Finding the best hot chocolate in Paris

Reaching a consensus on the best hot chocolate in Paris is as difficult as agreeing on the definition of beauty or what happiness is but it doesn’t keep us from questing after them. In your own pursuit for the ultimate “Cocolat Chaud” here are candidates suggested by our insiders at I Know A Little Place:

Angelina
226 rue de Rivoli, 1
Métro: Tuilleries

Conversations about hot chocolate in Paris usually begin with Angelina; but, Paris being Paris, they do not end there. A handy spot with unforgettable ambiance, after visiting the Louvre or browsing the bookstores WH Smith and Galigani, Angelina’s Chocolat Africain is a welcome treat.

Café de Flore
Corner of boulevard Saint-Germain and rue Saint-Benoit, 6
Métro: Saint Germain-des-Prés

An international fashion icon living in Paris confided to me that her quest for the city’s best hot chocolate ended here among the friendly spirits of Jean-Paul Sarte, Simone de Beauvoir, and Picasso. It was a chilly night when I met her there, the boulevard Saint-Germain was at its’ most captivating, and it was hard to disagree. To savor the experience even more she always gets a table facing the street.

Jean-Paul Hévin
231 rue Saint-Honoré, 1
Métro: Tuilleries

Enjoy the drink of the gods upstairs in the tiny tearoom and for an extra treat pick up a jar of seriously decadent “pate a tartiner” hazelnut spread on the way out.

La Charlotte de Isle
24 rue St. Louis-en-I’le,4
Métro: Pont Marie or Sully-Morland

Relish this thick confection served in petit cups with an intensity that defies description, surrounded by one of the most enchanting spots in Paris.

Ladurée
Any of the three locations:
21 rue Bonaparte, 6
Métro: Saint-Germain-des-Prés

75 avenue des Champs Élysées, 8
Métro: George V

16 rue Royal, 8
Métro: Madeleine

The Grand Dame of Parisian tea rooms, each with their own personality but all with authentic hot chocolate, only enhanced with a selection of their memorable macarons.

La Maison du Chocolat
8 blvd Madeleine, 9
Metro: Madeleine

The tasting bar offers my own personal favorite “Caracas” – but it’s not for the feint of heart, along with other exotic combinations and flavors.

Ritz – Bar Vendome
15 Place Vendome, 1

For glitz and glamour, and on a day when price doesn’t matter, the hot chocolate at the Bar Vendome is like drinking liquid gold.

SiP Babylone
46 Boulevard Raspail, 7, 9
Métro: Sèveres Babylone

After an afternoon shopping at the near-by Bon Marché reward yourself with a sinfully divine hot chocolate with hazelnut topping.