Switzerland is famous for its chocolate. So drinking hot chocolate is a natural fit and popular here, not just for kids. In Swiss German, hot chocolate is called “Heisse Schoggi” or more formally “Heisse Schokolade.”
At most Swiss cafés, you will simply get a mug of hot milk and a packet of chocolate powder, usually Caotina brand, to stir in yourself.
But in cities like Zürich, there are usually a few cafés and coffee shops serving high quality drinking chocolate, some with fun flavors like chili or caramel.
Here the best places to drink hot chocolate in Zürich, including traditional old school cafes to specialty chocolate shops.
Contents
My favorite hot chocolate
Each hot chocolate place below is nice for different reasons. But here are my favorites.
| What you are looking for | Why |
|---|---|
| Chocolate flavor | Schwarzenbach Vollenweider Max Chocolatier Sprüngli |
| Sweet tooth | Bear St. Bakery |
| Atmosphere | Milchbar Cafe Felix |
| Views | Storchen Barchetta Bar |
Map of chocolate shops
All of the chocolate shops are Swiss Travel Guide with map, which also includes travel itineraries. Get the map here.
Cute Cafes
Below are the nicest places in Zürich to enjoy hot chocolate seated, in a nice setting, with a proper mug.
1. Café Felix
Café Felix steps up the glam with their gilded décor and pretty confections. It’s a fun place to bring visitors, who are charmed by the grand staircase and chandeliers.
The hot chocolate is very nice, high quality chocolate and not too sweet. If you like it even less sweet, they offer a 77% dark version. We also have a smaller children’s portion as well as lactose-free and sugar-free variations.
Cafe Felix is owned by Confiserie Teuscher, which supplies their chocolate and pastries. So everything is pretty tasty, if rather traditional. I usually play it safe with hot chocolate and apple strudel.
They have two locations, both rather quiet and a little formal, frequently by nicely dressed white-haired ladies meeting friends and older men in suits reading the newspaper.
The Bahnhofstrasse location is newer and less stuffy. The location at Bellevue is a bit more old school
Cafe Felix
Lintheschergasse 8, 8001 Zürich (near Bahnhofstrasse)
Open daily
cafefelix.ch
Café Felix am Bellevue
Bellevueplatz 5, 8001 Zürich
Open daily
2. Milchbar
For atmosphere, Milchbar is my top choice, with its charming courtyard and festive fairy lights. It’s a great place to meet friends after shopping along the Bahnhofstrasse shopping.
Last time we visited their hot chocolate was made with Lindt chocolate and either comes with latte art or whipped cream. We can also recommend their fresh ginger and mint tea.
Milchbar
Kappelergasse 16, 8001 Zürich
Open daily
www.milchbar.ch
3. Café & Conditorei 1842
This old world cafe has a long history, created in 1842 and housed in a building from the 13th century. It used to be called Café Schober, a name still referenced in many travel guidebooks and blog posts.
They are famous for their hot chocolate, which enjoy. But some may find it not quite as sweet as they’d like.
They have a rotating selection of pastries and savory options on their menu. My favorite treat is their lemon tart, though not always available. At the entrance, there is a counter selling chocolate, pastries and other confections to takeaway.
We often take visitors here, settling into an outdoor table so we can watch the world go by. But the inside is so charming, it’s a shame not to enjoy that too.
They have rooms on four floors with a variety of décor, giving each a different vibe. So if it’s not busy, we suggest looking around instead of just stopping at the first open table. We particularly like their tiny courtyard, like a secret garden.
Café & Conditorei 1842
Napfgasse 4, 8001 Zürich
Open daily
www.cafe1842.ch
4. Sprüngli at Paradeplatz
Sprüngli is a Zürich-based chocolate maker and Confiserie, selling all sorts of sweet and savory confections. Their Paradeplatz café is a nice place to enjoy their luxurious treats while watching the action along the busy Bahnhofstrasse shopping street.
Sprüngli uses their high quality 70% dark chocolate for their drinks, so you get an rich, intense chocolate flavor and not too sweet. We like that the optional whipped cream is served on the side so you can spoon it in gradually.
For a sweet tooth, try the cold chocolate “Dalgona” with hazelnut crunch and grand cru chocolate foam. You can also add espresso shots to any chocolate drinks.
What to eat: Their creamy Bircher Müesli is our favorite in the city, usually a variation with seasonal fruit. Their croissants are not great. Instead of a croissant, we prefer their chocolate truffle brioche. In addition to their breakfast and lunch menu, you can order pretty cakes from the display case.
Atmosphere: Their recently renovation has stripped this historic place of all its charm, making it look more like a modern airport lounge. It’s always filled with the dressed up white-haired crowd, not young hangout.
