Here’s how to navigate the Knoops hot chocolate menu (without losing your mind)

We’ve been on a mission to find the best thing to order from the enormous Knoops hot chocolate menu. We’ve tried a couple of different options, so you now what to get (and what to avoid).

Hot chocolate is having a renaissance in London, and I’m completely here for it. There’s something wildly comforting about a steaming cup of melted chocolate on a cold day. And Knoops hot chocolate has been high on my list.

But here’s the thing no one tells you: the menu at Knoops is overwhelming.

Every Knoops cafe has a huge menu on the wall with dozens of hot chocolate options, daring you to decipher the difference between a 49% and a 72% strength cocoa.

Is darker better? What if I just want something creamy? What’s a safe order?

So I did what any curious foodie would do. I tried several Knoops hot chocolates across multiple London locations, all in the name of research… And now, I’m going to tell you exactly which Knoops hot chocolate to order (and which to skip).

Quick info on Knoops hot chocolate

• What is Knoops? A specialist hot chocolate bar where you can customise your drink based on cacao percentage, origin, sweetness and toppings.
• Where can I find them? Knoops has branches in Chelsea, Notting Hill, Richmond and more.
• What’s on the Knoops menu? Dozens of chocolate drinks ranging from 28% white to 100% extra dark, plus matcha, iced drinks, and optional toppings like whipped cream and marshmallow.
• What to order: 36% hot chocolate with ‘the works’.
• What to avoid: the matcha.
• Is Knoops vegan-friendly? Yes, many of the chocolate bases are vegan, and dairy-free milks are available.
• How much does it cost? Between £4 and £7 for a hot chocolate, more with toppings.

Read our Knoops hot chocolate review to find out more.

How to Decode the Knoops Menu

Knoops doesn’t just offer hot chocolate, it offers customisation overload. There are at least 20 chocolate options displayed on clipboards behind the counter, each one labelled with its cacao percentage and tasting notes.

You can go as dark as 100% (which sounds like a dare) or as sweet and creamy as 28% white chocolate. And then you choose your milk, your size and your toppings.

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To save you the trouble, here’s how the menu generally breaks down:

• 28 to 36% (white to milk chocolate): Sweet, creamy, dessert-like drinks. Lovely for those with a sweet tooth.
• 43 to 54% (milk to dark): Balanced and crowd-pleasing. Still sweet, but with more complex flavour.
• 66 to 72% (dark): For people who want depth, a little bitterness, and less sugar.
• 85 to 100% (extra dark): Intense, very grown-up, and sometimes a bit drying on the palate.

What we tried (and what to actually order)

49% at Knoops Chelsea

Described as having toffee and molasses notes, this sounded perfect. But in reality, this Knoops hot chocolate is oddly astringent. The sweetness is there, but it’s shadowed by something sharp – a molasses kind of twist.

It’s got a kind of old-school treacle edge that lingers longer than you’d like. Drinkable, but not a hot chocolate you’d really crave.

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72% with a giant marshmallow at Knoops Richmond

This Knoops hot chocolate is for dark chocolate lovers, but beware: it’s less bitter and more treacle like, again with those almost burnt-sugar notes.

Slightly richer and smoother than the 49%, but I still find it a bit much. Maybe I just like a basic hot chocolate.

Also, we order this Knoops hot chocolate with a single marshmallow. This turns out to be a mistake because the marshmallow is so big that it only really half melts before you’ve finished the drink, and you don’t get bits of it while you’re drinking.

A better menu option it to either get ‘the works’, where the marshallow sits on top of the cream, or get a marshmallow on the side. This way, you can nibble the giant marshmallow as you drink your hot chocolate.

28% Matcha White Hot Chocolate at Knoops Richmond

This is a mix of 28% white chocolate and matcha, and possibly the most controversial Knoops order I tried. The grassiness of the matcha is dialled all the way up, and the white chocolate just makes it cling.

This Knoops matcha order is just too earthy, too green, too vegetal. And there isn’t enough sweetness to balance it out.

36% Milk Chocolate with ‘The Works’ at Knoops Notting Hill

Finally, a hit.

The 36% Knoops hot chocolate is creamy, smooth, and wonderfully balanced. It appeals to the rich, basic taste I like and is the closest thing I’ve had to a really good, old-fashioned Dairy Milk, back when it still tasted like cocoa.

The sweetness is there, but it’s not cloying, and with ‘the works’ (whipped cream, a giant marshmallow and cocoa dust), it’s genuinely dessert in a cup.

This is the Knoops hot chocolate I’d order again and again from the menu. From the selection we tried, it’s probably the best of the bunch, especially if you want something sweet, indulgent, and well-rounded.

About those extras (are ‘The Works’ worth it?)

You can customise your Knoops hot chocolate with what they call ‘the works’, made up of whipped cream, marshmallow and cocoa powder:

• Whipped cream: smooth and airy, and excellent for balancing sweetness in the hot chocolate.
• Giant marshmallow: this is large and pillowy, but doesn’t melt quickly enough if you have it on its own, dunked in the hot chocolate. It’s best ordered as part of ‘the works’, because then it come perched on top of the cream, and you can nibble it between sips.
• Cocoa dust: this is a nice finishing touch which is also part of the ‘the works’.

You can also just choose to add one of the above.

That brings me to my ideal Knoops hot chocolate order. Get a plain hot chocolate and ask for the marshmallow on the side, or get it with ‘the works’. Do not get the marshmallow in the hot chocolate – it just doesn’t work well.

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Best Knoops hot chocolate to order

If you want to cut through the chaos, here’s the shortlist:

For a rich, sweet, well-balanced hot chocolate, get the 36% with ‘the works’.

Above all, avoid the matcha, unless you’re a hardcore green tea devotee and enjoy very grassy/earthy notes.

And finally, I’d skip the 49% if you don’t enjoy molasses-y, treacle-like notes.

Final thoughts – is knoops worth it?

Knoops hot chocolate is not cheap. You can easily spend £6 to £8 on a cup. But if you treat it like dessert, and customise it right, it’s a genuinely lovely winter indulgence.

What sets the Knoops hot chocolate apart is the attention to detail, and the choice on the menu. Specifically, the ability to play with cocoa flavour percentages, and all the add ons.

What’s also for sure is that the Knoops menu is not for the indecisive. But if you go in with a game plan (like, say, reading this review), you’ll come out with a drink you actually enjoy. Not one you’re politely tolerating because you panicked and picked 72%.

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Knoops hot chocolate London review

Address –

Knoops Chelsea: 69 King’s Road, London, SW3 4NT

Knoops Notting Hill: 199 Portobello Road, London, W11 1LU,

Knoops Richmond: 1 George Street, Richmond, TW9 1JY