When we were little, we always came to Chinatown for candies and toys. The neighborhood has changed…read moreover the years, but they are still a place to get our favorite rice candy, Botan. I think it used to be called Tomoe Ame, but it's the same as ever, though it used to come with a tiny plastic or even metal toy, and now it comes with a toy tattoo. The candy is a lightly-flavored set-jelly candy, much like a Turkish Delight, and the inner wrapper right next to the candy is rice-paper that melts in your mouth! I think we used to shop down Wentworth south of Cermak, and there are still authentic restaurants and all kinds of shops there. Nowadays we mostly head to the Chinatown Square open-air mall. This time we stopped in the Ichiban Candy & Snacks store. They have so many kinds of sweets, and yes, Botan Ame! They sell a trendy new ice cream bar, Dubai Pistachio Chocolate Flavor! Inside a fairly thick chocolate shell, the filling is like skinny long bright green sprinkles! It's fun and unusual. Even better, while we were there (Nov 2025), if you bought over $35 of candy, (we did :-), the friendly staff gave out a free ice cream bar as a sample! We all got to taste it. Pretty good! They have good old White Rabbit candy, like a white taffy roll. They have unusual "Chinese flavors" of Lay's Potato Chips we got Cucumber, Lime, Peking Duck, Five Spice, and Wasabi. They also have cans of formed potato chips like pringles. Other than the spicy flavors and the wasabi, none really have the flavor in the name, but they are all interesting, and every one we tried went well with beer :-). You can never go wrong with various flavors of Kit Kat. We like the original Pocky sticks and the chocolate-filled Hello Panda cookies. And there is a vast assortment of by-the-pound hard candies and chewy candies. We stop in now and then just to refill our candy dishes :-)

When we walked inside this place was packed with people. Tiktok has definitely put this place on…read morethe radar. You walk inside grab a basket at the door and walk around and shop. They charge by the weight so it can be a bit pricey on your bill. There are a wide variety of candies, chips, ice cream and other favorable of snacks. There were many unique and imported items throughout the store. There is a station in the back that makes a homemade Dubai treat. The prices are kind of high at this location. Compare to the other candy and snacks store around in that area. It was a cool and fun experience to see all the different types of snacks.

Awesome place! Very cool concept and very friendly staff! The only complaint I have is was very…read moreexpensive. But I can understand Becuse the detail that went into the design was very nice. Try this place out if you can!

What a fun experience for my daughter on her birthday trip. This is truly impressive watching the…read moreemployees make these cotton candy designs. Yes, it's expensive for cotton candy, but it was great. It took them over 10 minutes to make the unicorn and it was awesome to watch. Variety of colors, shapes, and techniques were needed to make what my daughter expected. They even use an ice cream cone as the unicorn horn. While I didn't taste it, my daughter and wife loved it. This was one of her favorite treats from her birthday weekend.

Today on Christmas Day, when almost all the stores on Michigan Avenue were closed, It'Sugar was…read moresurprisingly open. It felt nice to find a colorful and lively place while everything else around was quiet. The store had a cheerful holiday vibe with bright lights and shelves full of candies, chocolates, and fun treats. There were some really good deals going on, with many items on 50% and even 75% discount, which made it a great time to shop. You could find a mix of classic candies, chocolates, and fun novelty items at reasonable prices. Even though it was Christmas, the store was not very busy, so it was easy to walk around, browse comfortably, and take your time choosing items. The staff was friendly and helpful, and the overall atmosphere was fun and relaxed. Overall, It'Sugar on Michigan Avenue was a nice surprise on Christmas Day -- colorful, cheerful, and perfect for picking up sweet treats or small gifts while enjoying the holiday mood.

What a FUN store! While visiting Chicago with a friend, we…read morediscovered this location after a full day of site seeing, shopping and hours of walking. We treated ourselves to bags of our favorite candies. We were greeting with a friendly staff. One worker sang while stocking products in the bins. She was a delight. The store was very organized, clean and bright It was the perfect pick me up

Was hard to find but I found it! Ordered hot chocolate, chocolate chip cookie and flowerless cake…read more Service was mediocre; the shop was small and neat. The food was delicious! However, the hot chocolate did not meet my expectations, as I did not detect the rich chocolate flavor found in other specialty hot chocolate establishments. I assume this may be due to the type of chocolate used. I did, however, appreciate the availability of an almond milk option. Would I return for the hot chocolate? Unfortunately, no.

Ambiance - used to have their own storefront, but they are now located inside a building, small…read moreshop & offers 1 table for customers right outside Service - super speedy, looked like they already had hot chocolate ready in a lever action airpot or adding hot water to concentrated chocolate Food - I got the original hot chocolate - texture was super thick and not too sweet, did not come with marshmallow like the photos :(

Great restaurant with generous portions and reasonable prices. The service was friendly and…read moreefficient, and the overall experience was very enjoyable. It's also very kid-friendly, which made it even better for our visit. Would definitely recommend!

