Where to Warm Up with Hot Chocolate in Philly Right Now
It's cold out there. Get yourself a steamy cup of chocolatey goodness at these Philly spots.
RIM Café (left); Shane Confectionery (right) | Facebook
Deep winter is the perfect time to indulge in one of our favorite hot, non-caffeinated (okay, less caffeinated) drinks. Call it hot chocolate, hot cocoa, or drinking chocolate — it’s delicious, and it’s what’s keeping the current cold snap at bay for us. Here are our some of our favorite spots to sip it.
Café Y Chocolate, South Philly
Start with some tacos (and maybe an order of molten queso dip for the table) and finish with the namesake hot chocolate at this Mexican cafe.
Sazon, Spring Arts
Chef-owner Judith Suzarra-Campbell handles the kitchen at this homestyle Venezuelan BYO — and her husband and co-owner Robert Campbell, a.k.a. The Chocolate Alchemist, makes rich, fair trade drinking chocolates straight from the bean. Get one with churros on the side.
SkyLodge, Center City
SkyGarten’s cold-season counterpart is the perfect place for a warm cup of cocoa, 676 feet above the city. Try theirs spiked with Fireball or bourbon cream for an extra-toasty beverage.
RIM Cafe, Italian Market
This French-Italian cafe is a longtime Philly favorite (and Best of Philly winner) for owner Rene Kobeitri’s decadent, artisanal hot chocolate — including special flavors like white chocolate-peanut butter and tiramisu.
Photo courtesy of Puyero
Puyero, South Street
This Venezuelan street food spot is all about bringing seasonal specialties from their homeland to Philadelphia — and this month, they’re pouring piping cups of their thick, cinnamon-spiced Andino-style hot chocolate.
Anthony’s Italian Coffee & Chocolate House, Italian Market
This fourth-generation shop on Ninth Street is the perfect place to score a house-made cannoli or crisp, flaky sfogliatella along with a hot cup of cocoa, spiked with amaretto, peppermint, Nutella, or straight up.
J’aime French Bakery, Midtown Village
Warm up and get your sweet treat fix with steamy cup of hot chocolate and a tender madeleine at Bastien Ornano’s chic cafe and bakery.
The Little Lion, Old City
It’s only natural that this comfort food spot would serve a deep slate of decadent hot drinks. Try their s’mores hot cocoa, made with whipped cream, chocolate drizzle, chocolate bar, honey graham crackers, and, of course, toasted marshmallows.
Shane Confectionery/Facebook
Shane Confectionery, Old City
Head to the back of this throwback candy shop to find their Chocolate Cafe, where you can sip rich, creamy drinking chocolates based on recipes beloved by the likes of Thomas Jefferson.
Capogiro, Midtown Village
In addition to gelato, Capogiro serves up rich, Italian-style hot chocolate for when it’s too frigid outside to enjoy their award-winning scoops (jk, it’s never to cold for gelato).
Elixr Coffee, Center City
When you’re already too wired for a pour-over of Elixr’s house-roasted, single-origin coffees, sip a rich cup of their hot cocoa instead.
Hip City Veg/Facebook
Hip City Veg, Center City
For a hot cup of cocoa without the dairy, head to Nicole Marquis’s vegan fast-casual spot on the Penn campus, Rittenhouse Square, or Broad Street.
La Colombe Torrefaction, Fishtown
The hometown coffee roaster’s gleaming cafe on Frankford Avenue serves up unsweetened cocoa mixed with steamed milk so that you can sweeten to taste.
Little Spoon, Graduate Hospital
This breakfast-lunch-brunch spot serves all your favorite comfort foods — plus their Aztec hot chocolate, spiked with a spicy kick.
Where to Get Your Hot Chocolate Fix in Philly, Mapped
