Sant Ambroeus: Milanese Food & The Best Hot Chocolate in NYC
After visiting New York two years in a row during Christmastime, I think I’ve decided I want it to be a tradition. This year, I did completely different things than I did last year, and that’s one of the things I love most about the city — there is always something new to experience.
Cold weather and hot drinks go hand and hand, so when I heard that Sant Ambroeus had the best hot chocolate in the city, I had to see (or taste) for myself. Sant Ambroueus is a Milanese cafe chain with several locations across the city, in other states, and even in Milan. I went to the cafe on Madison Avenue — the original New York location. I’ll walk you through my experience.
First off, you can make reservations (always convenient), so I chose outdoor dining, which is really cute and cozy. Each individual dining box is supplied with an overhead heater and foot heaters, so although the outdoor temperature was in the forties, we couldn’t tell at all in the dining box. They also provide blankets for the table, which I had never seen at a restaurant before but I loved.
Beyond the hot chocolate recommendation, they are most notably known for their pasta and pastries, so I was on a personal mission to try both. Before coming to Sant Ambroeus, I can’t say that I had ever had Milanese food, but I can imagine that this must be what an authentic Italian dining experience must feel like.
In the origin of the restaurant, they talk about the importance of sacred spaces in which family and friends can connect over food with minimal disruption, and I’ve always felt that Black people and Italian people were very similar in that way — passing down years of recipes and traditions and centering our gatherings around food soundtracked by expressions of joy and laughter. Aside from choosing what I wanted to eat, I didn’t really have to think about much else besides enjoying my family over a delicious meal.
They offer bread for the table, which is always nice. Then we ordered the shrimp cocktail, which was red Argentinian shrimp with salsa rosa. It was an absolutely delicious starter, but I will say that this restaurant is pretty pricey considering it was only six shrimp for $36, so I would recommend being prepared to spend a good amount of money.
For my entree, I ordered the Linguine Alle Vongole, which was impeccable. It had Manila clams, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, peperoncino, and parsley. This was easily one of the freshest pastas I’ve ever had. I love generally love garlic but especially in a pasta dish, and I feel like the garlic with the peperoncino gave it so much flavor. The portion size was also perfect because I felt full, but not stuffed to the point where I wouldn’t have been able to eat dessert.
I almost never finish a full entree, but as you can see, I ate every bite of the pasta, which is definitely a sign that Sant Ambroeus did what needed to be done on my dish and everything else we ordered.
Although we ate in an outdoor dining box, I wanted to see my hot chocolate being made so we moved indoors to the bar, which is super cute just like the rest of the cafe. I’m supposed to say the hot chocolate is the star of the show, but I would secretly like to submit that the pasta and dessert actually take that title for me.
The hot chocolate, or “Cioccolata Calda” on the menu, is described as a dense semisweet hot chocolate. This $8.50 cup of warm goodness is brought to you with a cup of milk, which was absolutely necessary for me to use, because without it, the hot chocolate is extremely rich. It is delicious, but because of the density, I almost want to say that the hot chocolate deserved a separate visit to Sant Ambroeus because it was impossible for me to finish a full cup after a meal and dessert.
Speaking of dessert, I had the tiramisù, which is generally one of my favorite desserts. I have to say that this was probably hands down the best tiramisù I’ve ever had. It had the perfect ratio of sponge cake to mascarpone cream and the light sprinkle of cocoa powder on top was just right.
If you’re in New York, especially around the holidays, I would say that dining at Sant Ambroeus is an ideal decadent experience. The staff is lovely, the service was swift and on point, and I absolutely enjoyed every course. Until next time, Sant Ambroeus!
