A local’s itinerary in London for chocolate lovers in 8 wonderful places; from museums to chocolate-themed cafes, restaurants, workshops and delicate macarons!
If you love chocolate as much as I do, well… Let’s just say you’re about to see London with fresh new eyes.
In the past, I’ve crafted quite a few quirky London itineraries for people to really tread off the beaten path.
These include London for fashion lovers and for book lovers, for instance.
I’ll also soon be publishing my London for jewelry lovers and coffee lovers – still working on these to bring you to the very best parts of the city 🙂
For now, I’ll be taking you to eight of the best spots to taste, sip, and shop chocolate across the city!
London Itinerary for Chocolate Lovers: 8 Sweet Spots & Shops
As soon as it’s autumn in London, hot chocolate spots and warm colors become all the rage, whether we’re talking fashion or beauty.
For this Chocolate Itinerary, we’ll start with a delicious hot chocolate spot, move on to some unique shops for desserts and beauty, and even see vintage chocolate packagings from Cadbury.
Ready to dive deep into a full-on, sweet-toothed world? Let’s get to it!
Breakfast at Italian Bear Chocolate, Fitzrovia, Central London
If you’re going to start your chocolate-filled day in London anywhere, make it Italian Bear Chocolate in Fitzrovia.
It’s a rustic coffee shop located on Rathbone Place, between Goodge Street and Oxford Street, and filled with the scent of melted chocolate and pastries as soon as you pass the threshold.
Tottenham Court Road’s pretty close – you could arrive from Goodge Street or Warren Street stations, too.
What to expect?
Rich Italian-style hot chocolate (super duper thick!), flaky croissants, and Matilda-like chocolate cakes on which three different molten chocolates are poured.
Although chocolate takes the spotlight, you can also get classic coffee and tea drinks at Italian Bear Chocolate: don’t make breakfast too heavy, or you’ll feel drowsy before we get on to our next stops!
Passionfruit and Chocolate Macarons at Pierre Hermé, Selfridges, Oxford Street
After breakfast at Italian Bear Chocolate, let’s walk a few minutes from Fitzrovia to Oxford Street, and either walk or take the short bus ride to Selfridges.
Let’s head downstairs to reach the Pierre Hermé food stall.
It’s a renowned French pastry shop (especially in France) that specializes in macarons, and we’ll be looking for a signature recipe there: the Mogador flavor.
That’s the macaron that combines milk chocolate and passion fruit, and while I only like chocolate as long as it’s sweet (no dark choccie for me!), this one is intense and delicious.
When I decide to pay a visit to Pierre Hermé, I usually get a box with several macaron flavors inside, and the contrast of creamy chocolate and tangy passionfruit makes it one of the best things to buy in London – and eat on the spot!
Chocolate Shopping at Hotel Chocolat, Covent Garden
If you don’t want to be ultra-tired after the end of your chocolate-themed day out in London, I’d recommend you take the bus to Covent Garden when you get out of Selfridges.
You’d really be tempted to stay all day long inside this huge department store.
Before you leave for good, look up above Selfridges and you’ll spot one of Oxford Street’s hidden gems: the Queen of Time sculpture supporting its clock.
In Covent Garden, let’s make our way to Monmouth Street, and we’ll reach Hotel Chocolat: this upscale boutique is filled with premium chocolates of all kinds.
We’re close to the Covent Garden Piazza, and close to the Seven Dials Market where you could have a delish street food-based lunch after Hotel Chocolat.
Signature chocolate bars, truffles, pralines, and hot chocolate drinks of all kinds welcome you as soon as you pass the threshold: I’d recommend only popping by to get a few chocolates for later, rather than a second breakfast.
Boots, Long Acre for Brown Lipstick and Nail Polish from Barry M
Close to Monmouth Street are located plenty of must-visit Covent Garden shops.
For instance, if you’d like to mix chocolates with a bookish itinerary, you could also pop by Stanfords, a historic travel bookshop with instagrammable angles filled with globes and maps – even on the floor!
You could also visit Neal’s Yard right off Monmouth Street; a super colorful place with only a few buildings towering over a tiny, secret courtyard.
What I’m offering next, though, is a visit to the Boots makeup store on Long Acre – it’s really close to Monmouth Street, and there, you’ll find the British brand Barry M.
Still a family-run business since the 1980s, Barry M always cooks up the trendiest colors and textures, and if you’re visiting London in autumn, you might want to treat yourself to a new brown lipstick or nail polish.
The Sheer Strength nail polish range is sheer and declined in various nude-ish and brown tones.
