Our favourite hot chocolates in Glasgow

A vintage tea room accessed from a cobbled lane makes for a quaint backdrop to your hot chocolate consumption. If you’re of the mind for something alternative, try a chocolate chilli rooibos (decaf available). Or a classic hot chocolate with, or without, cream and marshmallows. If you prefer your imbibements super super sweet, you can plop in a sugar lump from the bone china bowl on the table. Mismatched wooden furniture and bud-filled vases add to the delightfully homey feel of this daytime West End haunt.

Need a stiff drink and a sugar hit? Order a boozy hot chocolate with whipped cream, mini marshmallows and your choice of Bailey’s, Cointreau or Highland Park, at Brel. This extra-warming beverage is best enjoyed in the Ashton Lane venue’s pretty fairy-lit enclosed alfresco area, as you stay cosy under a blanket and a garden heater. Hot chocolates are available without all the trimming too, for those who appreciate simplicity. Brel is also dog and kid-friendly, so the little ones can have a non-alcoholic version.

Unless you’ve wandered Speirs Wharf (and you really should take a wander along the canal and ex-industrial warehouses of Speirs Wharf) you may not have spied this maritime gem. Ocho is a modern Scottish neighbourhood cafe, with a gentle waterside theme (look out for an anchor-shaped cocoa sprinkling). Here you can choose from plant-based, as well as dairy, milk and sip on a glass of hot chocolate oozing with cream and topped with lashings of choccie sauce. Pop in a straw or drink straight from the glass — its transparency means you see all the layers of creamy, chocolatey goodness blending together. And if you’re in the market for a beverage with a difference, this is the place… Ocho offers the option of CBD oil (believed to help with anxiety and mood) in all of its hot drinks.

The new kid on the block at the Broomhill strip of Crow Road, Olivia’s has lit up the corner plot with its vibrant pink flowery and canopied frontage, and glamorous, vintage-parlour-inspired interior. Indeed it’s part of the same stable as Kothel and Wee Paree, who share the same stretch of road. A veritable wonderland for those with a sweet tooth, Olivia’s menu is packed with all the carby, sugary things you’ve been craving, and, as it’s open till 8 pm, you can get your hot chocolate fix well into the evening. White, milk and dark variations are offered, for those who believe hot chocolate should never be just generic “chocolate”.

A perky little cafe on the edge of Queens Park, Bramble serves their hot chocolate properly hot (no lukewarm imitations allowed). They’re made using Callebaut Belgium dark and milk chocolate for added luxury, with equally premium vegan options. Each is served in a double-walled glass mug, with the cream, chocolate shavings and mini smarties piled on. Pick up a spoon and dive right in. Bramble shuts at 3 pm (3.30pm on Saturdays), so get your drink first, then take a stroll in the park.