Melbourne is well-known for its superb food scene, which includes everything from local wines to contemporary Asian fusion. But what about chocolate? Not at all. As a result, I chose to immerse myself in the Melbourne chocolate store scene, as well as other chocolateries within walking distance of the Melbourne city line. I discovered that many stores are closed on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays. Nevertheless, the most well-known establishments, such as Monsieur Truffe, Yarra Valley Chocolaterie, and Koko Black, are open every day.
Ultimately, I was underwhelmed with Melbourne’s chocolate scene. I was much more pleased with the breakfasts and walks in Melbourne because I expected much higher-quality bonbons, but practically everything was uber-sweet. A superb bonbon is similar to a wonderful piece of cake in that you can taste each component alone, but they taste best together. Most importantly, it tastes like chocolate. But, I enjoyed the fact that Melbourne has a number of bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturers.
Ordinarily, I give average costs in my chocolate travel guides, but chocolate prices in Melbourne were extremely stable. Bonbons were almost all $2.50AUD, whereas chocolate bars varied from $10-12AUD. In the map at the bottom of the piece, I’ve put Melbourne chocolatiers in blue and Melbourne bean to bar chocolate manufacturers in purple.
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Melbourne’s eastern outskirts
Sisko Chocolate and Hahndorfs Fine Chocolate (which has numerous shops) are a little farther out than my range, but they are still pretty near to Melbourne. This area is roughly a kilometer and a half east of Melbourne proper.
High Tea & Mmor Chocolates
As soon as I went in, the owner rushed out to assist me and answer all of my concerns; she was obviously delighted to be there. Although I received fantastic service at Melbourne chocolate stores, this was among of the friendliest. Its highlight is undoubtedly the high tea set, but as soon as you come in, you’ll notice the chocolate display case and the 1800s-style sitting to the right.
Their bonbon selection was a little restricted during my visit, but they generally offer over a dozen flavor selections, in addition to their chocolate treats. They also offer a variety of vegan dessert choices, but we didn’t have time for either on that particular day. The bonbons I purchased were amazing, with excellent texture on the fillings, but the tastes weren’t as intense as I would have expected. Overall, I wouldn’t mind receiving some of these bonbons as a present, or perhaps enjoying them over a leisurely afternoon tea, but I wouldn’t purchase them for myself again.
Collingwood VIC 3066, Australia, 153 Johnston St
Wed-Sun: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
The Chocolate Factory
This place is enormous. They offer nuts and prepared chocolates, as well as some more specialized Australian-made items such as Davies Chocolates. They mostly resale bagged and boxed chocolates, with truffles displayed in a tiny display case at the entrance. That’s all they have to offer in terms of chocolate. The vast assortment of sandwiches and coffees, which are ideal for a lunch break and then a small treat afterwards, seem to be attracting more consumers. I found the personnel to be kind, and with space for over a dozen people, it’s like having a meal in a gift store. But I wouldn’t return for the chocolates.
Richmond VIC 3121, Australia, 133 Church St
Weekday hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Gathered + Hunted
I was shocked to see such an open-air, minimalist chocolate café after viewing their bean-to-bar process on Instagram. This was intended to be a location to meet for a cup of coffee, but not much more. The store has enough area to play with, with random seating for around 20 people and floor space for as many as are willing to sit there.
Along the right wall, you’ll discover their whole assortment of small-sized bars, while at the counter, you may round out your order with a chocolate cookie, a piece of cake, a sandwich, or a drink. There are around a dozen chocolate and coffee beverages available, as well as a few changing specials. I propose a Salt & Pepper bar instead of a flat white.
68 Gwynne Street, Cremorne, VIC 3121, Australia
Weekday hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fine Artisan Chocolate Xocolatl
In the early afternoon, the natural light is stunning. You may get a taste of their products by perusing the periodicals and chocolate bars on the shelf. Xocolatls extensive chocolate and coffee drink menu offers a variety of chocolate base alternatives as well as teas over ice (or not). A tiny amount of their display case is devoted to various cakes and pastries, but the most of their retail area is dedicated to a few dozen distinct varieties of bonbon and over a dozen different bars, chocolate-covered confections, and bags of chocolate bits.
