Becoming something of a winter tradition in recent years, Pidapipo Gelateria's hot chocolate is back again for its third season, making it easy to warm up your hands with a drink-meets-dessert creation. Borrowing techniques from the world of pastry, Pidapipo Co-Founder Lisa Valmorbida developed this recipe back in 2023 alongside Head of Production Nicola Totaro, resulting in the ultimate winter comfort. For first-timers, expect a cup of pure indulgence, with rich, silky hot chocolate crafted from 70% dark chocolate, offering soothing warmth in every sip. Topped with a generous scoop of Pidapipo's signature house-churned fior di latte gelato folded with marshmallows, the hot chocolate is crowned with caramelised hazelnut croccante — ensuring the ideal sweet crunch finish. "By now, we're hearing from customers well before winter even arrives, asking whether the hot chocolate is coming back — and the answer is always yes...The overwhelming response to our Gelato Hot Chocolate was a bit unexpected. We never imagined it would take off the way it did, and we're so excited for its return," says Valmorbida. This season, Pidapipo is hopping on the matcha craze, introducing its first-ever matcha hot chocolate. The creamy hot chocolate base is adorned with a scoop of matcha gelato, topped with matcha whipped cream, and finished with milk matcha crumble. "To celebrate three years of our beloved Gelato Hot Chocolate, we're releasing a brand new Matcha Gelato Hot Chocolate. Matcha has become such a staple for Melburnians, so we thought we'd get creative with the offering and give the people what they want," says Valmorbida. While in previous years, Pidapipo's beloved hot chocolate was only available at select stores, the good news is that it's now available at every location until the end of August. Perfect for a cold-snap pick-me-up or just an extra-sweet treat, have no doubt that this decadent drink will bring a little more warmth to your chilly bones this winter. Ready to sip? Pidapipo's cult-followed hot chocolate is available now for $10.50. For one day only, on Thursday, May 21, Pidapipo will be giving away cups of its classic and matcha hot chocolates at its Pidapipo Laboratorio Fitzroy store between 5 and 7pm (or until sold out). We suspect such an offer will attract a crowd, so get in early. Pidapipo Gelateria's hot chocolate is now available at all locations until the end of August. Head to the website for more information. Images: Supplied. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.