As the cold snap settles in and the holidays draw closer, is there anything more comforting, or more festive, than wrapping your hands around a rich, steaming hot chocolate?
I love my coffee and tea, but hot chocolate hits differently. It warms you from the inside out, in every sense of the phrase.
Most of the time, I make mine at home with powdered mixes, but I’ve always wondered which coffee chain offers the best hot chocolate in terms of taste, quality, and value.
So, I decided there was only one way to find out: by visiting some of Canada's biggest coffee shops and putting their hot chocolate to the test.
I'm based in Toronto, for reference, so if you're wondering why some popular brands in your province or territory didn't make the list, that's probably why. The same goes for chains exclusive to Toronto or Ontario — I stuck to nationwide brands that most Canadians would recognize.
In the end, I narrowed it down to Tim Hortons, Second Cup, Starbucks, McCafé (McDonald's), and Burger King. I had hoped to try Country Style as well, but the closest location to me was out of hot chocolate that day (imagine, in December no less!).
I ranked each drink based on taste, texture, heat, price, and gave some consideration to presentation (because a festive cup absolutely earns bonus points).
So, here are my rankings.
McCafé
McCafé's hot chocolate was disappointing.
I had high hopes for McCafé's hot chocolate, especially since McDonald's coffee is generally solid in my opinion — I'd even rank it above Tim Hortons' coffee.
But surprisingly, this one really let me down.
The hot chocolate was watery, with barely any real chocolate flavour, and it was way too sweet. It felt more like sugary hot water than an actual hot chocolate.
To give credit where it's due, it was served warm, and the festive Grinch-themed cup was genuinely charming — it definitely added some Christmas spirit.
But I didn't set out to order sugar-flavoured hot water. Unfortunately, McCafé's answer to hot chocolate ended up at the bottom of the list for me, which honestly shocked me.
What's more, $3.66 for a medium cup seems pricey for McDonald's, so no points have been added for affordability.
Price: $3.66 (after tax) for a medium
Rating: 1.5 out of 5
Burger King
Burger King surprised me!
First of all, I had no idea Burger King even served hot drinks. It had genuinely never crossed my mind to stop here for a hot chocolate. I had originally planned to try Wendy's hot chocolate, but the location near me didn't have any, so Burger King became my backup choice.
Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised. I went in with incredibly low expectations — probably because I didn't even know they had hot chocolate — and it ended up being better than I thought.
The drink was absolutely roasting hot, which is great on a freezing day, though it did come dangerously close to burning the roof of my mouth.
Like at McDonald's, it was still a bit too watery for my liking and not quite frothy enough, but the flavour itself was good.
Unlike McCafé though, Burger King's hot chocolate actually tasted like hot chocolate. It was sweet without drowning out the chocolatey notes.
At $2.40 for a medium cup, this was also the cheapest out of the lot.
Where they don't earn bonus points, though, is for presentation. There was no festive cup at all, just the same plain cup you'd get a soft drink in. Come on, Burger King! Give us a Christmas cup.
Price: $2.40 (after tax) for a medium
Rating: 3 out of 5
Starbucks
Starbucks' hot chocolate delivered.
I'm not going to lie, I've only been to Starbucks a handful of times. I generally find the whole experience a bit pretentious: the misspelled names (there was no way I was saying my name), and the confusing, Italian-inspired sizes. Also, it's usually out of my price range.
To be fair, though, this hot chocolate wasn't as pricey as I expected. I ordered a grande, mostly because I was completely confused by the sizing, and it came to $5.37 after tax. I was bracing for something closer to $10, so that was a nice surprise.
And, despite all my preconceived criticisms, I have to admit: this was a genuinely good hot chocolate.
It was hot without being scalding, had a nice milky texture, and it actually tasted like chocolate. It would've been even better with whipped cream, but I'm trying to watch the cals (and stay consistent in this ranking)!
Overall, it was a solid showing, and the festive cup, which was simple but festive, definitely added to the holiday vibes.
Price: $5.37 (after tax) for a grande (whatever the hell that size is)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Tim Hortons
Timmies' hot chocolate was really good.
I'm not afraid to say that not a major fan of Tim's coffee. I love their food, donuts, and pastries, but their coffee has always felt a bit subpar to me. I usually only grab it on the go because it's cheap.
Strangely, I do enjoy their iced coffees though, so I figured I might like their hot chocolate offering as well — and I was right.
This was genuinely delicious. The temperature was perfect, the flavour was delightful, and the consistency struck that ideal balance between milky frothiness and water.
It was one of those drinks that actually gets better the more you drink it, which is exactly what you want from a hot chocolate, since they can sometimes become a bit sickly.
The festive cup was also a lovely touch: Santa Claus and his elves playing hockey felt like the perfect nod to a Canadian holiday season.
Price: $2.93 (after tax) for a medium
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Second Cup
Second Cup takes top spot, and rightfully so.
This was my first time visiting Second Cup (I'm an Irishman in Canada — don't judge me!), and it definitely didn't disappoint. There was no real reason I'd missed it before — it was just one of those places I'd never gotten around to trying.
But wow. This was genuinely one of the best cups of hot chocolate I've ever had.
It was warm without being too hot, incredibly creamy, and absolutely delicious in flavour. I found myself gulping it down because it was just that good.
And honestly, the name Second Cup felt fitting, as I immediately wanted another.
Even though it didn't come in a festive cup, that was easy enough to overlook when the drink itself was practically perfect.
It may seem a bit pricey, but trust me: it's worth every cent.
Price: $5.59 (after tax) for a medium
Rating: 5 out of 5
So, McCafé was a disappointment, while Burger King turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Starbucks and Tim Hortons both delivered lovely hot chocolates, but Second Cup came out on top — and I'm already looking forward to my next visit.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
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