You may say, why would you choose to drive that long just to get to Austin for lunch? The reality is that we would have easily spent more time than that driving around Houston getting errands done (Houston is a 100% car based city), so this way rather than fighting traffic we were able to enjoy a bit of the Texas countryside, stop for Kolaches at Hruska’s Bakery in Ellinger and enjoy a few hours in Austin, one of the funkiest cities there is anywhere. Hunger and Austin go very well together, although a bit of insider knowledge is needed to know exactly where to go to satisfy that hunger. Our plan was simple; a food truck. The food trucks of Austin are not only unique and diverse, but hardly ever disappoint. They can transport your taste buds to any city you want with incredibly authentic flavours.

But it was 40 degrees today…full midday sun, and food trucks require one to sit and eat outside often without shade. So we chose to visit Café Elizabeth instead, a gorgeous and incredibly popular café sandwiched between two large food truck lots. Café Elizabeth is a mix between a Vietnamese café and a French bakery and does both things very well. They have great bahn mi and pho, spring rolls, curries, lots of interesting fruit based drinks and a really fantastic kids menu.

Perhaps surprisingly we chose to sit outside. Not only was there more room (and no waiting line) but the terrace is beautiful and was cool enough that one could sit there relatively comfortably as long as you were presented with a steady stream of cold drinks and the fans were pointed in the right direction. The numerous fans were blowing a super fine mist onto the terrace. We could see the mist but we could not feel it. It just evaporated within a second of hitting the air but it all helped.

The hot chocolate at Café Elizabeth wasn’t as good, or as interesting, as the food was unfortunately. Instead I would recommend lunch at Café Elizabeth and then go back onto First Street towards Austin and you will get to another food truck park where you will find Holy Cacao which, as you will see form a past review, offers a serious hot chocolate.

Verdict: Great food, great atmosphere, great food, but hot chocolate only so so. I’m not sure anyone comes here for the hot chocolate anyways and, as mentioned, other good hot chocolate options to finish off your meal in the vicinity (if you still have room!) Café Elizabeth, 1501 S. First Street, Austin, Texas

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Whoever thought that turning frito chips into a meal was a good idea must be crazy. I have no idea. Here at Jo’s they cover the fitos with pulled pork or wheat roast, shredded cheddar and diced onions. You can have all that with an iced turbo drink which contains coffee, espresso, hazelnut, chocolate and cream. Maybe forget about the fritos altogether, and the coffee and have one of their breakfast tacos. Or maybe forget all of that and just have a hot chocolate.

Actually forget about the hot chocolate, it sadly wasn’t any good…. go back to the iced turbo with a breakfast taco, that’s what everyone else was ordering (and enjoying). Jo’s is many things. It is cool (because it is on South Congress and everything on South Congress is cool). The dozens of people lined up waiting mostly for iced turbos and breakfast tacos think it is cool and we felt cool just standing in line. All those people taking pictures next to their wall that says ‘I love you so much’, they were cool too. What Jo’s is not is your place to get a hot chocolate (they use Ghirardelli chocolate syrup in a way that produced a very artificially sweet warm chocolate concoction type drink). But you should definitely pass by Jo’s and you will pass by it if you are in Austin because if you go to Austin you have to take a little stroll along South Congress.

And that is what we did this morning and what I’m likely to do every time I visit Austin despite what seems like South Congress’ lack of a good hot chocolate (I’m still searching, any ideas?).

This relatively short stretch of South Congress Road is just over the river from the downtown area and the Capital building. In 1999, when this area was in a state of neglect and disrepair, some local business men purchased one of the buildings and started renovations. They named the area SoCo because they were trying to create a new identify for the area but primarily because those letters were available from an old sign they recycled. Today this area is lined with funky stores, galleries, music venues, food trucks and craft markets. You can buy some really useful things as well as all sorts of things you never knew you needed and still don’t need but will buy regardless, like an Elvis costume or a skeleton smoking a cigar. If you are lucky you can base yourself out of the historic Austin Motel or Hotel San Jose and be a local for a bit, shopping at the Farm to Market Grocery and if you in need of a hair cut, visit one of the many barbershops (there are a surprising number of barber shops in Austin, why is that?). You can buy yourself some new cowboy boots (a must in Texas) and then a hat to go with it.

Jo’s coffee, which has been there since it all started in 1999, is pretty much at the start of the street. Jo’s is a hub of community activity and hosts a range of popular annual events including South By San Jose (a music festival), a Chili Cook-off, Pet Parade where pets dress up in fancy costumes and their Sinner’s Brunch on Sundays (including more live music, we are in Austin after all).

