The Best Spots for Hot Chocolate in Toulouse
Artisan chocolatiers, gourmet cafés, and beautiful salons de thé: here, we list Toulouse’s best spots for hot chocolate!
One of the Taste of Toulouse team’s favorite activities in winter, spring and autumn is to enjoy an afternoon in one of Toulouse’s many salons de thé, sipping hot chocolate. This being France, it’s relatively easy to find good hot chocolate.
However, there’s good hot chocolate, and then there’s heavenly hot chocolate. We’re talking about the deeply flavorful, rich chocolat chaud that comes closer to a religious experience. Just close your eyes, take a leap of faith (don’t ask about the calories) and sip, letting peace and happiness settle around you like a warm blanket. We don’t know about you, but good hot chocolate certainly has the power to change our outlook on life!
The following are our favorite spots for hot chocolate in Toulouse. And if you’re in the city and looking for activities to satisfy your sweet tooth, consider booking a place on our Chocolate & Pastry Tour in Toulouse.
Cacaofages
Step into the Cacaofages chocolate boutique and you’ll wonder if you’ve got lost in a sculpture gallery – but just look a little closer and you’ll see they are all made of chocolate!
Run by the two brothers Fages (thus the name), this chocolate boutique has its very own hot chocolate lounge! Here the menu boasts innovative flavors of hot chocolate, including varieties infused with jasmine tea (one of our favorites), spiced with orange zest and gingerbread crumble or served with a scoop of coconut ice cream. They also have a vegan option made with hazelnut milk.
You can drink your hot chocolate at the counter to watch the chocolatiers in their workroom, toiling away at their latest creations. And extra points for the atmosphere and originality of the décor!
Address: 27 Rue Reclusane, 31300 Toulouse, France
Opening times: Monday to Sunday, 9:30/13:00 – 18:30/14:00
Bello & Angeli
After a morning shopping at the Marché Victor Hugo, treat yourself to a little detour at Bello & Angeli. Both a chocolate shop and salon de thé, the room is crammed with cozy armchairs and, come winter, is bustling with people enjoying the mouth-watering, deceptively simple single-origin hot chocolates (“grand cru”) – the world’s finest varieties of cacao sourced solely from a specific region. In every hot chocolate made at Bello & Angeli, you will taste the authentic, pure flavor of each region, also known as the “terroir”.
Bello & Angeli offer two authentic hot chocolates – one pure single-origin, the other sweetened with tonka bean – plus, you can indulge in their various optional extras such as whipped Chantilly cream, plant-based milk or even their selection of gourmet hot chocolate tastings which come with house-made chocolates, pastries and cocoa beans.
Address: 4 Rue Victor Hugo, 31000 Toulouse, France
Opening times: Monday to Sunday, 10:00/14:00 – 19:00
Flowers Café
This lovely salon de thé is famous for its queues – which tells us just how excellent their selection of cakes and cozy winter drinks are! Thankfully, the café has opened another branch, equally as kitsch, so you are sure to find a table!
Flower’s Café is perfect for a coffee date or lunch. Winter afternoons are no better spent than slowly lingering over a plate of cheesecake or raspberry tart with a cup of hot chocolate on the side. Here, their specialty is “chocolat chaud maison”, a classic French hot chocolate, and you will be asked for your preferred thickness. Rich, velvety and oh-so chocolatey, it is comfort in a cup. Another favorite drink to order is chocolat chaud viennois, which is hot chocolate with whipped cream.
Both cafés have a terrace for people-watching or you can shelter in their cozy seating areas decorated with fairy lights.
Address: 6 Pl. Roger Salengro, 31000 Toulouse, France
Opening times: Monday to Sunday, 10:00/14:00 – 20:00
Address: 19 Pl. de la Bourse, 31000 Toulouse, France
Opening times: Monday to Sunday, 10:00/11:30 – 20:00/19:00
Salon Cacao’T
This chocolate shop and salon de thé limits their hot chocolate offerings to two sizes of chocolat chaud, which goes by the title “a l’ancienne” – aka, it is the true “old-fashioned” style of hot chocolate!
