By Sukaina Jamil

The end of March is creeping up on us, and you know what that means – an unpredictable amount of winter weeks still lay ahead. Luckily Toronto is full of cute spots that make great hot beverages, ones that you can hold on to in order to warm up and then chug down after the cold air brings it down to lukewarm temperature after about two minutes. What is, arguably, the cutest spot of them all, you ask? Picture pristine pastel purple walls, cute decorative cakes and chocolates on display and a macaron shelf that will have you drooling.

MoRoCo Chocolat opened nearly two years ago, located just beside the Dupont subway station. They relocated to this neighbourhood after closing a full-restaurant sized location in the Yorkville area, opting instead to open up a small corner shop.

“The neighbourhood has been really welcoming,” says employee Samara Koziol

But enough about the location, and onto the chocolate!

MoRoCo is most well-known for their beautiful 16 oz. cups of hot chocolate, with a variety of flavour choices including the “Salty Sugar Daddy,” which comes with crushed snickerdoodle cookies, pretzels and a caramel drizzle. Another popular flavour is “Macaron Madness,” which is topped with whipped cream and crushed macaron shells. Their hot chocolates are offered with a choice of dark, white or milk chocolate and are often served with a spoon due to everything that’s going on on top.

“I’ve worked at a couple of other confectionery and chocolate shops and I find that this one is the most creative one that I’ve worked at,” says Koziol.

For anyone who prefers cold food and drink no matter the weather, do not fret! MoRoCo also offers milkshakes and gelato on their menu. They get their gelato from a shop on Queen St. W. called Death by Venice and have flavours you might not see anywhere else! Strawberry Thai basil juniper, anyone?

Koziol says that the owner of the chocolate shop, Kelly Kimmel, has put a lot of herself into the aesthetic of the store.

“All of the chocolates that we have sitting out have been hand-designed on top,” she said. “The walls are a very particular colour purple because that is what the owner adores.”

Kimmel’s goal for the store’s look was to combine vintage European designs with modern trends and tastes. Her hard work, combined with the efforts of the passionate staff, are seen clearly in the design of the store and the quality of the chocolate.

From the looks of it, the weather won’t be getting warmer any time soon. So make the most of the flurries by grabbing some fancy, piping hot hot chocolate as soon as you can!

This piece was edited by Isabelle Kirkwood