Culinary cluster: Ice cream on Southport Ave
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
From left, chocolate cone with a chocolate shard from Hotel Chocolat, Chocolate gelato from Coda di Volpe's "Foxhole" takeout window, Darkest Chocolate waffle cone from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream. Photos: Monica Eng/Axios
We've all been there: A place where several different spots were serving up the same dish, leaving us wondering which one to choose.
What's happening: I'm checking out the goods at these culinary clusters to help you make the best choice for your budget and palate.
Today's cluster: The chocolate ice cream triangle on North Southport Avenue.
Hotel Chocolat
Hotel Chocolat: 3334 N. Southport Ave. This London-founded chain, known for thick cocoa and gourmet chocolates, dishes up soft serve cones ($4.50) dubbed "ice cream of the gods."
- The mild flavor here made me feel less like a god than a [Dairy] Queen, but I dug the complimentary chocolate shard and comfy patio. 🍦🍦 out of 4
- You can also walk five blocks north to a real DQ.
Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream
Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream: 3404 N. Southport Ave. Jeni's standard waffle cone filled with "darkest chocolate" wowed me with high quality, deeply chocolatey ice cream but also it comes at a high price of $8.85, including the $1.60 waffle cone upcharge. 🍦🍦🍦
Coda di Volpe
Coda di Volpe: 3335 N. Southport Ave. The chocolate gelato ($6) from the restaurant's "Fox Hole" takeout window delivers a slightly grainy but wonderfully intense, molasses-ish, chocolate flavor. 🍦🍦🍦
What's next: Tell me more Chicago culinary clusters to check out. In the meantime, I'm trying:
- Samosas on Devon Avenue, carnitas on 26th Street, pho on Argyle and subs on Grand Avenue.