Hot chocolate at Angelina
 

We want to start one of our days in Paris with our granddaughters having hot chocolate at Angelina. Assume we'd want to be there about 9 or 9:30. Will we need to get a reservation?

I don't think reservations are possible. Also be advised that the hot chocolate is really, really thick and, to me, completely unappealing, like mud, and the waitresses are brusque. I do not consider Angelina to be a "cool" place to visit in Paris. There are loads of other places to get good hot chocolate in Paris where you can actually drink it and not be harassed by harridan waitresses, like Un Dimanche à Paris, Ladurée,or Charles Chocolatier.

You actually can book on TheFork.com

I’ve only been there once and our service was quite lovely. We had champagne and caviar. I plan to bring my granddaughters both back in June.

Never had a bad service in Angelina. The hot chocolate is delicious! I have tried a lot of hot chocolate in Paris, Angelina will aways be my favorite. We always bring home 6-12 bottles. We have been lucky and never really have to wait a long time even if there was a line. I think your granddaughter will enjoy it very much. Maitaitom Love’s Angelina too.

Hi Belinda, how is life in Paris? You lucky woman! I love how positive you are.

Cafegoddess, Thank you! It’s hard not to be positive here. I have been working on this change for a few years so I was well prepared. I’ve met some interesting and fun people; a nice mix of international expats and locals. I’m still wading my way through understanding how everybody thinks. I probably always will be! Lots to write about!

So far it has exceeded my expectations.

It is a beautiful experience. I was travelling solo and they seated a young exchange student at rhe table next to me. She was a little bit of a thing so I was quite surprised when multiple plates arrived at her table. I had to ask....it turned out it was her last days in Paris and she wanted to give her experience a meaningful send off.

It is a pretty room, lovely presentation and even if you don’t have a sweet tooth, it is an experience.

Belinda, Wonderful to hear! Do you have a blog? If you don’t mind me asking, are you fluent in French?
I am asking because my husband and I are really considering buying an apartment in a Paris.

julie, I apologize for hijacking your tread. Please enjoy the experience at Angelina.

My niece loved it. So nice to see positive reviews.

Cafegoddess, no blog I'm afraid. I sent you a PM here on Fodors.

Thanks for all the replies. I've decided to give the granddaughters a lesson in traveling planning. Will have them read the website and the responses from this post and make their own decision about whether or not to include Angelina and her Hot Chocolate in our itinerary.

Julie, I love how you think. I think you get what you give in life.Have a wonderful trip with your family.

To me, there is no such thing as too thick. This is mud I could happily bathe in.

On the other hand, the one time I was there, the waiter left my friend’s omelette so quickly that the plate slid down towards her lap. She mad a quick save and salvaged the omelette. By then the waiter was long gone and never saw what happened. To be fair, this was about ten years ago.

I don't know about the waitresses being any more brusque than most every place in Paris, but I find that drink disgusting, also. It's supposed to be a beverage, and it is nothing like cocoa. It is really like just a melted chocolate bar. I don't know how people can even like that, but I've never had a big taste for drinking fat that much. it's the drinking melted chocolate that makes me want to gag, as I do like regular good chocolate candy. I only had it once as it was supposed to be so good and I didn't know what it was like.

Let the granddaughters make up their own mind! I'm with the nay-sayers; sickly sweet heavy thick chocolate. And I love chocolate.

The girls have voted to take their chances and try Angelina's hot chocolate. . After reading their menus we've also upgraded to lunch from just a hot chocolate stop. The girls want to try Angelina's quiche and since we'll be scheduling lunch, we can reserve on-line. All settled. Will report back which should be by mid-June. Thanks for all the opinions. We'll see how many of us agree with which.

Coincidentally, a neighbor lent me a copy of David Lebowitz's book The Sweet Life in Paris, and he has a chapter on hot chocolate in Paris. Here's what he has to say about Angelina:

" If you're one of those people who come to Paris craving a cup of the rich and thick chocolate served up around the city, you're not alone. Many visitors get a lost, misty-eyed look when describing the ultrathick, steamy chocolat chaud that glops and blurts as it's poured into dainty white cups in places like Angelina and Café de Flore, which serve it forth with great pomp and ceremony.

Me? I can barely down a cup of the vicious brew.

You need to clamp my mouth closed and massage my neck to get that hyperthick stuff down the hatch - like forcing a dog to swallow a pill. That throat-clogging liquid hits my tummy with a thud and refuses to budge for the rest of the day. I just don't get its appeal...."

Exactly how I feel about it. In fact, I get a little queasy just reading his description of it. But of course you must make up your own minds.

What a lovely grandmother you are! I will always remember your drinks in all 20 arrondissements tour. I've never been able to replicate it! Paris with Grandma is unforgettable. Enjoy!

Oh, I remember that drinking around the arrondissements event too! I was very impressed with both the motivation and the execution.