Despite their beauty and lovelyness, I thought their bonbons to be too sweet and quite flat; I expected the Passion Fruit to be brighter and deeper, and the Caramel to taste more than merely sugary. The red velvet cake I ordered wasn’t as chocolaty as the American version, and the icing wasn’t as acidic. While the personnel was kind, this would not be my first pick for chocolates or cakes.
Toorak VIC 3142, Australia, 611 Malvern Rd (various locations)
Mon-Sat: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (opens at 8:30am on Sat.)
Chocolate Stores in North Melbourne
Savour School, a chocolate education facility just north of the city, is also nearby. This area is roughly a kilometer north of Melbourne proper.
The town of San Churro
This restaurant is more well-known for its freshly baked churros, chocolate-dipped ice cream, and desserts and macarons. Yet, when we passed by one day, we saw that they also offer pre-packaged chocolates with a specific gold motif, as well as bonbons! It’s also one of the numerous locations in Melbourne where you can obtain ruby chocolate.
There is plenty of seating upstairs and a number of tables on the main level, but we came for the chocolates. The bonbons we tried tasted nearly entirely of sugar, with a hint of fake berry flavor on the Golden Berry chocolate. Regrettably, I do not suggest the bonbons at this location, while the churro was tasty.
175 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia (various locations)
Daily hours: 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. (open until 1am on Fri.-Sat.)
Koko Noir
Having a few sites across the city, this is undoubtedly one of Melbourne’s most well-known chocolatiers. The large, absolutely gigantic range of truffles, bars, and confections, such as chocolate-covered fruits and nuts, chocolate dots, and hot chocolate mixes, strikes you as you walk in.
They also provide chocolate barks and a variety of small bites to go with a hot chocolate or espresso at one of the various 3-person tables. The bonbons are tasty, with a fair variety of tastes, but they are certainly on the sweeter side. The tastes come through clearly, but they’re nearly too powerful with each mouthful. I’d have them again, but not purchase them for myself.
167 Lygon St, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia (various locations)
Daily hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The Chocolate Case
It should be noted that this business is located inside the Royal Melbourne Hospital. They provide chocolate-covered dried fruits and nuts, as well as a vast selection of self-serve truffles in various sizes, as well as chocolate bars and other unique confections. The staff was quite kind and provided us samples of some of the pans chocolates right after we entered and before we purchased anything.
TM). I wouldn’t come back until I was already in the hospital. The chocolate itself is really sweet and intensely flavored, but it’s not terrible for a pick-me-up (the peppermint dark chocolate tasted almost identical to a York Peppermint Patty).
The Royal Melbourne Hospital is located at Grattan St and Flemington Road in Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Weekdays: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; weekends: 12 p.m.-4 p.m.
Mrk Chocolate Brewery
This was one of my favorite Melbourne chocolate stores. They offer over a dozen distinct and enticing cacao-based beverages, including vegan alternatives, which distinguishes them from other Melbourne chocolate businesses. The bonbons are delicious, however they are as unconventional as the rest of the business. Both chocolates I purchased were fruit-based and tasted like lovely jammy versions of themselves; the raspberry was my favorite.
They also provide chilled chocolate milk, a few pastry and confection alternatives, and hot chocolate mixes ranging in cacao content from 85% to 50%. But, they come for the beverages first and foremost. On a Friday afternoon, all four tables were set up for customers to congregate over incredibly elaborate chocolate cocktails.
Our cocoa sampling flight was enjoyable, but not one for which I would return. The cold brew cacao has a very deep cacao tea taste, which is presumably preferred by espresso drinkers; I’d characterize it as the essence of cacao nibs, without the sweetness or much classic chocolate flavor. My yuzu pistachio mini-bundt was delicious and paired well with the chocolate milk.
150 Errol Street, North Melbourne, VIC 3051, Australia
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.
Monsieur Truffe is a Frenchman.
