Adelaide Hills Hot Chocolate

It's the great winter quandary in the Adelaide Hills: whether to pop the marshmallow into your mug of hot chocolate; or save it until the end.
 
Sure, you might do the 20-minute drive for the wineries, the wildlife or the cosy pub fires. You might want to scale the heights of Mount Lofty, or browse through the antique shops of Woodside. You might even start the cheese and wine trail in Hahndorf, wander the tree-lined streets of Stirling, or just totally relax in your luxurious B&B.

But wrapping your mitts around a mug of steaming hot chocolate? Now, that's really where it's at. Here are seven varieties to get you started:

Hot choc with the lot
Chocolate @ N°5 is Hahndorf's new boutique chocolate café, housed in a charming 1850s cottage and offering everything from chocolate fondue to chocolate cakes, chocolate waffles and chocolate drinks. Owners Sophie and Peter Zervas have extensive hospitality experience and pride themselves on sourcing the best products from the Hills, Australia and around the world. Hot chocs are made the old fashioned way, with rich Belgian chocolate melted into milk on the stove. There is one problem though: way too much choice!

Hot choc with bilbies
The highly-awarded Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary is home to bettongs, platypuses, bilbies, kangaroos and koalas. You can spy them on self-guided walks through the 14-hectare property, or during twice-daily animal shows. Grab a hot chocolate in the licensed café, perch yourself beside the huge glass walls and watch cheeky parrots at play.

Hot choc with a view
At 710 metres above sea level, this isn't the biggest mountain in the world. But the panoramic views from Mount Lofty Summit - overlooking the city and Gulf St Vincent - are spectacular just the same. The Summit Restaurant & Café offers inside or alfresco dining, and because they're licensed you can even add a warming dash of brandy to your frothy hot choc.

Hot choc with history
Since 1965, millions of visitors have discovered Australia's motoring history at the National Motor Museum in Birdwood. The collection comprises more than 400 cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles including the 1899 Shearer, the oldest Australian-built vehicle still running.
Get your cocoa fix at the FJ Café in the museum or the Pomegranate Cottage just across the road: sit beside the roaring log fire or outside in the winter sun to savour views of the 1800s mill that's now home to the museum.

Hot choc uncorked
The Lane is a new cellar door and bistro overlooking the vineyards of Ravenswood Lane and offering lunch “all day every day”. Chef Glenn Carr's fresh, regional menu (from duck to Coorong Angus beef) is already receiving national acclaim, and the wine and views aren't too bad either. Wine critics have carelessly overlooked the hot chocolate, but rest assured it's a goodie.

Hot choc with cake
Located on Mt Barker's historic Gawler Street, Millie's Bakery is always busy (this is, after all, one of the fastest growing regional centres in Australia). But the ladies behind the counter are fast and friendly and the fare is fine - a good place to rest up before checking out the amazing views from Mount Barker Summit. And you won't just get a marshmallow at Millie's - you'll get a macadamia nut biscuit too!

Hot choc to go
For a global perspective, head to Just Chocolate in Main Street at Hahndorf. They're so serious about hot chocolate that they sell varieties from around the world including Italy, France and America. Warning: the Italian variety is addictive.  If you still haven't had enough chocolate, make sure you head to Melba's Chocolate Factory at Woodside.

Before you head to the hills, pick up a copy of the Adelaide Hills Visitor Guide to assist with your hot chocolate journey, or download the visitor guide here [PDF 8.6mb].