L.A. Burdick Chocolate Shop and Cafe

Whenever I move, the first places I become attached to are cafes. To me, they are like little welcoming homes dotted across the landscape. When I studied in Berlin, I spent much of my free time exploring the dozens upon dozens of cafes, finding myself delighted with each one.  The very words cafe, coffeehouse, chocolaterie are near holy words in my mind. I love conjuring up images in my mind of the institution through the ages, from the eighteenth-century coffeehouse to the cafes in Central and Eastern Europe at the turn of the century, filled with individuals seeking change and innovation as they slowly sipped their drinks. I love imagining them as sites of both intellectual activity but also quiet comfort. The doors of the cafe are always open to me if I want to write the next great American novel or simply drink an espresso and stare at the ceiling. I can do as much or as little as I like and it is still the perfect setting for either. 

I am slowly picking and choosing my favorites in the city, but the L.A. Burdick Chocolate Shop and Cafe in Harvard Square has quickly made it onto that list. You can see by it's colorful, striped walls how inviting and warm it is and every time I have visited, it's entirely packed. Most people come for one thing: the hot chocolate. For the first time since I left Europe, I have tasted true, rich hot chocolate just as it's supposed to be-so thick that only a little is what you need. But what perfection it is! They offer their hot chocolate using either milk or dark varieties and also have country-specific options. I confess that pour moi it has been the Peppermint Milk Hot Chocolate every time. 

Nothing tastes better on a cold, winter's afternoon in New England.