Margie's Candies

This authentic ice cream parlor and candy shop's biggest draw is its old-fashioned novelty.

(773) 384-1035

1960 N Western Ave (at W Armitage Ave)
Chicago, IL 60647 41.9172 -87.6875

Get Map & Directions »

Neighborhoods: Bucktown, North Side

MARGIESCANDIES.COM

Years in business

Established in 1921

Hours:

Sun-Thu 9am-12am

Fri-Sat 9am-1am

Price:

$

Last updated 8.29.11

Category:

Candy Stores, Ice Cream Parlors, Dessert Shops, Candy Manufacturers

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Family-Friendly Dining, Late Night Dining, Outdoor Dining, Lunch Spot, Cheap Eats

General Info:

Open 7 Days

Smoking Permitted:

No

What People Are Saying About Margie's Candies

The Owner

Margie's Candies

Owner

Margie's Candies has been in tune with your tastes since 1921. We offer the finest in homemade ice cream creations, and candy handmade daily in our store. Make anyone's holiday special by giving them the gift of homemade candy. Choose from favorites such as the Terrapins, which are pecan and caramel covered with chocolate, the tasty Truffles, or even wonderful Dark Chocolate Fudge. The Assorted Chocolate, English Toffee, and Marzipan also make for great Holiday choices. And remember, all of Margie's Candies and ice creams are made of natural flavors with no artificial preservatives. Stop…

Provided by CityGrid

Read more from the owner

Featured Review

Elisa Kronish

Contributor

The Scene – Like an old grandma's house: Framed needlepoint adorns the walls, while a menagerie of dolls, faded photos (one of the shop from 1939) and other memorabilia cram shelves and display cases. With its old-fashioned charm, the shop has become a fixture on Western Avenue for generations of ice cream lovers for more than 80 years. – – The Food – Homemade scoops are heaped into clamshell-shaped bowls and topped with wafer cookies. Root beer floats overflow tall glasses. The signature turtle sundae tops vanilla ice cream with nuts and hot caramel, accompanied by a…

