By Meg A. Parsont
February and chocolate go hand in hand. And while I’m a fan of beautiful boxes of bon bons, a cup of hot chocolate is balm for the soul. There’s something so soothing about it on a cold winter day, or even an unseasonably warm one.
With new cafes, bakeries, and artisanal coffee shops springing up all over the Upper West Side, this seemed like the perfect time to indulge my passion for hot chocolate. So, I set out on a quest to find the best in the area, sampling the offerings at 15 places.
I quickly learned that not all hot, chocolatey beverages are created equal. To make hot chocolate or “drinking chocolate,” hot milk, cream, or water is added to melted chunks or pieces of chocolate to create a fuller bodied, less sweet beverage. Hot cocoa is typically made with cocoa powder, sugar, and milk, and is a thinner drink that often has a milder flavor.
While some of the purveyors I visited touted their single-source, fair-trade chocolate and most served theirs up with steamed milk, the majority that I sampled were basically warm milk with a disappointing lack of chocolate flavor. Happily, I discovered six that were extremely satisfying, including one that elevated the experience to an entirely different plane of chocolate nirvana!
Here, from north to south, are the standout hot chocolates/hot cocoas I tasted on the UWS. (Note: I focused on beverages made with whole milk, but pretty much every place I visited offers alternatives like oat, soy, and skim milk. Some also offer flavored varieties and several even offer spiked options.)
Paris Baguette
2568 Broadway @97th Street
$3.39/$3.89/$4.19
The Upper West Side outpost of the Paris Baguette chain was my first stop, and it set a high standard. This classic old-school hot cocoa satisfied both my taste buds and my sense of nostalgia.
Peaky Barista
667 Columbus Avenue @92nd Street
$4.75
The standout hot chocolate from this cozy coffee shop is a concoction of Ghirardelli sweet ground cocoa powder, chocolate syrup, and a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips. They were one of the few places to dust their hot chocolate with cocoa powder. The final luxurious sips are best enjoyed with a spoon to get every bit of melted chocolate at the bottom of the cup.
Patis Bakery
676 Amsterdam Avenue @93rd Street
$6.50/$7.50
This welcoming new café uses a custom-made mixture to create a classic creamy, chocolatey beverage that’s pleasingly full-bodied and flavorful.
Mille-Feuilles Bakery Café
2175 Broadway, between 76-77th Streets
$5.00/$5.50
On the Upper West Side since 2014, this charming French patisserie serves a rich hot chocolate made from 70% cacao chips. It’s medium-bodied and delightfully creamy all the way down to the last sip.
Levain
167 W. 74th Street, off Amsterdam Avenue
351 Amsterdam Avenue between 76-77th Streets
$5.00/$6.00
Not surprisingly, this creator of iconic chocolate chip cookies (among others) uses fine chocolate in its hot chocolate: Valrhona 61% cacao dark chocolate chunks. The result is a flavorful and satisfying cup.
Venchi Chocolate and Gelato
198 Columbus Avenue @69th Street
$6.00
I could write an ode to this chocolatier’s nectar of the gods. Of all the Upper West Side offerings I sampled, theirs is by far the deepest, darkest, and thickest. They use their own blend, which they prepare in a mixer and keep warm and gently blending all day long for a downright decadent treat.
Let us know about your favorite hot chocolate/hot cocoa on the Upper West Side!
Makes me sad yet again that Jacques Torres left our neighborhood– absolute best hot chocolate
Agreed! It’s so so delicious. The whipped cream too
Now this is my kind of article! As a non-coffee-or-tea-drinker, and a hot chocolate lover, I am always on a quest to find a really good hot chocolate on the Upper West Side. Too often though, a drink which cost me at least $5 goes unfinished on account of being too bland or too sweet or too foamy. There is a particularly disappointing experience to be had at a well-known, and otherwise excellent, bakery on Amsterdam.
My personal favorite is at Tarallucci e Vino on 83rd and Amsterdam. Their hot chocolate manages to be both entirely liquid (not too thick and not too foamy) and intensely chocolatey.
Tarallucci e Vino is a neighborhood treasure! But I did not know about their hot chocolate. Thanks, UWSD!
(PS They are actually located at 475 Columbus Ave, SE cor. W 83rd St.)
Lol and thanks, you two:)
The best hot chocolate is a powder mix from No Chewing Allowed (Brooklyn). I heat up milk and add the mix and it is the best hot chocolate I’ve ever tasted. Tastes just like their truffles. And I’m home, cozy and warm.
For me what makes hot chocolate noteworthy is less sugar. I had a cup 2 weeks ago at Wollman Rink and it tasted like sugar water with some cocoa powder. Have to admit it gave me a burst of energy to go a few extra rounds of skating but I did not like the taste.
