Holiday gift guide: 50 Chicago-made ideas

This guide is for anyone shopping for someone who loves Chicago, whether they live on the North Side, in the suburbs or three states away and miss the place. It covers gifts made or sold by Chicago-area businesses, most of them made by the business itself: toffee in Highland Park, jeans in Andersonville, truffles in Logan Square, cheesecake on the Northwest Side, coffee roasted in the city.

The list is sorted by budget and runs to about 30 priced ideas plus a section of gift cards. It is being built out toward the 50 in the title as more makers post their holiday lineups. Shipping is extra unless noted, and a few items are pickup only.

Under $25

Coffee, tea and sweets

Coffee is the easy stocking stuffer. Metropolis Coffee Company sells its Granville Blend, a light-roasted organic coffee, for $16 a 10.5-ounce bag. The company roasts in Avondale, and its flagship cafe is in Edgewater near the Red Line’s Granville stop. In Logan Square, Gaslight Coffee Roasters at 2385 N. Milwaukee Ave. sells an 11-ounce Classic Mug for $18, and the Blue Line’s California stop is a couple of blocks away.

For a tea drinker, Todd & Holland Tea Merchants at 7311 Madison St. in Forest Park sells The Crown’s Blend, black and green tea with lavender, rose and vanilla, at $5 an ounce, $10 for 2 ounces or $20 for 4 ounces.

The toffee makers at Terry’s Toffee work out of 1853 Second St. in Highland Park. Their Christmas toffee, almond toffee coated in chocolate and holiday decorations, is $10.50 for a quarter pound or $18.50 for a half pound. Store hours are short: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday.

Out west, Graham’s Fine Chocolates & Ice Cream makes its candy at 302 S. Third St. in Geneva, where you can watch the work through the big front windows. Giant Pecan Skälies, roasted pecans and house-made caramel with chocolate, start at $20.49. A second shop at 119 W. Front St. in Wheaton is close to the Metra station.

On the South Side, Brown Sugar Bakery sells a Top Sellers Slice Pack, one slice each of caramel, yellow chocolate and lemon cake, for $20.79. The pack is pickup only at 328 E. 75th St. in Chatham, so plan to hand it over the same weekend. The 75 bus runs along 75th Street.

Bakers will like a 12-ounce, $18 bag of Lait Extraordinaire, the dark milk baking chocolate Mindy’s Bakery created with a chocolate maker. The bakery at 1623 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Bucktown is cashless and grab-and-go, closed Monday and Tuesday, and often sells out before its 3 p.m. close. The Blue Line’s Damen stop is half a block south.

Experiences, paper and books

A tour counts as a gift, too. KOVAL Distillery at 4241 N. Ravenswood Ave. runs a 45-minute Classic Tour of its production floor, ending with a tasting of three spirits, for $12 a person, so two tickets are $24. Tours run Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., are 21 and over and are nonrefundable. The Montrose and Irving Park stops on the Brown Line are each a walk away.

The shop called Neighborly sells Chicago souvenirs and goods from independent makers at 1554 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park, near the Blue Line’s Damen stop, and at 4710 N. Lincoln Ave. near the Brown Line’s Western stop. A three-pack of Field Notes memo books in a Chicago flag edition is $15.

For a North Shore reader, The Book Stall at 811 Elm St. in Winnetka sells a $15 Discount Club membership that takes 10% off purchases for a year, with some exclusions. Downtown Winnetka is on Metra’s Union Pacific North Line.

Under $50

Chocolate and toffee

Truffles are the reason to go to Katherine Anne Confections, which has a cafe at 2745 W. Armitage Ave. in Logan Square and a second shop and workshop at 3653 W. Irving Park Rd. A seven-piece box of one flavor is $38, including the goat cheese walnut truffle the shop lists as one of its best sellers; 16 pieces are $66. A 15-ounce container of hot chocolate mix, from milk to an 85% SuperDark, is $39. The Armitage shop is closed Mondays.

Back at Mindy’s, a bag of hot chocolate mix in classic, dark or Mexican is $30 and makes six to eight 8-ounce cups. The bakery ships within the U.S.

