Never again will hot chocolate be an out-of-the-packet affair. For London's best chocolatiers and cafés, the season of hot drinks is a gourmet event, a competition of sorts to deliver the most exotic take on a winter classic. So whether you're looking for something spiced with festive flavours, something purist (ie, no milk) or something with an alcoholic kick for extra warmth, these are the best places to hit for hot chocolate in London…
Veneta
This new Venetian restaurant at St James's Market only opened in October, but its menu of hot chocolates has already got the critics buzzing. Get a shot of cardamom and pistachio syrup, Earl Grey syrup or orange and grappa in your mug of Venezuelan bitter hot chocolate, topped up with cinnamon-infused milk.
3 Norris Street, SW1Y 4RJ
Rabot 1745
Of course cacao-concept-restaurant Rabot 1745 makes a good hot chocolate - their menu is inspired by and partly sourced from their 250-year-old Rabot Estate cocoa plantation in St Lucia. Overlook Borough Market while you enjoy their cocoa gin cocktails or classic hot chocolate, which can be infused with chilli, white chocolate and nutmeg or gingerbread, or with a shot of St Lucian rum.
2-4 Bedale Street, SE1 9AL
Paul A Young
There's no milk in chocolatier Paul A Young's purist ganache hot chocolate, but it's whisked like crazy into a light and delicious foam that means it isn't too intense. You can get it topped with cinnamon, nutmeg, chilli, ginger or cardamom.
143 Wardour Street, W1F 8WA
Melt Chocolates
Melt's speciality is the Fluffy Bunny, the ultimate comfort drink with a whipped-cream tail so big it almost dwarfs the mug. They also do a white-chocolate Blonde Bombshell and an antioxidant-packed Skinny + Rich.
59 Ledbury Road, W11 2AA
Café Godiva, at Harrods
Will it be the Suckao, a hot shot of milk with dark or white chocolate in an espresso-sized cup? Or perhaps the full-sized Hot Chocolixir, a ganache mixed with steamed milk and topped with foam? Café Godiva at Harrods presents life's biggest decisions…
Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, SW3 1QF
We're talking super-fine, 70 per cent Amedei Tuscany chocolate at the core of William Curley's drink. Get the Mayan Spice blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger if you want to know what Christmas actually tastes like.
198 Ebury Street, SW1W 8UN
This Notting Hill chocolate boutique does dark and salted-caramel flavours, plus the especially intense Death By Chocolate. What a way to go…
89 Lower Sloane Street, SW1W 8DA
