The Best Hot Chocolate I’ve Ever Had

We’re coming up on old man winter, but every coffee chain in town has already released their annual holiday drink menu.

Now, I’m not really a tea or coffee drinker – though I will admit, I lived on 1 euro cappuccinos in Tivoli… but vacations don’t count! And so my go to hot beverage is hot chocolate. After falling in love with the frozen mint hot chocolates from Serendipity 3 in NYC, I’ve been on the hunt for a truly delicious and tummy warming experience.

And I think I found my new favourite spot.

And it’s only an 8 hour plane ride from home – lucky me!

While in Venice earlier this year, we made our way to Piazza San Marco and decided to treat ourselves on our final night there – and let me tell you it was totally worth it! Caffé Florian was a place I had always walked by, but never paid attention to for fear of tourist prices. Because everyone knows things are more expensive at main attractions. And since this café has been around since 1720 and offers a front row seat to Saint Mark’s Cathedral, I wasn’t expecting anything reasonable. Then after stopping to take a look at their display menu and seeing hot chocolates for 10 – 12.50 euros, we thought – ‘why the heck not?’

So we returned in the evening and were seated in a room of complete opulence.

I love world history and there’s always something that leaves me in awe, knowing and wondering who could have sat in the exact same spot as me, some time, hundreds of years ago. Thinking about the conversations or realizations various people had in this very seat. And going through the photos of Caffé Florian, more recently, it could have been anyone from Charlie Chaplin to Andy Warhol, to Ernest Hemingway and Claude Monet, sitting where my own bum sat, drinking this delicious hot chocolate.

At the end of any trip, I’m always left with that feeling of not wanting to go home and get back to my daily reality and routine, but this was the perfect way to end the night. Sitting in Caffé Florian, listening to the live classical music, taking a sip of my hot chocolate with my fiancé by my side. Perfetto.

And then the bill came and you forget that most places charge a sit down fee. So being there in the evening with the live music, plus hot chocolate for 4 people, now turns into just over 71 euros… which is converted to about $110 CAD.

Again, totally worth it.

Would I go back? Of course! I got a mint hot chocolate which was perfectly layered into liquid chocolate with mint cream and chocolate shavings. At first glance, the glass looked extremely small for 12.50 euros, but coming from North America we’re used to bigger sizes. So I thought I was going to be disappointed and unsatisfied, but in the end it was the perfect amount for me to drink. I didn’t want any more, and I didn’t want any less.

And not only was the hot chocolate delicious on its own, but the whole experience together with the atmosphere was truly priceless, and is now added to my happy memories.

Counting down the days until I can visit again.

Stephanie