Divine hot chocolate in Calgary
If the only hot chocolate you know is the grainy mix from a store-bought tin or the muck shot from arena vending machines, it’s time to venture into the cafés and chocolate shops of Calgary and treat your taste buds to a much more satisfying version of this decadent winter treat. Even if you do pride yourself on making a quality hot cocoa at home, you’re going to love the variety these hot beverage connoisseurs offer.
Caffe Beano
1613 9 St SW, Calgary, AB T2R 1E1This trendy, always crowded coffee shop is famous for its baked goods, friendly staff and lively environment. Founded in 1990 by local chef Janice Beaton, current owner Margie Gibb and her staff serve up over 1,000 cups of tea, coffee and hot chocolate each day. Made with steamed almond milk, Bernard Callebaut dark chocolate shavings and ground ginger, this hot chocolate will turn you into a Beano regular (if you’re not already).
Choklat
1327 9 Avenue SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0T2The chocolate confections at this Inglewood gem are made fresh to order by trained artisan chocolatiers. Though the shop specializes in truffles, it also serves a custom drinking chocolate prepared with a combination of crushed cocoa beans and corn starch, which is then married with milk and sugar. Also try variations such as cinnamon and cloves, fresh hazelnut butter, allspice and cayenne or even garam masala, each topped with fresh vanilla whipped cream.
The Bean Stop
Eau Claire Market, Calgary, AB T2P 4R5Winner of the 2015 award for Calgary’s Best Hot Chocolate in the 2015 YYC Hot Chocolate Fest, The Bean Stop serves up a spiced rum hot cocoa, crafted with European dark chocolate and finished with a brown sugar spiced crumble and of course, real whipped cream. This cozy coffee stand is located in Eau Claire Market.
Cornerstone Music
139-14919 Deer Ridge Dr SE, Calgary, AB T2J 7C4Cornerstone Music Café is certainly a unique coffee house. While music students study their art in the back room, musicians perform in the front where food and beverages are served. The café’s madras cocoa is a blend of India-inspired flavours perfectly blended with their famous hot cocoa mix. For the less adventurous, the hot chocolate can be ordered sans spice, and is delicious in its own right.
Higher Ground Coffee House Inc
1-1126 Kensington Rd NW, Calgary, AB T2N 3P3A Kensington institution, Higher Ground offers multiple hot chocolate options, each more delectable than the last. Try the Banana Magic, featuring espresso, hot chocolate, banana, chocolate whipped cream and Bernard Callebaut chocolate sprinkles, or the similarly indulgent Café Rolo, which substitutes caramel for banana. Also indulge in the marshmallowy S'more Mocha, or for a more refined hot cocoa, the white chocolate chai (Indian-spiced chai tea, steamed milk and white chocolate) is a good choice.
Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut
1148-6455 Macleod Trail SW , Calgary, AB T2H 0K8At Cococo Chocolatiers (stewards of the Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut brand), their famed artisanal, Canadian-made couverture milk chocolate provides the base for an aromatic hot chocolate drink. Topped with semi-sweet chocolate shavings (never whipped cream), the shop’s hot chocolate is available only at its café locations, including one in Chinook Centre.
Righteous Gelato
110-221 19 St Se, Calgary, AB T2E 7M2This Calgary business produces handmade gelato as well as hot chocolate fixin’s. Available at its Meridian Road café and in many local grocery stores, Fiasco Gelato’s salted caramel drinking chocolate is a blend of salted caramel dust and drinking chocolate powder. Combine it with frothy, hot milk. We highly recommend pairing this hot chocolate with any of Fiasco Gelato’s homemade marshmallows, such as its Madagascar bourbon vanilla bean, cinnamon nutmeg or raspberry vanilla bean marshmallows.
Gravity Espresso & Wine Bar Inc
909 10 St SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0L9This high-end coffee bar prepares exceptional coffee as well as serving beer, wine, yummy pastries and savoury cheese products. Drop by this Inglewood hotspot to enjoy a hot chocolate made with Papa Chocolat chocolate. Friday and Saturday evenings, pair this hot drink with live music and a cranberry orange muffin prepared with orange juice and orange zest. It’s a perfect fall treat!
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