4 Best Places for Hot Chocolate in Paris

When it's icy, cold and forbidding out, you might consider staking out some of the best hot chocolate Paris has to offer. Unfortunately, the corner cafe isn't always advisable: it's common to be served up barely-warm water with chunks of undissolved industrial cocoa powder bobbing around at the top. To add insult to injury, you may end up paying four or five Euros a pop for this poor man's chocolat chaud.

Luckily, the artisanal hot chocolate makers mentioned below are the real deal. They use high-grade cocoas and bar chocolate, real milk (gasp!), and are often inventive with flavors, lacing their rich chocolate drinks with notes such as spicy ginger and cardamon or sweet mint and orange. Without further ado, here are our picks for where to get warm and indulgent in the French capital. Just don't forget to wipe the milky foam off the top of your lip before heading back out to sightsee or shop!

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Angelina

Address

226 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France

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Phone

+33 1 42 60 82 00

Web

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Probably the most-coveted spot for hot chocolate in Paris, and always flooded with tourists, this Vienna-style Belle Epoque tearoom circa 1903 is famed for its ultra-rich, strictly traditional chocolat chaud. It's not my personal favorite (I find it to be a bit too sweet and thick) but for many people Angelina's hot chocolate is the gold standard. Always reserve ahead, especially in colder months and on weekends, when long lines of tourists waiting for tables snake out onto Rue de Rivoli. If you prefer tea, Angelina's also one of our picks for the best teahouses in Paris.

Address: 226 rue de Rivoli, 1st arrondissement
Metro: Tuileries, Concorde
Phone: +33 (0) 1 42 60 82 00

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Chocolaterie Jacques Genin

Hot chocolate at Jacques Genin in Paris. — Courtesy of lesbonsplansmodeaparis

Address

133 Rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris, France

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Phone

+33 1 45 77 29 01

Web

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I haven't yet tasted the hot chocolate at the recently opened Marais boutique of the self-styled, self-trained chocolate maestro Jacques Genin -- but foodie network Paris by Mouth offers a review. Genin's chocolat chaud is reportedly some of the best in town and served with warmth and grace. Like Hevin's chocolate bar, the ambiance is ultramodern here, so reserve some time for a lounge here after ambling around or shopping in the trendy Marais district.

Address: 133 rue de Turenne, 3rd arrondissement
Metro: Filles de Calvaire
Phone: +33 (0) 1 45 77 29 01

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Maison du Chocolat

Address

52 Rue François 1er, 75008 Paris, France

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Phone

+33 1 47 23 38 25

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This prestigious French gastronomic house offers, not surprisingly, an excellent hot chocolate at some of its locations. If you favor a coarser, richer, less sweet variety of chocolat chaud, this version should satisfy your craving. And if you don't have time to sit in, you can always buy a bag of pure chocolate "beads" (available in two different "strengths"-- pictured) to make your own at home.

Address: 52, rue Francois 1er, 8th arrondissement
Metro: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Phone: +33 (0) 1 47 23 38 25

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Jean-Paul Hevin

Jean-Paul Hévin — machu./Flickr/Creative Commons

Address

41 Rue de Bretagne, 75003 Paris, France

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Phone

+33 9 72 60 82 02

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Jean-Paul Hevin is already well-known as one of Paris' outstanding chocolate artisans. Hevin invented a menu of hot cocoas for different hours of the day-- some energizing, others relaxing. Our undisputed favorite is the 4 pm "Aphrodisiac", with strong notes of ginger and spices. Still more exotic? Chocolat aux huitres (Chocolate with oyster), Chocolat a la carotte (carrot), or Chocolat zen with matcha green tea. For traditionalists, there's a selection of more classic recipes as well, using only high-grade chocolates.