L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates

This is one of my favorite places to enjoy a hot chocolate. My brother lives in Boston and introduced me to this little wonder. The shop is cozy and decorated so beautifully. It is a small shop so searing is limited. The staff is always pleasant and attentive. I always order a hot chocolate and I’m never disappointed. This time around I ordered one raspberry and one chocolate macaron. Very delicate and delicious. I always stop by this location when visiting Cambridge. They offer a beautiful and yummy variety of desserts (Madeleine cookies, cakes, etc).

Best coffee and croissant I had in the Harvard square area. Their chocolate is good (not amazing) and the prices are very (very) high, but if you are looking for high quality coffee and pastry to go, it is a great place for you.

The Best hot chocolate hands down. Recommend only getting the small as it is very rich

Overall, I love this place and the hot chocolate drinks. The only downside is the limited seating, but hey — that gives you an occasion to be creative and figure out your own favorite outdoor spot on a slightly chilly autumn night. On my first visit many moons ago I was surprised, though, that the hot chocolate is not as thick as friends hyped about, compared to the drinking chocolate at Max Brenner’s, for example.

Five stars for the chocolates themselves — insert random foodie adjectives here, they all apply: unique, artisan, intense, handcrafted, luscious. And nothing beats an LA Burdick mouse.
As far as the café itself goes, seating was at an intense premium, so we got banished outside to eat our pastries out of a paper bag — classy. Ignoring that aspect, I was honestly a bit disappointed in those pastries — I’d have to go with three stars for those alone. I ordered the Harvard Square (because, why not) and the chocolate raspberry cake — both felt surprisingly dense and heavy. Chocolatey, yes, and I did finish every last crumb — but the texture and flavors felt more like I was eating a giant slab of chocolate (maybe not a bad thing in some folks’ books), rather than a blissful bakery confection.
To each his/​her own, I suppose — I’m sticking with the mice.

We had the dark hot chocolate which was very good.

Omg so chocolately good! Had the hot chocolate and Harvard Square bar. It’s like being at Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. Flying high from the chocolate!

I used to come here all the time when I had a craving for macarons. I would always buy 10 – 12 of them at a time. They always had a good selection of flavors, although a bit pricey, it was still a nice little treat to have every now and then. The box they would pack my goodies in was also really unique and cute.
Their staff was friendly and they have a decent range of other chocolatey goodies & desserts. I’m not a huge chocolate fan and many of their items are a bit over my budget so I haven’t tried anything else here but I can tell that everyone loves their desserts because it’s always pretty packed.
I haven’t been here for months until yesterday when I was in the area. Unfortunately they didn’t have any macarons so I left empty handed. Not sure if they just ran out for the night or if they just don’t make them anymore. :(

4.5 Stars
Have you ever watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and wondered what his river of chocolate would taste like? Have a cup of the Drinking Chocolate from L.A. Burdick and you’ll find out.
Simultaneously delicious and comforting, this yummy treat is the perfect pick-​me-​up on those dreary, rainy days. It literally warmed my soul. My friends and I stopped at this location for some hot chocolate after exploring the Harvard area. I’ve been to the Copley location before and was really surprised at how relaxed this location was — there wasn’t a line at all! It was also smaller and was decorated a lot more homey than the other one; it definitely had a homier feel. Service was friendly and quick.
All in all, a perfect winter treat!

I came back in January 2016 during one of the mini snow storms when not much people were there and this definitely hit the spot! It was my first time here and it did not disappoint. I got the regular chocolate drink and it tasted like dark chocolate, heavy and rich, just the way I like it! Only drawback to the place is that there is minimal seating and if you come on a regular weekend, be prepared for a line out the door or at least very crowded inside.
Overall, I’d come back for more hot chocolate if I’m feeling the crave.

Hello.
It’s me.
I was wondering if after all these years you’d like to meet.
To go over everything INCLUDING HOW AMAZING LA BURDICK’S HOT CHOCOLATE IS?
Hot Chocolate Survival Tips:
** Don’t get any size bigger than a small. They’re very rich.
** Ask for whipped cream on top though (they make it from scratch!).
** You have two options: milk or dark. I ask for a mix of both, because I am a daredevil.
** Be careful drinking it – I accidentally scalded my tongue drinking it too eagerly, although I suspect this may be solely my problem.
** Get it in a to-​go cup. I always have over half left over, and I stick it in the fridge, wait for it to solidify into a lovely mousse texture, then eat the rest with a spoon…
On an additional note: they have fantastic cakes. Harvard Square (
) a fudgy, nutty, cake is one of my favorites.

