We don’t need an excuse to talk about chocolate, but since 28 October was National Chocolate Day, we thought it a particularly appropriate time to indulge our inner chocoholic. We asked our community of readers to tell us which chocolate desserts make their mouths water and their willpower wither away. From rich chocolate fondants to the most marvelous mousses, we present the ultimate list of chocolate desserts in South Africa as chosen by you!

Johannesburg

Beluga (Midrand)
Treat yourself to Beluga’s Lindt white chocolate beignets (a deep-friend French pastry) served with vanilla bean ice cream and a rich butterscotch sauce (R56).

Blue Feather Fine Dining and Bistro (Midrand)
Blue Feather’s designer desserts include the couverture chocolate and lavender fondant (R58) and a rich Belgium chocolate mousse with rooibos and violet Anglaise (R55).

Col’cacchio (Randburg)
Indulge in a quintessential Italian chocolate panna cotta at Col’cacchio. Made with Italian cooked cream, this crafty dessert arrives with a double layer of white and milk chocolate panna cotta and a splash of rich dark chocolate sauce (R48).

DW Eleven-13 (Dunkeld West)
Order the dulce de leche cream – a rich dessert consisting of creamy ice cream, white chocolate hazelnut praline, chocolate fudge sponge, milk chocolate sauce and chocolate cigars (R90) – for a chocolate hit.

A chocolate dessert at DW Eleven-13. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Le Petit Sel (Sandton)
Located at the Falstaff Superior Boutique Hotel in bustling Sandton, this bistro has a chocolate dessert to die for (and it’s quite a mouthful). The mousse au chocolat infusée de piment doux is a rich chocolate mousse lightly infused with chili (R35).

The Green Peppercorn Bistro (Morningside)
Chocoholics needn’t look further than Green Peppercorn’s Lindt chocolate bon bons smothered in rich Amarula custard (R65). Alternatively, their dark chocolate fondant with vanilla and hazelnut crusted ice cream is definitely worth of mention (R65).

The interior at The Green Peppercorn Bistro. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

La Vie en Rose (Illovo)
Try their famous, utterly indulgent ‘Careless Love’ dessert otherwise known as the deep-friend Toblerone (R54). The chocolate is wrapped in phyllo pastry, flash-fried and served on berry mint coulis and cream. Another highlight is the ‘Forever Young’ dessert featuring three deep-fried Oreo cookies paired with a trio of ice cream and a glass of ice-cold milk (R52).  If that doesn’t restore your faith in humankind, we’re not sure what will!

LBV Bistro and Wine Bar (Sandton)
Diners go wild for their gooey chocolate lava cake with a surprise Lindt ball center (R45).

Melt Chocolaterie (Bryanston)
Treat yourself and a fellow chocoholic to a chocolate fondue for one (R70) or two (R130) people. Choose from a variety of sweet accompaniments, including Turkish delight, fruit, marzipan, nougat and wafer biscuits. If fondue is a tad rich for you, their chocolate spring rolls are a great alternative (R40).

The interior at LBV Bistro & Wine Bar. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Thomas Maxwell bistro (Sandton)
Set in Sandton, this New York style bistro offers a small yet wickedly sweet taste of Spain with a dark chocolate torte (R55). This rich flourless chocolate cake arrives with a helping of vanilla cream.

Durban

9th Avenue Bistro (Morningside)
Satisfy your sweet tooth with a trio of chocolate mousse, including a creamy white chocolate, dark chocolate and milk chocolate mousse (R55). The bistro is also currently running a dessert special – a decadent Belgium dark chocolate torte with homemade white chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, orange essence and dark and white chocolate shavings (R55).

A chocolate dessert at 9th Avenue Bistro. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Cacao Chocolate Bar (Gateway)
Try something completely different with Cacao’s signature delicacy – a concentrated hit of dark Belgium chocolate served over a flame and sipped through a straw (R43). Otherwise, their death by chocolate tart (R43) is a real treat.

Chateau Gateaux (Morningside)
Pop into this French patisserie for a slice of their double-decker chocolate gateaux – a rich dessert comprised of layers of white and dark chocolate mousse on a base of sachertorte (a classic Austrian chocolate cake) with bittersweet chocolate glaze and fine chocolate shavings (R23).

