the list  1/07

Best Hot Chocolate

Warm up to winter by indulging in a steaming cup of hot cocoa. Here, where to find the richest flavors around the globe.

PARIS, FRANCE

Angelina
Though nouveau chocolatiers are setting up shop on every rue, none rivals this 1903 classic. The tearoom's baroque interior is a throwback to Parisian café society, and its tasty chocolat africain is so thick you can eat it with a spoon. Whipped cream is a welcome sidekick, as is the "chaser" of ice water that accompanies your pot of molten decadence.
226 Rue de Rivoli, First Arr.; 33-01/42- 60-82-00.

BARCELONA, SPAIN

Cacao Sampaka
Noted chef Ferran Adrià's brother, Albert, is a renowned chocoholic, and his 1,600-square-foot shop and café pays homage to his favorite ingredient. Choose from two kinds of super-dense, near-pudding-like chocolat a la taza, made with milk, hints of cinnamon, and speckles of hot pepper. For an extra treat, try the chocolate truffles.
292 Consell de Cent; 34/93-272-0833; www.cacaosampaka.com.

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

Vida e Caffé
The Portuguese-inspired coffee outpost knows its cocoa too, from a foam-topped dark blend to a white-chocolate mix; it's served with a Swedish Lindt bar or pastei di nata (cream-filled doughnut) if you so desire. Stake out a seat for the morning rush hour: the stylish café, one of 13 across South Africa, has some of the best people-watching in the city.
34 Kloof St.; 27-21/426-0627; www.caffe.co.za.

MUNICH, GERMANY

Trachtenvogl Café-Lounge
Thirty flavors of hot chocolate fill the menu at this cozy-chic retreat in the lively Isarvorstadt district. Our favorites: Vanilla Cream, Chestnut, Orange Cinnamon, and the signature cuppa, Hot Chocolate Aztec, with its blend of chile, cloves, peanuts, and extra-bitter cocoa. Soy milk is on hand for nondairy drinkers.
47 Reichenbachstrasse; 49-89/201-5160; www.trachtenvogl.de.

—Charlotte Druckman

Some of our Visitors' Favorites

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

Cafe Louvre is excellent!
Melissa Kaplan
Cafe Louvre Národní 22, Prague 1, 420-224/930-949.

MEXICO CITY

Churreria El Moro
"Special" dark hot chocolate at Churreria El Moro in Mexico City. Recommended by Rick Bayless, none other even comes close!
Joe Routon
Churreria El Moro 42 Lazaro Cardenas, Eje Central, Mexico City, open 24 hours a day.

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

L.A. Burdick
Just thought your readers would appreciate another option for an amazing hot chocolate: L.A. Burdick's. I have been to Angelina's in Paris and this hot chocolate rivals it!
Katie McCarty (one of two L.A. Burdick's recommendations received)
L.A. Burdick Cambridge Chocolate Shoppe and Cafe 52-D Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA, 617/491-4340