Whether you’re planning a cafe-hopping rendezvous or an intimate, snuggle-athon at home, trust a few cuppas of hot chocolate to be your cosy fix this wintry New Year 2023.
A steaming cup of hot chocolate, an artsy café, the highs and lows of people’s chatter melded with birds chirping outside, while you plan the new year 2023 month by month – sounds like an ideal winter day out, right? With temperatures dropping across India and our constant need to be wrapped up in the warmest of garbs, the most comforting post-Christmas drink we can think of to bring in a peachy new year is indulgent hot chocolate. So whether you’re planning an outdoorsy rendezvous or an intimate, snuggle-athon at home, a few cups of hot chocolate never hurt anyone!
From Mumbai and Delhi to Bengaluru, here are thirteen cafes serving the hottest, most decadent hot chocolate varieties in India.
Coco Café by CocoCart, Mumbai
Pouring some of the best hot chocolate variants in Mumbai, Coco Café by CocoCart is a haven for people with a palate for fine chocolates. With multiple outposts across the city, you can sip and indulge in a variety of hot choco on the menu of Coco Café, including Valrhona Classic hot chocolate with 70 per cent dark chocolate, Lindt Dark hot chocolate, the famous After Eight peppermint-infused hot chocolate and Whittakers Salted Caramel Italian hot chocolate.
Where: Coco Café by CocoCart, Fort, Lower Parel, Sakinaka, Goregaon
Le15 Patisserie, Mumbai
Trust Pooja Dhingra to concoct some truly drool-worthy hot chocolate mixes. And, we are invested without any guilt! From a wholesome hot chocolate collection box of three different flavours to its other hot cuppas such as Mocha Hot Chocolate, Belgian Hot Chocolate and Chai Spice Hot Chocolate, which is a delightful blend of sweet and warm chai spices for the chai lover in you!
Where: Le15 Patisserie, Order online at orders.le15.com
Café Noir, Mumbai and Bengaluru
Recreated as an enchanting French patisserie and bistro, Café Noir in Lower Parel’s upscale locale of Lodha World Crest is what Parisian hot chocolate dreams are made of. Add this to your New Year-special binge list and dip your palate in their assortment of Le Chocolate Chaud, Chocolat Chaud à la menthe (with peppermint) and Chocolat Chaud Nutella (expect lots of nutella!). All hot chocolates at Café Noir are made of callebaut 50 per cent cocoa.
Where: Café Noir, Lower Parel at Lodha World Crest in Mumbai and UB City in Bengaluru
Smoke House Deli, Mumbai
Starting December 2022 onwards, Smoke House Deli is ready with a special hot chocolate menu in time for the winters and New Year. Get your favourite or make new favourites from the menu that features Classic Hot Chocolate, Nutella Hazelnut Hot Chocolate, Dark Matter Mocha for those who have an endless love for both, coffee and dark chocolate, Citrus White Hot Chocolate with an orangey twist and Tahini Mocha Hot Chocolate touched with a sesame hit.
Where: Smoke House Deli, Colaba, Pali Hill, BKC and Phoenix Palladium
One8 Commune, Mumbai
At Virat Kohli’s restaurant one8 Commune in Mumbai, there’s more to the breezy, bright, European-themed environ. On sunny, wintry days or cosy evenings, ditch your cocktails and reach out for a soothing cup of hot chocolate on the menu that features Spiced Chocolate mix with a stirring blend of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg, and Cocoa Cappuccino, which melds coffee and hot chocolate together!
Where: one8 Commune, Juhu
Out of the Blue, Khar
Out of the Blue has curated two seasonal hot chocolates laced with spices for warming winter evenings. These hot cuppas infuse blue gourmet chocolates and are precisely dubbed The Pumpkin Spiced Hot Chocolate with rum and another non-alcohol version for the teetotalers.
