Bow Market’s resident chocolatier Gâté Comme des Filles is helmed by Cambridge native Alexandra Whisnant, who studied patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, and was a pastry cook under Alice Waters at Chez Panisse. Translation: You can expect the Chocolate Chaud to be on point. And it is: Crafted with high-quality chocolate, it’s crowned with a thick dollop of fresh crème chantilly. Note that though the Somerville marketplace is open daily, each shop sets their own hours, and the counter-service chocolate boutique is open Wednesday through Sunday.

Swiss-trained, New York City-founded, and New Hampshire-headquartered, L.A. Burdick Chocolates and cafe chain has local locations in Back Bay and Harvard Square. Known as a pioneering chocolatier in the U.S., Burdick’s specialty for sipping is European-style Drinking Chocolate that’s deliciously like a whole bar just melted in your mug. Choose milk, dark, Spicy Dark, or white hot chocolate blends—or sample a single-source variety touting the terroir of cacao grown in Ecuador or Madagascar. 

Cambridge’s Curio Coffee is located less than a mile from the Taza Chocolate factory in Somerville—a fact of geography the tiny coffee shop takes full advantage of by melting Taza’s stone-ground, Mexican-style chocolate to produce a rich and dark cup of cocoa. Sweetened with vanilla bean syrup, this Hot Chocolate is best paired with a chewy Liège Waffle that can pull dipping duty. Curio is currently open only for takeout; the team runs an efficient pickup window with ordering ahead available. 

Instead of a storefront, fine local chocolatier Petrova Chocolates opened an online shop. Visit it to have a creative and creamy mug of hot chocolate from the comfort of your own couch: the Hot Chocolate Bomb is a tempered dark-chocolate orb filled with a house-blend hot cocoa mix and mini marshmallows. All you need is a mug and a cup of steaming-hot milk of choice to transform it at home. Thanks to Petrova’s A+ packaging, it’s (almost) as satisfying to give as it is to receive. Note: Petrova is a one-woman operation, so check back often for availability.

The cacao farms and cashew groves dotting the landscape of their native Dominican Republic inspired a local couple to open Cacao, a chocolate and nut shop and cafe in Newton Highlands. (An outpost in Jamaica Plain closed at the end of 2022.) Cacao’s version of Hot Chocolate is a velvety blend of quality chocolate, with a dash of cinnamon for balanced flavor. Opt for whipped cream or not—your choice. The cafe also pulls shots of espresso, so mocha drinks are an option as well. You can also bring home rich hot chocolate mixes, including a spicy version with a dash of cayenne pepper. In Boston’s warmer months, Cacao also indulges us with Iced Hot Chocolate, a cool seasonal specialty.