If I was allowed only one snack food for the rest of my life, I would choose cheese popcorn, gourmet style. I can’t pass up a specialty popcorn store without going in for at least a small bag, so I was thrilled to find Chicagoland Popcorn in Merrillville, Indiana.
Chicagoland Popcorn flavors
Chicagoland Popcorn offers more than 250 different flavors of popcorn, although not all at the same time. On the day we visited they had 123 flavors. One entire rack changes monthly.
You can choose from sweet flavors or savory, and you are welcome to sample before you buy. I was amazed at the range of sweet flavors, everything from banana pudding to cotton candy; pineapple to caramel pecan. Although I prefer savory to sweet, I started my tasting with some of the sweet flavors. Blue raspberry was super sweet and packed with blue raspberry flavor. Of course, I had to taste the dark chocolate. I thought it tasted like Cocoa Krispies cereal.
I eased my way into the savory flavors by first trying the maple and bacon, still sweet but moving to the savory side. I sampled Bacon and Cheddar, Hot White Cheddar, and Crab Legs. Yes, Crab Legs, and it does have a seafood flavor. My favorite, though, was the Indiana Mix, a blend of cheddar and white cheddar popcorn.
Can’t decide between sweet and savory? Go for Cheese Coated Caramel or Dwayne’s Favorite, which is the Indiana Mix plus Caramel.
Who comes up with all the flavor combinations, we wondered? Dwayne Walker, who co-owns Chicagoland Popcorn with his wife, Mogda, creates most of the flavors. They have a suggestion box also. If you have a flavor in mind that they don’t offer, drop a note in the suggestion box, and you may just find it on the shelf on your next visit. Some of the flavors that came from guest suggestions are Cool Ranch and the Indiana Mix.
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Chicagoland Popcorn gifts
Chicagoland Popcorn makes great gifts. You can purchase several bags of different flavors and make up a gift basket yourself, or make it easy on yourself and have Chicagoland Popcorn customize a tin or gift basket for you.
If you go
Chicagoland Popcorn, located at 5470 E Lincoln Highway in Merrillville, Indiana, is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Check the web site for further details or to order online.
Accommodations: I stayed at the Comfort Inn Hammond during my visit to Northwest Indiana. Find the best hotel deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor.
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Disclosures: Our visit to Chicagoland Popcorn was hosted by the South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority. However, all opinions in this article are my own.
This article contains an affiliate link, which means that if you book a room through the TripAdvisor link above, I will receive a small commission, with no additional cost to you.
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