After a morning of exploring Montmartre my friend Marie and I were both a little drained and needed a pick me up (especially as the weather in Paris has been so cold and weary recently!) so we decided to head to Angelina as it's one of the most famous cafés in Paris. I had literally seen their hot chocolate countless times on instagram (my go-to for travel/food tips) for years and it was the perfect time to try it out.

We made our way to the branch in Rivoli (map below) which I think is one of the biggest locations in Paris. As soon as we got there we saw a massive queue and started to question how badly we actually wanted the hot chocolates and if it was really worth it...

As soon as it was (finally) our turn to go inside we were greeted by a beautiful interior which perfectly incorporated Parisian elegance and charm - it's not hard to see why Proust and Coco Chanel dined here (it's been open since 1903). We made our way upstairs and had a look at the menu - boy was it expensive! Thankfully we were only there for refreshments and not a three course meal.

We decided to go for what Angelina is famously known for: their hot chocolate. I went for their famous "African" hot chocolate which is made from three different kinds of cocoa from Niger, Ghana and the Ivory Coast, whereas Marie went for the white chocolate version. Both were good and came with a pot of whipped cream that you could top your hot chocolate with as desired (aka a lot).

Accompanied by some pastries, obviously. Fluffy, buttery pastries.




The queue was definitely worth it and the hot chocolates were delicious, although a little bit rich once you were on your second cup. I personally really don't like white chocolate so I didn't enjoy Marie's, and she agreed that mine was better but still really liked hers, it just depends on personal taste I guess. They aren't cheap though - at €8,20 each you have to be a proper chocolate enthusiast to be able to fork out that much over a drink. To be honest (if they let you) you could probably order one hot chocolate between two because there was just so much of it, definitely enough for two whole cups!

They also have a little delicatessen range which includes their famous hot chocolate (which I would seriously consider taking home with you). And their pastries and macaroons looked wonderful - I would definitely recommend going at least once and if you can't stand the queue they did some takeaway hot chocolates too, although for that price I would definitely want to enjoy the ambience of the place. The best hot chocolate in the world? Probably. The best in Paris? Definitely.

Locations in Paris

Rivoli (1st arrondissement), 226 rue de Rivoli (map below)
Rive Gauche (7th arrondissement), 108 Rue de Bac
Musée du Louvre (1st arrondissement), Aile Richelieu, Café Richelieu
Musée du Luxembourg (6th arrondissement), 19 rue de Vaugirard
Palais des congrès (17th arrondissement), 2 place de la porte Maillot
Galeries Lafayette (9th arrondissement), 40 boulevard Haussmann