Canady Le Chocolatier

Canady has wonderful high quality chocolate. It’s true – the South Loop location has closed, but Canady has relocated to 2136 W Fulton St, Chicago, IL 60 612. I will have to check out the new locations!

Sadly it’s true, the Wabash store has indeed closed… no idea about their French Market location though. Canady was THE place for an addicted chocoholic like me to get my fix. The quality of chocolates makes Godiva and Fannie Mae look like Hershey’s. Every piece of their beautifully designed chocolate has such an amazing complexity and different flavor notes from first bite to the last. Gelato and other treats were okay, not as good as the chocolates.
Canady is still offering chocolate making classes which I’m looking forward to attending soon someday.

preparation/​/​
this place is pretty nondescript… if i hadn’t looked up and saw chocolatier i would’ve passed by… so be on the look out!
ambiance & service/​/​**
a hole in the wall where you buy and take with you
truffles/​/​**
presentation is pretty cool… from the standard truffle squares/​balls to the elaborate eqyptian pyramids, mummy coffins, and gold tinted fun
yikes! WAY too sweet for my taste! i was looking for coffee to chug down the diabetic sweetness =X
~*~
sorry, not for me
for the sugar nuts, this is the place for you! thick on the chocolate and sugar confection

You could easily miss this little shop on Wabash if you aren’t looking hard enough, but that would truly be a shame.
I had been wanting to try some chocolates from Canady every time I walked past, and I am glad that I finally did. The woman working was extremely kind and helped me pick out my first 4 chocolates. For 4 gourmet chocolates, 5 dollars is not bad at all, and for chocolate lovers like myself, a reasonable price for a weekly treat!
All four chocolates were quite tasty, but I recommend the Tiramisu ganache-​filled chocolate. It had a great crunch but was incredibly smooth on the inside. My chocolate craving has been satisfied, and I will be back the next time it strikes!

This is a total hole-​in-​the-​wall Chocolatier. I’ve also never been to a gelato place where you can’t *see* or *sample* the gelato. However, I must recommend the pomegranate gelato… it is simply exquisite, very refreshing. The taste lingered in our minds for days and days.
The chocolate, in my opinion, is not the best, but is definitely of good quality. It’s a bit sweet for my taste. However, there are some really unique flavors (think tea and alcohol-​infused, fig, etc) and the designs of some of the chocolates are just beautiful. For example, here was a fig flavored chocolate shaped like a Buddha, and it was very well done and detailed. These are the ones I ate:
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Verdict: Pomegranate gelato is ridiculously good. Chocolates are worth it but not the *best* in taste/​quality.

Stopped by on a weekday. Ordered:
— Salted caramel
— Tiramisu ganache
— other chocolates
I liked the chocolates here, which are all made in-​house. Not so sweet where I can feel my tooth enamel ache :)
Light flavors. Tasty.

Canady Chocolatier is a bright little star in the South Loop. The Gelato is exquisite. I’ve seen people waiting around the block for their favorite flavor. When blueberry is available you can feel the buzz. Tasting the blueberry gelato is like biting into a fresh blueberry. Although I have so many favorite flavors, blueberry is just one. The selections are interesting and inspired.
Michael Canady is an elegant man and it’s obvious he has a passion for what he does.
Their chocolates are also the prettiest I’ve ever seen. I’ve bought them as gifts many times for special occasions.
I bring out of town guests all the time to show off this bright little star.

The people here are always very, very nice, so take this review with a grain of salt. I would come back here to try other things they offer.
I’ve given this place a few shots. I came here to try two different types of cookie boxes they sold ($ 8) and tried two flavors of gelato. I was expecting something to blow my mind because of the stellar reviews on Unilocal but nothing was really impressive. The cookies were all cookies that I could have made at home and the gelato didn’t really stand out from the ones I’ve eaten in so many other places.
I love supporting our local small businesses and so will come back but the prices here are pretty steep. Admittedly I haven’t tried the little chocolates they have in the window… too scared to spend a lot of money to be disappointed in little bites of chocolatey goodness.