Oh my god! You know sometime Unilocal can trick you from overly complimentary reviews and you walk in with super high expectation and walk out feeling disappointed? Well, not this place.
The café looks nice which makes you feel like you are in a little chocolate shop in Europe. They have a few tables which suit for 2 people. So if you are planning to hang out with a bunch of your girlfriends, maybe a takeaway would be a better idea.
Now, the hot chocolate. I ordered the Dark Burdick Blend Hot Chocolate (Large for $ 5.75). Yeah, a bit pricey for a cup of hot chocolate (when you order) but when you start drinking, you won’t feel that anymore. The richness and the smoothness will take away all the stress you have been having and fill in that mildly sweetness to make you relax.
I am a foodie and quite picky but this place, it’s no. 1 in town for the hot chocolate for sure. No doubt on that.

Crazy delicious hot chocolate — if you get the right kind. I’ve tried I think four of the drink options and this is what I think:
Dark chocolate hot chocolate — You can definitely taste the richness in this one but for me it was a bit too dark. I enjoy a piece of dark chocolate every so often but apparently drinking it is a whole other level. I can see some people that can handle the darkness of the chocolate loving it though!
White chocolate hot chocolate — I only had a few sips of my boyfriend’s white chocolate and I wasn’t a huge fan of it. It just tasted like warm milk. Although to be fair I’m not a huge fan of white chocolate and it is possible that the few sips I had weren’t well mixed. I wouldn’t order this in the future.
Milk chocolate hot chocolate with espresso — This was by far my favorite and probably the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had. Creamy, and the perfect level of sweetness and chocolate.
Some caramel tea — I’m not a 100% sure what it was called since my boyfriend got it but it was way too sweet for me. Would recommend getting a hot chocolate instead.
I’ve also had their macaroons (delicious!) and their chocolate covered fruit (also good).
Overall a great place to get hot chocolate that is decadent! 4 stars since I’m 1.5 for 4 on drinks that I like but honestly once you find the right fit there’s no need to get anything else!

The hot chocolate here is divine. Any and all of them, depends on what kind of chocolate you prefer. It’s thick and decadent but not too heavy that it tastes like melted chocolate. And their cakes. A little pricey, but when you need a chocolate fix taken care of, it’s totally worth it. My fave is the chocolate lemon layer cake. The tartness of the lemon cream compliments the sweetness of the chocolate so nicely. Definitely a must visit in the winter to warm up!

I am used to LA Burdick chocolate and it’s definitely delicious and very refine.
It’s the first time I go to their store in Cambridge to try cakes ! One word: Must try !!!
We tried 2 different cakes: the Burdick and the Orange hazelnut cake. Even though the last one is tasty and delicious, I was very impressed by the Burdick. An elegant presentation coupled with a beautiful flavor and a very delicate taste of Rum and Chocolate.
Bravo for the «Chef»

When my friend told me to meet him in Harvard Square for «amazing hot chocolate» I almost didn’t go, ‘I spend enough time in a café and now I’m going to spend my one afternoon off this week in someone else’s?’ I thought. Good thing I dragged myself across the river because holy moly amazing hot chocolate was an understatement! I had the Spicy Dark Drinking Chocolate with soy milk. What a treat!!!
The place was very very busy so the drinks took a minute to serve up, but I was fine with the wait as I found myself enchanted watching them make each drink behind the counter. I cannot wait to go back!!!

Really cute chocolate and dessert shop in Harvard Square. This place is really popular in the winter time and can be hard to find a seat. I always come for their hot chocolate, which is so rich and decadent — it tastes just like pure melted hot chocolate! They have milk, dark, and spicy chocolate varieties. I usually get the small size because the large size gets to be overwhelming halfway through from the sheer richness of the chocolate. Their other desserts look delicious too but I find them to be pretty expensive for the size, so I’ve never tried them.

It’s a cozy area to grab a cup of coffee in Harvard square, but definitely overpriced. I drank the spicy hot chocolate, (you definitely taste the spice in the after taste) but it was too bitter for my taste buds. I had to add multiple packets of sweetener to tolerate the taste. However, the LA Burdick slice of cake was nice. It had the right balance of chocolate, and I really liked the texture of the cake. The ingredients listed include rum and pistachio, but they are so faint I can’t taste the rum. The total was less than $ 11 for the hot chocolate and the piece of cake.
It’s a cozy place to go once and buy a little pair of chocolate penguins as a gift. It’s kind of like their trademark, the packaging is adorable. Just don’t expect the chocolate to pop in your mouth with flavor.

