) and/​or the cheese blitzes. My husband has tried some of there specialties like the duck and the pork dishes. Their prices are more than reasonable, and the food is always delicious. As previous reviewers mentioned, the service can be a little slow but, for a Weekend brunch, why would you be in a rush anyway ;).

Very tasty food, feels like in Ukraine (i was visiting my friends there a few month ago). Salads were a specialy fresh and yummy. My husband in love with borsh. I will definitely recommend it to my friends.

A few weeks ago while randomly walking down the street from my barber appointment, I stumbled onto this pastry and café spot. Having a sweet tooth that afternoon, my focus was on a cup of coffee and something savory to satisfy my palette. To my amazement, I was pleasantly surprised what this small place offered which was delightful.
First, I realized that as a French speaking individual that I was not the only Ex-​pat in the place. As I quickly learned, most of the patrons were Ukrainian.
Second, the coffee was great and the atmosphere what I expected from a small shop.
Third, the hostess and server at the front were ever so graceful in helping me maneuver the menu and pastries to hone in on what would satisfy my flavored taste.
Fourth and last, worth mentioned that as an African American, I felt at home in the restaurant as any other patron would feel. And to that end, I send kudos to the hostesses for being so humble in welcoming all patrons.
Another local ethnic small business that deserves our neighborhood attention. Stop by and say hello while you enjoy a great cup of coffee and great sweet treats.

After staying in the Ukrainian Village for a few days, I noted to my husband that we hadn’t had any Eastern European food. We had stuffed ourselves with hot dogs, Japanese food, and exotic cocktails, but hadn’t sampled any Old World cooking. We had seen charming babushkas and heard the church bells from the Orthodox churches, but I had yet to plunk pelmeni in my mouth, and that was a problem.
We found Shokolad and all was well. The borscht was phenomenal and full of flavor which comes with a few tasty rolls on the side. We sampled some of their exceptional pierogies-​some with meat and some with mushroom and potato. All of this loveliness was ours for under $ 20, and managed to be filling without being overwhelming. This was one of the last meals of our Chicago trip, so we were waddling around like penguins from all of the rich food that we had eaten.
Definitely a stand-​out in this charming part of town.

Shokolad. A pastry & café.
A dining experience.
This corner café brings the charm of a quaint Ukrainian town, to the streets of Humboldt park.
They provide a variety of breakfast, lunch, and pastry treats. Whether you are craving a hearty meal, a light snack, or even just a cup of coffee, this spot is sure to fill all of your needs.

Old World charming. A European café, in the sense that you can order anything – from coffee to a snack to a full meal – in nicely decorated surroundings, and feel comfortable and well-​taken care of. Having a place like this – in every neighborhood if not on every corner – is what we lost because of Starbuck$. With Starbuck$ invading Europe and replacing local cafes, it’s easy to understand why U.S. food franchises are hated over there.
But I digress. Here the borscht (they call it borsch) is a tasty beet soup with a chicken stock base, served warm. Although some call it sweet, the only sweetness comes from the beets. In my opinion this borscht is right in the middle, between the ones with added sugar that are cloying and the ones that are tart. Here there is a nice mix of shredded cabbage and diced beets in the soup; often you get one or the other. Served with delicious brioche rolls. Then came sweet cheese crepes, which were the same as blintzes except they were folded into triangles instead of rounds. The crepes were incredibly fresh tasting and delicious, and the sweet cheese filling was rich, for a perfect combination. Topped with powdered sugar and served with berry compote and whipped cream, this dish could not be better.
So if you never experienced the homemade creations of an East European grandmother or two, come here to catch up on all the Old World goodies before they’re completely gone and forgotten.

The pastries are good here. I sometimes run in and grab them before visiting some of my teachers. A friend had an ok sandwich from here. The thing is, they aren’t always the friendliest and most attentive place. My friends got a coffee to go from here and said it was decent. In this neighborhood it’s not one of my go to’s.

The BEST Ukrainian food ever. My wife and SIL are from Ukrainian grandparents that came over on the boat in 1913 and they say that Shokolad is as good as they ate when they were children (1948 – 58). Shokolad was filmed by NBC in Chicago on how to make perogies.

We love this place. We consider it a neighborhood gem. The crepes are great. All the food is clean and authentic. The service is spot on. The atmosphere is family oriented. We are lucky to have them just around the block

This was my first time trying borscht and pierogies — super delicious! We got the mushroom and potato pierogies in a creamy tarragon sauce (per the suggestion of the waitress). Definitely a great first experience. We also got the roast beef panini which was amazing. If we ever go back, will definitely try some of the desserts.
Also, our waitress was super sweet. A great stop in Ukranian Village!

The egg sandwich is good. Some items I find a little over priced. The servers are nice. The Ukrainian aspect is authentic to the neighborhood which is nice.

I love Shokolad! I’ve been brunching, lunching, dining and everything in between pretty much since they opened up 5 years ago. Naturally, it was my go-​to when it came to ordering my wedding cake. We met with the chef, Halyna, she was so sweet and accommodating with helping us decide the flavors/​fillings/​decorating details. The cake testing was a lot of fun and our 4 tier wedding cake was delicious, carefully delivered and beautiful :) Thanks Shokolad!

Love butter? Love better? Come here. Real food by real people.
I have been a regular here for several years. The coffee is strong. The cookies are huge and the breakfast sandwiches are big and delicious. Every time I cone here something new catches my were and I walk out with something more than i walked in for.
Also the baristas are super cute.