Reservations are required for the upstairs cafe. Without a reservation, you can wait for a seat in the smaller downstairs cafe also with outdoor tables.
In their adjacent shop, you can purchase their hot chocolate, which comes as shaved chocolate, not a powder.
Sprüngli Café Paradeplatz
Bahnhofstrasse 21, 8001 Zürich
Open daily, reservations required
www.spruengli.ch
5. Confiserie Honold
Honold is a Swiss chocolate maker and confiserie, opening their first Zürich shop in 1905. They are well-known for their “Schoggi-Tram” in fall and Easter time, where you ride around Zürich on a vintage tram while you sip hot chocolate, eat cake and sample chocolate pralines.
At their original location on Rennweg, they have a shop counter in the front and tea room at the back. They serve a very rich and creamy hot chocolate, optional whipped cream extra.
They have lots of handmade sweet and savory snacks to enjoy with your drink. But we suggest their signature Pain de Gênes, a special almond sponge cake made with an old family recipe.
I prefer the outdoor seating as the indoor space is a bit cramped and not particularly charming. Plus I always get the feeling that the older crowd doesn’t appreciate my lively conversation style and I just feel a little out of place.
Honold Confiserie & Tea Room
Rennweg 53, 8001 Zürich
Closed Sundays
www.honold.ch
6. Storchen Barchetta Bar
This hotel bar has one of the nicest views in the city, with little tables perched along the Limmat river overlooking the Grossmünster cathedral. They don’t open until lunchtime, so this is an afternoon treat, not for breakfast.
The chocolate is dark and lightly sweetened, usually with a delicious amaretti cookie on the side. This is more of a sophisticated cup, not for kids.
In winter, the chairs have lambswool to sit on and blankets to wrap around you (or you can warm up inside and enjoy the view through the glass).
Hotel Storchen Barchetta Bar
Weinplatz 2, 8001 Zürich
Daily 11:30 – 22:00
storchen.ch
Specialty Chocolate Shops
These specialty chocolate shops offer hot chocolate for takeaway only.
7. Vanini Swiss Chocolate
Founded in 1871 in Lugano, this artisanal chocolate producer is known for their fresh chocolate, that comes in large sheets. They also have excellent gelato, amaretti and other treats.
In summer we stick to gelato, which is richly flavored with fun combos. But when the weather turns chilly, we opt for hot chocolate, which is dark and creamy. It’s a takeaway shop, but they usually have a couple standing tables outside.
In fall and winter, they sell their special house made panettone, which is a perfect accompaniment. Happily, the panettone is available in small 100g versions so you don’t have to commit to almost a full kilo.
We also like their amaretti cookies, especially the ones dipped in chocolate, a good gift for those who like this Italian treat.
- What to drink: Cioccolata Calda con panna (hot chocolate with cream)
- What to eat: dark chocolate or pistachio gelato, amaretti, panettone
- Website: vanini.swiss
- Address: Limmatquai 74, 8001 Zürich (tram stop: Rathaus)
- Open: Wed – Sun 07.00 – 19.00 / closed Mon & Tues
8. Vollenweider – La vie en chocolat
Vollenweider is an artisan Swiss chocolate maker, founded in Winterthur in 1953. They are still family-run, focused on handmade, premium chocolate creations and confections.
We love their new popup in Zürich’s old town “La vie en chocolat,” which has a whimsical aesthetic.
They serve hot chocolate for takeaway in cute striped cups. They offer light or dark chocolate with optional pink whipped cream, which is only lightly sweetened.
We had the dark chocolate, which had a deep chocolate flavor and not too rich, thick or sweet. One of our favorite takeaway options in the city.
Vollenwieder Chocolatier Confiseur
Storchengasse 11, 8001 Zürich
Closed Sundays
www.vollenweiderchocolatier.ch
9. Schwarzenbach Schokolade & Espresso Bar
For Schwarzenbach is a specialty gourmet store selling high quality coffee beans, tea, dried fruit, nuts, etc. Next door is their chocolate shop, selling chocolate bars from many small batch artisanal producers, including local companies like La Flor, Garcoa, and Taucherli.
They also have an espresso bar, making coffee and hot chocolate using the products they sell.
Last time we went, they had three “pure” hot chocolates on offer plus Becks Trinkschokolade, an organic free-trade brand. They have fun flavor varieties like Chai, Orange, Caramel, Ginger, and Chili. If you like it, you can buy their hot chocolate products here to make at home.
They have a small standing counter near the window where you sip your drink, but no chairs.