So this place is super cute and the service is great but I don’t really get the hype :/​I actually found the hot milk chocolate to be too sweet for my liking and I didn’t like their choice in pastries. I wish they had more variety. everything was also overpriced which I don’t really get why but it is handmade chocolate after all.

My friends told me that we needed to try the BEST HOT COCOA ever and I’m like… okay.
So we walk into this place that looks like a coffee shop but then I see candy and I’m like oh this is going to be a good day.
I ordered the mocha (milk chocolate cocoa, espresso and cream) and I’m patiently waiting.
They hand me this cup and I can see the chocolate sticking to the cup I’m like *tears*.
This is the best hot cocoa I have ever had. It’s soooo bomb and it’s just melts in your mouth. It’s the perfect temp and you just want more.
My friend had the white chocolate cocoa and I hate white chocolate but not this. This was even amazing.
IF only they did a half milk half white hot cocoa… then I could die happy.

Service was great and they are open early! I thought my mocha was too sweet. My chocolate box and chocolates looked and tasted wonderful!

The hot chocolate here is Christmas morning times ten. I don’t know how much fat, or sugar, or calories are in these drinks, but there are some foods that are so utterly good that you simply can’t help but not care at all. If Willy Wonka created hot chocolate, it may taste something like this.
Unlike many sipping hot chocolate drinks that are often too thick and rich for lengthy consumption, this strikes the perfect balance between traditional hot cocoa and sipping chocolate. The milk chocolate version is not too thick or too rich; it’s just right. Perfection.
The chocolate shop makes me smile as it reminds me of a traditional chocolatier in Paris or Belgium.

Hot chocolate was the best I’ve ever had
Price is very good too
The place is small but very beautiful
Perfect for bad weather
They also have an umbrella rack which gives the place a great finishing touch
The staff was amazing and patient
Will come again

I came here late on Sunday night with some friends and tried their house hot chocolate blend dark chocolate style. It was really good. A very popular spot.

This review is for their cakes and chocolates. I have not tried their hot chocolates, but I’ve heard great things from my friends and colleagues.
My boyfriend and I are both chocolate addicts, so when we found out about LA Burdick we headed straight over. The trek was definitely worth it. There was a very nice selection of cakes to try, each featuring varying degrees of chocolatey-​ness. For those who are not chocolate fans, they often have fruit-​based desserts too. Every time we go, we gobble down the cakes 10 minutes after getting them – which is definitely a good sign!
What I like even more about LA Burdick is their chocolate selection. It is a really good place to buy souvenir or holiday gifts for your chocolate-​loving friends and family. They have hot chocolate powder, chocolate bars, chocolate gift boxes, chocolate dipped dried fruits, you name it! You can also get custom boxes by selecting each chocolate piece right from the checkout counter. The cashier is very friendly and willing to give recommendations. If you tell them it’s for a gift, they will put the box in a nice paper bag with decorative tissue, tied up with a ribbon

I believe in miracles, where you from, you sexy thing?
Where did you come from, baby?
How did you know I needed you?
How did you know I needed you so badly?
How did you know I’d give my heart gladly?
Did you know you’re everything I prayed for?
Did you know, every night and day for?
Oh, it’s ecstasy, you sexy thing
A few excerpts from the infectiously catchy song by Hot Chocolate, but they might as well be an eponymous ode to the beverage that has made LA Burdick a local institution and likely been the difference between the final or second date for countless Harvard males who had the savviness to go beyond flaunting their book smarts to close their date here. For those who think hot chocolate is just a humble warm version of chocolate milk, the dark drinking chocolate here will be an epiphany that will have you questioning the very definition of hot chocolate after a mere few sips.
Ordinarily, it would suffice to describe an excellent hot chocolate as sipping liquid candy or falling into the Willy Wonka chocolate pool like Augustus Gloop, but these sentiments fall way short of the head-​flooding euphoria that one experiences upon sipping what was once described by the Aztecs as the «nectar of the gods» when they first stumbled across cacao beans in their conquests and the fact that their leader Montezuma was rumored to have drank up to 50 cups/​day. The first sip is always the best with velvety smooth dark chocolate essence that lingers on the tongue with various notes of spice and fruit long afterwards like a fine red wine. When I feel the need to dial back the intensity or visit during the summertime, I opt to have it served as an iced chocolate since the ice helps to mellow it out a bit. There are also options for milk drinking chocolate and white drinking chocolate, but I think the added sweetness of either option masks the complexity and nuances of the high quality chocolate. The space itself is intimate and charming and they sell a variety of chocolate bars (some of single source bean origin), chocolate shavings to make one’s own drinking chocolate at home (I’ve been feeding my parents’ addiction to the stuff when I started transporting it home initially in 1 pound bags to currently 4 pound bags much like Pablo Escobar smuggling crack to the states), and a variety of sweet confections and baked goods that I’ve been told would rival any reputable European café, although I never seem to get past the drinking chocolate.
Someone once said a miracle is when one plus one equals a thousand. When chocolate plus milk transforms into the seductive richness put forth by LA Burdick, even the fiercest skeptics will believe in miracles.