Verdict: Jo’s Coffee, meet Delysia, a fantastic Austin based chocolate company that makes hot chocolate that is just as cool as you are. Perhaps a match made in heaven? Jo’s Coffee, 1300 South Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas, USA

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Pacha is located in a little house in the popular neighbourhood of Rosedale in Austin, not too far away from downtown. The outside of the building is painted bright yellow, like a ray of sunshine beckoning you in. And it does its job of beckoning well as the place was full each time we visited, full of people there for the incredible home made food, the coffee or in my case (and I suspect many other people’s case) the delicious hot chocolate.

Pacha is named after Pachamama, a goddess of the Andes often described as a fertility goddess. In Bolivia she is a power of the earth and can cause both natural destruction as well as growth and rebirth. The word Pacha itself is a Quechua word often translated as earth or world. Pacha, the café, started its life in 2000 as a store that sold coffee as well as crafts from South America. Very quickly it was apparent that the coffee and food were more popular than the crafts, and became the focus. But the colours of South America stayed and are part of what makes this little café so unique. The tables are all beautifully painted (one was painted by the first owners). The tables out back are all multi-coloured mosaics. I love colour so there was little chance that I wasn’t going to love Pacha. It is truly a celebration of colour.

But that isn’t all that Pacha celebrates. It also celebrates food, all homemade and judging by the empty plates, delicious. Most of the items were vegetarian with quite a few vegan and gluten free options. The pancakes were very popular (for something a bit different try the pear and bacon with green onions) or the sourdough French toast served with maple espresso pecan butter (is it all three together or three separate, either way I’d combine them!)

Marjorie and David, the current owners who bought the café in 2008, feel that it is important to compensate those who produce the beautiful products they use to create their foods for their labor. Ninety percent of all the ingredients they use are organic and a lot of them are locally sourced. Their website has a full list of everywhere they source their ingredients from including, but not limited to, honey from Austin Honey Co., eggs from Cayote Creek right in Austin, fruits and vegetables from the farmers market stalls including Johnson’s Backyard Garden, Simmons Family Farms. Rich’s coffee came from Texas Coffee Traders which roasts and supplies organic and fair trade coffee beans.

My hot chocolate had its story too. The milk came from ‘happy grass-fed cows’ from County Linen Farm and Richardson’s Farm both in Texas. It was heated and added to organic and fair-trade chocolate from the Dominican Republic (Mocafe). Two hot chocolates were offered, a dark one and a Mexican one. The Mexican one was really nice, it had a bit of a rustic feel with a mix of spices including cinnamon and vanilla.

Verdict: A worthy local business to support because it not only practices what it preaches, but also because of all its tasty products. The Mexican hot chocolate is worth a detour regardless of where you are in the city. Pacha, 4618 Burnet Rd, Austin, Texas, USA

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Austin is a fabulous city. I wish I could spend more time there. If I could, I would become a regular at Mozart’s Coffee Roasters and Bakery. Not so much for the Coffee Roasters part however….or for the bakery (although they do have some delicious looking goodies and a good pumpkin pie).

First I would become a regular because Mozart’s has the best terrace I have seen in a long time. They have several huge wooden decks, surrounded by giant oak trees, allowing you to sit right along the bank of Lake Austin. Despite a large number of tables being taken over by university students studying on their computers, there were still plenty of tables for the rest of us and the weather was perfect, not just to sit outside, but to enjoy a warm drink…a hot chocolate perhaps?

“Do they have a hot chocolate?” is always my first question. To answer this, Rich went inside to check and came back a few minutes later. They don’t have one hot chocolate…they have a whole menu of hot chocolates! What is this? Could it be true that we have, just by chance, stumbled on a spot with a beautiful terrace and a menu of hot chocolates?!

Here are the options; the standard hot chocolate is made from steamed milk and Monin dark chocolate sauce, and along with a White chocolate, a Mexican Hot Chocolate and a Hazelnut Hot Chocolate, are offered everyday on their fall menu. As if that wasn’t enough, they had another menu, a hot chocolate menu, which offered 6 other Here are the options; the standard hot chocolate is made from steamed milk and Monin dark chocolate sauce, and along with a White chocolate, a Mexican Hot Chocolate and a Hazelnut Hot Chocolate, are offered everyday on their fall menu. As if that special hot chocolates. There was the Pecan Pie White Hot chocolate which combines pecan pie flavour with white chocolate and caramel sauce. Peppermint Hot Chocolate was a combination of peppermint syrup, steamed milk and dark chocolate sauce. After Dinner Mint Hot Chocolate was minty green and chocolately goodness. There was a seasonal eggnog hot chocolate with eggnog flavour, steamed milk and white chocolate sauce, and last but not least you have the one I ordered, Pumpkin Spice hot chocolate with pumpkin spice, dark chocolate and steamed milk.

