Anyone who knows me well knows that I am absolutely obsessed with chocolate. It is just about my favourite thing to eat, and I find it hard to go a day without having some, even if it’s just a little piece of it after dinner. So when I was thinking about what I was going to write about this week, I realised I should share with you all what is fast becoming one of my favourite weekend activities: trying different hot chocolates.

I feel like winter is the best excuse for copious amounts of hot chocolate. There’s something about it that everything better, and has the ability to warm your soul. I always crave hot chocolate when the temperature drops, and a coffee never does the same job for me. It seems like each weekend at the moment I end up having at least one, so it was only fitting that I share a bit of my exploring with you.

If there is one thing that Melbourne has a lot of, it’s hot chocolate. Of course you can get these anywhere, but there are certainly places in Melbourne that have really upped the hot chocolate game. These aren’t your ordinary run of the mill hot chocolates, and there truly is something for everyone. You don’t need to settle for instant hot chocolate here, there is a whole world of these that I never would have imagined existed before moving here. There is almost too much choice, and it’s hard to know where to start. But never fear, I’ve selflessly done the leg work for you! It was a tough job, but I feel like I’ve found some of the best, so now when you have a hankering for a delicious hot chocolate, you’ll know where to go!

So here it is, my top 5 hot chocolates I’ve had so far.

The Campfire Hot Chocolate at Mork Chocolate

Where: North Melbourne

Go For: Theatre and Spectacle

Ok, if you follow basically any foodie Instagram, you will have already seen this hot chocolate. It is the epitome of Instagram worthy, and everyone goes to Mork to get that perfect video of this one. I guess part of my reason for going to Mork was for this, but mainly I was intrigued to try it out, so knew I had to make the trek to North Melbourne for this one!

Mork is serious about its drinking chocolate, so much so that they have made a whole café around it. The best part about this is that there are more than one amazing hot chocolates to try, providing opportunities for many trips. I was tempted to order more than one, because every drink on the menu sounds amazing, and it’s hard to decide.

I chose the Campfire hot chocolate because it is what their known for, and I was so intrigued to try it. For those who haven’t seen it, it comes out with an upside down glass filled with smoke, a toasted marshmallow on a stick, and your hot chocolate. You turn the cup up and get an amazing wood fired smell, and then pour in the hot chocolate, stirring with the marshmallow until it melts. They even give you this amazing salt to add in to your drink, which worked really well with the flavours!

For those who love sweet hot chocolate, this one probably isn’t for you. I was surprised by how unsweet it was, but I loved it for that. It was smokey and delicious, and everything I thought it would be. For something different from your classic hot chocolate, this one has got you covered! And the best part about it was that it wasn’t even that expensive for the effort that must go in to bringing it together! I will most certainly be back to give some of the other choices on the menu a go. As a side note, you can also get Mork hot chocolate at a number of cafes as they are quite widely distributed. You can also buy the mix to take home with you so you can have it all the time!

The Dark Hot Chocolate at Bibelot

Where: South Melbourne

Go For: Decadence

Bibelot has been the site of many a hot chocolate for me because I love it so much, and because I seem to often find myself at South Melbourne Markets. Bibelot itself is a great place to go for a decadent treat, whether you feel like ice cream, take home chocolate or a little treat. But my favourite thing to get here is there dark hot chocolate.

The hot chocolate is one you mix yourself, which is really fun. It also always seems to come with an unusual flavoured marshmallow (I had a lime one once which was amazing). You pour the liquid chocolate in to your frothed milk to make a hot chocolate that is perfect for you, so if you didn’t want a whole lot of chocolate you could leave some out (I don’t know why you would do this or how you would resist it, but sure). I love that it is made on dark liquid chocolate rather than a powder, it makes it that much more decadent.

This hot chocolate is super rich and dark, and is almost like a meal in itself. It isn’t for the faint hearted. It is quite sweet for a dark chocolate though, so I would recommend getting this over the milk even if you aren’t a big dark hot chocolate drinker. You can even get it take away if you want to walk and drink, if it lasts that long. I know when I got one take away it didn’t last 100 metres before I had finished it!

If you have the time though, I’d recommend sitting in and making it yourself. Bibelot smells amazing, and has a really cosy fit out. Sit back and relax, and enjoy the decadence that is this amazing hot chocolate.