Fusion Café (Berea)
Chocoholics will fall in love with the dark chocolate lava cake that comes with dark chocolate sauce and caramelized orange on the side (R55).

The interior at the Fusion Cafe. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Gigi’s Brasserie (Ballito)
Gigi’s Brasserie offers a rich chocolate fondant smothered in homemade chocolate sauce and accompanied by your choice of ice cream (R48). As it is baked on the spot, the dessert takes five to ten minutes to prepare.

Little Havana (Umhlanga Rocks)
Their chocolate fondant takes 15 minutes to prepare and arrives warm out the oven with a dark Callebaut (imported Belgium chocolate) centre (R42). Well worth the wait, we’re told!

The interior at Little Havana. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Primi Piatti (Hillcrest)
Good luck conquering Primi Piatti’s chocolate nemesis! This classic flourless cake arrives dense and chocolatey with a shot of creamy hazelnut ice cream (R38).

Spiga (Morningside)
Surrender your sweet tooth to their rich, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate volcano pudding (R33).

Pretoria

Brasserie de Paris (Waterkloof Ridge)
Indulge in the ultimate dark chocolate fondant made with imported French Valrhona chocolate and accompanied by white chocolate sorbet and honeycomb (R68).

Café Beyritz (Lynnwoodbridge)
Conclude your dinner with a decadent chocolate fondant made with imported Belgian chocolate (R59). Note that this item is only available on the dinner menu and takes 15 minutes to prepare.

Carlton Café Delicious (Menlo Park Pretoria)
Make room for a rich chili hot chocolate made with bitter chocolate and a sprinkling of chili (R26.50 for a small; R40 for a large).

A delectable chocolate dessert from Cafe Beyritz. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Granita @ Kievitskroon (Kameeldrift East Pretoria)
Chocoholics will delight in their rich chocolate pudding served with a creamy orange posset. The dessert is part of a set menu (R145 per person).

Lombardy (Tweefontein)
Set in the luxurious Lombardy Boutique Hotel, this upmarket restaurant prepares a rich dark chocolate mousse served with a scoop of classic vanilla ice cream (R56).

L’èpis Doré (Menlo Park)
This authentic French restaurant offer a very special Valrhona chocolate nemesis (R45) – a dessert made famous by Jamie Oliver at the River Café in London. This flourless dense, dark chocolate cake arrives with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

Ritrovo (Waterkloof Heights Pretoria)
Sample their signature chocolate fondant with a liquid dark Belgium chocolate center (R50).

Cape Town

95 Keerom (Cape Town CBD)
This popular Cape Town restaurant has an impressive selection of homemade desserts on their menu. With summer around the corner, it’s time to try la mousse al cioccolato (R40) – a rich Italian chocolate mousse infused with a hint of brandy and served with a homemade hazelnut biscuit.

Chocolate fondant dessert at 95 Keerom. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Carne (Cape Town CBD)
Chef Giorgio Nava of 95 Keerom lends his Milanese flair to Carne with the decadent il fondente al cioccolato (R55) – a dark Italian chocolate fondant with a hot liquid chocolate center. We’ve waxed lyrical about this beauty before.

Chalk & Cork (Gardens)
Try their rich flourless chocolate cake served with a scoop of ice cream (R52). They have a delectable selection of ice cream flavours to choose from, including cherry frozen yoghurt.

Charly’s Bakery (Woodstock)
Cape Town’s famous bakery entices customers with a decadent double chocolate cheesecake with a swirl of chocolate cheese and a layer of rich chocolate ganache (R34).

The Creamery (Newlands)
The Creamery café in Newlands serves up a gluten-free steamed hot chocolate pudding with liquid ganache center and a scoop of ice cream (R55). You can choose from a wide selection of ice cream flavours, but we’ve been told the dessert pairs beautifully with their sea salt caramel or rooibos chai ice cream.

Myatt Café and Chocolatier (V&A Waterfront)
Treat yourself to the ultimate indulgence with a milk or dark chocolate fondue from the chic Myatt Café and Chocolatier (R80). The fondue arrives with fresh fruit and shortbread for your dipping pleasure.

Orinoco (Cape Town CBD)
While they may specialise in authentic Latin American fare, Orinoco’s rich flourless chocolate cake (R35) is a worthy addition to their vibrant menu. A serving of fresh cream complements the intense flavours of the dark chocolate.

