The ultimate chocolate walking tour
There’s no denying it – Melbourne is the focal point for Australian chocolate makers. There are 4 operating factories on full display plus a wonderful cafe. You can easily visit and enjoy them all in a few hours.
A chocolate factory is a truly wonderful thing to visit. The smell of gently roasted cacao hits you before you even walk in the door. Stop to watch the melagers (stone grinders) spinning and you’ll need a bib for your drool!
The walking route is a big Chocolate ‘C’… in 12.9 km (roughly 2.5 hours) you can visit them all. It may seem like a long walk but you’ll be glad for the rest in between, just make sure to bring a backpack to carry the goodies you buy… Using the tram for key sections reduces the walking. If you have a car it’ll take a total for 45 min to drive the loop but you’ll need to allow time to find parking at some of them.
You could do this loop in either direction, if you’re walking it is better going from South to North (because of the opening hours). Four of the five have purpose built cafe spaces so you can rest and savour the atmosphere and produce.
The chocolate makers and owners are all really lovely. We recommend telling staff you are doing the #MelbourneBeanToBarTour – If you catch them at a quiet time they’ll probably want to show you how everything works and, if you’re lucky, feed you samples of different bars.
Do this tour on a Friday so you can visit everyone!
Hunted & Gathered – 68 Gwynne St, Cremorne.
8am – 3:30pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
Nestled in the narrow streets of Cremorne, this is the first factory of the tour. It is a really lovely cafe space, you can also see the machines and busy chocolate makers through the glass windows out the back. Make sure to check out the huge sacks of cacao that are stored along the wall. We love all their bars and their hot chocolate is fabulous too. Whilst Hunted & Gathered are one of the oldest chocolate makers in Victoria, their factory space and cafe is new and very stylish. Charley makes great bars – it will be hard too choose!
- Walking (50 min): Wander through the gorgeous Royal Botanic gardens.
- Trams (30-40 min): take the 78 south then 58 west OR the 70 west then 96 south.
Atypic Chocolate – South Melbourne Market.
8am-4pm. Open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday.
This is the smallest commercial chocolate factory + shop in Melbourne (and the smallest one you can visit in Australia). But don’t be fooled – the work that Charles and Chi do in this little space is incredible. As well as being chief chocolate maker and cacao hunter, Charles is a pastry chef and teacher. He and his team create truffles and wonderful creations with the chocolate they make. Ask them about the story behind their hot air balloon.
- Walking (50 min): Basically head straight North up Clarendon St.
- Trams (30-40 min): walk + 58, 96 + 59 or the 12 + 57.
Mörk Chocolate – 150 Errol St, North Melbourne
Mörk make chocolate beverages unlike anything you’ve seen before. They’ve taken Instagram by storm and for good reason. The “campfire” is our personal favourite but they always have some latest creation to drool over. Unlike nearly every hot chocolate you’ll find in a cafe (the exceptions are the other chocolate factories on this tour) these guys source cacao beans, roast them and make their own products. Don’t forget to also tag your photos #MelbourneBeanToBarTour.
- Walking (40 min): Head up Royal Parade or take the long way though Royal Park.
- Tram (20-30 min): Walk to Royal Parade and take the 19 North.
Ratio Cocoa Roasters – 186 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
2pm-10pm. Closed Mon/Tues/Wed, open from 10am Weekends, until 5pm Sunday.
This factory is super exciting for the Australian chocolate world – It’s the first one laid out so you can see all the parts of the process step by step. The journey starts at the bean sorting table, to the custom winnower (the machine that separates the husk from the cacao nib) to the stone grinders, tempering machine, ageing shelves and and wrapping table. They run tours of the factory (currently Fridays & Sundays) so book in advance. If you’re there at other times just ask, they’ll be happy to answer any questions.
As well as making chocolate bars, they make cakes, truffles and treats. They also specialise in hot chocolates – the Ratio bar creates latte style beverages focusing on the flavours within cacao. Their latest addition is a collaboration with “Oh My Gelato” – We tried and loved them all, especially the vegan ones and the chocolate bananas!
Monsieur Truffe – 351 Lygon St, Brunswick East
8am-4pm. Open & close later on Weekends.
The last chocolate factory on the tour runs down the side of the East Elevation cafe. This the only Melbourne factory with a big Lehmann melanger. It’s a shame it’s not operational but it’s still lovely to look at – imagine if it were running and full of chocolate! They also bars with couverture chocolate (i.e. chocolate made by someone else) so make sure to buy the chocolate they make i.e. bars labelled “bean to bar”. Hopefully you can catch the other machines in action otherwise enjoy a well deserved feed at the cafe or reward yourself with an early dinner on Lygon street.
Well done, You made it!
We hope you loved the #MelbourneBeanToBarTour – Please let us know if you discovered anything cool along the way or if there’s anything that needs updating. Enjoy all the delicious treats you’ve collected.
Thank You for supporting the Bean To Bar chocolate makers of Melbourne!
