New Orleans, LAHot Chocolate

Where Y'at's National Cocoa Day roundup calls out this French Quarter institution's hot chocolate as a worthy order alongside its chicory coffee and cafe au lait, pairing well with the fresh, hot beignets the shop is known for. The original Decatur Street location, open since 1862, runs 24 hours a day. Order the hot chocolate with an order of beignets, the combination Where Y'at itself recommends at the round-the-clock French Quarter original.

Where Y'at's hot chocolate roundup describes this Mid-City Sicilian institution's version as piping hot steamed milk and chocolate topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, part of a shop that has woven Sicilian and local traditions together since 1905. The magazine frames it as a taste of the founding family's original techniques, still in use today. Order the hot chocolate with whipped cream, the classic build Where Y'at names at a shop otherwise known for gelato.

Where Y'at's hot chocolate roundup names this Central Business District bakery and restaurant for its fresh-made hot chocolate, made with the same local ingredients the kitchen uses across its breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. The magazine points to weekend brunch, served Saturdays and Sundays, as the moment to order it. Order the fresh-made hot chocolate with weekend brunch, the timing Where Y'at itself calls out at this Southern bakery-restaurant.

Where Y'at's hot chocolate roundup singles out this Uptown ice cream shop for a winter-season hot chocolate priced at four dollars, calling it just as satisfying as the fresh ice cream and sorbet the shop is built around. The magazine frames it as a cold-weather counterpoint to a menu otherwise stocked with frozen desserts. Order the four-dollar hot chocolate in winter, the seasonal pick Where Y'at names at a shop better known for ice cream.

Where Y'at's hot chocolate roundup includes this Magazine Street bean-to-bar chocolatier, describing its handcrafted chocolate bars, bonbons and confections as locally made from start to finish. The shop makes everything on-site rather than sourcing from outside processors, the detail the magazine leads with. Order a cup here to taste the same chocolate the shop turns into its bars and bonbons, the through-line Where Y'at draws across the menu.