Glace: Toasted Hot Chocolate (NYC)

Dessert Profile

Flavor: Toasted Hot Chocolate

Ingredients: milk, cream, sugar, and quality chocolate, toasted marshmallow halo and custom whipped cream

Price: $11-$13.50

Calories: 400-600 Calories

Three-word Review: Warm, toasted chaos

Score: 7.3

About: Glace

Glace opened in 2023 on New York City’s Upper East Side. It was founded by Sasha Zabar, a member of the famed Zabar family known for generations of food retail and gourmet shops in NYC. Sasha wanted to bring a high-quality ice cream experience to a neighborhood and in just a few short years she made a cultural phenomenon.

Glace is known for its high-quality ice cream, soft serve, sundaes, and milkshakes made with premium ingredients. That was its foundation, until the cold weather came. In order to make Glace a year-round destination and survive the winter, Glace had to think outside the box … and that’s just what they did. Glace gained national attention for the creation of its toasted hot chocolate—a rich drinking chocolate finished with a torched marshmallow, topped with a scoop of delicious whipped cream. The S’mores become the most desired flavor, but other options like Salted Caramel, Brownie Batter and Cookies & Cream found their place on the menu and quickly became a winter signature for locals and tourists alike.

Chef's Note

The Toasted Hot Chocolate at Glace and its visually satisfying appearance was designed to eat slowly. The toasted marshmallow ring, scoop of whipped cream and the steaming hot chocolate were all meant to be enjoyed at a calm indulgent pace.

Experience

Our experience at Glace were always neutral or slightly above. The hot chocolate always comes out perfectly and the employees are stoic even after enduring hours and hours of people lined up to grab their own hot-chocolate creation.

At the Upper East Side location, the shop is small, but clean, bright and very inviting. It’s has a very local vibe and the employees where very engaging and ultra friendly.

The truck location at Rockefeller Center is always busier. The time of year matters, but it’s generally much busier because of its location in the heart of midtown. The hot chocolates come out perfect every time and the employees here are professionally pleasant (even when there is an endless line of customers the entire day) … I’m talking two-hour wait, easily. Is it worth the two-hour wait you ask? Nah, but what is?

Review

Appearance

The Toasted Hot Chocolate arrives like a small, haloed edible angel. Served in a petite white cup stamped with Glace’s signature pink stamp, it’s topped with a cool cloud of whipped cream, finished with a crowned chocolate drizzle.

Touch

It’s warm to the touch, but not too hot. The whipped cream and halo of toasted marshmallow is firm, yet fluffy.

Smell

The aroma is, well, nonexistent. There isn’t any distinct smell of freshly baked anything … obviously. It’s the appearance that leaves your mind to wonder just how good this thing tastes on the tongue.

Taste

The Toasted Hot Chocolate is good—but only when you take it as a whole. On its own, every element is solid yet familiar. Nothing here is bad, but nothing is novel either. The whipped cream is cool, fluffy, and genuinely enjoyable, but it leans heavily on the toasted marshmallow and the heat of the chocolate beneath it. No single component stands out enough to carry the drink by itself.

Together, it works. Separately, it’s forgettable. Visually, it’s striking. Flavor-wise, it doesn’t quite deliver the punch you’re looking for. The hot chocolate—the part that should make your toes curl—lands squarely in “fine.” It’s the kind of hot chocolate you could easily recreate at home without much effort. In a city like New York, where truly exceptional hot chocolate exists, this one doesn’t rise to the top. Compared to standouts like Angelina, Mariebelle, or Venchi, it plays it safe. Pleasant, well-executed, and nice to look at—but not the cup you’ll be dreaming about later.

What to Tell Your Friends

It’s one of the coolest hot chocolates you’ll ever have—but not the best tasting. The overall presentation and eating experience is what makes this hot chocolate worth waiting (in line) for.