The best hot chocolates in Budapest

What is it? A cosier than cosy café on a quiet street corner between Nyugati station and City Park, where more than a thousand types of hot chocolate are concocted as hundreds of teddy bears gaze down from every shelf.

Why we love it It’s not just the range of hot chocolates here – 1,500 including the varying percentages of cocoa duly contained, which you're asked to specify – but the quality. Slightly pricier organic, sugar-free or standard, fruity or spicy, you’ll be stirring your gorgeously presented, stand-your-spoon-up-in-it thick drink as if rowing through liquid slippers.

Time Out tip: Come here with time on your hands – each cup is crafted, then painstakingly embellished. If hot chocolate were slow food, this would be it.

Address: Szinyei Merse utca 22, 1063 Budapest

Opening times: Daily 10am-10pm

Expect to pay: Hot chocolate Ft 1,200 (€3.15), organic +Ft 300 (€0.80), +alcohol Ft 300 (€0.80), +vanilla ice cream +Ft 500 (€1.30)

What is it? This charming retreat in antiquated Krisztinaváros has been serving freshly roasted coffee and prime hot chocolate since its conversion from the Rill watch-making workshop in 2005. Vintage signs, radios and coffee grinders echo the sense of manufacturing down the generations.

Why we love it It would be hard to conceive of a more convivial spot for the slow sipping of hot drinks, your hot white chocolate melted with rum-soaked raisins or mixed with brandy and cherries.

Time Out tip: To take a taste of Csészényi home with you, buy a little packet of chocolate-dipped coffee beans (Ft 1,600-2,200/€4.20-5.75) you’ll see on the counter alongside the homemade cakes sold by the slice.

Address: Krisztina körút 34, 1013 Budapest

Opening times: Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm

Expect to pay: Cherry-brandy hot chocolate Ft 1,600 (€4.20). Aristocrats’ white chocolate (melted with rum-soaked raisins) Ft 1,600 (€4.20)

What is it? Showcase for a legacy Hungarian brand dating back to 1868, outlets for Stühmer dot the capital and the countryside, but this café/chocolate store on Bartók Béla út combines comfort with variety amid enticing gift boxes, takeaway bags and single bars. And, of course, all kinds of hot chocolate poured into a dainty glass.

Why we love it A haven of tradition in a strip of trendy galleries and bistros, Stühmer provides a timeless taste of authentic indulgence, created from its own tablets stored in large jars and blended according to your preference.

Time Out tip: Whether you’re going for the cardamom, rose-scented, ginger or regular chocolate option, your drink comes with a cloud of whipped cream unless you say otherwise – this is heady stuff, so you’d be wise to temper your thick elixir with whisps of dairy magic.

Address: Bartók Béla út 18, 1111 Budapest

Opening times: Mon-Sat 9am-8pm, Sun 10am-7pm

Expect to pay: Cinnamon, chili and orange hot chocolates Ft 1,890 (€5) each

What is it? A business entirely built on chocolate, a café and an adjoining shop, the sweet stuff poured into creamy cups and stocked in bars, boxes and praline form in bright surroundings.

Why we love it Cho Coco cuts to the chase: hot chocolate in two sizes, served with a smile, in a charming part of town. Plus, tasty flatbreads, from Bugac liver to chicken ragout with fresh herbs, offer a little novelty rather than the standard cakes and snacks.

Time Out tip: Cho Coco closes at weekends – a few doors down, upscale bistro Déryné offers chocolate hot and cold (Ft 3,480/€9) and acclaimed brunches.

Address: Pauler utca 7, 1013 Budapest

Opening times: Mon-Fri 8am-6pm. Closed Sat-Sun

Expect to pay: Small hot chocolate Ft 990 (€2.60), large Ft 1,490 (€3.90)

What is it? Anchoring the focal square of Vörösmarty tér, the venerable Gerbeaud is synonymous with the apricot-walnut-and-chocolate slice, invented here by the Swiss master confectioner of the same name.

Why we love it What was the point of the Habsburgs if not to spoil us with their creamy treats a century or more later? Their empire may have crumbled but their cakes still hold firm, to be devoured with delicate little forks on exquisite china in gilded institutions such as these. The hot chocolate here is frightfully expensive but boy is it worth it – hot, dark and laced with homemade hazelnut syrup or Amaretto liqueur with almond sprinkles.

Time Out tip: Treat yourself to one of Hungary’s most revered cakes, Dobos, Gerbeaud or the buttercream-rich Esterházy slice, with your hot chocolate.

Address: Vörösmarty tér 7-8, 1051 Budapest

Opening hours: Mon-Thur, Sun 9am-8pm, Fri-Sat 9am-9pm

Expect to pay: Dark hot chocolate with homemade hazelnut syrup Ft 4,350 (€11.45), Dark hot chocolate with Amaretto liqueur, whipped cream and almond sprinkles Ft 5,850 (€15.30)

What is it? Essentially a waffle shop in the student quarter, maritime-themed AHOY! also specialises in Belgian hot chocolate, whose flavours and toppings await your capricious embellishment.

Why we love it Served in a classic, tall Duralex glass, your hot chocolate comes with your signature all over it, M&M sprinkles with caramel sauce and coconut pieces, or marshmellow sprinkles, chocolate sauce and nutty bits. Flavours vary, too, banana, lavender or cinnamon, but what doesn’t change is the melted Belgian chocolate upon which the whole creation is founded.

Time Out tip: To really push the boat out, order a waffle (Ft 845/€2.20 + Ft 500/€1.30 base cream) alongside, and don’t skimp on sauces, sprinkles and flavours.

Address: Kecskeméti utca 11, 1053 Budapest

Opening times: Daily 11am-9pm

Expect to pay: Hot chocolate Ft 1,395 (€3.65) + special flavouring Ft 245 (€0.65) + sprinkles Ft 275 (€0.70) + sauce Ft 175 (€0.45) + extra variation Ft 225 (€0.60)

What is it? Named after the Pasternak novel and subsequent David Lean film, Zsivágó echoes the drawing rooms of Tsarist Russia, all fine upholstery and intricate woodwork.

Why we love it Neither Habsburg nor new-wave, Zsivágó differs from the many cafés in the city, serving more than a dozen types of hot chocolate, orange, After Eight and rum varieties included.

Time Out tip: In the run-up to Christmas, sink into a Baileys hot chocolate and relax.

Address: Paulay Ede utca 55, 1061 Budapest

Opening times: Mon-Fri 10am-midnight, Sat-Sun noon-midnight

Expect to pay: Hot chocolate (white) Ft 1,000 (€2.60), Baileys hot chocolate Ft 1,800 (€4.75)

What is it? For all its Parisian feel and fine desserts, the Gerlóczy offers tranquillity in the heart of the city, its terrace hidden amid greenery and behind a statue of Budapest’s first mayor.

Why we love it Birdsong and, in autumn, the gentle fall of golden leaves accompany your satisfying time reading, writing or just musing here, ideally over a dark hot chocolate with rum.

Time Out tip: As well as coffee and hot chocolate, alongside the Gerlóczy specialises in top-quality desserts, Basque cheesecake with quince, rosehip and chocolate ganache, or orange poppy-seed mousse with plum pálinka grappa.

Address: Gerlóczy utca 1, 1052 Budapest

Opening hours: Daily 7.30am-11pm

Expect to pay: Hot chocolate Ft 2,000 (€5.25), dark hot chocolate with rum Ft 2,500 (€6.55)