
08 Feb 2023
We’ve gone in search of Sydney’s best hot chocolate and guarantee you’ll be surprised at the quality, variety and choice on offer when you take the cocoa plunge. You’ll also find some great food, ambience, and yes, coffee, to go with your hot chocolate choices.
Rustic Pearl (aka the Gypsy Caravan) is located smack bang in the middle of Surry Hills foodie central: Crown Street. Not far from the light rail stop and walking distance to the SCG, this hole-in-the-wall establishment is well worth the walk or tram trip.
The Turkish-inspired cafe has four hot chocolates to choose from: dark, rose, orange blossom and a vegan cocoa, described as “pure Belgian cocoa steamed with plant based milk”.
I opt for the orange blossom, nab a comfortable stool on a reclaimed part of the street and enjoy a vegetarian burek and a baklava at the same time. The subtle orange blossom flavour takes me, unexpectedly, to London.
International flavour, value for money and relaxation: that’s what you’ll find at the Rustic Pearl.
Dish Cult’s top pick: Orange blossom hot chocolate ($4)
Josophan’s Fine Chocolates might be in the Blue Mountains, but if it’s a seriously good ho cho hit you’re after, it’s worth heading out that way.
There’s only one hot chocolate to drink in this Leura store but that’s all you’ll need. The Belgian dark chocolate hot chocolate is described, by my daughter Gemma, as a “liquid chocolate brownie”. I agree and would add that this is a drinking chocolate so good, you won’t want to finish it.
At Josophan’s you can peruse the chocolate range inside, order your hot chocolate and sit at an outside table to enjoy the liquid brownie on tree-lined Leura Mall. Rug up in winter or soak up the morning sun in summer. Even better, pair your drink with a selection of the artisan chocolates. My favourite: Butterscotch schnapps truffle!
Dish Cult’s top pick: Dark Belgian hot chocolate ($6)
A Sydney institution since 1972, Cafe Hernandez is synonymous with both coffee and hot chocolate, but you can also add great service to the menu.
It’s hard to find but worth it. I arrive stressed and in need of coffee, food and sugar. I’m greeted with a knowing and friendly smile, as if to say “you look like a new customer, welcome, relax, you have found the right place”. Here you can settle in with the locals and take your time; in my case over a coffee, chicken empanada, hot chocolate and the Sydney Morning Herald.
The chocolate caliente comes in two varieties: standard and “Spanish thick hot chocolate”. The only other choice is: one churros or two? On ordering the Spanish version, I discover it is so thick it can be eaten with a teaspoon and is also perfect for dipping crisp churros into.
Dish Cult’s top pick: Spanish thick hot chocolate ($7.80) with one churros ($3)
The bistro at Bathers’ Pavilion is well known amongst Sydneysiders as a relaxed place to enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner, but it’s also the perfect place to linger over a delicious hot chocolate and enjoy the coastal ambience, not to mention the stunning views.
The best place to take in that view is to drink your hot chocolate at one of the tables overlooking the promenade and the water at Balmoral Beach.
There are two choices in the cocoa department: the standard hot chocolate or the Bathers’ real hot chocolate. I recommend you opt for the latter. The real hot chocolate is made with Callebaut dark chocolate melted over cream – a winning combination wherever you drink it!
Dish Cult’s top pick: Bathers’ real hot chocolate (small) ($6)
If you leave Max Brenner without having had a chocolate hit there is something seriously wrong. The choices are extensive and there are outlets throughout Sydney and beyond.
The hot chocolate here is served in “hug mugs”. You can choose from the classic (in milk, dark or white chocolate) or Maxified (with a choice of mocha, Mexican, spicy, mint, salted caramel or coconut). Or you can create your own hot chocolate by adding your own ratio of warm milk to white, milk or dark chocolate. While you enjoy that, sit back and inhale the chocolate choices of your friends and fellow chocolate travellers. The aroma is amazing.
And if you need some (more) caffeine, the coffee is excellent too.
Dish Cult’s top pick: Maxified hot chocolate with mint ($7.45)