I loved my Pumpkin Spice hot chocolate. It had a warm pumpkin flavour, like fresh pie, with that little kick from the pumpkin spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. If that wasn’t enough to give me my pumpkin fix, I paired it with a piece of warm pumpkin pie with vanilla icecream on top.

Verdict: I loved Mozart. Any place that has a hot chocolate menu deserves 5 stars…even more so when they have such interesting seasonal flavours. Mozart’s 3825 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, United States.

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You may remember about a year ago I did a review of a new spot that opened up in Austin Texas called the Hillside Pharmacy. The place was beautiful, but the hot chocolate left a lot to be desired! At the time I was told that they used Delysia Hot Chocolate but I suspected that something wasn’t quite right. The wonderful folks at Delysia read my blog and subsequently sent me a container full of their Lavender Hot Chocolate so I could judge for myself, and that is exactly what I did today.

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I love a lot of things about Easy Tiger. I love that it is in Austin (but wish it was closer to where I live!). I love that it is called Easy Tiger (what a great name). I love the décor which is warm, fun and inviting. I love that it has a duel personality. Upstairs is the bakery which serves an incredible array of baguettes and pretzels. Downstairs is a fantastic looking beer garden that serves countless beers , cured meats and sausages (All made in house). There is also a fantastic terrace outside just along a little river where in between beers you can also play table tennis on one of 2 tables. I love that everything is made fresh and that from the counter in the bakery you can watch the baker making and baking fresh bread. I ordered a pain au chocolate and it brought me right back to Paris. It was absolutely delicious.

The only thing I don’t like about Easy Tiger is the hot chocolate which, I am so sad to say, really wasn’t that great. It was just a very sweet drink and I only took a few sips before I decided to just focus on my incredible pain au chocolate instead. Rich had an expresso and loved it so it seems the only fault we could find (other than that there is only one Easy Tiger) was the hot chocolate.

Verdict: If I lived in Austin this is where you would find me at all hours of the day, not with a hot chocolate, but with a huge plate of pain au chocolate and cured meats. Easy Tiger, 709 East Sixth Street, Austin

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I saw Halcyon in a guidebook I have on Austin. It said to stop here after walking down 6^th street and before exploring the Warehouse District. So we did and wow what a find.  The place is lively and full. There are comfy red and yellow sofas in the corners and an extensive collection of sparkly pictures of celebrities covering the walls.

I take a look at the menu and as usual they have one hot chocolate. Ok, decision made but I decide to take a look at the rest of the menu to see what else they offer. My heart skipped several beats. There on the front page is a whole section dedicated to Gourmet Hot Chocolates. Can this be true? They have two versions. You can have the classic gourmet hot chocolates which include French, Mexican, White Peppermint, Peanutbutter or Bittersweet Caramel. They also have adult versions of the hot chocolate where you can take the class version and add a twist, chocolate vodka, tia maria, peppermint schnapps etc.

I have to hand it to Halcyon, not only did they make my day but it is really something to have all these hot chocolates when they aren’t a specialty store or a sweet/dessert shop, they are a bar/lounge. Now just when I thought I had recovered from this pleasant shock I had another one. The table next to us had this strange black metal thing on their table with a fire in it and chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers around it. Yes, at Halcyon they also have ‘make your own smores’ platters for 2 or 4 people where you can sit there and melt your marshmallow and eat it with chocolate and crackers. What a smart idea.

My hot chocolate was over the top. It came in the biggest mug I have ever seen, basically a bowl with a handle (this is Texas after all…). It was topped with whipped cream and chocolate swirls and came with two animal crackers ( I got a rhinoceros and a camel). I loved the animal crackers, such a fun idea and actually went really well with the hot chocolate.  I ordered the Mexican hot chocolate which was nice. I drank and enjoyed half the cup, but it was just too  big for me to finish. I dare you to finish one!

