Sip, Savor and Stroll: A Hot Cocoa Crawl Adventure
Nothing says it’s the winter season quite like a steaming, warm cup of hot chocolate.
Whether you're a cocoa aficionado or simply looking for a cozy treat, we’ve gathered some of our favorite hot chocolate spots in and around Salt Lake City. Try one or try them all with our suggested three-day hot cocoa crawl.
From Salt Lake to Provo, and over the Wasatch Mountains to the Heber Valley and Park City, you'll get to experience some of the finest chocolate in Northern Utah, including a stop at a chocolate factory. While you may not find Charlie, you will discover some of the finest hot chocolate you've ever tasted. A perfect way to warm up after a day recreating among Utah's mountains and urban amenities. (Read: 10 New Activities To Do This Winter)
About the Author: Jessica Chindgren has worked in the tourism industry for over six years and has a passion for telling Utah’s story. If she’s not writing, you’ll find her skiing, traveling, and recreating outdoors.
Hot Chocolate, But Make it Artisan
114 Miles
To start this hot cocoa crawl, we’re heading south from Salt Lake City to Taste 117 in Provo, Utah. This spot is quintessential chocolate magic. Known for bringing some of the finest chocolate to Utah, this marketplace offers some delicious hot chocolate. And if that’s not enough cacao for you, check out a chocolate tasting, or purchase one of Taste’s own bean-to-bar artisan chocolates.
Pair this tasting before or after skiing at one of Utah’s iconic ski resorts, Sundance Mountain Resort, which is located in close proximity to Provo.
Taste 117: 117 North University Avenue, Provo, Utah
After some skiing and artisan chocolate tasting, end day one of this hot cocoa crawl in Utah’s capital, Salt Lake City. Here you will find one of the most talked about hot chocolate spots in Utah — Hatch Family Chocolates. You might recognize the name from the TLC television series “Little Chocolatiers,” but here in Utah, they’re simply famous for their delectable chocolate. Their hot chocolate, voted by Salt Lake City Weekly as "Best of Utah," involves a proprietary process that steams a blend of solid chocolates, either milk or dark, resulting in a rich, creamy cup of hot chocolate. No powders or mixes in this hot cocoa! It is famous for good reason and one not to be missed.
Hatch Family Chocolates: 376 8th Ave A, Salt Lake City, Utah
Cocoa and the Chocolate Factory
94 Miles
Begin day two with a drive east to a chocolate factory just outside of Park City, Ritual Chocolate in Heber (Read: Mountain Chocolate Calling). Ritual’s vision is to reconnect people with sustainably-sourced cacao and high quality chocolate, and boy do they do just that. Here you can try a traditional hot chocolate, or opt for their speciality sipping chocolate from around the world (ranging from Madagascar to Peru). While visiting, you can also purchase their famous bean-to-bar chocolate, or their drinking chocolate packaged for take away.
Pair this tasting with a shopping excursion along several of the charming main streets in the area, such as Midway or Park City. For a more unique experience, check out Midway’s Homestead Crater, a geothermal hot spring, hidden within a 55-foot tall, beehive-shaped limestone rock.
Ritual Chocolate Factory & Cafe: 2175 W 3000 S Suite 100, Heber, Utah
End day two of your hot cocoa crawl with something out of the ordinary — a hot chocolate float from Normal® Ice Cream in Millcreek. Pick any of Normal’s soft serve ice cream bases and top it with hot cocoa and their house-made marshmallow. A perfectly sweet way to end your day.
Pair this tasting with a classic holiday ice skate at the neighboring ice skating rink located adjacent to the Normal ice cream truck at Millcreek Commons.
Normal Ice Cream Truck: 1357 E 3300 S, Salt Lake City, Utah
A Sweet Ending Stroll
10 Miles
We hope you’ve adopted the “no hot chocolate is too much hot chocolate” attitude, because day three of this hot cocoa crawl is not one to be skipped. Begin your day at Salt Lake’s 15th & 15th neighborhood with the charming Tulie Bakery. Known for their killer baked goods, they also have some amazing hot chocolate. Nothing starts the morning off right like a little breakfast pastry and hot cocoa.
Pair this tasting with a neighborhood stroll of the charming 15th & 15th, pick up some books for the book lover in your life at the local King's English Bookshop, or check out 15th Street Gallery for a selection of unique gifts.
Tulie Bakery: 1510 S 1500 E, Salt Lake City, Utah
Top the whole weekend off with something grand, and yes, we’re talking about the five star Grand America Hotel located in Salt Lake City. Enter the opulent hotel lobby decked to the nines with holiday decor and grab yourself a plush velvet seat for some stellar hot cocoa. Head straight to the Lobby Lounge located next to the grand piano, snuggle up with your warm mug, and watch the snowfall out the sprawling windows showcasing the hotel’s twinkling holiday lit courtyard.
Pair this tasting with a stroll around the rest of the hotel grounds. Every year The Grand America Hotel has a holiday window stroll with decadent and intricate window displays. They are a marvel to take in for kids and adults alike. You could also take a stroll through the Salt Lake Temple holiday lights, which turn on the day after Thanksgiving and run through January first. Due to the ongoing Salt Lake Temple Renovation, check out the map of Temple Square for accessible areas.
The Grand America Hotel: 555 S Main St, Salt Lake City, Utah
Didn’t get enough hot chocolate on your crawl? Add a seventh tasting option at the local soda shop, Swig. This popular Utah shop is known for their dirty sodas (Read: Utah: Home of the ‘Dirty Soda’), but they also boast some excellent hot chocolate that you can grab quickly at their drive-through storefronts. There are several locations along the Wasatch Front from Davis County to the Utah Valley, so you’ll have no trouble finding a Swig shop to stop at in between your other hot chocolate tastings. For more artisanal chocolate shops, take a deeper look into Utah’s cacao boom (Read: Where to taste, tour and take home Utah's world-renowned chocolate).
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