The Amazing Hot Chocolate from Angelina, Paris

My attempt to duplicate it on a cold, cold day

Angelina Paris, Anusha Shirly, 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

In 1903, a salon de thé opened on rue de Rivoli in Paris’ first arrondisement. Angelina soon became known, not just for its tea and patisserie, but for its chocolat chaud, hot chocolate so thick you could cut it with a knife. (An exaggeration.)

There are now four additional locations in Paris.

Coco Channel and Marcel Proust were early patrons of the original tea house.

Throughout my childhood, New York hosted Rumpelmayer’s, named for the founder of Angelina, a gorgeous Art Deco cafe overlooking Central Park, also esteemed for its hot chocolate. (And its ice cream sundaes!)

But Rumpelmayer’s closed in 1998 after a good seventy-year run.

Recently, Angelina has spread its legend to New York, opening Angelina Paris salons on Lexington Avenue and by Bryant Park.

That said, the NYC iterations don’t feature the elegant silver service of the Paris original. But the hot chocolate is scrumptious. And they do sell tins of their hot chocolate mix, available in-store or on-line.

While that is an option and makes for a lovely gift, I believe I have twinned their recipe and you can indulge right now.