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
Prove that it's your birthday, and you'll receive a surprise gift; bring in your report card with an "A" on it, and you'll get a free cone.
ambiance
75.0% positive
  1. Great atmosphere can't make up for poor attitude and slow service.
  2. The friendly staff goes out of their way to remind you that your car will be towed out of any adjacent lot and to find metered parking.
dessert
97.37000465393066% positive
  1. They have the best ice cream I have ever had!
  2. absolutely love this ice cream parlor!
  3. After a great dinner at Earwax Cafe, we craved a cool dessert.
  4. ordered it with Chocolate ice cream and Pecans, it comes in this huge bowl shaped like a shell, with 3 scoops of yummy chocolate ice cream, a chocolate brownie, whipped cream, sprinkled with pecans and they give you a jar of warm molten chocolate fudge.
  5. Great ice cream-Lousy service
  6. Never will I ever step into that place, either way Chicago has other ice cream parlor that are yummy and have friendly faces.
  7. love their different dessert creations and all the history that surrounds the store.
  8. The Best ice cream in Town
  9. The best ice cream around.
  10. You can get a fudge bownie ice cream dish in a huge sea open shell.
  11. Mounds of freshly-made ice cream topped with incredible caramel and chocolate sauces, nuts, and garnished with a wafer cookie and one of Margie's signature candies.
  12. Margies is a charming gem of a retro ice-cream/sweet shop.
  13. Great desserts, Small place
  14. The ice cream treats were very good, but I can only recommend Margie's for "urban explorer" types.
  15. I'm an ice cream fanatic, and I love this place.
  16. The place has simply the Best Chocolate ice cream in town, its called the Brownie Ala Mode.
  17. it does smell a bit funny but that quickly fades once you see the huge serving of ice cream you get :) the service is sometimes bordering on rude however almost every time i've gone i get this wonderfully sweet waitress and i have a great time.
  18. Good ice cream does not account for TERRIBLE SERVICE.
  19. The food is delicious but their deserts are even better.
food quality
78.5699987411499% positive
  1. Never will I ever step into that place, either way Chicago has other ice cream parlor that are yummy and have friendly faces.
  2. Margies sells both sandwiches and salads, but anyone who comes here has to get their fantastic sundaes.
  3. The food is delicious but their deserts are even better.
  4. Unfortunately, the store features some very old "aromas" - it doesn't have a clean, fresh restaurant smell.
  5. authentic ice parlor
  6. You can get a fudge bownie ice cream dish in a huge sea open shell.
  7. ordered it with Chocolate ice cream and Pecans, it comes in this huge bowl shaped like a shell, with 3 scoops of yummy chocolate ice cream, a chocolate brownie, whipped cream, sprinkled with pecans and they give you a jar of warm molten chocolate fudge.
menu variety
87.5% positive
  1. highly recommend the Banana Nut Sundae, that was the first thing I picked out of the menu and thats what I have been ordering every time I go back
  2. This place is so much cleaner and no foul odor's as in the one on Western Ave, The wait staff is very friendly and helpful (except for the redish brown hair lady -talked my head off and didn't give me time to read the menu) That was on my 4th vist there o
overall
100.0% positive
  1. The best place ever!
  2. This is the best place for those who have a sweet tooth.
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. highly recommend the Banana Nut Sundae, that was the first thing I picked out of the menu and thats what I have been ordering every time I go back
service
70.45000076293945% positive
  1. very clean, no odors like the other place, great customer service!
  2. Never will I ever step into that place, either way Chicago has other ice cream parlor that are yummy and have friendly faces.
  3. The friendly staff goes out of their way to remind you that your car will be towed out of any adjacent lot and to find metered parking.
  4. stopped by for a snak and found the staff rude and short.
  5. it does smell a bit funny but that quickly fades once you see the huge serving of ice cream you get :) the service is sometimes bordering on rude however almost every time i've gone i get this wonderfully sweet waitress and i have a great time.
  6. Weekend's are A great time and not A long wait, With A nice mix of people and A very nice neighborhood!
  7. would go there more often if I could say I've ever had good service there.
  8. This place is so much cleaner and no foul odor's as in the one on Western Ave, The wait staff is very friendly and helpful (except for the redish brown hair lady -talked my head off and didn't give me time to read the menu) That was on my 4th vist there o
  9. Great ice cream-Lousy service
  10. Great atmosphere can't make up for poor attitude and slow service.
  11. The servers are consistently rude.
value
100.0% positive
  1. You can get a fudge bownie ice cream dish in a huge sea open shell.
  2. ordered it with Chocolate ice cream and Pecans, it comes in this huge bowl shaped like a shell, with 3 scoops of yummy chocolate ice cream, a chocolate brownie, whipped cream, sprinkled with pecans and they give you a jar of warm molten chocolate fudge.
  3. it does smell a bit funny but that quickly fades once you see the huge serving of ice cream you get :) the service is sometimes bordering on rude however almost every time i've gone i get this wonderfully sweet waitress and i have a great time.
  4. You can get your sundae in a huge c.
wait time
81.25% positive
  1. This place is so much cleaner and no foul odor's as in the one on Western Ave, The wait staff is very friendly and helpful (except for the redish brown hair lady -talked my head off and didn't give me time to read the menu) That was on my 4th vist there o
  2. The candies are good too but they can't be bothered by serving you-was there during the daytime when it was slow and they want you to buy an already packed box.
  3. Great atmosphere can't make up for poor attitude and slow service.
  4. Weekend's are A great time and not A long wait, With A nice mix of people and A very nice neighborhood!
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

04/22/09

Chocolate Lovers go Mmmmmm......

by dwogn at Citysearch

The place has simply the Best Chocolate Ice cream in town, its called the Brownie Ala Mode. I ordered it with Chocolate Ice cream and Pecans, it comes in this huge bowl shaped like a shell, with 3 scoops of yummy chocolate ice cream, a chocolate brownie, whipped cream, sprinkled with pecans and they give you a jar of warm molten chocolate fudge. Have a spoon of this a you will close your eyes and go Mmmmmmmm.... Heaven!

  • Pros: Handsdown the Best Chocolate Ice cream in Town!
  • Cons: Wait times can be long
2 Star Rating: Below Average

12/29/08

chocolates tasted like soap

by shorty68 at Citysearch

We ordered two candies which were loose. One was a coffee cream. The other was a cherry cluster. Both my husband and I agreed that both candies tasted like soap. We are wondering if someone sprayed soap on the candies or mixed soap with the chocolate.

Hopefully this is only an isolated problem.