It should be noted that the chocolate store is housed inside a restaurant (just tell the host youre there for chocolate). Although Monsieur Truffe offers gianduja blocks and molded chocolates, the flavored bars and hot chocolate mixes seem to be the stars of the store area. At roughly $12AUD per bar, the pricing of the bean-to-bar goods and the couverture-based alternatives are comparable, but you can tell which is which from the labeling and the ingredients.
I couldn’t locate a menu after declining to sit in the restaurant, but they do have an espresso machine that produces wonderful lattes. The bars are tasty, however I thought the 55% vegan milk chocolate to be too coconut-y. I’d return for the honeycomb milk chocolate, however I’d like to see it created with various sources.
351 Lygon St, Brunswick East, Victoria 3057, Australia
Daily hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cocoa Roasters in a Ratio
With seven gelato varieties, a dozen or so chocolate-centric treats, and a wall of bars to pick from, even the most discriminating visitor will find something to like. Although you may expect to discover a big assortment of chocolate drinks, they also provide coffee, as well as a modest selection of cold drinks and as-you-like-it espresso-based beverages. Yet, once again, you’d be remiss if you didn’t sample a chocolate drink, such as the Cocoa Nib Pour Over or the 88% Melted Hot Chocolate.
Looking over their chocolate wall, you may pick from sixteen bars and numerous cocoa origins, including their blended Melbourne bar. For those interested in learning more about the chocolate-making process, you can book chocolate workshops weekend factory tours online for $15AUD per person, which last around 1-1.5 hours depending on group size and conclude with a chocolate tasting. It’s just too bad they’re only open four days a week.
Brunswick VIC 3056, Australia, 186 Sydney Rd
Hours: 2pm-10pm, Thursday-Friday; 10am-10pm, Saturday; and 10am-5pm, Sunday.
Chocolate Stores in Melbourne’s CBD
I was disappointed by all of the chocolates at the downtown Melbourne chocolate shops, while some of them may offer wonderful pastry and dinner choices. The majority of these stores are in a shopping complex or mall of some type.
KitKat Chocolate Factory
As you go into Melbourne Central, you’ll discover three create-your-own kiosks along the left wall. They allow you to either construct your own box of kit kats, customised and manufactured in-store, or pick a box pre-selected by some of the staff. Other from that, they have a dozen or more types of kit kats that are generally exclusively available in Japan.
Butter, sake, and their magnificent line are among them (unsurprisingly, ruby sublime was basically sold out on our visit). Elsewhere, they offer a pair more single origin kitkats, this time from the Philippines and Papua New Guinea, for $5AUD each. If you enjoy kitkats, I believe this is the place for you.
Melbourne Central, level 1 211 La Trobe St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Fri} Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., everyday; open till 9 p.m. on Thursday.
Chokolait
Chokolait is a luxury sit-down restaurant located in Emporium Melbourne. They maintain a vast sweets and drink menu, with a reasonable quantity of seating (maybe 25-30 chairs), as well as a plethora of surrounding eateries to accompany a sweet treat here. They have a dozen truffle varieties and piles of pre-packaged bonbon boxes beside the entryway for simple purchase. We found the bonbons to be fairly simple, sweet with muted fruit tastes (though the tiramisu bonbon was heavy on the coffee).
Address: Level 3, Shop 342, 287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Fri} Hours: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., everyday; open till 9 p.m. on Thursday.
Chocolate Shop Max Brenner
This Belgian chocolate café franchise, located on level 2 of QV Melbourne, provides notably highly sweet chocolates, as well as a variety of chocolate-based pastries and a large range of chocolate beverages. They don’t have many bonbons, but they do have chocolate bars, Belgian waffles, and their renowned dessert pizza topped with marshmallows.
Yet after tasting the chocolate on its own, all I wanted was a tall glass of milk. The chocolates themselves, particularly the white and milk varieties, are much too sweet to balance off the other tastes. If you do come here, select something made with dark chocolate and share it with a buddy or two.
Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia 210 Lonsdale St (various locations) Address: 25 QV Square
Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. Hours: 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. everyday, till 11:30 p.m. on Friday
Chocolate from Haighs
Haighs Chocolate is an Australian institution and a stop-in store with no seats. In a gigantic display case near the register, they offer a wide range of pre-packaged chocolates and several dozen types of bonbons. Their seasonal collection is limited but vibrant, while their normal selections vary greatly in size and price, making it an excellent alternative for individuals seeking for a fast present. Their most extensive assortment is of solid chocolate molded into forms and chocolate-covered nuts, the majority of which are in milk chocolate.
The bonbons are sold per weight and cost around $2.70AUS each. While none of the bonbons have more than 70% cacao in the chocolate, they are on the sweeter side, but I found them to be rather tasty. This would be a terrific gift to bring home from Melbourne for someone with a sweet appetite and diverse taste, with special fondness for the extremely strongly-flavored flower creams. While I made my decision, the staff was really patient and helpful.
Australia, 282 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000 (various locations) The Block Arcade 7, 8, 9
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays; open till 7 p.m. on Fridays; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Dark Chocolate Ganache
Selenes Chocolatier chocolates are available in this café. They include a short drink menu, a few dozen bonbon types, five macaron kinds, many stunning pastries, and sandwiches for those searching for a light lunch. A pair of chocolate shoes and a wall of bagged, chocolate-coated candies are located across from the bonbon exhibit; this seems to be the standard.
We found the macarons to be rather disappointing, quite stale and light-flavored, and the bonbons to be comparable. The chocolates here are among of the most gorgeous in Melbourne, however they are also extremely sugary and flavorless. If you want to pop in for a pastry, there is plenty of sitting.
245 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Hours: 8 a.m.-8 p.m. weekdays; open until 11 p.m. on Fridays; 9 a.m.-11 p.m. on Saturdays; and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sundays.
Chocolate Stores in South Melbourne
These stores are situated in Melbourne’s south and just south of the city.
Theobroma cacao chocolate
This is Melbourne’s only chocolate store that opens at dawn and is located within the railway station. The business has a large assortment of bonbons and truffles, maybe three dozen types, as well as various chocolate desserts. When we went, some of the bonbons seemed to be a little rough, and the chocolate was quite sugary, but the flavors were not horrible.
I could feel the sugar in the back of my throat; it tasted more like chocolate-flavored sweets than truffles. When we visited, it was also very full, and most people were there for coffee and a sandwich or pastry, which seems to be the major reason people there.
219 Spencer Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Mon-Thu: 7am-6pm; Fri: 7am-9pm; Sat: 7:30am-6pm; Sun: 8am-6pm.
Atypic Dark Chocolate
Atypic is a bean to bar chocolate firm focusing on strangely flavored bars, founded by a teacher at Savour School just north of Melbourne. The crew makes its chocolate using cacao imported from adjacent South Pacific islands, which goes into ice creams, hot chocolates, and a range of pastries served at the store. They also sell chocolate bars and chocolate-covered goodies in gift-worthy packaging. Caramelized White Chocolate or Long Black are my favorites.
Coventry Street, South Melbourne, VIC 3205, Australia
Fri.-Sun. open till 5 p.m. on Friday Wed., 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Bibelolt
Bibelot seemed to be like all the other chocolate stores in Melbourne at first, with upmarket European design and a vast assortment. They serve a dozen kinds of gelato and sorbet, ten types of elegant cakes, petit fours, macarons, and a huge range of chocolate-centric delights in addition to traditional chocolates. It’s a lot to process.
The macarons we bought were a little sugary, but they were tasty. These bonbons are well constructed and well worth the higher-than-average price. We enjoyed the Passion Fruit and Salted Caramel, however the herbal bonbons were too pungent for my taste (though interesting flavor combinations).
When we visited in the afternoon, their high tea proved to be pretty popular, but somewhat pricy in comparison to other places of the city. This is essentially a full-service chocolaterie and patisserie, with the contemporary addition of a bean-to-bar chocolate line lacking. If I ever needed bonbons in Melbourne, this would be my first trip.
