5 New York Places to Enjoy Italian Hot Chocolates

One way to avert the seasonal winter doldrums is to indulge in a decadent cup of Italian hot chocolate. As one barista summed it up best, the most significant difference between Italian hot chocolate and American hot chocolate: “Italian is 100% pure cocoa. American is more artificial.” While a variety of Italian coffee bars around New York City offer their version of “cioccolata calda,” all use pure chocolate ingredients and most steam the milk with an espresso machine.

To experience this beverage in all of its creamy, chocolatey, perfection, forget about ordering to-go. Instead, allow yourself 20 minutes of indulgence and stand at the bar sipping from a proper cappuccino cup and saucer. Guarantee, you will never have another mug of instant cocoa combined with hot water again.

Here are some of our favorites:

Bar Pisellino
52 Grove Street

The unique attribute about this interpretation is that even though the consistency of the beverage is thick like chocolate pudding, it is rather light and airy to taste and not over the top sweet. The secret is a housemade powder consisting of chocolate, starch, and sugar mixed with steamed milk. Topped off with a dollop of the house whipped cream, this is a perfect pick me up anytime.

Eataly
200 Fifth Avenue

Hot chocolate isn’t the main event at this Italian Food Emporium, although it appears on two menus. Caffe Lavazza creates its version by combining Eraclea chocolate powder imported from Italy with steamed whole milk. At the Cannoli e Bomboloni booth, the premade recipe mixes Venchi chocolate powder and whole milk and is served in a to-go cup only. It was so thick that once cooled, the chocolate turned into pudding, skin top included.

Sant Ambroeus
Multiple locations throughout Manhattan

By far, the holy grail of hot chocolate. It was here the barista suggested I stay and drink this beverage properly instead of running off with it. Life-changing! This dense, semisweet chocolate soup appears in a mug separate from a small pitcher of steamed milk. Spoon feed yourself the pure chocolate for that first taste and then dilute the richness by adding the milk. Don’t forget to ask for a cup of water.

Via Quadronno
25 East 73rd Street

A sweet, dark chocolate chunk is carved off of a giant chocolate bar and placed into a mug and mixed with your choice of steamed skim or whole milk. After stirring to help melt the chocolate at the bottom, the drink becomes thicker and sweeter — a homage to a bygone era of homemade treats.

Cocoa Bar
21 Clinton Street

This Lower East Side neighborhood café offers a variety of hot chocolate options, making it a difficult decision when ordering. The choices are dark, milk, white, or mint chocolate. Each serving consists of two scoops of chocolate chips poured into a silver pitcher and mixed with 2% steamed milk. Get the homemade marshmallow as an added touch, which is toasted directly in your cup with a blow torch.