The Pot Luck Club (Woodstock)
Indulge in the wicked millionaire chocolate hot pot from The Pot Luck Club (R85). The dessert is baked in the oven and arrives with crushed hazelnuts, salted caramel and a gooey chocolate center.

The interior at The Pot Luck Club. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Rick’s Café (Gardens)
While famous for their tapas and jovial cocktail hour, this popular spot has a killer dark coffee chocolate mousse made with 80% dark Belgium chocolate and served with white chocolate froth (R55).

Salushi (Claremont)
This stylish Claremont eatery make a decadent chocolate mousse made with rich Lindt chocolate (R38).

Chocolate desserts at Stables at Vergelegen. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Stables at Vergelegen (Somerset West)
Try their chocolate marquise – a very rich chocolate pudding with a velvety texture. This heavenly dessert arrives with a serving of creamy coffee sorbet and orange sauce (R40).

The deck at Ricks Cafe Americain. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

The Sweetest Thing (Simon’s Town)
This beloved Simon’s Town patisserie has a huge selection of desserts, but none quite as indulgent as their rich chocolate brownie mousse cake. Enjoy a generous block of gooey chocolate goodness for R34.

The Woodlands Eatery (Vredehoek)
Treat yourself to a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate fondant baked with dark Belgium chocolate and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a single mint leaf (R50).

Winelands

The Big Easy (Stellenbosch)
Big Easy caters to chocoholics with their big-on-chocolate dessert – three individual chocolate desserts on one platter (R55). While they like to mix it up, their platter currently includes brownies, chocolate ice cream and chocolate tiffin (a rich fridge cake).

Bosman’s Restaurant (Paarl)
Set in the regal Grande Roche Hotel, Bosman’s Restaurant serve a rich chocolate sacher slice with coffee ice cream and marinated berries (R75).

Restaurant at Clos Malverne (Stellenbosch)
Take in the beautiful views of Clos Malverne wine farm as you sink your spoon into a dark chocolate fondant served with sweet mascarpone cherry ice cream (R62).

The Restaurant at Grande Provence (Franschhoek)
The famous galaxy of textures chocolate dessert is as hard to put into words as it is to resist. The dish is comprised of a Kirsch-soaked morello cherry centre encased in frozen espresso mousse and coated in toasted macadamia nuts and chocolate pops; a salted caramel chip with cocoa sponge cake soaked in cherry liquor; 40% Valrhona chocolate half spheres; 40% Valrhona chocolate balls coated in 80% Valrhona chocolate; chocolate crumble; gold and silver flakes and more morello cherries. The dessert is part of a three-course meal available for lunch (R355) and dinner (R495).

Jordan Restaurant (Stellenbosch)
This restaurant – a nominee for this year’s Top 10 – is famous for moreish comfort food, and the white chocolate mousse with walnut brittle and rocky road ice cream lives up to expectations. The chocolate crème with 70% Valrhona chocolate gelato is also a decadent choice. Both desserts can be enjoyed as part of a two-course (R295) or three-course (R345) meal.

Reuben’s Restaurant & Bar (Franschhoek)
Kick your diet to the curb with a white chocolate panna cotta with granadilla curd, crumble and meringue (R75).

Tokara (Stellenbosch)
Sate sweet cravings with a rich chocolate mousse served with coffee ice cream, mascarpone and almond dacquoise (R65). Their new menu is set to feature a chocolate pave with black sesame dacquoise and ginger ice cream.

Chocolate pave, ginger ice cream, hazelnut dacquoise and amaretto at Tokara Restaurant. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Yummi (Stellenbosch)
This Stellenbosch bakery offers a decadent selection of homebaked chocolate brownies. Enjoy a peppermint crisp brownie with a dark chocolate base, peppermint ganache and crushed Peppermint Crisp chocolate; and the black forest brownie with a 95% dark chocolate base, black cherry pate de fruit and a Chantilly cream filled chocolate shell. Both brownies are available in a 120g (R28) or 80g (R18) serving. Yummi is set to open up a café at Canal Walk in mid November.

A chocolate brownie at Yummi. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

What’s your favourite chocolate dessert? Tell us about your cocoa-rich discoveries in the comments below.