Caffe Como on Flinders St is a little lunch place I have been to a number of times. It is usually not particularly busy and has plenty of seating, friendly staff and comfortable surroundings. I usually partake of their baguettes or toasted focaccias. The hot chocolate is served in a generous ceramic cup with good froth and a sprinkle of chocolate. No marshmallows but the taste is rich, creamy and comforting.

hocolate World, at Shop 28 Adelaide Arcade, specialises in Belgian chocolates but also sells takeaway hot chocolate. The shop is small and does not have any seating for drinking your chocolate but there are a number of places to sit and savour your chocolate in the surrounding arcades.

It is clear from the outset that this chocolate is going to be different. It comes with a brown froth and a sprinkle of dark chocolate on top. You pay only $3.50 for a cup of very rich chocolate, the sort you would not want to have with a big meal. It comes in a paper cup and you get no extras like chocolates or marshmallow. This is a special drink for not much money.

The Lunch Club at Unley Shopping Centre does a good standard hot chocolate. For $3.30 a cup or $4.20 a mug you get a rich standard hot chocolate. It is presented in a glass cup with handle with a good froth and a sprinkling of chocolate but not marshmallows. I also tried a vienna hot chocolate but this had a little too much cream for my liking.

The Highway, Anzac Highway has an excellent restaurant with young staff who are eager to please. My dear Lady Marmaduke and I have had a couple of meals there now and been impressed with the food and service. The hot chocolate was not a disappointment either. It was served in a ceramic cup and had a good froth and stripe of chocolate. The drink was accompanied by pink and white marshmallows and had a creamy rich taste.

Butterflies on Pirie St, Adelaide is a very elegant establishment. It is a café with a French theme. Very pretty and lacy and it seems that most of the clientele are female however that did not stop me from trying their Hot Chocolate. The French have a tradition of hot chocolate and croissants at breakfast so I had hopes they could do something special even if it was lunchtime.

Hot chocolate from Butterflies is served either in a ceramic cup or tall mug. The mug was fairly dainty rather than generous. I chose to have my hot chocolate with their meal deal so I have neglected to work out what the separate price was. In addition to the normal froth and sprinkle of chocolate Butterfies adds a squirt of chocolate sauce in a simple pattern. The hot chocolate has hazelnut or vanilla flavour added which gives it a refreshing sweetness. No marshmallows were served with this hot chocolate but the flavour was sweet enough as it is. I liked the originality of the flavour although it was too sweet to be my regular hot chocolate.

Approximate cost: $12

There are a number of Bean Bars around Adelaide. I tried the one on Gouger Street near the Central Market on a Saturday afternoon. I chose the regular sized "snow top" hot chocolate as it was explained to me this had white chocolate on top. I was offered a paper cup because it was near closing time. I would have preferred the normal glass but felt that it would be uncooperative to insist.

The froth of the chocolate did indeed taste of white chocolate and was quite nice. The cup for $3.80 was reasonably generous. Unfortunately the rest of the chocolate did not have much if any cocoa in it and tasted like simply milk and sugar. This was not to your reviewer's taste.

This restaurant has been serving pasta and Italian meals to Adelaide patrons for many years. Its lunch deals are very reasonable and they cater well for work groups.

The hot chocolate came in a tall glass with a handle reminiscent of the glass I enjoyed at Spats. It came with a good froth and a sprinkle of chocolate. The hot chocolate was not mixed properly but fortunately the sediment on the bottom was quite visible in the glass so I gave it a good stir. The cost was $3.80.

This is good lunch place with plenty of seating. The hot chocolate tasted the best of the three reviewed here. It was served in a ceramic cup with a mountain of froth and a sprinkle of cocoa.

Merkel Marmaduke's conclusion is that one can get a good hot chocolate in Adelaide for only $3.00. Don't expect all the trimmings and choose your venues wisely. Café 146 was the winner on taste but an honourable mention should go to the $2.95 hot chocolate from Cocolat, Hyde Park for a good value dining experience.

Myrtle and Merkel enjoyed breakfast at Pat-a-cake one fine Saturday morning. It has a wonderful range of cakes, buns and pies. This establishment started as a retail bakery and then expanded to provide a café experience to its patrons.

The Marmadukes purchased a quiche each and Merkel ordered his normal hot chocolate. The chocolate came in a glass mug on a red saucer complete with marshmallow. The froth was good with a sprinkle of chocolate on top. The drink was delicious, creamy and chocolaty. This hot chocolate cost only three dollars and is the new leader for taste for hot chocolates available at this price.

There was a time when Manna Café was the only Café on Waymouth Street. Now there are probably a dozen. It has stood the test of time offering good Italian food and service. Merkel enjoyed his antipasto with his hot chocolate.

The hot chocolate came in a tall but fairly plain glass on a saucer. There were no marshmallows but about two centimetres of bubbly froth and chocolate sprinkled on top. The drink was reminiscent of the one at Kappy's but not with the same elegance. At $3.50 this was reasonable value for the size and taste of the drink.