During winter, Milan brings out its sweeter side. Hot chocolate, a winter treat, is perfect for warming body and soul during Milan’s cold days. The tradition of chocolate in Milan has its roots in the 18th century, when the city’s first cafes began serving this beverage, once considered a “luxury” drink. Today, there are several cafes, pastry shops and chocolate shops in the city where you can try it, but these in our opinion are the best places to have a cup of hot chocolate in Milan.
Zàini
With or without cream? If for you hot chocolate must strictly have a mountain of cream and some cocoa powder as the finishing touch, then Zàini ‘s hot chocolate is the one for you. A big cup of milk or 100 percent dark chocolate, thick but not too thick, piping hot…. In short, certainly not chocolate milk. Taking it without cream is possible although it is recommended to add it to complete the work.
Where: Viale Piave, 17 / Via Carlo De Cristoforis, 5
The Court, Romanengo 1780
Tucked inside an inner courtyard of a residential building in Porta Genova, this pastry shop is the perfect place for an intimate, tasty and chic snack. Freshly filled croissants, pastries of all kinds, and a dizzying artisanal hot chocolate made with a 19th-century recipe and their Santè chocolate, to which you can add spices such as cinnamon, star anise or ginger to taste. The whipped cream? On the side, as in the finest establishments.
Where: Via Caminadella, 23
Gay-Odin
Where better to find the best hot chocolate in Milan than in an old-fashioned chocolate shop? Gay-Odin was founded in Naples in 1894 and has been giving joys to all chocolate lovers ever since. In 2008 it opened its Milan location, bringing with it all the secrets of the Neapolitan master chocolatiers. As soon as you enter the place you will be pervaded by an intense flavor of chocolate and be surrounded by it: chocolates, liqueurs and, of course, hot chocolate, which you can find in classic and other mouth-watering variants.
Where: Via S. Giovanni sul Muro, 19
Pasticceria Cucchi
One of Milan’s iconic pastry shops, it is impossible not to include Pasticceria Cucchi on this list. A meeting place for the Milanese since 1936, whether for breakfast, snack or apertivo. Their hot chocolate? Simply delicious. Chocolaty to the point, just sweet enough and definitely thick, to be paired with a bit of whipped cream and a slice of their artisanal panettone.
Where: Corso Genova, 1
Guido Gobino
Guido Gobino‘s classic, timeless, delicious hot chocolate. Considered one of Italy’s best chocolatiers, Gobino’s skill is reflected in his products, which use quality ingredients, including Turin’s Gianduja. There is not much to add, Gobino’s is the hot chocolate par excellence, undoubtedly one of the most loved by the Milanese, also perfect to drink while strolling down Corso Magenta.
Where: Corso Magenta, 36
10_11 Portrait Milan
We are inside a 5-star hotel, the Portrait Milano, in the middle of the Quadrilatero. Here is an intimate corner, where among decorated trees, an intimate skating rink and hundreds of lights, there is an unparalleled Christmas atmosphere. All that’s needed to complete a practically perfect winter afternoon is a big mug of steaming hot chocolate. At 11_10 Portrait Milano you’ll find one to lick your lips and maybe accompany it with a slice of panettone, so you won’t miss a thing.
Where: Via Sant’Andrea, 10
Enrico Rizzi
At Enrico Rizzi ‘s,hot chocolate is serious business. The place,which opened in 2010 on the initiative of the pastry chef and maître chocolatier of the same name, offers not one, not two, but twelve variations of hot chocolate. From Colombian dark, for those who like a chocolate with a bitter edge and an intense flavor, to white, delicate and sugary, ideal for gourmands and general sweet lovers, to the exclusive version with Venezuelan Porcelana, a very rare chocolate with notes of hazelnut and vanilla. If you’re looking for proper chocolate but with a mouthwatering twist, you can find it at Enrico Rizzi’s.
Where: Via Cesare Correnti, 5