When it comes to lip makeup, the lip liner in Chocolate, alongside a signature Lip Paint or a That’s Swell! Plumping lip gloss makes for a super cheap treat, and a great souvenir from London.
PS. If you’d like to add scents to colors, check out the So…? body mist brand.
If you don’t find it in this Boots, it’s also present in Superdrug stores, and they have quite a few food-inspired scents, like Chocolate Milkshake, for only a couple of pounds.
Vintage Chocolate Packaging, Museum of Brands, Notting Hill
If the Museum of Brands is not only focused on chocolate, it’s still a must-visit spot in Notting Hill – it offers a wonderful journey through over 200 years of consumer culture.
I’ve been interesting in marketing and advertising ever since I was a kid, and this quite secret museum, in which you can clearly witness the evolution of packaging, is a place I cannot recommend enough.
For our chocolate itinerary, focus on the Victorian chocolate boxes introduced back in 1868 by the likes of Fry’s and Cadbury.
The Time Tunnel also showcases hand-painted lids all the way to modern brands’ packagings.
As you leave the Museum of Brands, take some time to admire the colorful houses on Lancaster Road and nearby mews to unravel secret photo spots, and we’ll move on to our next destination.
Workshop at Melt Chocolates, Notting Hill
Said next destination will not take us too far.
We’re still in Notting Hill, and we’re going to be making our way to Ledbury Road, where Melt Chocolates is located, and we’ll be attending an immersive workshop.
Whether it’s a classic or unique workshop, you’ll need to book beforehand.
Melt Chocolates’ website is clear and easy to navigate, and you’ll be able to choose between bonbon making, bean-to-bar workshops, or a more soothing cacao ceremony and sound healing.
How incredibly unusual is that, when you get used to visiting London’s Oxford Street and Covent Garden?
Plan at least one hour and a half per workshop – the Cacao Ceremony workshop takes up to 2 and a half hours – and enjoy a full chocolate moment just about any day of the week right in Notting Hill!
Chocolate-Based Meal at Rabot 1745, Borough Market
Soon, we’ll be reaching the very end of our chocolate itinerary, but first, dinner.
We’ve been discovering other facets of secret London all day long, and some food in our stomachs might be good at this point.
From Notting Hill, let’s make our way to the famous Borough Market, and we’ll be having dinner at Rabot 1745 – the restaurant closes at 6 pm, so it’s really an early dinner we’ll be having.
Established by the founders of Hotel Chocolat, this restaurant offers a complete menu where cocoa is present in every single dish.
Even if you don’t want to eat meat at Rabot 1745 (if you follow a halal lifestyle, for instance), you’ll find plenty of amazing things to eat, like the restaurant’s delicious mac and cheese… adorned with cocoa nibs.
The desserts are quite obviously decadent; molten chocolate lava cake or mandarin ice parfait are present on the menu, and will complete a light dinner to perfection.
Chocolate Mocktail at The Chocolate Cocktail Club, Farringdon
Finally, and since I think we’re all going to be quite tired after this full day out, let’s take the Tube to Farringdon, one of the oldest neighborhoods in London, and reach The Chocolate Cocktail Club.
Now, what I’m interested in are the mocktails; which are plenty on the menu and retail for 5 pounds each.
You could get a Pineapple Breeze, an alcohol-free take on a Pina Colada (pineapple, cream, and white chocolate) or a Chocolate Mint Mocha.
Or, why not try a Totally Rhubarb, a wonderful blend of rhubarb, lemon, and white chocolate?
Of course, The Chocolate Cocktail Club also offers more classic chocolate drinks, like Death By Chocolate (chocolate, brownie syrup, chocolate soy milk, cream), but if you’re looking for something really different from what we had in the morning, it’s also available.
London Itinerary for Chocolate Lovers: 8 Sweet Spots & Shops
By the end of this chocolate itinerary, you’ll have tasted your way through some of the best spots in the city; British classics and modern takes on cocoa.
Chocolate lovers will hopefully have enjoyed my selection of coffee shops, chocolate shops and shopping spots – don’t forget to pick up a few treats to take home!
If you’d like something a little more classic, like Cadbury chocolate, for instance, London’s supermarkets and boutiques are also full of beautiful bars and boxes that travel well.
I really wanted to mix this chocolate-filled day with my Fashion in London itinerary, offering you clothes shops with chocolate colors, but fashion changes so fast that it would have been a tad difficult to do so.
Anyhoo – you’ll hopefully have enjoyed this new Themed London Itinerary; I wish you lots of beautiful discoveries in the city!