Churrd is the Word at La Bodega Del Barrio

If you haven’t been living under a rock recently, you must be familiar with the infamous poop emoji. But what you may not know is that La Bodega Del Barrio, a small cafe in River North, has turned that cheerful little brown pile into a cheerful little dessert, coined the “Churrd.” In fact you may have already seen pictures of this guy floating around on the ‘gram or Facebook (pun intended).

The Churrd itself is a chocolate flavored churro on top of a dish filled with Mexican chocolate soft serve ice cream. Underneath the churro are pieces of chocolate cake and sprinkles. (Although the Churrds I saw on Instagram had what looked like chocolate sauce as well, you might have to request this because ours ended up coming without.)

Bodega is a tiny little space with a row of barstools against the windows and various small goods against the opposite. When I walk in the first thing I see is the glass countertop with rows of beautiful churros sitting underneath. It smells like coffee and pastries. My friend and I each order a Churrd and a coffee.

When the Churrds arrive I go into a flurry of picture taking, and I don’t feel guilty about it. Isn’t that what this whole thing is about? If you order a Churrd and don’t post it to Instagram, was it worth it? Did it even really happen? I notice a group of girls behind us giggling; they want one too.

Bodega has two stuffed poop emoji plushies sitting on the counter, and I take these and prop them behind the Churrds. So cute! The Churrd is definitely photographable. But now comes the real test...how does it taste? I look over and see my friend has already dug in, cracking a giant hole in the back of his Churrd’s head.

“You’re just going to bash his head in? Are you really gonna do him like that?” I demand.

“Well how else are you supposed to eat it?” he asks.

Hmm...I tap the Churrd’s head lightly with my spoon, but it doesn’t crack. So instead I lift the churro part and start scooping out the ice cream from underneath. It’s topped with sprinkles and kinda looks like brains.

“Like this,” I demonstrate. “...Braaaaiiiinnnsss.”

My friend rolls his eyes.

“You know there aren’t supposed to be any pain receptors in your brain,” I say. “So technically he doesn’t even know what’s happening to him. It’s like that movie--”

“Are you even going to try it?” he interrupts. (What he means is, Shut up.) “It’s good, I like that it’s not too sweet.”

It’s true. The soft serve is really smooth with a chocolate-cinnamon taste, I like mixing it with the sprinkles and pieces of chocolate cake. (At least I think it’s cake, although it could be cookie or something too.) Seriously, I love how creamy it is. It’s really good, even on a cold day like today. I bite into the churro part. It doesn’t have a super strong chocolate flavor and kind of chewy, but that’s how a churro should be. If the churro had been too sugary this definitely would have been too sweet, but that’s not the case. I like the ice cream more than the churro, but overall it’s pretty tasty. I also really like the sugar eyes/mouth, I try to take my friend’s but he won’t let me.

So if you’re looking for a fun snack in River North, the Churrd is a cool option. Just don’t forget to take a picture!