Katherine Anne Confections.

Katherine Anne makes choosing hot chocolate part of the pleasure of a Chicago café visit. The Logan Square confiserie puts drinking chocolate alongside truffles, caramels and marshmallows, with a menu that runs from milk chocolate to an 85% SuperDark. Mexican Hot Chocolate is the most useful starting point for someone seeking a signature order; a straightforward semisweet cup suits a different mood. This is a place to build a small chocolate afternoon, perhaps with a companion ordering another style so the table has something to discuss. Leave room in the visit for browsing the confections rather than deciding everything before you arrive.

Why this place made the list.

Katherine Anne invites you to choose the kind of chocolate afternoon you want. Milk, semisweet, bittersweet and SuperDark cups make the menu interesting for people with very different preferences, while Mexican Hot Chocolate offers a spice-led signature order. House marshmallows give you a natural finishing touch, and the truffle and caramel counter can supply one small companion or a gift for later. We chose it for that generous range of possibilities. Come with a friend, order two different cups and leave time to browse. A return visit can follow another direction without having to repeat the first order.

A cup with a clear chocolate identity

The drinking-chocolate page describes a base of real ground chocolate, milk and cream, with a little salt. That gives the drink a more dessert-oriented starting point than a basic café cocoa. Mexican Hot Chocolate adds a documented mix of cinnamon and chiles. Start by deciding whether you want spice or a direct chocolate comparison, then take the first few sips before the toppings fully melt. That sequence is a useful way to notice how the cup changes without needing to make a grand tasting exercise of the visit.

Choose a direction, then a small companion

Mexican and Semisweet make a sensible two-person comparison: one emphasizes added spice, while the other keeps the discussion closer to chocolate intensity. If your group prefers sweeter drinks, look toward the Milk or Salted Caramel options. The menu's house marshmallows are a natural companion, and a single caramel or truffle can be enough beside a rich drink. Ask which confection is especially different from your cocoa choice. A small contrasting bite is often more interesting than ordering several things that all follow the same sweet theme.

A neighborhood confectionery stop

Use the Logan Square shop on Armitage Avenue as the anchor for this entry. It is the original retail café, while the Irving Park address houses the newer workshop and café. Choosing between them should follow the rest of your Chicago day, rather than the assumption that a workshop automatically makes a better drinking stop. A confectionery café offers its own kind of outing: sit with your cup if that suits your schedule, browse a gift afterward, and let the counter give you a reason to linger beyond a quick beverage pickup.

Plan around the menu you want

Check the official café page before setting out, especially if a vegan drinking chocolate or a particular seasonal flavor is the reason for the trip. The two addresses have different schedules, so save the exact location rather than searching only for the business name. In a group, decide who wants the spicy order before sharing; Mexican chocolate is not necessarily everyone's default. If taking confections home, make those selections after drinking so the cup can inform your choices. You may discover that a darker or simpler piece sounds more appealing than expected.

Menus, location & research notes

• Katherine Anne café menu

  Lists milk, semisweet, bittersweet, SuperDark, Mexican, salted caramel and vegan drinking chocolates; verifies Logan Square and Irving Park locations.

• Our Drinking Chocolate

  Describes ground chocolate rather than cocoa powder, milk and cream preparation, house marshmallows and Mexican spice blend.

• WTTW: How to Spice Up Your Hot Chocolate

  January 2023 reporting documents Mexican drinking chocolate as a central café offering.

Keep the chocolate trail going.

Try another stop in the same state or region, or explore the wider state guide for a different kind of cocoa day.