Try the hot chocolate at Hungarian Pastry Shop. It is unsweetened so just remember to ask for at least a little sugar. If you ask for whipped cream, that IS sweetened and absolutely delicious mixed into the hot chocolate. I’m really surprised that Hungarian didn’t make your list!!! Maybe you didn’t venture that far uptown? Theirs is way more like hot chocolate the way hot chocolate ‘used to be’, and we are so fortunate that this establishment still exists!
Mast on Columbus and 77 make excellent not-too-sweet hot chocolate and in two sizes including a perfect $2 mini (about 4 oz)
The best hot Belgium cocoa on the west side is at
Wafels & Dinges
79th St. On Columbus Avenue ! Yum yum !
Comes with free Belgian cinnamon cookies!!!
Will try it
Yes and Yes….thank you for the warm (pun intended) welcome to the neighborhood. I know we just opened but it’s a little know fact that Wafels & Dinges probably has the best hot cocoa in town – plus we do more of it than there I say any of the names on this list. Meg – you should come by and try!
That’s awesome! I will thank you for being quite neighborly
I have always been a Le Pain Quotidien for my. Almost daily hot chocolate (when I gave up coca-cola)
In the world of Hot Cocoa drinks, there’s the amateurs, and then there’s the people who are very serious about “Belgian” Hot Cocoa.
Wafels & Dinges
at West 79th St. on Columbus Avenue are the second type.
Many years ago, they decided that only there own proprietary recipe would be good enough to carry the “Wafels & Dinges” name. And so to this day, their Belgian Hot Cocoa is an award winning (Best of NYC) beverage, and you get a free “Spekuloos!” with your coco. It’s a Belgium gingerbread cookie! Definitely my best hot coco drink anywhere!!!!
Thank you Meg for doing the leg work so the rest of us can just reap the benefits. You got me thirsty!
Probably not fancy enough for everyone here but I am partial to Dunkin hot chocolate. Kind of like Kraft Mac and Cheese – the simplest is the best.
A packet of Swiss Miss from A&P or Pioneer was always good enough for me.
Sarabeth Kitchen has one of the best Hot Chocolate. They sell it in a carton and it has the best texture as it mixes pellets and powder. I will sample some of the other ones, but Patis’s is not as good as Sarabeth’s I will try the other ones
Peaky Barista hot cocoa was a rip off when I was there. It was weak, not even as good as the Swiss Miss I make at home!
This is the kind of serious investigative reporting I appreciate. Thank you Meg for doing all the difficult research so the rest of us can benefit.
Good morning: I love this article on Hot Chocolate.
I used to work near a small cafe in midtown that served a beverage made of espresso and hot chocolate. It was life changing. I always pop some cafe bustelo espresso powder in my hot chocolate now! By the way, I’d love to see a similar article but about cheesecake. Please assign your best reporter 😆
Thank you Meg. This is the kind of serious investigative reporting that the rest of us will benefit from. I appreciate all the difficult work that went into it and look forward to trying out your recommendations.
Amorino Gelato on Amsterdam and 80th for European hot chocolate. Similar to Jacques Torres
Now I’m craving hot chocolate! Thanks for another great piece, Meg!
Try 7-11 @ Amsterdam Ave @ 100th,St They have 2 kinds of hot chocolate: one more chocolaty than the other. Plus you get to add as much cream , milk , sugar varieties to your taste as they are self service. The large is about $3.00. They are the best, more cost effective for families with kids, senior citizens and those of us who have a taste for a good cup of hot chocolate and don’t want to necessarily break the bank.
Favorite place? My own abode. Nothing beats Godiva’s dark chocolate hot cocoa.
Thank you for this great article! Even though it’s a little below the UWS, Angelina’s, at 1050 6th Ave (40th St near Bryant Park) has the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.
“…three kinds of African cocoa from Niger, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire….” My daughter took me to the flagship Angelina’s in Paris. I was hooked, and am thrilled they now have a NYC (albeit not quite UWS) location. The hot chocolate is truly fabulous! So are the pastries.
100% Flowers on the Park– not too sweet or thick. PERFECT!
The best dark hot chocolate is at Angelina’s on 6th Avenue, an outlet from Paris.
NOW I WANT A HOT CHOCOLATE – WHO DELIVERS – Yum yum yum this was a delicious article!!!!!!!
Great article, Meg. But man, those comments! Nobody around here can agree on anything. It’s why I love the Upper West Side, it’s a hotbed of debate.
I have been on this question two years. The best hot chocolate on the UWS is 1. Flowers on Park, 2. Edgars, 3. Mamaan
Just yesterday (2/14/23) discovered phenomenaly thick, rich and delicious hot chocolate at a surprising place: Brooklyn Diner on W 57th. Apparently brand new there, and worth a visit. Deep, dark, rich ganache (not sure of origin chocolate – maybe Valhrona) blended, served in tall glass with a large scoop (!) of dense freshly made whipped cream on top (I initially thought it was ice cream). Served to drink through a wide straw. Worth sharing….. and a return visit.