Now Open: Mork Chocolate's New Chadstone Store Features Limited-Run Drinks, Cocktails and Small-Batch Creations
For its fifth location, the indie Melbourne chocolate brand has made perhaps its boldest move to date.
Mörk Chocolate has been one of the top choices in Melbourne for a stellar hot chocolate since it opened its doors to its first store in 2012. Fast forward to 2025, and the independently owned business now boasts four locations in and around the CBD — but its next move might be its most ambitious yet, in the form of a permanent residency in Chadstone's Market Pavilion.
Launched by local couple Josefin Zernall and Kiril Shaginov, Mörk made a name for itself by taking a similar approach to chocolate to single-origin coffee roasters. That means being mindful of traceability and quality while sourcing ingredients from ethically minded suppliers. The result is a clean and minimally processed product that showcases the flavour of the bean while being naturally lower in sugar.
For their new Chadstone store, Zernall and Shaginov teamed up with Anna Drummond from CoLab Studio. Together, they've created a concept that stands out from the brand's existing locations, where clever details like variegated terracotta and ceramic tiles reference and celebrate chocolate. The centrepiece is a cascading rope installation inspired by chocolate fountains.
"I wanted to tap into the memory bank and explore how chocolate made us feel as children," says Zernell. "The excitement of opening a chocolate wrapper, the sound and scent, the colours and shapes and flavours. All of those sensory elements that make chocolate so universally loved...that's the sense of nostalgia we're hoping to trigger at our new store."
Alongside Mörk's flagship range, the Chadstone store will serve its much-loved classic hot chocolates from a custom-build island, a selection of new signature drinks, as well as cocktails like whiskey-spiked hot chocolate and chocolate negronis. New highlights include the Campfire Hot Chocolate — a limited-time creation where silky dark chocolate, charcoal salt and toasted marshmallow are served with an optional wood-smoked caramel praline. Meanwhile, buns, cakes and pastries baked fresh daily at Mörk's North Melbourne kitchen are available to complement your drink.
The new concept store is also fitted with a retail display, featuring small-batch chocolate bars created by Zernell in collaboration with ex-Fat Duck and French Laundry chef Ayelet Har Paz. Plus, there are chocolate spreads, freshly turned vanilla marshmallows, seasonal chocolate bites and kitchen accessories such as hand-carved chocolate scoops and ceramics from a host of top-notch local designers.
Mörk Chocolate's Chadstone store is now open in the centre's Market Pavilion. It's open Monday–Wednesday from 7.30am–5.30pm, Thursday–Saturday from 7.30am–9pm and Sunday from 8.30am–7pm. Head to the brand's website for more information.
Images: Kristoffer Paulsen
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