The best hot chocolate in NYC

There's more chocolate than there is milk in the hot cocoa at Bar Pisellino, a jewel box of an homage to the Italian caffè. The hot chocolate is so rich that it's like drinking warm cake batter—topped with a dollop of firmly-whipped panna that melts oh-so-slowly, this is a drink with the personality of an elegant dessert. Think of it as special-occasion coca, a reward for good behavior. In other words, you get one too. West Village (barpisellino.com), $8.

The Daily Provisions Hot Chocolate is made with creamy foamed milk and a house-made ganache of Vesta dark and milk chocolates. It's complex and delicious, and when topped with a freshly-made vanilla marshmallow and a generous sprinkle of cocoa powder, it's tasty, messy fun. Gramercy, Upper West Side (dailyprovisionsnyc.com). $6.50.

Pastry chef's Umber Ahmad's take on hot chocolate is straightforward and perfect: Valrhona chocolate, steamed milk and a toasted housemade vanilla bean marshmallows that will haunt your child's dreams. West Village (mahzedahrbakery.com). $5.

There are three categories of “drinking chocolates” at this chocolatier chain: Blended (in dark, milk, or white chocolate varieties), single source (Bolivia, Brazil), or a spicy dark brew punched up with chile powder. Trust us, you can’t go wrong with any of them. Soho (burdickchocolate.com). $6

It looks like magic but really, it’s just dessert-world ingenuity—pastry maestro Dominique Ansel crowns his rich cup of hot cocoa with a marshmallow flower that’s wrapped in a band of chocolate. When the chocolate hits the warm liquid, it melts and the flower “blooms” and reveals a chocolate truffle in the middle. Soho (dominiqueanselny.com). $7.50

This old-timey soda fountain celebrates sweater weather with a messy, goopy, chocolately salted caramel hot cocoa topped with a small mountain of toasted house-made marshmallow fluff. Some advice: Ask for extra napkins. Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn (brooklynfarmacyandsodafountain.com). $6.

MarieBelle doesn't play around. The Cocoa Bar Salon in the chocolatier's SoHo boutique offers multiple variations of hot chocolate, from the classic Aztec dark chocolate, to Hindu cardamom, to white chocolate Tahitian vanilla. Choose from whole milk, fat-free milk, almond milk, oat milk. This might be the most comprehensive cocoa menu in the five boroughs. SoHo, (mariebelle.com), $5.

The Standard East Village is the embodiment of low-key luxury, a tastefully cool kid spot on a still-gritty street. What does this have to do with the cocoa, which is made with Valrhona Caraibe dark chocolate? Well, you can get a mug in the cafe, or you can throw a little party by reserving one of the heated yurts in the Winter Garden: Order a bourbon-spiked hot chocolate ($15), a raclette burger—maybe some warm cocktails for the grownups. It's as cozy as it is stylish. East Village, (standardhotels.com).

The Mexican hot chocolate at Atla is a chocolate callente for sophisticates. Dark, dense, delicious—just what you'd expect from the kitchen of Daniela Soto-Innes and Enrique Olvera. Noho (atlanyc.com). $9.

The hot chocolate at Stumptown is so good because the baristas know their way around a steam wand. They texture the milk to the perfect temperature and consistency, then mix it with a housemade ganache. So gorgeous, so simple. Flatiron, Greenwich Village (stumptowncoffee.com). $4.75.

Breads knows how to do chocolate well—the hundreds of cocoa-laced rugelach we've consumed since the joint opened is more than enough proof. So it's no shock that the bakery's hot chocolate would be equally addictive. The sweet concoction is made with 35-percent Cacao Noel chocolate disks and sports a fat cap of steamed whole milk. Union Square (breadsbakery.com). $4.65

A recipe for hot chocolate success: L.A. Burdick chocolate, expertly-steamed milk, a handsome and family-friendly room with plenty of room for strollers. Various locations (devocion.com). $6.25.

What better accompaniment for the bakery's exceptional chocolate-chip cookies than a steamy mug of creamy hot cocoa made with melted chocolate and infused with dried lavender. Various locations (www.mamannyc.com). $4.50.

Fany Gerson is well-known for her frozen paletas, but she’s also talented at treats on the other end of the heat spectrum. Case in point: Her Mexican hot chocolate, which can come stirred with milk ($7), topped with vanilla whipped cream ($8), punctuated with a chile blend ($7.25), or—our favorite incarnation—a side of ready-to-dip churros ($9). West Village (lanewyorkina.com)

This one's a team effort. While the weather remains chilly, order this 15-pound boozy hot chocolate that's meant to serve 10. This modern play on red velvet cake is made with Valrhona dark chocolate and comes with many fluffy marshmallows. $125.