Is Paris' TikTok-Famous Hot Chocolate Worth It? Here's What Locals Really Think

I've lived on and off in Paris for the past 23 years, long enough for me to see trends come and go in the City of Light's ever-evolving food scene. There's always a new restaurant, cocktail bar, or café to try out in one arrondissement or another. For a city that's over 2,200 years old, Paris certainly keeps changing. But the city still keeps certain things old-school, and hot chocolate is one of them. Carette, a 1927 café known for its pastries and famed hot chocolate, served in its Art Deco-inspired Trocadéro flagship, has long been an address in a Parisian's rolodex for the occasional hot chocolate splurge during the long winter months. In the past few years, though, this beloved institution has reached fanatical viral success thanks to (or unfortunately because of, depending on who you ask) TikTok. 

@wiktoriaaa__2204

13€ btw... #carette #paris #hotchocolate #fyp #foryou

♬ Sogni ancora – Piero Piccioni

Gone are the days when you could drop by and easily snag a table. Tourists and influencers now queue along the pavement in front of Carette, waiting for their turn to film and upload their TikTok videos of waiters pouring hot chocolate from a silver pot — an influencer's dream reel and a foodie's Achilles heel. The opinions are divided: "Yes, the viral hot chocolate in Paris is worth it," gushes a TikToker, while some Redditors call it expensive and overhyped. There are, however, unwritten rules for avoiding tourist restaurants in Paris. But how does the hot chocolate itself fare? Is standing on a freezing cold pavement in February and the $16 price tag worth the TikTok hype? Having been to Carette before and after it exploded on social media, I'd have to say yes — and no. Let me explain...

I head to Carette's Place des Vosges location in Le Marais, Paris' oldest district that features the picturesque streets and sights you'd expect from the city, to dodge the queues. Arriving at 8:30 a.m., I'm seated quickly amongst locals nursing their coffees and a few jet-lagged tourists. The waiter pours hot chocolate from the silver teapot into my cup. I've ordered the optional whipped cream — for research purposes, obviously — and dip spoonfuls of it into the silky chocolate. It's as good as I remembered: rich, a balance between bitter and sweet, turning milky with the melting cream. 

Is it a tourist trap? For its price, yes, it is. But I can't fault first-timers for wanting to bask in the experience of it, because Carette serves delicious hot chocolate — there's a reason it's been around for decades. Carette's ornate tea houses are found in some of Paris's most iconic destinations: the Trocadero, Place des Vosges, and Montmartre. So if you don't mind queueing for almost an hour and paying an eye-watering $16, by all means, go for it. Do it at least once, unapologetically, and chalk it up to your Parisian experience, tourist trap or not.

But for a good hot chocolate without the frills, plenty of other sit-down coffee shops rival Carette's at a much more affordable price. I've had a fantastic cup at Plaq, where servings sourced directly from the cocoa beans make the chocolate's fruity and intense flavors stand out. French chocolatiers like Jean-Paul Hévin, Yann Couvreur, Jacques Genin, or Alain Ducasse make excellent hot chocolates as well, without the social media hype. There's no shame in going the timeless route, but it's comforting to know that Paris still has a lot of surprises up its sleeve.