Looking for the Best Hot Chocolate in LA

It's cold and rainy in LA and that mean one thing. It's time to drink some hot chocolate.

During a trip to Japan in the spring we discovered that Japanese people approach their chocolate eating and drinking very seriously. Throughout Tokyo French bakeries and chocolate shops are almost as plentiful as sushi bars. Theo Broma in Hiroo had been recommended as serving the best hot chocolate in the world. It was time to find out if that could possibly be true.

One rainy afternoon in April, we headed to Theo Broma in Hiroo. A waitress in a cute uniform with ruffled headband came over to seat us and take our order. We ordered some quiche, a sandwich and of course hot chocolate. The chocolate arrived in a china pot with a wooden handle and was poured into fancy teacups. That chef wearing a tall hat in the kitchen was indeed stirring up some extremely creamy, delicious hot chocolate.

Back in LA, over the summer a manger at Intelligentsia mentioned that they serve a great cup of hot chocolate. When the weather finally started to turn cold, it was time to head to Silver Lake to check it out. Barrista Josh gave us a description of the recipe. They start by making ganache from bittersweet Scharffen Berger chocolate, mixing it with agave and heavy whipping cream. At that point, they put the ganache into the bottom of a cup, add steamed milk blend it together and make a design with the milk foam at the top. The flavor is both rich, satisfying, and not overly sweet.

So now we have found a great cup of hot chocolate in Los Angeles and will be on the lookout for more places to sample some chocolatey goodness. Any suggestions?