  • Pros: turtle sundae was good
  • Cons: two chocolates tasted like soap
2 Star Rating: Below Average

07/01/08

Just plain mean.

by likejen at Citysearch

Like other reviewers, I had driven by this place for years and was very excited to visit. I didn't last 30 seconds before what looked like the owner and another staff member harrassed and made fun of me for 'just looking around'. When I decided to leave, they laughed and sarcastically told me to hurry back real soon. I honestly was not in the store for an entire minute. It was a disturbing and uncomfortable experience to say the least.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

02/19/08

very clean, no odors like the other place, great customer service!

by chiguy1 at Citysearch

Hey Everyone, I just want to let everyone know that A second Margie's icecream store is opened on Montrose Ave right off the brown line, (Around 1800 W. Montrose) They have the same menu, But alot less candies in their display! This place is so much cleaner and no foul odor's as in the one on Western Ave, The wait staff is very friendly and helpful (except for the redish brown hair lady -talked my head off and didn't give me time to read the menu) That was on my 4th vist there on a slow sunday, But all other vists were EXCELLENT! Weekend's are A great time and not A long wait, With A nice mix of people and A very nice neighborhood! So my advice is if you still want Margie's icecream in a nice enviroment, Go to the one on Montrose! It's worth the little extra drive

  • Pros: very clean, friendly prompt service great icecream
  • Cons: street parking, but there's alot of it
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

11/27/07

A Chicago gem

by funkdragon23 at Citysearch

I took a leisurely stroll northward on scenic Milwaukee Avenue one sultry summer night this August with a female companion. After a great dinner at Earwax Cafe, we craved a cool dessert. Ten minutes later, we were in line at Margie's. Plenty of bustle about the place: local families with kids in tow intermingled with obvious visitors to this ice cream mecca on the outskirts of Bucktown. It was a gorgeous evening so we didn't mind the wait, which turned out to be quite short--five minutes tops--on a hot and busy Saturday night, no less. We were ushered into what must be the tiniest restaurant in existence, for sure, but were relieved to be seated at a comfy, roomy booth, surrounded by a collection of tchachkes to rival all tchachkes. Definitely a portal into a more innocent time. The service was curt, the menu was gargantuan. We both ordered sundaes. They. Were. MAGNIFICENT! Mounds of freshly-made ice cream topped with incredible caramel and chocolate sauces, nuts, and garnished with a wafer cookie and one of Margie's signature candies. But the real treat was the gravy-boat of homemade hot fudge provided, the most decadent chocolate I may have ever tasted. Drizzled over our ice cream treats, we were in heaven. When we'd finally devoured our awesome creations, we wanted more, but prudence ruled, and we went home very, very happy. So if you don't mind a little wait, utilitarian service, and some seriously retro surroundings, you'll be rewarded with the most remarkable ice cream you've ever tasted. Guaranteed.

  • Pros: The most unique ice cream parlor you'll ever visit.
  • Cons: Service ain't great, but that's not the draw here.

The Details on Margie's Candies

Place Categories:

  • love small place
  • best chocolate ice cream
  • helpful wait staff
  • only recommend margie
  • cool dessert
  • love different dessert creations
  • very nice neighborhood
  • rude staff
  • great ice creamlousy service
  • not clean fresh restaurant smell
  • incredible chocolate sauces
  • huge c
  • huge sea open shell
  • friendly faces
  • charming gem
  • slow sunday
  • very good ice cream treats
  • great icecream
  • huge serving
  • fantastic sundaes
  • absolutely love ice cream parlor
  • huge bowl
  • great atmosphere
  • love history
  • incredible nuts

As Seen In…

Best of Citysearch

Chicago

Best of Citysearch

Chicago

Best of Citysearch

Chicago

Message from Margie's Candies

  • Hand-Dipped Candy
  • Ship for the Holidays
  • Home Made Ice Cream

Margie's Candies has been in tune with your tastes since 1921. We offer the finest in homemade ice cream creations, and candy handmade daily in our store. Make anyone's holiday special by giving them the gift of homemade candy. Choose from favorites such as the Terrapins, which are pecan and caramel covered with chocolate, the tasty Truffles, or even wonderful Dark Chocolate Fudge. The Assorted Chocolate, English Toffee, and Marzipan also make for great Holiday choices. And remember, all of Margie's Candies and ice creams are made of natural flavors with no artificial preservatives. Stop in at 1960 N. Western Avenue in Bucktown, or a second location at 1813 W. Montrose Avenue both in Chicago. Holiday shipping is available or stop in and see for yourself the fine quality chocolates and ice cream.

Margie's Candies
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