Where: Out of the Blue, Union Park, Khar, Mumbai
Perch Wine and Coffee Bar, Mumbai and New Delhi
Perch Wine and Coffee Bar with its outlets in Delhi and Mumbai whips up some seriously sinful hot chocolates that dance smoothly on the palate and drizzle down to soothe the soul the next minute. On the menu at Perch in Delhi across Vasant Vihar, Saket and Khan Market, hit the unwind button and call for their classic hot chocolate or vegan hot chocolate with coconut milk. While in Mumbai, the outlet in Khar stirs up options of signature hot chocolate, spiced hot chocolate, vegan hot chocolate and spiked hot chocolate with rum or cognac or Irish whisky. Sounds like an indulgent New Years!
Where: Perch Wine And Coffee Bar, Khar in Mumbai and Vasant Vihar, Saket and Khan Market in New Delhi
Colocal Indian Origin Chocolate, New Delhi
One of the most popular cafes in Delhi, known for its bean to bar chocolates, Colocal works with Indian cacao farmers and sources its cacao from Idukki Hills in Kerala. On their menu, Colocal plays around with different portions of chocolates making an experimental but fun selection of hot choco drinks like 55 to 85 per cent hot chocolates, banana hot chocolate, caramel hot chocolate and Colocal campfire chocolate, all served with marshmallows.
Where: Colocal Indian Origin Chocolate, The Dhan Mill and Khan Market, New Delhi and Sector 110, Noida
Petite Pie Shop, New Delhi and Gurugram
Known for their scrumptious sweet and savoury pies across outlets in Defence Colony, Delhi and Worldmark in Gurugram, Petite Pie Shop spells guzzle-worthy indulgence with its variety of hot chocolates on the menu including their signature one and Campfire hot chocolate that pair best with joyous, wintry outings.
Where: Petite Pie Shop, Defence Colony in New Delhi and Worldmark in Gurugram
Fabelle – The Chocolate Boutique at ITC Maurya, New Delhi
From the trove of one of India’s first luxury chocolate brands Fabelle come some truly decadent offerings and when we think of hot chocolates on a chilly New Year’s evening in Delhi, their in-house café in ITC Maurya dubbed Fabelle – The Chocolate Boutique reminds us of their classic thick hot chocolate topped with light and mushy marshmallows.
Where: Fabelle – The Chocolate Boutique at ITC Maurya, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi
Glen’s Bakehouse, Bengaluru
When in Bengaluru, you cannot miss noshing on some delicious bakes at Glen’s Bakehouse, one of the oldest and most visited eateries in Bengaluru. With over eight outlets spanning the length and breadth of the city, sip on a comforting cup of Willy’s Classic hot chocolate at Glen’s Bakehouse paired with their cheesecakes, pies or croissants to soak in the best of the snuggly season!
Where: Glen’s Bakehouse, Lavelle Road, Indiranagar, Koramangala, Whitefield, Jayanagar, Sanjay Nagar, Kalyan Nagar, Bannerghatta and New BEL Road
L’inoui, Bengaluru
With their outpost at Bengaluru International Airport, L’inoui is a chocolaterie in Bengaluru that also delivers their handcrafted offerings to the doorstep. Their special hot chocolate dips are a fun way to get an indulgent cup of choco ready at home in minutes! Available in varieties of Dark, Classic, Extra Dark, Hazelnut and Coffee in boxes of four, six or twelve dips, you simply need to dip the Belgian hot chocolate sticks in hot milk and swirl it and voila!
Where: L’inoui, order online at L’inoui
Aloha Drinking Chocolate, Bengaluru
A hot chocolate haven that is hard to resist when winters sets in and the mercury dips, Aloha Drinking Chocolate in Bengaluru whisks abundant choices, including classic hot chocolate and other flavours of cinnamon, orange, peppermint, dark chocolate and salted caramel. And, they have vegan hot chocolate, too, made with coconut milk because the craving must continue!
Where: Aloha Drinking Chocolate, Indiranagar, Bengaluru
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