"Kokak," meaning ribbit in the Filipino language, stems from founder and Head Chocolatier Carol Gancia’s deep Asian roots and passion for making adventurous flavors with the rare cacao variety, “Naciónal.” Your hot cocoa options include classic, hot hot chocolate (a spicy drinking chocolate that harkens back to the Mayans), single province hot chocolate and cold chocolate milk if you want yours chilled.

Socola’s Asian-inspired chocolates have an enthusiastic following in the Bay Area, and fans cheered when sisters Wendy and Susan Lieu finally opened a jewel box of a shop in SOMA. You can find their whole line of chocolates, from guava to earl grey to Vietnamese coffee filled truffles, along with coffee and a killer hot chocolate. The hot chocolate is made with their 72% dark ganache and freshly steamed milk and is topped with a housemade chocolate marshmallow.

With numerous flavors to choose from, there's something for everyone. The Classic and Cocoa Noir are best bets for kids and can be topped with the housemade vanilla bean marshmallows. If your little one can’t finish their chocolate, take the remainder home and pop it in the refrigerator. It will set into a zero-effort chocolate pudding by dinner time. If you can’t get enough of the hot chocolate, Christopher Elbow also sells the mixes in canisters so you can get your fix at home.

French truffle maker Jean-Marc Gorce's hot cocoa recipe begins with a ladle full of liquid truffle which is then whisked with hot milk on the countertop before your eyes. Decide if you want whipped cream and claim a free truffle with every drink. Peanut butter truffles are a hit with the kids but there are tons of other flavors to choose from. If the kiddos can’t finish their cup make sure you sneak the final sip to get the luxurious, rich truffle sediment.

This chocolate factory serves up three types of hot chocolate (and bites to eat that look so perfect, glazed and petite it’s almost a shame to eat them). Take your pick from a thick, rich European drinking chocolate, a Mission blend with Mexican spices or the Dandelion classic, lighter and sweeter than the rest. They all come with a micro cookie on the side. Dandelion also serves a Frozen Hot Chocolate, a recipe invented by the pastry chef.

Hot chocolate at an ice cream parlor? Definite yes. Lush is the first store licensed to make gelato from scratch in the city of San Francisco. The house hot chocolate is made with their chocolate gelato, is served piping hot, and is wonderfully rich and smooth—just like everything else at Lush. Your child may have trouble choosing between a hot chocolate and an ice cream cone!

The chocolates in this store are so artistic, people regularly come in just to take pictures of the meticulously fashioned bon bons. Drinks are made with the same Solstice chocolate that's used to make the signature truffles. The classic hot chocolate blends 75% dark chocolate with sugar and a touch of salt and is then hand mixed with steamed organic whole milk. There's also a Mexican blend with cinnamon and chili as well as well as an option to add lavender for a different taste altogether.

This favorite chocolate shop offers lots of options when hot cocoa cravings hit. Their classic is a traditional milk chocolate with a touch of dark, or you can go for spicy, an intense and spicy sipping chocolate. Salted caramel combines all those great flavors and chocolate chai melts dark chocolate into their unsweetened house-brewed chai.

Offering the ultimate custom hot chocolate experience (the owners have been making chocolate for over twenty years), you can pick from nine different chocolates (from white to dark, from Valrhona to TCHO), pick your milk, almond milk, or hazelnut milk, and have it served hot with homemade marshmallows or chilled over ice. Spice it up with a Mexican blend, or for parents, make it a mocha. Staff are happy to split an 8 oz. cup between kids.

Only available on Saturdays and Sundays, The Ritz-Carlton at Half Moon Bay opens up their hot chocolate bar on their outdoor terrace at 1 p.m. on weekends. You can embellish it with all the toppings, from cinnamon whipped cream to chocolate crispies to mini marshmallows. Adults can add a shot of liquor as well if you need extra warming. Enjoy your hot chocolate in front of some of the most spectacular views in the Bay, then get a s’mores kit for your kids to enjoy making over the fire pits.

Cocola has locations all over the peninsula and we particularly love getting a hot chocolate from their Santana Row location and finding a sunny spot outside to sit. Grab a chocolate eclair if you're feeling especially indulgent.

Equator might be better known for their coffee but which kid can resist a hot chocolate that comes with frothy bear artwork? The dark chocolate they use comes from TCHO, a Bay Area chocolatier that works directly with cacao bean farmers and cooperatives to improve growing and drying methods. Baristas at Equator add sugar and water and mix the chocolate with soy, almond or regular milk creating something that just hits the spot on your way to or from the beach or hiking the trails of Marin.