Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe – Chicago, IL

I’m torn about Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe. I love the idea of a chocolate cafe. Who wouldn’t? I love the atmosphere inside the place, and the service is usually quite friendly. So why am I torn? Because, while I love the drinks they offer, the truffles we’ve had there have been hit or miss.

We first discovered Moonstruck at the annual chocolate festival held at Garfield Park Conservatory. They were one of the highlights in an otherwise overcrowded cluster fuck of a festival. So, we decided we’d have to make sure we visited their actual storefront one day.

Which, of course, didn’t happen until months after making that decision. My first real memory of Moonstruck was discovering their Chocolate Chai Latte on a colder afternoon before work. I’m a sucker for a good chai latte, and adding chocolate to one of my favorite drinks is just like a little birthday present to me. It’s a delicious drink, the spices blending perfectly with the chocolate and milk. It’s a perfect winter drink.

This past week I discovered their perfect summer drink, the Peanut Butter Shake. I’m a confessed peanut butter and chocolate addict, so this blend of peanut butter, dark chocolate, and ice cream was right up my alley. I’ve been trying my hardest not to go there every day for one of those things, and I’ve been succeeding, if only because at 5 bucks a crack, I’d be whoring myself out for a fix by the end of the year.

Now, if I could end the review there, you’d wander away happy. I haven’t tried their coffee drinks (because coffee is the gross), but if they’re anything like the drinks I have had, you wouldn’t be disappointed. But, BUT, the pastries and truffles we’ve tried have only been okay. The cookie Katie tried this past weekend was a little dry, and stingy on the caramel filling. The pastries all look inventive and fun, like the chocolate mousse pyramid, but none of the ones we’ve tried have blown us away.

The same can be said for the truffles. The extra-bittersweet chocolate truffle is easily our favorite, and that appears to be their simplest truffle. We also enjoyed the Bailey’s Irish Creme Truffle, but I don’t think the marshmallow works in the Hot Fudge Sundae Truffle. I couldn’t really tell what set the French Silk Pie Truffle apart from the simpler chocolate truffles.

We’ve tried a decent amount of them now, having been back a few times, and we’re still on the fence about how we feel. We have noticed, however, that our mothers, aunts and grandmothers who never visit the city are duly impressed by the selection and style that Moonstruck offers whenever we give them as gifts. So, maybe we’re jaded, or just looking for something with a little more flavor to go along with the looks, but Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe seems to be a hit with the 1,000 housewives army.

Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe
320 N. Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60601
312.696.1201