Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop carries the name of Domenico Ghirardelli, the Italian immigrant who started making chocolate in San Francisco in 1852. This River North location brings that legacy to Chicago in retail-and-parlor form: a counter serving sundaes, shakes, and scooped ice cream alongside the company's boxed and bulk chocolates.
The hot fudge sundae is the shop's calling card, built on Ghirardelli's own chocolate sauce, and the space functions as much as a chocolate shop as an ice cream counter — squares and bars line the retail side for takeaway.
The brand's pastry program has drawn national recognition elsewhere, with a James Beard Foundation Outstanding Pastry Chef finalist nod. Locally, opinions on the Chicago shop split along familiar lines for a tourist-heavy retail spot: some regulars keep coming back for the sundaes, while others have noted portions and value shifting over time.
The hot fudge sundae is the shop's calling card, built on Ghirardelli's own chocolate sauce, and the space functions as much as a chocolate shop as an ice cream counter — squares and bars line the retail side for takeaway.
The brand's pastry program has drawn national recognition elsewhere, with a James Beard Foundation Outstanding Pastry Chef finalist nod. Locally, opinions on the Chicago shop split along familiar lines for a tourist-heavy retail spot: some regulars keep coming back for the sundaes, while others have noted portions and value shifting over time.