Schwarzenbach Schokolade & Espresso Bar
Münstergasse 17, 8001 Zürich
Closed Sundays
www.schwarzenbach.ch
- What to drink:
- Website: www.schwarzenbach.ch
- Address: Münstergasse 17, 8001 Zürich
- Open: Mon-Fri 9:00 – 18:30, Sat 9:00 – 17:00, closed Sundays
10. Max Chocolatier
Max Chocolatier is a premium chocolatier from Luzern. They have a small boutique in the Zürich old town, selling some of the best chocolate pralines and truffles you can get in Switzerland.
During winter season, they sell hot chocolate for takeaway, made from their excellent dark chocolate.
Max Chocolatier
Schlüsselgasse 12, 8001 Zürich
Closed Sundays
www.maxchocolatier.com
11. Madeline
Madeline is a new chocolate brand that recently split off from Teuscher. They’ve opened a small boutique on Rennweg, selling a wide variety of chocolate pralines. During winter, they offer hot chocolate for takeaway.
Confiserie Madeline
Rennweg 22, 8001 Zürich
Closed Sundays
https://www.confiserie-madeleine.com/
Sweet Shops
12. Bear St. Bakery
In winter this premium cookie shop serves a decadent hot chocolate with toasted marshmallow cream. It’s tasty but a very sweet sugar bomb.
Their cookies are fantastic, very soft and chewy, with creative flavor combos like tahini chocolate chip and pistachio raspberry white chocolate.
Hot chocolate + a cookie is definitely too much for us. But get a cookie for later.
They only serve in takeaway cups, but they have a few cafe tables in front of the shop if you want to sit.
Bear St. Bakery
Bärengasse 9, 8001 Zürich
Closed Sundays
Instagram
Honorable mention
These cafes are outside the Zürich old town area, but worth mentioning for a variety of reasons.
13. Café Noir & Garçoa Chocolate
For a local vibe, drop by Café Noir, small hip cafe near Langstrasse. They’re known for their specialty coffee, which they roast themselves in Zürich and supply to a few cafés around town.
They also serve hot chocolate from Garçoa, a small bean-to-bar chocolate producer in Zürich. So we were delighted to find their hot chocolate on the menu at Café Noir, one of favorite coffee places. It’s a
They offered classic hot chocolate or with chili, which is our preference. The chocolate is rich, dark, not too sweet and definitely delivers on the spiciness.
We love that the hot chocolate is prepared like cappuccino with steamed milk and latte art. This is a chocolate lover’s treat for grown ups.
They have a basket of croissants, brioche, and bread rolls which would be a good accompaniment. The maroni cake and banana bread are also very tempting.
Cafe Noir
Neugasse 33, 8005 Zürich
Closed Sundays
cafe-noir.ch
FYI, you can also get Garçoa hot chocolate at miró manufactura de café (takeaway only) in the Zürich main station, in the main hall on the opposite side of the ticket office. Or buy buy Garçoa “Trinkschoggi” mixes in their online shop to try at home.
14. MOON (vegan)
If you are dairy free or vegan, MOON is the best place for sweet treats in Zurich. Their vegan hot chocolate comes regular or spicy. It’s a perfect pairing with their delicious pastries with fun seasonal flavors.
- What to drink: spicy hot chocolate with oat milk
- What to eat: cardamon bun
- Website: www.moonshop.ch
- Address: Bertastrasse 4, 8003 Zürich (tram stop: Lochergut)
- Open: Wed-Sat 9:00 – 19:00 / Sun 9:00 – 16:00
15. Lindt Home of Chocolate
If you want the full chocolate experience, you can visit the Lindt chocolate factory south of Zürich. On the self-guided tour, you learn about how chocolate is made and the Swiss tradition of chocolate making and of course, taste lots of chocolate along the way.
Near the entrance, their café sells drinks plus sweet and savory snacks. If you still have an appetite after all the chocolate tasting in the visitor center, you can get one of the over-the-top chocolate drinks, perhaps with marshmallows.
- What to drink: ChocoCino “Fancy” with marshmallows
- What to eat: waffles with chocolate topping
- Website: www.lindt-home-of-chocolate.com
- Open: daily 10 am – 6 pm
- Address: Seestrasse 204, 8802 Kilchberg (15 mins from Zurich)
- Bus stop: Kilchberg ZH, Lindt & Sprüngli (20 mins from Zürich)
4 responses
Is the first image (lilac mug blue table) from a Zurich location – that is how Hot Chocolate should come, in a mug that can be cupped in both hands an more than a splatter of whipped cream on the side – pleeease say yes!
That mug was from Oro de Cacao but unfortunately, that shop has since closed. I would suggest Sprüngli, which also comes with generous helpings of whipped cream.
Wow, that was so cool. Love hot chocolate, the real way. Now, I got so many places to try out. What a Xmas
present.
Thanks a lot, guys.
Glad you enjoyed this post. Hope you have many delicious hot chocolates in your future.