The best hot chocolate in Boston

When it comes to all things cacao, this New Hampshire-based chocolatier is one of the biggest names in the Boston area, with chocolate cafés in Back Bay and Harvard Square. Their old-school, European-style hot chocolate—or “drinking chocolate,” as Burdick bills it—is made with either Burdick’s dark, milk or white chocolate blends, or with single source varietals, e.g. robust mineral-flavored cacao from Grenada. Flavored drinking chocolates are also available for purchase by the bag. Be sure to toss in a box of their signature chocolate mice for the journey home.

This quintessential North End coffee shop serves up piping hot authentic cioccolatto caldo (aka Italian-style hot chocolate). Whether you consider this a drink or dessert, the secret ingredient of corn starch thickens the mixture into a creamy cup of melted chocolate served with whipped cream. For the adult set, there are two boozy options – the Sleigh Ride (hot chocolate, Godiva liqueur, and Baileys) and the Italia (hot cocoa, hazelnut liqueur, kahlua, and brandy).

Sit fireside at Avery Bar Chocolat and sip on cocoa topped with all the goodies during this annual table-side hot cocoa service, starting October 28 through the holidays in the luxurious Four-Star hotel. With an option to keep your cocoa “perfectly nice” or make it “sinfully naughty” by adding your favorite spirit, choose from toppings curated by Ritz-Carlton, Boston pastry chef Christoper Goluszka, including house-made vanilla bean marshmallows and caramel whipped cream, along with candy cane shortbread cookies and double fudge brownies. Pair your cup with a selection of decadent sweets and pastries.

This Newbury Street favorite offers a creamy hot chocolate made with not one, but two different types of chocolate. This decadent drink is topped with house made whipped cream and chocolate chips. You can kick this one up with a shot of vanilla vodka, or just sip on the original and enjoy its sober sweetness.

A small French café tucked away in downtown crossing, Café Bonjour is the perfect spot to cozy up with a mug of hot chocolate and some crepes.

The grand dame of Cambridge’s many coffeehouses serves cups of hot chocolate that you'll want to savor. Both locations—Inman Square and Central Square—offer a variety of Dutch cocoa-based hot chocolates including a standard version, a spicy Mexican cup with chipotle and cinnamon, and the decadent Almond Joy, which is prepared with almond syrup and coconut.

When Andre Sadowski, co-owner of The Thinking Cup, created the café's French Hot Chocolate, he was having a oui bit of nostalgia. "Our French hot chocolate was the idea I had from memories of my trips to Paris," he recalls of the moment this very dense melted chocolate drink came to fruition. They use melted 64% Tainori Valhrona single origin drinking chocolate, a high end alternative to typical powder, and the delight is served in a warmed porcelain cup. Whether or not to enjoy this treat doesn't take much thinking.

When you want a bit of a kick, Trident’s Chocolatino does you one better than the typical hot cocoa, serving up espresso mixed with steamed chocolate milk and topped with whipped cream, cocoa, and chocolate syrup. Grab your favorite read and snuggle up with a cup.

Located at Bow Market in Somerville, chocolate shop Gâté Comme Des Filles offers an incredibly rich Parisian-style hot chocolate. Order the chocolat chaud avec crème chantilly maison, this thick hot chocolate topped with homemade whipped cream topped; watch for seasonal flavor specials.

This spot in Cambridge may be known for their Liège waffles (Belgian street waffles with pearl sugar), but in the winter you can pair your waffle with a cup of hot chocolate made with Taza chocolate, vanilla bean syrup, and steamed milk for the perfect warm treat on a chilly day.

At Flour, James Beard Award-winning baker Joanne Chang whips up a hot chocolate that’s incredibly rich and luscious thanks to the chocolate ganache and milk. The ganache is bittersweet Belgian chocolate mixed with heavy cream. The whole thing is steamed with milk until hot and frothy. 

Both locations of this Southern-style restaurant serve up an absolutely decadent mug of hot cocoa. Bourbon Hot Chocolate is made with homemade Luxardo cherry jam, rich creamy chocolate, torched fluff and—you guessed it— bourbon. Stop by the Back Bay or Arsenal Yards to get a taste of this rich beverage. 

This Cambridge newcomer is a must for cocoa. Created by celebrated pastry chef Brian Mercury, Cafe Beatrice’s Taza hot chocolate features the local chocolatier’s dark variety, which is ground up and combined with cocoa powder, cinnamon and a sprinkle of salt.

This Red Velvet Hot Chocolate cake-in-a-cup gives its name sake dessert a run for its money, with a brilliant pink hue (due to the rouge cocoa used to prepare it) and velvety cream cheese notes that add a unique richness. Complete with powdered chocolate sprinkles, it's thick and rich, so sip it slowly from the latte mug. They also have Cookies-and-Cream, PB&J, and regular hot cocoa at their seven locations in Boston, Cambridge, and Salem, if you want to stick with tradition.

This Eastie gastropub’s hot chocolate is anything but child’s play. From the bar, patrons can order up the You Sexy Thing cocoa cocktail, Cunard Tavern’s homemade hot chocolate made with unsweetened cocoa powder, whole milk and vanilla syrup—spiked with black rum and topped with handshaken cinnamon amaro whipped cream. Sexy indeed.

If a European coffee house barista tries to warm you up, let them. When the season rolls around, Caffe Nero's Mint Hot Chocolate is a decadent trip into a peppermint stick. Almost like a melted Andes Candies nibble, this rich drink has a sharp minty finish blending with the richness of premium chocolate. Finish it up with crushed candy canes and whipped cream.

For something a little different, Tatte serves up a cup of cocoa that uses Belgian white chocolate. Steamed milk is poured over white chocolate morsels, then the creamy concoction is hand mixed. It's a delightful sweet treat to enjoy while lingering in the welcoming, European-style cafe.