My mother-in-law is a big hot chocolate maven. We often go to cafes around Bandra looking for good hot chocolates when she visits us.
One of her favourites is Starbucks! Coffee snobs will look down upon the coffee served at Starbucks but they serve a surprisingly good hot chocolate here. It is not particularly thick but the chocolate notes are pretty intense, makes my mom-in-law smile every time. She can be picky when it comes to hot chocolates.
Then there is the Australian chain, San Churros, which has an outlet in Bandra. They serve the thick chocolate which you get at churros and hot chocolate joints in Madrid and at times in Australia too. You can literally scoop out the chocolate with a spoon here. I would advise that two people share a mug as it is too much for one person. They have versions which includes flavourings like chili in them. True chocolate lovers would do best to stick to the dark chocolate version.
The hot chocolate at Birdsong, Mumbai’s first all-organic café, is considered to be the best around by many including blogger Adarsh Munjal of Big Bhookad. My mother-in-law quite likes it too. What stands out is the brilliant taste of the organic chocolate used here.
Competing with Birdsong on the hot chocolate stake is the dark hot chocolate at Suzette. I went there a few days back and dived into the thick and dreamy hot chocolate with unbridled joy. I was worn out that evening after moderating a YouTube chat show on health food earlier on. If you know me, you will know that this would be the equivalent of Boris Becker playing in the clay courts of Rolland Garros!
The hot chocolate at Suzette was just the soul restorer that I needed.
The outlet at Bandra is rather small but they have opened at Powai recently. Like every other branch in Powai, the Suzette one in Powai too is larger than the Bandra version.
If you wake up early enough then do try out the croissants at Suzette. They bake them fresh every morning and in limited quantities.
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Written By
Kalyan Karmakar authors the popular award winning blog, Finely Chopped and is an authority on the food of Mumbai. His extensive knowledge of the city's food scene has been featured in publications such as Femina, Mumbai Mirror and BCC Good Food. He was one of the founding critics of EazyDiner's Mumbai team.