To: Mr. Canaday: I was not the one complained about the class being longer than scheduled, your fondant container and you being grouchy. Please read the reviews carefully and reply. I did appreciate that we were able to reschedule of the class due to my gf’s dad’s passing.
You definitely mixed up my review with another Unilocaler, Crafty K. Please address your issues to her instead. Thanks.

Interesting. Another review I missed from last year. Walking distance from the Bean and the Art Institute. Small place. Super friendly owner — same guy who was there last year. Really knowledgeable about chocolate (obviously) — just ask for his recommendation.
I’m amazed by the prices. Chocolate Gourmet (boner!) charged something like $ 40 for 9 – 12 truffles. Canady prices by weight — not by individual pieces — and it came out to be really affordable for such a small shop.
We bought 4 pieces, it was around $ 6, I think. I dropped my coffee bean chocolate on the sidewalk but peeled off the bottom and ate it anyway. It was pretty awesome. I’d also really recommend the milk/​white/​dark chocolate truffle (it’s all three in one) — and just ask the man himself.
One thing that bothered me a little — small gripe — was the stack of Groupons by the cash register. Stupid Groupon, makes me feel like I’m losing value.

ohh la la ganache au trois!

we came on a weekday for the gelato glass. It was great of Michael, the owner, to host the class for the two of us. We went ahead and made
peanut butter gelato — EXCELLENT, salty and sweet at the same time
pineapple gelato — ok, still very sweet
pineapple semi freddo — good
he went through the history of gelato and detailed the recipe of gelatins. I loved the fact that he was precise and devoted to his customers/​students and makes delicious chocolate as well!

Seabreeze dark chocolate was AMAZING. This is the best chocolate I’ve had. Period. Next time I’ll try the gelato.

I was a gelato lover even before i took the gelato making class through groupon at Canady Le Chocolatier but now? i have even more respect for the gelato making process
Mr. Canady definitely knows his craft and is a wonderfully friendly man. We had so much fun making different flavors of gelato and got to bring some of our work home to enjoy.
I just had some of my tartufo gelato and might i say, its one of the best gelato i ever had and i made it myself!!!
Thank you Mr. Canady!

As if another 5 star review is needed, probably not. However, it’s well deserved. This is a wonderful find for me on so many levels. The first being they simply have delicious chocolates, yes I’m a chocolate snob and you should be one too. Let’s face it, if you’re going to eat something that has a lot of calories it better be good, why settle for an ordinary candy bar?
In addition to chocolate offerings they have cookies, which were so good my husband dubbed it the best cookie he’s ever eaten.
I just came back from NYC and ran out of goodies from 5^th Avenue Chocolatiere Shop, so something more local needed to be found. After all I can afford to splurge on better chocolate, but I can’t go jetting off to NYC every time I want some, under that scenario I’d need to adjust my cravings or win the lotto.
The other good thing is that they’re located south of the loop, sorry northsider’s you’ll just have to make your way over to this side of town. I love that it only takes me about five minutes to get here. Maybe that’s not a good thing.
If you’re a tourist visiting Chicago go to Lou Malanti’s around the corner a block west order your pizza, if you’re visiting during summer or on a weekend, Lou’s is usually busy, so get that order in. Then come back and pick up your after dinner sweets. This way you’re not just standing around.
Walk back to Lou’s, then walk back here for gelato. If it sounds like a lot of walking back and forth, don’t worry about this, you’ll need to get as much walking in as you can. It’s Chicago, and you can pack on the pounds here easily.

