There are plenty of things to do in New York City (NYC) in winter to enjoy or stay warm. For us, one of the “sweetest adventures” has been finding the best hot chocolate in New York City. You could go as far as calling us hot chocolate connoisseurs. We love it with marshmallows, Oreos, a little spicy, rich and decadent – you name it, we will drink it! One of the best places to find delicious hot chocolate is in the foodie capital of the United States, New York City! Of course, there are plenty of places to buy a cup of hot chocolate but during our weekend in New York City, we have found the BEST of the BEST just for you. It was hard work, but someone had to do it. So get cozy and grab a book about New York City or sip on your luscious hot chocolate during your NYC walking tours and enjoy!

City Bakery

City Bakery is hands down the best hot chocolate in New York City. In fact, every February they have an annual hot chocolate festival featuring 28 different flavors for every day of the month. So if you love hot chocolate as much as us, you should visit New York City in February. What makes City Bakery’s ones of the best hot chocolates in New York City is their giant house-made marshmallows. The big and fluffy marshmallow floats in the center of the mug until it slowly melts into the hot chocolate. Once the marshmallow starts melting, it creates a creamy and luscious concoction. The hot chocolate is very rich, so the marshmallow helps balance the richness of the chocolate. The viscosity of the hot chocolate is also perfect, not overly thick and not too thin. It is seriously the most balanced and perfect hot chocolate we have ever tasted.

Hot chocolate at City Bakery just flows like a Willy Wonka chocolate waterfall. Well maybe not exactly, but there is a giant fondue pot in the middle of the bakery with a staff member who continues to pour mugs of hot chocolate by the minute. It is quite a beautiful sight to see.

Dominque Ansel Bakery

Everyone loves going to Dominique Ansel to have some of the best desserts in New York City. He became famous for his world renown cronut, but that is not his only genius creation. He also has the most Instagram-worthy hot chocolate in New York City. It is called the Dominque Ansel Blossoming Hot Chocolate. The hot chocolate was first introduced in his bakery in Tokyo and has taken over the world one Dominque Ansel Bakery at a time. What makes this hot chocolate special is their marshmallow flower. Make sure your camera is ready when they call your name because you do not want to miss this. They take their marshmallow flower bud, a thin marshmallow bunched up inside a white chocolate cup and place it in the center of the hot chocolate. Then as the white chocolate cup melts away, the marshmallow flower bud “blossoms” into a beautiful flower with a surprise bonbon inside. Needless to say, this is one of the best hot chocolates in New York City – it truly gives guests a fun and interactive experience.

In addition to the interactive flower marshmallow, the hot chocolate itself is also delicious! The hot chocolate is not overly sweet or rich, just perfectly balanced.

Max Brenner

Max Brenner is one of the most notable chocolate driven restaurants in the world with over 50 locations. It is the brain child of Max Fichtman and Oded Brenner. Together they have created a chocolate empire that has perfected hot chocolate. In fact, they have created and trademarked the perfect mug known as the Hug Mug. This mug is designed for hot chocolate lovers to “hug” the mug with both hands creating a warm and enjoyable experience. It is truly the perfect way to drink hot chocolate. In addition to perfecting the Hug Mug, Max Brenner has specialized their hot chocolate to resemble Italy’s thick hot chocolate consistency. It is severely rich in chocolate making every sip luxurious.

There are several different types of hot chocolate served at Max Brenner – Original, Italian Thick, Mexican Spicy, Mocha, Marshmallow, Peanut Butter, Hazelnut, Oreo and Salted Caramel. Honestly you cannot go wrong as they are all worthy of being called the best hot chocolate in New York City. We tasted the Oreo Hot Chocolate and it was absolutely heavenly. It was creamy, thick, and full of Oreos that still had a crunchy bite to them. Though we would love to try the other flavors, we would order the Oreo hot chocolate again in a heartbeat.

Eataly

First of all, Eataly is a “must see” place when visiting New York City. It is the perfect place to get your fix of Italian food, wine and culture. After living/traveling throughout Italy for two months, we can honestly say Eataly made us feel like we were back in Italy. Especially when we found their cannoli-bomboloni bar with hot chocolate. Dreams do come true – three of our favorite things in the world! In addition to their cannoli-bomboloni bar, Eataly has everything you could ever think of in their market. You can purchase Italian beer, wine, cheese, bread, pasta, pesto and tomato sauce to take home. As well as, restaurants and to-go counters of pizza, gelato, coffee, pastries, paninis, a rotisserie and seafood. So come for the hot chocolate and stay for more!

Of course, Eataly features the true way to enjoy hot chocolate. Italian hot chocolate is a lot thicker than the American hot chocolate. Almost pudding-like. It is also richer and not too sweet. You can truly taste the quality of the chocolate used in Italian hot chocolate. With that said, Eataly does Italian hot chocolate perfectly making it one of the best in New York City. Guests can order the traditional hot chocolate or enhance their experience by adding a dollop of whipped cream or any of the cannoli toppings. Our recommendation, hazelnut pieces sprinkled over the whipped cream. You get more creaminess, nuttiness and a crunchy contrast of texture. And do not forget to upgrade your hot chocolate with a fresh bomboloni or a cannoli of your choice. Better yet, get all three!

Is your mouth watering yet? Which hot chocolate will you be trying first? There is no shame in trying them all. In fact, we challenge you to enjoy all four of the best hot chocolates in New York City! You will not regret it… you will be thanking us.