Top 5 hot chocolate in Toronto
Published December 19, 2024 at 12:01 pm
A steamy cup of hot chocolate is one of the best ways to stay warm during the chilly winter season in Toronto, and also enjoy a classic sweet treat.
Some are piled with marshmallows, whipped cream and other eye-popping toppings, and others are more understated, letting the pure flavour of high quality chocolate come through. No matter how you like your cocoa, the hot chocolate at all these places is way better than the stuff that comes from a packet.
Here are some places that make great hot chocolate to keep you cozy all winter long in Toronto.
5 – Balzac’s
Multiple locations of this popular coffee shop all over town make a bang-up hot chocolate. It’s always creamy and satisfying, and they also typically have specials to check out during the holiday season.
Their s’mores hot chocolate is smoky, topped with whipped cream with a chocolate drizzle plus crunchy graham cracker cookies and huge toasted marshmallows. They also have hot apple cider.
4 – Arvo
Hit up this coffee shop to grab a hot chocolate made with local Soul Chocolate. It’s perfectly blended to achieve a smooth and velvety consistency, and comes topped with a sprinkle of cocoa that both looks cute and adds a little extra touch of tastiness.
3 – Venerosa Gelato
Great hot chocolate that’s more of a newcomer to the scene can be found in a surprising place: this recently opened gelato shop on Queen West.
Their s’mores hot chocolate is a very rich and thick house hot chocolate with a puffy ring of fluffy toasted marshmallow around the rim and a scoop of airy whipped cream on top. The toasted marshmallow adds lots of sweet smokiness to the flavour of the hot chocolate, like getting a marshmallow with every sip.
2 – The Chocolateria
Don’t miss the hot chocolate from this chocolate maker on Roncesvalles. It’s incredibly smooth, rich and creamy, and while you’re waiting you can get a glimpse of the chocolate making process taking place at the back of the shop.
It comes topped with whipped cream and the perfect dusting of cocoa powder to complete the picture.
1 – Soma
This renowned artisanal chocolate maker has a couple varieties of hot chocolate on the menu at their multiple cafes. They’re both far from homemade hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows, and their Maya hot chocolate actually has some serious bite.
It’s made of spicy dark chocolate brewed with orange peel, chili peppers, ginger and spices, so it’s not just hot but also very flavourful with a very well-rounded warming profile. They also serve what they call the “Dark Side of the Mug,” a classic dark chocolate drinking chocolate.
Both can be served as an intense shot, or with hot milk or hot water.
