At a glance
Steamed dipping chocolateHatch Family Chocolates
Pick your percentageKnoops
70% dark, downtownThree Pines Coffee
With young kidsNormal Ice Cream
Drive-thru stopsKneaders Bakery & Cafe
Glitter whipped creamSacred Energy Cafe & Coffee
Holiday teaGrand America Afternoon Tea
1
Hatch Family Chocolates
📍 The Avenues, Salt Lake City
A cup made from steamed dipping chocolate
Hatch Family Chocolates steams its dipping chocolate with milk and cream for the Decadent Hot Chocolate, then tops it with house-made vanilla whipped cream. Order it in milk or dark. The shop is at 376 8th Avenue.
Tip: Choco's Mocha adds a double shot of espresso for the adults, and the Hot Chocolate Affogato pours the drink over a scoop of ice cream.
2
Knoops
📍 9th and 9th, Salt Lake City
Hot chocolate by percentage, for adults and teens who know how dark they like it
At Knoops you order hot chocolate by percentage, from 28% white up to 100% dark. The shop is at 907 East 900 South.
Tip: For younger kids, stay with 34% milk or the 28% white. Teens ready for dark can step up to 54%.
3
Three Pines Coffee
📍 Main Street, downtown Salt Lake City
A 70% dark chocolate cup downtown, for adults
The Hot Chocolate at Three Pines Coffee uses a 70% dark chocolate base, house-made vanilla syrup and steamed milk. The shop is at 165 South Main Street.
Tip: Three Pines calls itself an espresso bar, so one of you can order coffee while the other has the hot chocolate.
4
Normal Ice Cream
📍 Salt Lake City
Hot cocoa with a house-made marshmallow, for young kids
Normal Ice Cream, at 169 East 900 South, makes its hot cocoa from house-made barista chocolate and milk. Kids choose whipped cream or a house-made marshmallow on top, and soft serve turns it into a hot cocoa float.
Tip: It comes in an 8-ounce and a 12-ounce size, and the 8-ounce is the right size for a small kid.
5
Kneaders Bakery & Cafe
📍 Salt Lake City, Draper, Midvale, Riverton, South Jordan, West Jordan and West Valley City
Sipping chocolate from a drive-thru, for south and west valley families
Kneaders' European Hot Chocolate is 16 ounces of sipping chocolate, served with whole milk and topped with whipped cream and mini chocolate chips. You can order one at the drive-thru without taking the kids out of their car seats. A kid who does not want chocolate can order the Steamer.
Tip: The downtown shop in City Creek Center at 28 South State Street is the one without a drive-thru.
6
Sacred Energy Cafe & Coffee
📍 Murray
Fairy Hot Chocolate with glittering whipped cream, for kids
Sacred Energy, at 296 East 4500 South in Murray, tops its Fairy Hot Chocolate with glittering whipped cream. Underneath are chocolate sauce and your choice of milk.
Tip: Adults can order a specialty coffee at the same cafe.
7
Cupla Coffee
📍 Cottonwood Heights
An east-side stop for hot chocolate with breakfast
Cupla Coffee at 3418 Bengal Boulevard lists a Hot Chocolate of chocolate syrup, milk and whipped cream, in a 12- or 16-ounce cup. The same menu has oatmeal, parfaits, a sausage burrito and sandwiches.
Tip: The Cottonwood Heights shop is the one whose menu lists this drink, so go there.
8
Grand America Afternoon Tea
📍 Downtown Salt Lake City
Mint, raspberry or coconut almond hot chocolate at a full tea service
Hot chocolate at Grand America comes with a sit-down Afternoon Tea in the Lobby Lounge at 555 South Main Street, not as a drink to drop in for. The tea menu lists Hot Chocolate in milk, mint, raspberry and coconut almond next to the teas.
Tip: Canceling within 24 hours costs a charge per person.
📍Local note: Tulie Bakery, Gourmandise, Alchemy Coffee and The Bean Yard at 883 East 9400 South in Sandy also list hot chocolate or hot cocoa on their menus, but say nothing about how it is made. Not on this list: Chez Nibs' own site says the shop is closed while it moves and had not posted a new address as of November 1, Les Madeleines' site says its bakery closed in December 2022, and Salt Lake Roasting Co., still on older lists, no longer has a working website.
How to pick the right one
Pick by who is drinking. With little kids, go to Normal Ice Cream or Sacred Energy and choose by the topping, a house-made marshmallow or glittering whipped cream.
Adults who want to choose the chocolate itself can go to Knoops. If you would rather not unbuckle anyone, use a Kneaders drive-thru.
For a sit-down outing, book the Afternoon Tea at Grand America before you go.
Common questions
Where can I get iced or frozen hot chocolate in Salt Lake City?
Hatch Family Chocolates, Three Pines Coffee, Knoops and Sacred Energy all make a cold version. Hatch blends its Frozen Hot Chocolate with crushed ice and house-made vanilla ice cream, Three Pines will make its Hot Chocolate iced, Knoops serves iced chocolates and milkshakes in six percentages from 28% to 100%, and Sacred Energy blends its Fairy Frost Frozen Hot Chocolate.
Is there dairy-free hot chocolate in Salt Lake City?
Yes, at Hatch, Knoops, Sacred Energy and Kneaders. Hatch steams its hot chocolate with soy, almond, coconut or oat milk, Knoops offers oat, almond, soya, coconut and hazelnut milk, and Kneaders has non-dairy milk on request. Sacred Energy makes its Fairy Hot Chocolate with your choice of milk, so ask which non-dairy ones it has.
Is there good hot chocolate in the south valley?
Yes: Kneaders serves its European Hot Chocolate in Draper, Riverton, South Jordan, West Jordan and Midvale. Sacred Energy in Murray and Cupla Coffee in Cottonwood Heights are the other picks south of downtown, and on the west side Kneaders has a shop in West Valley City.
Is Knoops in Salt Lake City open?
Yes. Knoops lists its Salt Lake City store as open on its own website.
Do I need a reservation for hot chocolate at Grand America?
Yes. Hot chocolate is on the menu of Grand America's Afternoon Tea, a full tea service in the Lobby Lounge, and the hotel requires online reservations. Its Holidays page lists a Holiday Tea for the season.
The Salt Lake Valley