This hot chocolate packs a punch – it is rich and indulgent, thick with melted chocolate. It is extremely chocolatey, so this is certainly not for the faint of heart! This is what we can call “real” hot chocolate.
Salon Cacao’T is also famous for its Breton pastries, the kouign amann – a swirl of buttery puff pastry sandwiched with caramelized sugar – so go all out and devour one alongside your chocolat chaud. The café also serves a variety of patisserie and lunch should you wish to while away your morning and afternoon in a chocolate-scented cocoon.
Address: 21 Rue Charles de Rémusat, 31000 Toulouse, France
Opening times: Tuesday to Sunday, 8:00/9:00 – 19:00
Bapz
When someone says “chocolat chaud” in Toulouse, one of the first places that comes to mind is Bapz, the classic English-style tea room. Decorated like a 19th-century drawing room, patterned tea sets are stacked in the dressers, parasols and antique clocks bedeck the walls, and piled up high at the front of the room is the day’s selection of desserts and cakes.
At Bapz, they serve hot chocolate in the style of your choice: thin, medium or thick – the last being almost pudding-like. It’s rich, but not overwhelmingly sweet. You can also personalize your drink with additional flavors such as rose, cinnamon, ginger, hazelnut – the list extends to 20 different flavors! – or just add a simple scoop of whipped cream on top. The hot chocolate is famous for its melt-in-the-mouth smooth texture, and the Bapz team themselves say it is best served with a scone and jam alongside – the perfect French-English combination!
Address: 13 Rue de la Bourse, 31000 Toulouse, France
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday, 11:00/12:00 – 19:00
Papiche
A beloved coffee and brunch spot for locals, Papiche is already on Taste of Toulouse’s list of best coffee shops in Toulouse. It is also famous for its revolving selection of babka and its unique hot chocolate. This chocolat chaud is particularly special as it is made with Nutella.
Creamy and smooth, chocolat chaud au Nutella is a tribute to the French fixation on the chocolate spread! Take a seat in the tiny café and nurse a big cup of hot chocolate, which is light, airy and sweeter than others on this list. Papiche also serves lunch, an extensive list of coffees, cake and Sunday brunch, so it is a cozy haunt hidden in the depths of the Carmes neighborhood to retreat from the world.
Address: 44 Rue Pharaon, 31000 Toulouse
Opening times: Wednesday to Sunday, 8:30/9:30 – 17:30
Line Choc
Line Choc seems to be Toulouse’s best kept secret. Tucked away on the edge of Carmes is this tiny chocolate boutique, named after the owner, Line. Aside from the incredible selection of chocolates – including adorable little “Chocolat’ines” (also known as pain au chocolat, just don’t say that in Toulouse!) made out of chocolate and filled with different types of praliné – this is the chocolate shop to visit because of its hot chocolate menu.
At Line Choc, you can personalize your chocolat chaud. The menu takes you through the steps: first, choose the percentage of chocolate – how much chocolate can you handle? – of either 65% or 100%. Then, pick your base – milk, vegan milk or water – then select your single-origin chocolate. The long list is divided according to flavor – vegetal, delicate, strong, fruity – so pick your preference or try something unusual. Each cup comes with a spoon and a little whisk for you to froth up the milk or simply loosen the thick liquid if you choose 100% chocolate!
Snag a table if one is available, and this November, try their hot chocolate special with crème de marrons. And come Christmas, added to the list is a seasonal special with a hint of pine!
Address: 16 Rue de la Trinité, 31000 Toulouse
Opening times: Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 – 19:30/18:30
Keep yourself warm during the colder months by sipping your way through Toulouse’s selection of hot chocolate! From thick, smooth melted chocolate to light and creamy Nutella in a cup, Toulouse has the chocolat chaud that takes you to a happier place. Bring on the coat, scarf and gloves if it comes with hot chocolate!