Verdict: Halcyon obviously has a very smart chocolate lover on their team. I would love to meet whoever that is and thank them. I will be back. Halcyon, 218 W. 4^th Street, Austin, Texas, USA

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I love book stores. They are magical places full of colours and inspiration. I could (and do) spend hours and hours going through the shelves, sitting in corners turning the pages of interesting looking books. They are slightly more rare but I love independent bookstores even more and Book People in Austin is just that, and a beautiful one too. It has been the leading independent bookstore in Texas since 1970.

The coffee shop at Book People’s is called interestingly enough, Coffee Shop. It is tucked in the far right corner on the ground floor. Behind the counter is a row of clear glass containers filled with different kinds of tea and a whole range of different coffees. They have one hot chocolate which says milk + cacao + vanilla + spices. I order one.  I’m surprised that for being such an environmentally conscious city it is given to me in a paper cup (blah). I find the taste and smell of the cardboard overpowers the hot chocolate. The hot chocolate is just ok, very subtle in flavour but I enjoyed sitting there watching people exploring the store. It is 11am on a Monday and the place is buzzing (do people work in Austin?)

Two men at a table nearby are playing chess while a third man at the same table is talking non stop, never taking a breath as he jumps from talking about philosophers to gossip to the latest Austin bands. A couple discuss whether it would be more interesting to live in Russia or China while looking through books they picked up from the travel section.

Verdict: If you are in Austin this book store is worth a visit and while you are deciding which book to buy, grab a drink at the coffee shop. The hot chocolate is fine but they also have a really interesting range of other drinks, in particular teas and coffees. Book People, 603 N. Lamar, Austin, USA

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After a mountain bike race, all one wants to do is eat so we were looking for something fast, filling and cheap but still cute and charming. Magnolia Café was perfect. This little café is very cute, partially because the décor is as random as you can get. Our tablecloth is African inspired, there is a skeleton of a dinosaur hanging from the ceiling, red neon squiggles on the far wall. We arrived at 4pm on a Saturday and I think the staff where exhausted from a busy brunch service because our waitress didn’t seem too keen.

The hot chocolate came in the heaviest white ceramic mug I have ever seen. I loved the mug and the hot chocolate inside was pretty nice too. Very simple, a little sweet but not too much.

It was the appetizer to our massive post ride meal which included pasta, lentil soup, cornbread and a couple of Magnolia’s popular buttermilk pancakes. We ordered ours with blueberries and bananas. Austin seems to have a love affair with pancakes. Believe it or not we finished every ever last bite of that meal. It was all delicious.

Verdict: A very cute spot for hot chocolate and a couple of pancakes. Just across the street is the river and a very nice pathway where you can enjoy a little walk afterwards. Magnolia Cafe, 2304 Lake Austin Blvd, Austin, Texas, USA.

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I was intrigued when I copied down the address to Holy Cacao; South Austin Trailer Park and Eatery. A fancy chocolate shop with fantastically rich hot chocolate in a trailer park? Ah, but this is Austin where empty lots are turned into culinary hot spots. Food vans set up in these lots and here Holy Cacao has set up along side a small handful of other food vans and several picnic tables with colourful umbrellas to enjoy your food on.

Holy Cacao makes two things. First and foremost they are known for their cake balls. For those of you who have yet to discover cake balls they are, according to Holy Cacao, “chunks of rich, freshly baked cake are mixed with frosting then rolled into balls, dipped in chocolate and perched atop popsicle stick. The result is a unique, delicious truffle-like treat”. There are 6 different types of cake balls on the menu, velvet balls are made with red velvet cake, rabbit balls with carrot cake, wedding balls are white cake and so on and so forth. We order three to try, a rabbit ball, a velvet ball and a Diablo ball (chocolate with a touch of chilli).

They also have not one, not two but three different types of hot chocolate. There is their original rich hot chocolate, Mexican hot chocolate with cayenne and chilli and cinnamon, and finally a peppermint hot chocolate. We ordered an original and a Mexican.

These are some rich hot chocolates. They are kind of like a rich and gooey chocolate pudding but still liquid enough to drink. If you are a chocolate lover this is your hot chocolate. I loved the first few sips but a whole cup was just too much for me. It was good enough that I would have still paid 4$ for a small cup of this. I would have loved more chill in my Mexican chocolate too…it was very very subtle.

Verdict: If you have a sweet tooth visit Holy Cacao. The van is very cute and I loved sitting out on the picnic tables under the trees. I’ll be back… Holy Cacao, 1311 South 1st Street, Austin, Texas, USA

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