I am excited to join the vast number of people who applaud the yummies at Canady Le Chocolatier!
The Location:
This is a wonderful, little gourmet candy store in the South Loop… find the Caribou Coffee Shop and walk south on Wabash… go slow, or you may miss it… which would be a travesty!
The Purchase:
Walk into the space and you immediately feel as if you are in this exotic and charming space that is filled with the divine smells of chocolate.
Mr. Canady was charming, patient (as I made my selection from the vast array of exotic chocolates), and incredibly knowledgeable.
Contain your excitement when you are rang up and you get 7 pc of beautifully designed chocolates for not much more than a cup of gourmet coffee!
The Taste:
First, do not hurriedly eat your Canady Chocolates. Find a quiet place, turn off your cell, and slowly bite into the first piece. Ensure you are not in a public space as you will be embarassed by the moan of contentment that escapes you.
Second, as you chew, allow your taste buds full range as they scramble to accomodate the multitude of delicious flavors that assault your mouth. The Chocolate Cherry Truffle is filled with a divine explosion of a the most natural cherry nectar, the «Hockey Puck» is an equisite piece of chocolate filled with salted cashews and pecans ~ a divinely delicious concoction that tastes nothing like what one would expect of a hockey puck!
Last, promise youself you will only eat one chocolate every hour… allow the flavors to ruminate. Otherwise, you will eat a 5 piece box in record time… they are just that good!
The follow up:
Make mental note to try some of the other delicacies mentioned by other Unilocal reviewers (chocolate covered peanut butter cookies, gelato, hot chocolates…).

I too took the chocolate making class and enjoyed it. We were greeted with peanut butter cookies (yum) and coffee and began by watching a brief presentation on chocolate basics, history and lingo. Then into the kitchen where we made dark chocolate ones, dark chocolate ones filled with red pepper, milk chocolate ones, fondant filled ones (some in pomegranate and some in mint), and I got to paint the molds that the chocolates went in. We got to each take home a box of what we made – score!
In addition to the chocolates, he also sells Gelato which he says is his passion (and it looked amazing, many flavors). He also sells cookies, chocolate molds, pastilles, and I think cocoa butter as well.
Pretty quick walk from the redline or accessible by the 22 or 36 buses.
Great place to get treats for yourself or a loved one.

I actually tried Canady in the French Market and I was pleased by the flavors of the truffles and chocolate pieces and also the designer elements. The little chocolates had my friend taking pictures of them (She doesn’t eat chocolate as often as I do!).
The selection is fabulous. You can find something for anyone here. I wish I had known about the original I’d head right on over.

WOW… awesome chocolate that tastes great and looks great for less than $ 1.50/piece.
The first time I tried to locate Canady Le Chocolatier, I couldn’t even find it with my GPS on. After I went to their location in the Chicago French Market and tried their delicious chocolate, I had to find the actual store. Their signage looks the same as all the stores next to it, so just look hard and you will eventually find it.
Time Out magazined featured their crème brûlée truffle. I thought it was good, but not as good as advertised.
My favorites so far are the Azteca (filled with cinnamon ganache) and the Montezuma (filled with hazlenut ganache)

I wish I had waited until June to find this place, as I have a California beach vaycay coming up and funny, but bikinis are not conducive to chocolate-​induced cellulite.
Tasted the marscapone and chocolate gelato. So good, tasted like chocolate cheesecake. My brother swears by this stuff.
We got the frutti del mar (??), ginger, and chai tea chocolate truffles. I only tried the frutti del mar and chai tea ones, but they were HEAVENLY, particularly the frutti del mar one. I have no idea how expensive this place is (Thanks Dad), but the owner was really friendly and answered our questions even as the place was bumping for late afternoon on Mother’s day.
It’s 21 blocks from my place now to Canady, and will be 9 blocks away when I move in just a few months. At least I can pretend to earn some chocolate calories.

Mmmm… my…god…
SO yummy. Their champagne filled chocolates are to die for, as are the truffles, the peanut butter filled things, all of it! They are super patient and even knew what I was talking about when I said I wanted a truffle filled with chocolate goo (which I now know is called ganache). And once when I was there, they brought out free samples for my friend and I because we paid with exact change. Cute boxes too. I wish I lived closer!