The Sugar Factory is... interesting. They obviously cater to kids and kids-at-heart by making the…read moreexperience feel like a celebrity walking the red carpet (why? No clue). The TVs also show nothing else but self promotion of celebrities visiting various Sugar Factory locations. Their other theme is attention-grabbing shakes and desserts. Ones that BEG others to "Look at me!" (and order one for themselves...). We partook because, well, "When in Rome!" And, honestly, it had some fun to it. The food wasn't half bad and neither were the shakes we had. The portions were decent but prices were inflated. We didn't buy-in fully but we still enjoyed our meal and didn't regret the visit (just not sure we'd be back to this one trick pony).

Very clean and organized shop. Full with many treasures. Clothing; Holiday Decorations, Red…read moreEnvelopes for Gift Giving, many children's items, souvenir items and unique finds. Nicely labelled and easy to read. One of the Best Gift & Souvenir Shops in ChinaTown. Located in the West Gate. Across from the Walgreens located on Cermak & Archer Avenue. Very busy shopping area, closes early, so arrive before 9pm. US Bank inside. joy Yee Noodles, BBQ king House.

This cute store has the most items in stock out of all the cute stores in Chinatown. I was able to…read morefind a bucket hat, a sling bag and my friends found a lot of other items there as well!

What went well? The hot chocolate, duh! You must have it on a nice, cold and somewhat rainy day…read more It felt really good to just relax with my drink and a book in this place. There aren't very many seats, but, I came on a weekday in the afternoon. I also bought a few treats for my coworkers. It's soon to be Mother's Day and I wish someone would send me a box from here! They have chocolates shaped like little ducklings. They also have the cutest chocolate pieces shaped like mice. You can get one piece in a gorgeous box for $5.50. I just love it so much.

Stumbled upon this cute shop while walking by and I had to stop in. I am a huge fan of single…read moreorigin dark chocolate bars and they had a good amount to pick from. There's also small truffles and unique chocolates you can get or a variety pack. They are pricey but it's similar to other spots of this caliber. We tried a chocolate chip cookie. It came out warm and gooey and delicious. The edges are a little crispy which was unexpected but yummy. The cafe area is very cute and very European vibes. I would definitely want to try a hot chocolate next time. I bought a few bars that I'm eager to try and may update my review once I do.

I liked this place....the name is kinda deceptive, but everone talks about raw fish.....obviously…read morethey didn't notice the wall full of herbs and mostly...tea. Obviously there was a language barrier, there was a cool shark fin hanging in the back. However, I couldnt take a pic of anything as I was told not too. 'The boss doesn't want anyone to.' I bought some Dragon tea...kinda expensive as it was like 8 bucks for a small amount. When the weather gets warmer...I will go back and check out more. I took a couple of pics of the outside...looking at some of the other pics apparently they had a re opening of sorts. Parking is hard around there...especially during the Chinese New Year...which was when I went. There are some lots around there that may allow you to park. Check first.

This is not so much sweet, with more health foods than candies. Apparently the name changed since…read moreI'd been there.

A really great place for your herbal, dried food, or medicinal needs!!! This place has the dried…read morescallops and other seafood, mushrooms, as well as teas and ginseng. They even have lap cherg (chinese sausage)!!! I was in search for po chai pills. They sell them here for $2.99 a box!!! My aunt advised me this place was not the cheapest place in Chinatown, but they definitely carry products you can trust will work. With that type of endorsement, I went and made a confident purchase! Staff is extremely friendly here. We needed someone to help us and they stopped what they were doing to assist us immediately. Would definitely come back here again!

This store is basically an herbal emporium for the Chinese community. There are all sorts of…read moreeye-catching things in bags and boxes and jars, and of course everything is good for you as your mother or grandmother would say. This location is on Wentworth, and there is another not that far away in Chinatown Square.

Get lots of fun and interesting Mexican candy. It has a pretty big selection of that and other…read morestuff for a fiesta. Dulceria Lupitas is in Pilsen and a locally owned business. Get these in bulk and get a good deal on a bag of it. There's spicy, sweet, and other bold flavors to grab from these. Candy is the main attraction. It has lots of authentic Mexican flavors on the bins and on shelves. The little pieces of candy are sold in bulk so you can fill up a bag with all this. Get some bigger pieces of candy such as the green, white, and red coconut bars. There's also those guava and mango burritos that are hot. Find lots of good things to have a fiesta. It also has traditional patty things like piñatas. This place is cash only which kind of sucks.

They have so much candy!…read more I go here when I need to get my Mexican candy fix. They sell a huge variety in bulk and singles that you can fill a basket with. They also have pinatas and other Mexican party trinkets like candles, papel picado, and toys. It's mentioned in older reviews that they take credit card, but when I've got they've told me cash only. So bring cash to play it safe. There is street parking.