Eating & Drinking

The best hot chocolate in London

Warm up with a takeaway treat from the capital's top chocolatiers
10 best hot chocolate in London to try this season

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Last winter, I turned to London's hot chocolate scene to soothe my broken heart. From milky-sweet cups topped with canned whipped cream to tiny shots of neat, molten liquid, I tried them all. The daily habit lasted for several months and often meant resorting to instant sachets and lukewarm takeaways from high-street chains. Even, in desperate times, the watery dribble of petrol station vending machines. But then there were the good ones. These had the power to transport me to being six or seven and watching my granny pour warmed double cream straight into the mug; to dark bonfire nights; to icy toes in ski boots; to steaming bowls of chocolat chaud dipped into with a rip of warm baguette. Deeply comforting as well as nostalgic, hot chocolate is a treat that really can make you feel a bit better. Plus, dark chocolate has been proven to ease anxiety which makes it practically medicinal. The key is to look for specialist chocolate shops or ice-cream parlours which do proper hot chocolates in the winter months. Here are 10 of the best hot chocolates in London to try.

Best hot chocolate in London

  • Chin Chin Labs Soho and Camden Best for marshmallow lovers This brand is known for its quirky treats such as nitro ice...

    Chin Chin Labs, Soho and Camden

    Best for: marshmallow lovers

    This brand is known for its quirky treats, such as nitro ice cream sandwiches and hot chocolate topped with mounds of blow-torched marshmallow. Visit its labs in Camden and Soho, or for nationwide home delivery order the pre-blended kit that's been handmade in their Soho kitchen using Valrhona chocolate. Add a mini pot of marshmallow fluff to top it all off.

    Address: Chin Chin Labs, 54 Greek Street, Soho, London W1D 3DS; 49-50 Camden Lock Place, Camden Town, London NW1 8AF
    Website: chinchinicecream.com

  • Knoops, multiple sites

    Best for: next-level hot chocolate

    After making its name in Rye, East Sussex, Knoops now has two London shops, in Clapham and Kensington. Expect a laboratory feel as a Knoopologist helps you choose your perfect percentage in white, milk, ruby or dark from the chocolate library. You can then add extras such as Maldon sea salt, szechuan pepper or cardamom. It's served in bowls with a satisfying square of homemade marshmallow on the side.

    Address: Chelsea, Covent Garden, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Notting Hill and Richmond stores
    Website: knoops.co.uk

    Dark Sugars, Greenwich

    Best for: a destination store

    If anything proves the popularity of Dark Sugars, it's the recent opening of a four-storey Cacao House in Greenwich. Inside, check the full range and stock up on indulgent bars of chocolate, tasty truffles and tubs of hot chocolate inspired by West African flavours. Thick hot chocolates are served covered in a mix of white, milk and dark chocolate curls and sprinkles for a super chocolatey hit.

    Address: Dark Sugars, 9 Nelson Road, London SE10 9JB
    Website: darksugars.co.uk

  • The Connaught Patisserie, Mayfair

    Best for: chocoholics

    The marble counter teems with cakes at the rose-coloured Patisserie at The Connaught. They include the signature Connaughty Hound, a chocolate hazelnut cake in the shape of the hotel’s canine emblem, and The River Café’s chocolate nemesis – available for the first time outside of its riverside home. If that isn’t enough to satisfy chocoholics, there’s also the velvety hot chocolate made with dark Valrhona stirred through with Madagascan vanilla and topped with whipped cream.

    Address: The Connaught Patisserie, 10 Mount Street, London W1K 2TY
    Website: the-connaught.co.uk

    The Nook, Hampstead

    Best for: on-the-go treats

    On a corner of Hampstead Heath's green expanses, the team at The Nook serves speciality coffee and luxury hot chocolate to dog walkers and strollers in search of sweet fuel. Hot chocolates are made using the finest Belgian chocolate drops. There are six options ranging from 28 per cent cocoa white chocolate to 80 per cent dark. On sunnier days, milkshakes are also crafted using melted chocolate, while mouth-watering ice cream flavours include pistachio, banana split and vegan options are also on offer.

    Address: The Nook, 43 S End Road, London NW3 2PY
    Website: thenookhampstead.co.uk

  • The Parlour at Fortnum and Mason, Piccadilly

    Best for: an indulgent afternoon

    The Fortnum’s Parlour specialises in ice-cream sundaes in summer and hot chocolate in winter. Choose from dark, milk, or salted caramel hot chocolate and smother the gloopy treat in whipped cream and chocolate shavings. For £12.25, pair a hot chocolate with an edible sweet treat – rich millionaire's shortbread, honey and ginger cheesecake, or orange madeleines.

    Address: Fortnum and Mason, 181 Piccadilly, London W1A 1ER
    Website: fortnumandmason.com

    Prestat, Piccadilly

    Best for: classic hot chocolate

    With a tiny, chocolate-box shop in Princes Arcade, Prestat is the place to pick up colourful selections of truffles, and there’s also a small counter where you can order hot chocolate to take away. Choose a flavour of real chocolate shavings; they’re then swirled into frothy milk.

    Address: Prestat, 14 Princes Arcade, Piccadilly, London SW1Y 6DS
    Website: prestat.com

  • William Curley, Soho

    Best for: hazelnut hot chocolate

    Chocolatier William Curley’s boutique is tucked away in Soho’s tranquil Smith’s Court, with tables indoors as well as out in the leafy, fairy-lit courtyard. Try the Gianduja, made with Piedmont hazelnut and 70-per-cent dark chocolate, for a flavour like grown-up Nutella, or the Aztec which has a warming chilli kick.

    Address: William Curley, 33 Smith's Court, Soho, London W1D 7LR
    Website: williamcurley.co.uk

    Gelupo, Soho

    Best for: molten hot chocolate

    This Soho stalwart is well known for its gelato, but a lesser-known fact is that it also serves an indulgent take on hot chocolate in the winter. Forget milky, marshmallow and whipped-cream concoctions: here you get a small shot glass filled with molten dark chocolate. A rich, grown-up treat.

    Address: Gelupo, 7 Archer Street, Soho, London W1D 7AU
    Website: gelupo.com

  • Lucocoa Chocolate, Bermondsey

    Best for: a healthier hot chocolate

    The clue is in the name at Lucocoa, which uses the Peruvian lucuma fruit instead of refined sugars to sweeten its chocolate. The result is a delicious figgy-rich flavour. Can't get to the store? Head online and add a few jars of rich cocoa powder to your basket – you'll thank yourself when the nights draw in.

    Address: Lucocoa Chocolate, Arch 3, Spa Business Park, Dockley Road, London SE16 4EJ
    Website: lucocoachocolate.com

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