Terry’s half-pound Small Holiday Gift Box is $28.99, and the 1-pound Medium box is $44.99, with a Lincoln Park mix of espresso, peanut butter and pretzel sea salt toffees among the options. At Graham’s, a box of Mint Meltaways runs $25.29 to $36.49 depending on size.

For the kitchen and closet

Cooks get a lot out of the Chicago Heritage Collection from The Spice House, four jars of the company’s Chicago-inspired spice blends in a gift box for $42. The Old Town shop is at 1512 N. Wells St., a few blocks from the Sedgwick stop on the Brown and Purple lines, with other shops at 1941 Central St. in Evanston and 15 W. Jefferson Ave. in Naperville.

Gaslight’s Tasting Set, three 6-ounce bags of seasonal single-origin coffee picked by the roaster, is $36.

In Andersonville, Dearborn Denim & Apparel cuts and sews its clothes in a family-owned Chicago factory. The T101 T-shirt, in combed cotton grown and woven in the U.S., is $29. The shop is at 5202 N. Clark St., open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, and the 22 Clark bus stops nearby.

Under $100

A three-pack of those Dearborn T-shirts is $69, and the Straight 19 jeans, 100% cotton with a Horween leather patch, are $75. Bring the recipient’s size or keep the receipt.

The Original Favorites Cheesecake Sampler from Eli’s Cheesecake World has four slices each of plain, chocolate chip, strawberry and a Heath toffee candy bar cheesecake in a 9-inch cake for $69; the 9-inch Original Plain is $59. Both ship frozen in dry ice, with shipping extra. The bakery’s cafe and store at 6701 W. Forest Preserve Dr. in Dunning has a free parking lot and is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday.

For a chocolate lover who likes strange pairings, Vosges Haut-Chocolat sells a 16-piece box of its Rooster Truffles, dark chocolate made with Italian Taleggio cheese, for $60. The Chocolate Temple boutique at 2950 N. Oakley Ave. in North Center is open noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Terry’s Large Gift Box holds 2 pounds of toffee for $78.99; the Highland Park mix includes a Chai-cago Spice toffee. At Neighborly, a Chicago flag hooked wool lumbar pillow is $56.

Film fans get a lot from an individual membership at the Music Box Theatre, $60 a year for discounted tickets and concessions, advance notice of special screenings and member events. The 1929 theater at 3733 N. Southport Ave. sells gift memberships, and the Brown Line’s Southport stop is a few blocks south.

Splurges

Katherine Anne made only 60 of its 20 Year Anniversary Box, a 54-piece collection that includes truffles designed with local chefs, for $150. The shop says $25 from each box goes to The Evolved Network, which brings fresh food to Chicago kids.

A Dual membership at the Chicago Architecture Center is $125 a year and covers two adults, with unlimited admission to the center at 111 E. Wacker Dr., unlimited Select Walking Tours and 15% off at the design store. Gift memberships are available.

The Spice House’s Best of The Spice House Collection is 24 of its most popular spices and seasonings, $165 in flatpacks or $175 in half-cup jars, sold online only. Terry’s Ultimate Holiday Gift Box is $169, and a Dual membership at the Music Box is $100.

Gift cards to local businesses

Gift cards are the safe choice when you don’t know a size, a roast or a reading list. The Book Stall’s gift card works in the store and online and can be picked up or mailed. Publican Quality Bread, open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily at 1759 W. Grand Ave. in West Town with a second bakery in Oak Park, sells e-gift cards through its site. Mindy’s sells gift cards online through Square.

For coffee, Metropolis has a gift subscription at $25, $50, $100 or $200, and the recipient picks the coffee and the delivery schedule. Gaslight’s online e-gift card comes in $10, $25, $50 and $100. KOVAL sells gift cards for its store, tours and events, and Terry’s gift cards start at $10.

Good to know

Checked September 28, 2026. Holiday items and packaging rotate through the fall, so a price or flavor here may change or sell out by December. Katherine Anne’s anniversary box is listed for in-store sale on October 1 and shipping on October 6, and with 60 made it will not last. Eli’s ships residential orders placed Monday through Wednesday by 8 a.m. Central the same week; later orders go out the next week. Graham’s closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. KOVAL says weekend tours sell out, so book early. The Milwaukee Avenue stretch through Wicker Park and Bucktown has metered street parking that fills on December weekends; the Blue Line is easier.

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