From sophisticated mugs of rich, chocolatey heaven, to goblets of milky goodness with gooey marshmallows and cream, we’ve found the best places to grab a hug in a mug – yes, it can only be hot chocolate. Here’s your guide to Liverpool’s dreamiest hot chocolates. Just what the doctor ordered!
1. Ropes & Twines
On top of making decent coffee, Ropes & Twines makes killer hot chocolate that is highly remarked on around the local community. The coffee and wine room is a firm favourite among many, offering the perfect combo. What is more, guests can enjoy fresh cakes and small plates, as well as toasties and sarnies.
70 Bold St, L1 4HR
2. Lovelocks Coffee Shop
The hot chocolate at Lovelocks is divine. Plus, as a seasonal special the coffee shop has created a rose hot chocolate. Yes, that’s right. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! This hug-in-a-mug hot chocolate can also be made with dairy-free milk should you desire a plant-based one. And to top off this feel-good drink, Lovelocks are donating 50p from every one sold to charity, Savera UK.
Lovelocks, Unit 6, Old Haymarket, L1 6ER
3. Mother Espresso
If you’ve ever seen Mother Espresso’s Instagram account then you’ll know their aesthetic is on point. And their hot chocolate doesn’t miss the mark either. Their indulgent hot chocolate is made from pure single-estate Colombian cacao and topped with a moreish, mini meringue that you can’t wait to dunk in. Mother Espresso describe this drink as “completely natural, containing only two ingredients, cacao and raw cane sugar.” Plus, it’s vegan, gluten, dairy and soya-free, and if you fancy being a little cheeky you can add a bit of whisky or rum to it.
Mother Espresso, The Tea Factory, 82 Wood Street, L1 4DQ
4. Bold Street Coffee
It may be in the name, but it’s not all coffee on the drinks menu at Bold Street Coffee. Every now and then a drink borders on a cross between a beverage and a work of art and the hot chocolate at Bold Street Coffee is exactly that. Come Christmas you can also enjoy their chocolate orange flavour with a homemade orange chocolate ganache mixed with silky milk, squirts of cream, grated chocolate and orange. Chill out with a cup of their velvety hot chocolate on the famous BSC bench, and look out over Bold Street. Enviable looks from passers-by may occur.
Bold Street Coffee, 89 Bold Street, L1 4DG
The Plaza, Old Hall St, L3 9JQ
5. Moose Coffee
Despite being known for their pancakes and waffles, Moose Coffee, sure know how to make a hot chocolate too. If you have seen their breakfasts and shakes, you’ll know that Moose Coffee doesn’t do food and drink in half measures. Vegans rejoice as Moose Coffee has its very own decadent and divine drink to warm you up this season. Stir Moose Coffee’s dark chocolate stick in warm, creamy-like plant-based milk and watch as it melts into the cup for a satisfying and dreamy hot chocolate.
Moose Coffee, 6 Dale Street, L2 4TQ
88 Federation House, Hope Street, L1 9BW
Plaza 1821, William Jessop Way, Princes Dock, L3 1DZ
157 College Road, Crosby, L23 3AS
6. Bean There Coffee
Wander down to Wavertree and slide into Bean There Coffee for a deliciously rich hot chocolate. Treat yourself to something off of their stunning brunch menu to go with your beverage, and inhale both your luxurious hot chocolate and the dish coming out of the kitchen! Bean There Coffee also offers an array of toasted sandwiches that will keep you warm (and toasty) when escaping the cold weather.
Bean There Coffee, 376 Smithdown Road, L15 5AN
7. Leaf
It seems Bold Street is a key place to get your hot choc fix. This drink comes to you thick and rich. Choose from three Belgian chocolate varieties- dark chocolate made with 70% cocoa, white chocolate and milk chocolate. But, that’s not all. Leaf loves a seasonal special and we have our fingers crossed that their Ferrero Rocher hot chocolate will be making a return as it tastes unreal. This special is a mix of Belgian chocolate, hazelnut syrup or Frangelico hazelnut liqueur, for when there’s a real nip in the air (we know which one we would choose).
65–67 Bold Street, L1 4EZ
8. Albert’s Schenke
For those who love a bit of booze in their hot chocolate, Albert’s Schenke has just the drink to provide you with added warmth and good times. Sit in front of the roaring fire and sip on a hot schokolade with the ultra indulgence of haus-made schnapps. Flavours include salted caramel; black cherry; pear and Alpine honey; and artisan raspberry and vanilla. Add lashings of whipped cream and flavoured syrups on top and you’ve got yourself a mighty fine hot chocolate that will make you never want to leave and head outside into bitterly cold temperatures.
Albert’s Schenke, 16 Hanover Street, L1 4AA
9. Rough Handmade
Not only does this bakery serve unreal pastries like crisp croissants, cinnamon rolls and moreish muffins but it serves up a dreamy hot chocolate that’s gone viral on the likes of TikTok. Rough Handmade, located at Royal Albert Dock, serves up chunky curls of chocolate then pours over hot foamy milk to create the creamiest, chocolatiest drink. The boutique bakery describes their drink by saying it has “no powder or water. No marshmallows or cream. No fireworks or sprinkles. No marching bands or dancing girls. No fuss. Just fine chocolate melting in hot milk, that’s the way we do it!” A cup of this velvety goodness, a pastry and a view across the dock, is autumn and winter done right.
Rough Handmade, Britannia Pavilion, Royal Albert Dock, L3 4AD