The Mexicano Cacao Hot Chocolate at Happy Place

Where: South Melbourne Markets

Go For: Healthy

If you are in South Melbourne and on the flip side don’t feel like being decadent, you can find an amazing hot chocolate at Happy Place. This is Lola Berry’s new café, and it is full of smoothies, healthy treats and healthy hot drinks. It’s actually a really nice fit out, although it doesn’t have much sitting room, so this is really a walk with your hot chocolate kind of place. When I went here I decided that trying out the hot chocolate would be far more enjoyable than trying bone broth, and I wasn’t disappointed. The hot chocolate here has a little surprise that sets it apart.

Not only is this hot chocolate made on cacao, it also has chilli in it, which gives the drink an amazing kick. You don’t get it at the start, but as you eat it you feel this warmness in your throat that takes the hot chocolate to the next level. Plus it is healthy, so you don’t need to feel the least bit guilty about having one, or two, or three! It isn’t super sweet so you don’t feel sick after drinking it, and it’s the perfect thing to walk around the markets enjoying.

I love a good healthy hot chocolate, especially when it has something different to give it that edge. Sometimes I find healthy hot chocolates to be a bit bland, or the flavour of the nut milk sometimes overpowers the subtle taste of the cacao. But this one had the perfect balance, and it didn’t even last one aisle of the markets when I tried it!

The Hot Chocolate at Brunetti

Where: CBD and Carlton

Go For: Classic and Authentic

I am in a bit of a love affair with Brunetti in general. This is for a number of reasons. It is so authentically italian it hurts, you can buy pretty much every sweet cake or cookie you could think of, and ones you didn’t dream existed, you can get mini versions of the cakes to try a few, the men who make coffee wear bow ties…I could go on forever. But I have to say, another reason I love them is that they make a mean hot chocolate.

There is something about the Brunetti hot chocolate that is absolutely amazing. It is not trying to be something its not, it is just a good hot chocolate. Simple and authentic, no bells and whistles, it is like heaven in a cup. And served up by beautiful italian waiters, what more could you want? I love getting a hot chocolate from the Brunetti in Myer while I shop, or when I go to the Carlton store on Lygon street to go with a little sweet biscuit. It is the perfect pick me up in the afternoon, and delivers everything you want it to deliver.

The Cinnamon Hot Chocolate at Ganache Chocolate

 

Where: South Yarra and CBD

Go For: Variety

Finally, one of the first hot chocolates I ever had in Melbourne. My friend suggested I go here for a good hot chocolate, and since that day about 3 years ago, I have had many more. Ganache, as you would expect, makes amazing hot chocolates. They are decadent, rich and come with a biscuit! But the best thing about them, is the extensive hot chocolate menu you have to choose from. Ganache serves hot chocolates with every flavour you could ever dream of having, and more! From salted caramel to mint, you can really get anything you’re feeling a craving for, and every flavour I’ve tried is absolutely delicious. These are on the sweeter side of hot chocolates, but totally perfect for that mid afternoon pick me up when it starts to get a bit fresh outside.

One of my favourite flavours is the cinnamon one. It has winter written all over it, and is so comforting, rich and delicious. The cinnamon isn’t overpowering, and cuts through the sweetness just the right amount. It is like a warm hug in a mug, which is exactly what you want in a hot chocolate. Some of the other flavours are a little too sweet for me, and this one with dark chocolate is the perfect balance. But I insist you try some of these flavours for yourself, I am certain you’ll be going back more than once!

 

So there you have just 5 of my favourite places for hot chocolate. Each one is a little different, but all are amazing and places that I will go back to again and again, maybe even in Summer, they are that good! I know there are still many amazing hot chocolates out there for me to try though, so I will need to keep adding to this list as I go. A girl only has so much stomach room, and with so many to try, I guess this will keep me busy for a while longer!

There’s something about going out for hot chocolate that I just can’t replicate at home. These cafes are the masters of making amazing drinks, and I couldn’t even dream of attempting to try this awesomeness in my own kitchen. That, and I don’t have a smoke gun! So I guess I’ll have to keep getting my chocolate fix outside of my house, what a shame! Good for you, because I’ll keep finding new places, and good for me, because I’m always happier with a belly full of chocolate!

Where is your favourite place to go for hot chocolate? Got any hidden gems I need to go to?

Until next time, happy eating!

Ella xx