This Harlem ice cream shop, which recently opened a second location in Hamilton Heights, has figured out a way to make hot chocolate from ice cream. No, really. They take a vanilla ice cream base and heat it with heavy cream, Guayaquil 64 percent chocolate, and dark cocoa powder, creating a thick and velvety base. It then gets topped with a dollop of homemade, torched marshmallow fluff and some chocolate shavings for good measure, giving it a campfire quality. A vegan version sans dairy incorporates dark chocolate sorbet and either oat or almond milk.

The 118-year-old iconic Parisian café came to the U.S. — specifically, Bryant Park — at the end of last year, bringing its velvety hot chocolate with it. Unfortunate naming aside, the creamy drink is made in-house from three different types of cocoa beans sourced from Ghana, Niger, and the Ivory Coast. Sip it in the grand Belle Epoque-style dining room, take it to the park, or buy a bottle to heat at home, an ingenious alternative to the powder or nibs that need to be mixed with water or milk.

This Italian chocolate and gelato maker has been around since 1878, but it only came to Union Square in 2018 and Columbus Circle this January, taking over the former Grom space. Venchi offers three versions: Classic, Suprema XV, and Cuba Rhum. The Suprema XV is for hazelnut lovers, featuring a generous squirt of liquefied hazelnut chocolate spread (choose from milk or dark) into the classic milk chocolate mix, topped with whipped cream and a dusting of raw cocoa powder. A boozy version comes in the form of the Cuba Rhum, a nod to the classic chocolate candy made with 56 percent chocolate and rum, a popular combination in Piedmont.

This mini-chain of French cafés offers a regular hot chocolate but its lavender version brings something different (and delicious) to the table. Light and foamy, the cup is garnished with a sprig of lavender and a dusting of cocoa powder. The lavender brings a faint herbal and almost minty aftertaste to the cup, which pairs well with the cafe’s popular chocolate chip cookies.

Milk, cream, salt, vanilla, Dutch cocoa powder, and semisweet chocolate chunks are combined to create a silky-smooth rendition that’s not too thick and not too thin, with just the right amount of sweetness to still beg for one of the housemade marshmallows (in flavors like s’mores, birthday cake, and banana pudding) to be plunked on top.

The interior of Soho’s Mariebelle personifies what comes to mind when the phrase chocolate boutique comes up: gilt edges, chandeliers, glass vitrines, and all. Head to the back of the shop for the equally decadent Cacao Bar with its brown and gold-striped wallpaper and, in pre-pandemic times, marble café tables with gold-backed chairs. Off to one side are four large glass jars filled with chocolate chunks of different shades, labeled Aztec (65 percent), Spicy (Aztec with chipotle, ancho chili, and cinnamon), Mayan (70 percent with no added sugar), Hazelnut, and White. There are options for premium add-ins like cardamom, espresso, nutmeg and cinnamon, Tahitian vanilla, or matcha (perfectly paired with the white). Finally, there’s a selection of milk (whole, half-and-half, skim, almond, or oat) and whipped cream if desired. It’s one of the  thickest cups of hot chocolate in the city — this is what’s meant by “drinking chocolate” — so prepare accordingly and consider ordering a four-ounce shot size instead of an eight-ounce cup. 

This cozy chocolate shop by Rhonda Khave tucked away on the Lower East Side is quietly brewing a buttery-smooth 65 percent hot chocolate cup using single-origin cacao nibs sourced from Belize. Not too sweet and without any unnecessary frills, this version really lets the carefully sourced chocolate shine through — a true chocolate lover’s hot chocolate.

When acclaimed restaurant Frenchette took over the beloved Arcade Bakery space inside a Tribeca office building, many fans were worried if they would be able to carry Roger Gural’s sourdough-bread filled torch. And while they’ve done an admirable job, they have also added a few of their own touches, including this luxurious hot chocolate topped with a “Chartreuse Chamallow.” What is it exactly? A toasted marshmallow infused with a hint of Chartreuse liqueur, of course.

When Fany Gerson closed her original Dough location in Bed-Stuy last year, she turned it into this doughnut shop 2.0, slinging classically shaped creations alongside her proprietary “fan-fans,” long, eclair-like doughnuts with various fillings and toppings. But her wizardry doesn’t stop there. Her hot chocolate is a genius, chocolate-filled play on French onion soup, complete with doughnut croutons bobbing in the mix of bittersweet and milk chocolate with a molten marshmallow topping. You can get the hot chocolate without these additions…but why would you?

This dessert cafe standby with locations in Park Slope and Carroll Gardens offers four versions of its steaming hot chocolate: Classic, with 38 percent milk chocolate and Madagascar vanilla; Dark Hot Chocolate with a blend of bittersweet Belgian pieces and Valrhona cocoa powder; Café Torino, which includes a shot of espresso and splotch of foam; and another favorite, the seasonal Spiced Dark Hot Chocolate, which spikes the dark version with ancho and chipotle chilis, cinnamon, and cloves. And, new for this year, the Court Street location started offering white hot chocolate, too.

Swap your root beer float for a delightfully overflowing mug of hot chocolate at Carroll Gardens’ ode to the fountain shops of yore. Top it with a generous helping of marshmallow fluff, blow-torched to order and some whipped cream for an over-the-top garnish.