This North Carolina shop has some of the best hot chocolate in the country, Yelp says
A North Carolina shop specializes in decadent treats — and makes some of the best hot chocolate in the United States, a new report finds.
French Broad Chocolate Lounge in Asheville was named one of the nation’s top places to get the comforting drink, according to results published Monday, Dec. 12.
To come up with the findings, the restaurant review website Yelp studied businesses that garnered hot chocolate-related comments from customers between Jan. 1 and Nov. 22. It then “ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings” of the reviews.
On Yelp, several Chocolate Lounge customers raved about the hot chocolate, which some said was rich and served warm. Others were fans of other offerings ranging from brownies to coffee, helping the shop earn four out of five stars.
In addition to “classic” hot chocolate, the business sells a Mexican-style version, made with cinnamon, almonds and other ingredients. The shop also offers the liquid truffle, which it describes as a warm drink with “thick and velvety melted chocolate.”
The Chocolate Lounge is part of French Broad Chocolate, which has roots in a home kitchen. Founders Dan Rattigan and Jael Skeffington owned an abandoned cacao plantation and started a dessert shop in Costa Rica before making their way to Western North Carolina.
“In our Asheville Chocolate Factory, we roast, winnow, refine, grind, conche, and temper direct-sourced cacao,” their business said on its website.
French Broad Chocolate, which says it often collaborates with other regional businesses, is named for the nearby French Broad River. The Chocolate Lounge is in the Pack Square area of downtown Asheville.
Yelp’s recognition comes after Asheville ranked as the nation’s top destination for food lovers, earning a nod for its “mountain-to-urban creative food scene,” McClatchy News reported.
But treat shops in the popular tourist town were snubbed from other recent lists. Instead, Yelp said Raleigh was home to the state’s top-ranking places to get chocolate confections and pastries.
