Anna Shea Chocolates - South Barrington

A must try if you are craving for rich, delicious hot chocolate.. we love their hot chocolate and caramel candies..

A FAR cry from Anna Shea's. This used to be a fun hangout when it was Anna Shea's for one of my friends and myself, so we decided to return and give it a whirl. Disappointing. Cold decor; unwelcoming, empty lounge. They have the old bon bon recipes but they don't taste as good. They eliminated the chocolate-covered pears. They advertised a chocolate fondue platter but when my friend and I tried to order it, they said they didn't have the ingredients yet. No more martinis. We decided to just get some chocolates to-go in the end. The weird thing here is that it took a while to even get the to-go chocolates--they packaged and sealed every little piece which was totally unnecessary! I get it if you plan to buy these as gifts for someone, but otherwise, that was a total waste of time and packaging.

If you're comparing Cocolotte to itself, its ok and maybe even gone downhill a little bit over the past couple of years. If you're comparing it to Anna Shea, you'll be completely disappointed. I've been with Anna Shea since 2012 and when it was sold I kept the hope that the quality would stay stay the same; it hasn't. I recently went to Cocolotte because I have yet to find a replacement for Anna Shea. For a while the craftsmanship stayed the same, but when I purchased some of the standards this time around there were glaring shifts of quality. 1. The beloved salted caramels are gone. They sell caramel, but it's not salted, they're not using honey, they definitely are no longer using vanilla bean having opted for a vanilla extract and I'm not even sure if they're actually using butter. You'll cry when you eat it. The signature, soft, buttery, salted caramel is gone! 2. The Fleur de Sel is also no longer what it used to be. The trademark color has been changed with a darker, sadder looking green. I couldn't even bring myself to taste it. 3. My daughter's favorite birthday cake has been ruined with the new Charlotte's birthday cake. There are now sprinkles and the beauty of the original birthday cake is gone along with its elegant shimmer. Instead you get a dull, banal and pedestrian interpretation. You will also find that one by one each chocolate is losing its luster and beauty, along with its taste. 4. The paper quality and printing of the descriptions is even noticeably downgraded in quality. I won't go into detail of every change, but if you're planning on investing money into Cocolotte expecting the delightful delicacies synonymous with Anna Shea, reset your expectations because you will be disappointed. This is no longer an artisinal chocolatier. The commercialization and cost saving decisions that have been made from staffing to the sacrafice of quality ingredients have taken its toll and downgraded its status as a house of chocolate to an upscale American factory. I'm sure once a year or every other, I will go back with hopes that it will change for the better; it's been 3 years now and it keeps getting worse. Until I find a comparable substitute for Anna Shea, I will make do with Vosges Chocolat and other French and Swiss chocolatiers overseas. The caché, novelty and experience of Anna Shea has been replaced with less discerning taste wrapped up in a nice package.

My daughter and I have been coming here for years. What was once Anna Shea is now Cocolatte. Along with the name change there seems to be some changes, along with several price increases, that really make one wonder if the prices are worth it. The selections have been narrowed, the shells are thicker than they should be and the fillings not as good as they once were. Given the above, they prices have gone up several times since the new owners came in making me rethink bringing big boxes to friends and family like we used to. What a shame.

Really good chocolate! Very interesting flavor combinations. Chocolates aren't too sweet, the flavors are nuanced and the chocolates taste very fresh! The owner was very nice and the staff is so kind. Will definitely be back for more.