As cool weather approaches South Florida, students begin to crave the quintessential winter treat – hot chocolate. I scoured West Palm Beach to discover the best hot chocolate.

My first stop was Panera Bread. When I walked in, the first thing I saw was an unkempt dining area. I stepped up to the register, but neither of the nearby servers acknowledged me. The server finally took my order. The drink came out in two minutes and was $3.31. The drink itself was silky, sweet, and very milky. For those reasons I rated Panera Bread a two of five stars.

The second place I visited was Starbucks.  The coffee shop was clean, but the marble tables had sticky coffee stains. I ordered my drink with whipped cream for $2.95. The service was adequate, not friendly but professional.  The drink took a little over two minutes to come out.  It was steaming, and by the time I sat down the whipped cream had already melted.   The chocolate flavor came through, with a balanced sweetness and was exceptionally foamy.  The small portion was overpriced and the service was mediocre.  I gave Starbucks three out of five stars.

The next place I visited was McDonald’s. Upon entering, I noticed the restaurant was dirty. The server was friendly, but seemed to be annoyed when I placed my order. The drink came out before I finished paying for it and came with chocolate sauce and whipped cream for $2.15. The cup was a decent size but as soon as my lips touched the drink I had to stop. It was cloyingly sweet and artificial. It didn’t taste the slightest bit like real chocolate.  I gave it one out of five stars for those reasons.

The last restaurant I visited was Dunkin Donuts. The restaurant was clean, but the server was curt. The hot chocolate was $1.79 and came out in less than a minute. The whipped cream was sweet and the drink had a creamy taste and texture. The chocolate flavor was rich and dark. The taste surpassed Starbucks. I gave Dunkin Donuts four of five stars.

All in all, Dunkin’ Donuts served the best hot chocolate. It produced a delicious hot chocolate at a fair price in an enjoyable environment.