Chocolate in Lisbon: choose your favourite flavour

One of the best things about winter is getting warm. Warming up by the fireplace, warming your hands on a cup of tea, getting warm under a blanket or warming up your sweet tooth with some hot chocolate… Lisbon’s chocolate shops offer a multitude of flavours to try – how about warming up your appetite with dark chocolate with nuts and caramel, or maybe white chocolate, or chocolate with hint of rose, warming up your curiosity with tomato and olive oil flavoured chocolate, or truffles, or orange flavoured chocolates...

Lisbon offers a true gastronomic experience just by walking into some of its boutique chocolate shops around the city. Boasting a range of flavours and original concepts (one includes board games made out of chocolate), these chocolate shops will make you melt just with their mouth-watering fragrances.

Treat your palate to the taste of chocolate at:


Xocoa

The newest chocolate store in Lisbon is called Xocoa, a Catalan brand that specialises in making products out of cocoa, exploring nearly all the shapes, sizes, flavours and colours a that chocolate may have. Since 1897, the Escursell family has owned this brand, but it was only in 1994 that they took greater chances and began exploring new flavour combinations and concepts as avant-garde as creating a scrabble board made out of chocolate. A huge selection of handmade chocolates sourced from around the world are available for purchase, whether it’s rich hot chocolate, dark truffles, puffed rice with chocolate, or crispy cookies... the choice is immense, all wrapped in modern, retro-cool packaging.

Arcádia

For over 75 years, this chocolate factory has been pleasing palates throughout the country. Arcádia first opened in Porto and still belongs to the founding family. Like father like son, the passion for chocolate has been passed from generation to generation. With a classic and traditional attitude, Arcádia appeals to contemporary tastes, offering all kinds of forms and flavours including chocolates with port wine, whisky and aguardente. If you are watching your weight, sugar-free chocolates are also available. The shops are modern and inviting and you can select from classically designed boxes or retro inspired models. Arcádia is famous for its chocolate linguas de gato (a Portuguese biscuit shaped like a cat’s tongue) and its delectable chocolate bombons, all produced by hand.

Cacao Sampaka

Cacao Sampaka controls the entire process of its chocolate-making, from the selection of cocoa beans to the manufacturing of the delicious pieces and finally the packaging. With no chemical additives, Cacao Sampaka is produced by artisans that treasure the true taste and culture of chocolate making. The chocolate tablets are divided into three main groups, dark bitter chocolate, milk and white. When you’re in house, try the cafeteria with loads of hot and cold chocolate drinks or take home some of the addictive chocolate jams and spreads.

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Pastelaria Versailles

This cake shop has been famous for its cakes and other succulent delicacies for nearly a century. During this time, Pastelaria Versailles has attracted a great number of loyal clients, who gather there for a coffee or a small pastry. However, Versailles also serves one of the thickest and tastiest hot chocolates in the city. The dark melted chocolate that arrives warm at the table gets you asking whether you should drink it with a spoon or straight from the mug. The ambiance is friendly, with Art Nouveau walls and 1920s style decorations.

El Corte Inglês Gourmet

This supermarket specialises in the best quality products and the high-range brands around the world. The chocolate section is no different, only with the best products and some of the world’s best brands, whether it is Godiva or Neuhaus. You may pick and choose the chocolates that most satisfy your appetite and mix them all into a box. You are guaranteed five-star service and great flavoured chocolates.

“The Best Chocolate Cake in the World”

“The Best Chocolate Cake in the World”, is the name given to a delicious chocolate cake produced by a prestigious Portuguese chef. The name is a form of marketing, but truthfully, the general opinion is that the cake probably is the best cake in the world. The success of this chocolate delight has been immense, being sold in several parts of the country and in Brazil. The recipe is obviously the secret of the business, but it can be revealed that it is cooked without flour, and it is composed of chocolate mousse divided by thin layers of crunchy chocolate meringue. This cake melts in your mouth, and leaves a long after taste, long enough for you to enjoy before you start desiring the next bite. So, where can you savour a slice?