Janny Hu over at the SF Chronicle compiled a list of the best places for Hot Chocolate in the Bay Area. The fav drink turned out to be the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate at Bittersweet Cafe in Rockridge (Oakland), which makes me want to jump on BART and get some right now. Tomorrow, after all the pressies are opened and you’ve had enough of being cooped up with your family, why not take everyone out for some hot chocolate?

Hu writes, “We found huge, customizable selections at places like Christopher Elbow and CocoaBella in San Francisco.

We found thick European-style drinks at Emporio Rulli, smack-dab in Union Square, and Almare, an unassuming gelato shop in Berkeley.

We even came across the inevitable hot chocolate flavor mashups – Chinese 5-spice, anyone?

On balance, the best cups were made from ground chocolate rather than cocoa powder, with steamed milk melting everything into a luscious – and often viscous – drink. Equally important was sweetness; we didn’t want to be bowled over by sugar.”

For the full list of places and the rest of the article, go here.

Photo credit: “Fir0002/Flagstaffotos

• Tag: best, Best of, hot chocolate