When it comes to the humble hot chocolate, you would think it would be pretty easy to master. Melt some chocolate into hot milk and you’re all set, right? Wrong! As with coffee, there is an art to making the perfect hot chocolate.
It needs to be warm, not hot, and it’s preferable if the chocolate comes from Belgium or somewhere fancy and is not just a powder. A good indication as to whether you’re drinking a quality hot chocolate is if you would drink it happily without marshmallows. Don’t get me wrong, marshmallows aren’t going to make your hot chocolate worse, but every hot chocolate needs a solid base.
Now that you’re considerably more educated on the complex drink that is the hot chocolate, it’s time to say goodbye to the scalding, tasteless hot chocs of the past and hello to some of Perth’s best hot chocolates. You can thank us (and your barista) later.
Sapore Espresso Bar
Cloverdale
Sapore Espresso Bar’s hot chocolates are no joke. Choose from the Nutella hot choc, white coconut hot choc or the choc mint which is served with Aero and thin mints on the side. We know which we would choose.
Eillo
Northbridge
How does a Bounty hot chocolate sound? Yeah, we thought so. But that’s not all you’ll get at Eillo in Northbridge. These guys are also serving a pretty killer Lindt hot chocolate. Plus, they hand out Hello Pandas like there’s no tomorrow.
Get Chunky
Mount Lawley and East Victoria Park
The quad hot chocolate from Get Chunky is the stuff chocaholic's dreams are made of. It's a super duper chocolate-y hot choc topped with shards of milk, white and dark chocolate—which are all shaved off a 5kg slab of chocolate.
Sayers
Leederville
Sayers in Leederville never disappoints, especially their hot chocolate which is served with tons of choc bits and a mini stack of marshmallows. Throw it all in, wait for it all to melt and then sip away.
Flo Espresso
Northbridge
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the Belgian hot chocolate from Flo is hands down one of the best hot chocolates I’ve tried in Perth. This bad boy is smooth and creamy with the perfect balance of chocolate and milk. It’s so tasty no marshmallows are required. Do yourself a favour and order one of their incredible kimchi and cheese toasties while you’re there.
Cafe 2TwentyFour
Belmont
If you haven’t seen Cafe 2TwentyFour’s Wonderland Hot Chocolate on Instagram you’re obviously following the wrong accounts. Imagine a frothed up hot chocolate in a chocolate sauce covered glass, topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles and served on a bed of fairy floss. And if that wasn’t enough it even comes with marshmallows.
Cioccolato Espresso
Applecross
With a name like Cioccolato Espresso, you know their hot chocolate is destined to be good. Theirs is served with chocolate flakes, loads of marshmallows and is the house specialty.
Epic Espresso
West Perth
The Belgian couverture hot chocolate from Epic Espresso in West Perth is serious business. Made with one part Belgian chocolate and four parts milk and foam it goes down super smooth thanks to a large amount of cocoa butter in the Belgian chocolate. Once you’ve downed that, order one of their L’Angelina hot chocolates which combines more delicious Belgian couverture chocolate with whole milk and a dash of cream.
Koko Black
Perth and Claremont
While it sits on the pricier side, the hot chocolate from Koko Black is definitely worth it. This bad boy is brewed for two hours and available in classic Belgian, mocha, chilli, cinnamon and hazelnut varieties. If you’re feeling like $7 is a little too steep then you can always opt for the baby hot chocolate—Koko Black’s signature Belgian hot chocolate, served warm, not hot (as they should be).
City Farm Cafe
East Perth
Next time you’re at the Perth City Farm farmer’s market head to City Farm Cafe and grab one of their couverture hot chocolates. They’re oh so creamy and you can get them made with all your fave alternative milks—coconut for the win.
Gabriel Chocolate
Fremantle and Yallingup
You know we usually never say no to extra sprinkles but sometimes a traditional hot chocolate in all its simplicity can start explosions in your mouth. We're talking about the hot choccie at Gabriel Chocolate—these guys make a truly delicious one proving that simplicity wins sometimes.
The Little Stove
Bicton
Belgian chocolates have a reputation of being the best in the world, and after trying the hot chocolate at The Little Stove we can say for sure that this applies to liquid chocolate too. Relaxing in one of their velvet sofas while sipping on melted white, milk and dark Belgian chocolate brings you pure joy.
Coffee more your speed? We've got your caffeine fix sorted here.
Image credit: Elle Borgward