Everyone has their own way of coping with winter in Pittsburgh. For us, it’s hot chocolate.
Luckily, in Pittsburgh, you never need to travel too far to find good hot chocolate. The city is filled with restaurants and cafes serving their version of this decadent winter drink.
Below we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite choc spots around the city. Behold: The Ultimate Pittsburgh Hot Chocolate Road Trip. We suggest trying to make it to each spot sometime this season… for research purposes, of course.
And, we want to see your hot chocolate! If you visit any of these places, tag all of your pictures with #goodfoodpgh and @goodfoodpgh.
If you like this post, be sure to check out our Doughnut, Pierogi, Ice Cream, Pizza, and Pancake road trips.
How To Take The Ultimate Pittsburgh Hot Chocolate Road Trip:
Stop 1: Mon Aimee Chocolat
Chocolate season is back! Mon Aimee Chocolat, Pittsburgh’s destination chocolate shop located on Penn Ave in The Strip, is known for offering chocolates from around the world, as well as other rare and hard-to-find confections. They are also known for their super rich drinking chocolate, housemade with Guittard chocolate. This decadent beverage is available winter Saturdays until sellout, and during select hours throughout the week. It’s worth going out of your way to get your hands on this elusive hot chocolate!
Mon Aimee Chocolat (2101 Penn Ave)
Stop 2: De Fer Coffee & Tea
When De Fer Coffee & Tea opened earlier this year, they brought classic European cafe culture right into the heart of Pittsburgh’s Strip. Located on Smallman, De Fer can satisfy all of your cravings – whether they be a stiff negroni, an artful cheese plate, or…. a mean hot chocolate. De Fer’s hot chocolate is made with a housemade Ghirardelli cocoa sauce, steamed with milk and topped with homemade vanilla whipped cream. Yum!
De Fer Coffee & Tea (2002 Smallman St)
Stop 3: Coca Café
What’s not to love about a extra-large serving of hot chocolate on a chilly afternoon? That’s exactly what you can get at Lawrenceville mainstay Coca Café. The shop offers both traditional and Mexican hot chocolate, the latter having an extra kick of spice. Be sure to enjoy your choc with an order Coca’s fresh-made buttermilk doughnuts because… well, they’re fresh-made buttermilk doughnuts! Need we say more?
Coca Café (3811 Butler St)
Stop 4: Mixtape Bar & Lounge
Boozy hot chocolate? Yep! That’s exactly what you’ll find at Mixtape, the popular Garfield craft cocktail bar and lounge. And you’re not going to find just one type of boozy hot chocolate. Mixtape offers four different varieties, all with a fun, pop-cultured inspired names. Options include “The Simple Life,” with house hot chocolate and chocolate vodka, as well as the “Clockwork Orange,” with hot chocolate, Maggie’s Farm Rum, Cointreau, and Angostura bitters. Both are topped with a toasted marshmallow and/or whipped cream.
Mixtape (4907 Penn Ave)
Stop 5: The Milk Shake Factory
Safe to say we can trust Pittsburgh-classic The Milk Shake Factory to make a mean hot chocolate. This rich and creamy drink is made with the shop’s signature blend of chocolate melted into hot milk from local Rivendale Farms Jersey cows. This decadent drink is also available in peppermint if you’re feeling festive!
The Milk Shake Factory (Multiple Locations)
Stop 6: Madeleine Bakery and Bistro
Coming through with perhaps “The Hot Chocolate” of the 2018/2019 winter season is Madeleine Bakery in Regent Square. This homemade hot chocolate balances rich and creamy flavors without making the drink overwhelmingly thick, or overly chocolate flavored (is there such a thing?). Plus, the drink is topped with a fluffy homemade marshmallow. It’s perfection, but don’t just take our word on it!
Madeleine Bakery and Bistro (609 S Trenton Ave)
Stop 7: The Lot at Edgewater
Okay. We admit it. Technically, this is not hot chocolate. However, The Lot at Edgewater offers fancy, spiked coffees with so much chocolate and sugar, they are basically hot chocolate. The Lot’s spiked coffee menu has 8 varieties of boozy coffee. Our favorites include the “Monte Cristo,” with Kahlua, Grand Marnier, brewed coffee, whipped cream, grated chocolate, raw sugar, as well as the “Chocolate-Hazelnut Coffee” with Godiva Liqueur, Frangelico, brewed coffee, whipped cream, and cocoa powder.
The Lot at Edgewater (145 Allegheny Ave)
Did we forget your favorite hot chocolate in Pittsburgh? Leave it in the comments below!
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