South Melbourne VIC 3205, Australia 285-287 Coventry St
Hours: 12pm-6pm on Mondays and 10am-6pm on Tuesdays and Fridays, and 10am-10pm on Saturdays and 10am-6pm on Sundays.
Whitley, Kep
Kep Whitley’s specialty items include bonbons, mediants, nut clusters, and ice cream. You may get hand-rolled truffles for $2AUD or hand-painted bonbons for $3AUD. Overall, the bonbons are OK, but I felt the tastes to be weak and undynamic in comparison to the inventiveness of the flavors (like Mango Macadamia and Kiwi PashPav). We could have simply received some old bonbons, but I was hoping for more of a pop.
They also provide a variety of coffee drinks and customisable hot chocolates, which were really popular when we were there. But, the chocolate-dipped ice creams and ice cream sandwiches were our favorites; we really enjoyed the dipped Gingerbread. Get a $2 baby cone soft serve, with vegan alternatives, for those with a little appetite. Personally, I’ll come returning for more dipped ice cream.
Store 4 is located at 851 Bourke St, Docklands, VIC 3008, Australia.
Hours: 11:30am-6pm, Tuesday-Friday; 11am-5pm, Saturday.
Internet Chocolate Stores
Pana Chocolate: This well-known Melbourne chocolate company is famed for its raw chocolates, which are not to my taste but seem to be popular. Their items are currently only available online and via Melbourne stockists, since their retail presence has closed.
Cuve Chocolate: Cuve is a small line of bean to bar chocolates meticulously picked to combine with the region’s greatest wines, launched in 2014 by a couple of wine and chocolate aficionados. Currently available are dark, milk, white, and caramelized chocolate bars, as well as hot chocolate mixes. Currently only available via retailers and by special order through their website.
Birdsnake Chocolate: One of Melbourne’s newest chocolate enterprises, Birdsnake was formed by coffee industry professionals who fell in love with cacao. Their chocolate is made in Melbourne from bean to bar and includes dark chocolate and single origin chocolate bars. Currently only accessible via stockists.
Hello, Tiger: Hello Tiger uses couverture chocolate to create adorable chocolate balls and bars that are flavored in nostalgic and innovative ways, with vegan choices available. I wandered into their production facility by mistake and then scurried out when I discovered what it was, thus their Google Maps address is not a café. Now available online and at select retail locations.
Melbourne Cocoa: one of the newer kids on the block, Melbourne Cocoa is a subsidiary of a much bigger parent firm that has been producing chocolate for over 25 years. Its product assortment includes baking chocolate blocks, chocolate bars, simple truffles, and hot chocolate mixes. Presently available online, with a few shops scattered around Australia.
Schoko Chocolates is an online-only company that specializes in collections of handcrafted chocolates in a variety of tastes. They have several size variations and sell white, milk, dark, and ruby chocolates for delivery across Melbourne and Australia. Only available online.
Yarra Valley Chocolaterie is an added bonus.
Yarra Valley Chocolaterie is located about an hour outside of Melbourne and may be accessed by automobile or on one of the many Yarra Valley Wine Tours. We took a half-day wine and cheese tour that included stops at three different vineyards and a visit to the Chocolaterie at the conclusion. Although I definitely suggest doing a wine tour while in Melbourne, I cannot praise Yarra Valley Chocolaterie highly enough. Their chocolate assortment is extensive, claimed to number in the thousands, but the tastes are extremely basic.
The chocolate used to manufacture their truffles, bars, and confections is sweet yet flat, as is typical of couverture chocolate. Nonetheless, you are free to make your own decision. If you arrive after a wine tour, you may taste each of their chocolate varieties as well as a couple flavors from their ice creamery (which I also cant recommend after trying several other, better gelato shops right in Melbourne). After visiting some of the gorgeous chocolate stores in Melbourne described above, it all seemed extremely corporate and touristic.
There is also a 2.5-hour chocolate walking tour in Melbourne if you want to take a tour and adore chocolate. I didn’t do this during my stay, but you can read about it on TripAdvisor.
Map of Melbourne Chocolate Shops
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