Chocolate haven for chocolate fiends. This place is super super cute! It was so popular they had an employee work as a bouncer allowing people to enter as others left. I got a chocolate mocha here and for someone who doesn’t really enjoy «drinking chocolate,» it was actually quite delicious. It wasn’t too rich or overwhelming.
I also tried the Harvard Square which is a super epic brownie and was blown away. When I went back for my second bite, my significant other was already throwing away the wrapper because he devoured the whole thing in a matter of seconds -.-.

Food: 4
Décor: 3
Service: 4
Came here to try the hot chocolate, since a friend said it was the best he’s ever had.
1. Dark hot chocolate
~Pretty good. Extremely rich, and I definitely couldn’t drink more than a small. Probably would have preferred splitting a large.
Service was good and pretty fast.

Good goodness! What could I say that others haven’t said? Have you been to this place? If I died and went to chocolate heaven it would probably look at smell like this café. The drinking chocolate is absurdly good (so much so that I sometimes wonder if a whole cup might just kill me), and the desserts look out of this world.
The space is pretty tight, so don’t expect to find a space for you and all your chocolate loving friends. Luckily, the whole neighborhood is extra twee, so grab your friends, get a drink, and stroll the square.

Everyone loves chocolate. Not everyone can do it right.
LAB does it right.
Their dark chocolate drinks are profiled with just the right balance of depth and sweetness.
Hopefully with time, I’ll be able to try the various origins they offer.
Deserts are good.
Bring your b or boo and get hammered on chocolate.

I got mélange tea latte (although I’m not really a fan of mint) and it was really great. Light and refreshing — def would recommend. $ 4
Also tried The Burdick pastry and I can tell the quality of chocolate they use is great, good balance of flavors. Also $ 4.
Overall not bad!

I did not enjoy this very much. Chocolate overload, but not like really good chocolate.
I got the dark chocolate hot chocolate and a piece of mousse cake (if I remember correctly) and a macaron? The hot chocolate like other reviews say is like «drinking chocolate.» Starbucks had a drinking chocolate beverage many years ago, and it taste like that. It’s very rich and thick. I did not prefer it. The treats were just ok too, nothing to super rave about. I do not really recommend this unless you super duper love chocolate. I mean I think I like chocolate, but this was not good for me.

O. M. G. L.A. Burdicks is simply divine and I’m happy to say that Unilocal did not lead me astray. My friend had suggested meeting somewhere in Harvard Square and I decided on Burdick’s because of what looked like an amazing array of chocolatey cl goodness that would be available there. However, because I’m not from around here, I got completely lost when I got off at the Harvard red line stop and I ended up going somewhere else instead, not realizing that Burdick’s is actually really close (maybe five minutes waking from the stop). I was lucky enough to come back here a few days later with my sister before leaving town.
We both decided to get the milk chocolate small size hot chocolate to go. It was fairly small and unassuming in it’s plastic to-​go cup, which had us wondering at first if it was going to be worth the $ 5 each apiece we paid. Log story short: it was. It tasted like fine quality milk chocolate was just melted and poured into a cup. It’s no wonder they call this stuff «drinking chocolate.» I haven’t tried any other hot chocolate around Boston yet, so for now, I’m going to crown the hot chocolate from Burdick’s as the best! My sister goes to school nearby and she certainly thought it was the best she had tasted.
Now, onto the chocolate. I purchased some of the mice and penguin small chocolates. I was thrilled that they were available for individual purchase. $ 7 for two in a gorgeously wrapped box with a now or $ 3.50 for one in the same gorgeous packaging. I ended up getting five of them, which was about $ 20. Everything was packaged professionally in a bag with paper and ribbon. I can’t speak to the quality of the chocolate, but they certainly made perfect thank you gifts and souvenirs for family back at home. How cute!
Since I’m from out of town, I won’t be back at Burdick’s regularly. It can remain a special great for me whenever I’m in the area (maybe 4−5X/year). I highly recommend this place, although I did note that the seating situation looked tricky. It’s best for grabbing hot chocolate to go and, of course, some of the beautifully packaged chocolates.