Wow. This place is just a total standout.
The space feels extraordinarily European — it’s clean, well lit, all the details are right down to the feel of the glasses of water and the carafes they leave on the table. The woman who works the register and who waits the tables is Eastern European, and it feels all the more authentic when elderly Ukrainian couples come in and start doing shots at the table next to you (it’s BYO, FYI — and yes, this did happen; there were several rounds of shots).
The food is at the perfect price point, and all of it is perfect for what it is. I’ll admit — I’ve only had sandwiches and ice cream here. But they’ve all been really, really good. And they come with two coleslaws, though it doesn’t seem quite right to call them that; one a vinegary cabbage slaw, and another carrot one. Both are entirely fresh and clean tasting, and it’s so refreshing to have a sandwich that doesn’t come with potato chips or french fries. I couldn’t pick between the two if I wanted to.
The sandwiches themselves are on buttery, pressed bread, and are never too dry — I’m not sure how they seem to ensure it every single time. And I would be remiss not to mention the stunning cakes in the glass case near the front.
This place is great. The only downside is that they close at 6pm. Clearly they know their clientele. :)

Loved every bite! We had great food and wonderful service. Can’t wait to go back. While you’re there make sure that you try there pierogies. They are very delicate and all in a very unique sauce.

The food: ⁵⁄₅. It’s everything you’d expect from your typical Eastern European fare. Their menu is tailored to Eastern Europeans, as well as the least adventurous locals. Being Ukrainian, I always go for the crepes, which never disappoint. My companion had a ham& cheese omelet and a French toast and said he enjoyed the meal.
The service: ³⁄₅. While the waitresses are surprisingly friendly, there are usually only 2 of them, with one working the counter and the other one waiting on tables. Sunday brunch gets very busy, so prepare to wait for a while if you go then.
Overall: ⁴⁄₅. Would recommend for brunch whether or not you’re up to trying Ukrainian food.

Group of ladies came here after the visit to Ukrainian Museum nearby for lunch. Everyone was happy with their soup, sandwiches or cakes.
We were served shortly after ordering. Friendly service!
Good business they have.

We were doing some other business in the area and were looking for a place to eat lunch. We stumbled upon this gem and to say that we were impressed is an understatement. The service was very attentive without being overbearing. The interior was nicely made up and welcoming. The food was amazing!
I ordered the potato pancakes with mushroom sauce along with the borsch. I’ve never had borsch before, but I am totally a fan now. The potato pancakes were very filling, delicious, and satisfying. The flavors of both were surprising (in a good way) and left us discussing how much we love their food.
We also had some raspberry crepes which were very well crafted.
We left pleasantly full and extremely satisfied with Shokolad but little did we know that we’d be back.
Fast forward a few hours and it was time to eat again, and we were still in the neighborhood. We were so impressed with our last experience that we thought it would be foolish to pass on another dining experience here. We ordered more borsch and some pierogies. Once again we were amazed at the flavors, service, and tastes.
Bottome Line:
Borsch=awesome, potato pancakes=awesome, this place=awesome

Everything was deliciously perfect at our first culinary experience at the quaint lil Shokolad Café!
My husband and I were wandering the streets around here with some time to kill and decided to pop in here. We were pleasantly greeted by a kind woman (possibly named Tania, as it was printed on our receipt) as we walked in for our first Ukrainian dining experience, and it was WONDERFUL!
After we were seated and began browsing the menu, a 1 liter caraffe of water was placed before us, which I know is not a big deal, but little touches like this make me very happy… I tend to consume enormous amounts of agua when eating.
We started off with a large bowl of the Borshch which came with a side of 2 rolls (see my pictures) and it was completely foreign to us to have magenta colored soup, but it was stellar! The spices were so perfectly flavorful, we were both quickly slurping it up… nice image I know, but we ate it as fast as politely possible, it was so darn good!
Then our potato pancakes w/​mushrooms & coslaw, and 3 rasp2 crepes came out. We ended up sharing everything because it was too delicious not to share! Each bit was better than the last, it was sensational!
The nice lady who greeted & seated us was perfectly timing visiting our table for water refills and chit chat, she was lovely and personable.
We ended our Ukrainian culinary experience with a Chocolate Mousse cake with Passion Fruit layer to go, and went back to wandering the neighborhood & errands down on the shirt 3 mile jaunt to the Magnificent Mile… all the while raving to each other how AWESOME our lunch had been! Deliciously amazing food, local small business, fair prices, classy updated décor & fun atmosphere, if we lived downtown, this would quickly become one of our favorite regularly attended spots.
As it turned out, we ended up going back hours later, after we were done with our shopping and cruising the Magnificent Mile, and grew hungry again. We both decided we should absolutely stop here again on our way back out to the ‘burbs. We rushed over because they close by 6pm, quite early, and it seemed strange for us, but as long as they still had some of that sweet sweet hot magenta stew, we would be happy!
So for our 2^nd meal time here in 1 day, we ordered the Borschsh, a large bowl again of course, and decided to try their most popular flavor of perogis: The Mushroom & Terragon. They come in 1 dozen, unless you specify that you only want the half dozen. We got just 6, but we should have known how delectable they would be and gone with the full dozen! Ohhh my word, they came out, and were presented to us swimming in a gorgeously comforting cream sauce. Best. Perogis. Ever. I’ll admit they are a bit newer to us, just the past few years, but these took the cake for numero 1 top perogis in our book.
They have a cooler case in front with drool-​worthy baked goods, and I had to exercise great will power strength not to take them all home with me, they all looked so appetizi, and everything we had here had been absolutely stunning in flavor and quality… it felt as if we were guests in this nice gal’s home and she was feeding us her homemade treasures from recipes perfected over the decades.
Seriously this place is the bomb dot com.
My husband and I might need to do some business in the neighborhood again soon, and we talked about making a stop back in here again, or heck we might just make the hike from the ‘burbz just because we want to be back here!
Can’t wait until our next bowl of hot steaming magenta amazingness!
Que the omnomnomss…