As Winter draws in and the days get colder and darker, what better way to spend your time than snuggle up in a nice, hot cafe and sip a decadent hot chocolate? Chocolate and gossip with best friends are undoubtedly the only cures for Freshers’ Flu. Read on to find out which we at Lifestyle ranked as the best out of three top York spots.
Evil Eye, Stonegate
Evil Eye is famed for its cocktails and apparently being a haunt of Johnny Depp (is that even true?!), but its hot chocolates are apparently amazing so we sampled them. For you, not for us, of course.
Price: £3.50 for a normal one, £4 for an alcoholic variety
Variety: Lots! Eight types, including chocolate orange and peanut butter. We opted for Candy Swamps which had minstrels and marshmallows- I opted for extra cream because I was feeling naughty. There are alcoholic ones too if you’re feeling extra cheeky.
Intensity of chocolate flavour: Quite weak.
Topping: Ample and decadent.
Size: Huge!
We gave it 7/10 because the presentation, variety and toppings were fantastic but it was a pretty average chocolate flavour – reminiscent of the milky stuff you get in Costa.
El Piano, Grape Lane
Who would have thought that a vegan restaurant would do amazing hot chocolate? Well, we did, on the recommendation of the Managing Director. It was good value for money and came in a little jug and it’s always very pleasing to pour your drink yourself. Good for a cosy catch-up with friends.
Price: £2.60. Not bad!
Variety: They’re all vegan, and they don’t have any variation of flavour but you can choose whether to have soy milk, rice milk or coconut. We opted for creamy coconut and it was delicious
Intensity of chocolate flavour: Sooo rich and thick and creamy. You would not think that it was vegan. It was like a hug in a gorgeous hand-painted mug.
Topping: None, but it didn’t need any!
Size: It came in a massive, gorgeous jug! You could possibly share it between two people.
Presentation: As previously mentioned, lovely handpainted jug and mug. It looks really pretty!
Oona, our photographer, said, with her eyes closed, cradling her beverage in cold, cupped hands, “This is a pure moment of chocolate pleasure!” This was definitely a 9/10 – we highly recommend it. Cheap and oh, so cheerful.
York Cocoa House, Blake Street
This was perhaps an obvious choice but we just had to try it. They make their hot chocolate from flakes of actual chocolate, and it’s very commercial inside, but a good place to buy gifts for, and perhaps take family members when they come to visit. Here’s how they measured up.
Price: £3.20
Variety: Oh my god- so many. There were at least ten, varying in flavour and intensity of chocolate flavour. We chose a normal one which was medium dark as we were feeling a bit chocolate-d out by this point. There was also a dairy free option.
Intensity of chocolate flavour: So intensely chocolatey. The darkest and most intense of the day. It was the moderate, too. Not as sickly sweet as Evil Eye.
Toppings: You get a little chocolate with it and a generous dusting of dark cocoa powder.
Presentation: Not quite as rustic as Evil Eye or quaint as El Piano, but it was beautiful and professional, which was to be expected.
A Lifestyle writer (who wanted to remain unnamed) said; “Having a hot chocolate here is like having 100 per cent columbian cocaine. Are they from the same plant?!”
A 9/10 because of the intense chocolate flavour, but we had some disputes as I did not feel that the atmosphere was as welcoming or nice as the other two places. However I was in a chocolate coma by this point so who knows whether I was in control of my own thoughts or actions!?
It seems a bit ambitious to try all 3 hot chocolates on the same day. I think one a day would have been much better and fairer.