Chop'd Cross Street

TLDR: THE BEST HOT CHOCOLATE (and do not ignore the milkshakes, mochas and matcha), for a BRILLIANT price. Consistently good. I cannot recommend Knoops enough. I’ve been going since it first opened and it deserves every penny that I’ve spent going here. Recommendations: 54% iced chocolate, 28% milkshake and 70% hot chocolate with mint (and marshmallow on top).

Chocolate Café? Yes please!!! The menu options are overwhelming, but despite the queue, I didn't feel rushed to make a decision. There was a menu card by the till that we grabbed to look at while we waited and that helped us make the right choice. We both chose the 54% dark hot chocolate, size small, along with 2 giant Pain au Chocolates, which we couldn't resist after seeing the pastry counter! I don't particularly like hot chocolate normally, but my goodness, this was the most amazing hot chocolate I've ever tasted!! It was so rich but not too sweet, and because it was dark chocolate, it was beautifully smooth to the last drop. For our order, we paid £13.20 and I felt like it was worth every penny. There isn't a lot of space to sit, but we got lucky and found a seat in the back of the cafe. I found the staff really friendly and helpful and it was 100% worth a visit!!

Went to Knoops today to try their new Wonka drink. It was nice but very much a standard drink nothing special. We also tried out their 28% white chocolate hot drink. I’d definitely recommend if you like sweeter drinks. Only issues: Staff was quite abrupt and rude to customers. I understand it’s a high pressure environment but there should be a sense of discretion when it comes to speaking to paying customers.

Such a great concept and shop in the heart of Manchester - their main selling point is hot chocolate but you can also buy coffee and tea as well as sweet treats here. It seems overwhelming at first especially if you've never been and have no idea what chocolate percentage you will like, but they let you taste the chocolate before you commit and they have lots of different options from white to extra dark, as well as vegan options. They have recommendations or "Knoopology" which suggests which flavours go with which %, but you can also ask the server what they recommend. We ordered a regular 43% (milk) with oat milk and a 54% (dark) with oat milk and orange. The 43% was quite sweet but had nutty and biscuity flavours which was tasty, and it was very smooth and had the perfect thickness unlike when you make hot chocolate with powder and water/milk. The 54% with orange tasted exactly like a Terry's chocolate orange and again was smooth and not too thick or thin in consistency. There's a bit of seating round the back and in the front of the shop but when it's busy you may not get a seat and it can be a bit crowded. Would definitely like to come back though to try the other flavours.