Pana Chocolate

Pana chocolate is basically the health-​conscious person’s version of Wonka’s chocolate factory. It’s colourful, cacao-​scented, beautifully shiny and oozing with sugar-​free chia jam.
I’ve been a massive fan of Pana ever since I first tried their raw mint cacao bar from a health food shop in Western Australia. Since that fateful day, I’ve wanted to visit their brick-​and-​mortar venue on Church St in Richmond. And you know what? Sometimes dreams do come true.
Which is awesome, when your dream is to be covered in shiny raw chocolate and oozing chunks of date caramel. Yep, that happened. It can for you, too.
Pana pride themselves on being ‘chocolate for everyone’, incorporating the best of raw ingredients from around the world to make a treat that’s both healthful and delicious. Made from vegan, organic components and maintained in a raw state (only minimal heat is applied to melt the wet ingredients. Under 42 degrees C, all enzymes — and therefore nutrients — are said to remain intact), Pana’s chocolate bars and cakes provide a hefty whack of nutrition in the guise of… well, cake. And we all know what *that* does for the soul.
Whilst Pana isn’t the cheapest place to get your sugar fix in Melbourne, you can be assured that you’re getting quality (and deliciousness) with every bite. Whilst snacking on that raspberry ripple cake, you can also feel virtuous in knowing that Pana Barbounis and his team support many small community organisations and environmental bodies such as Tribe and Fifteen Trees. Everyone’s gotta feel good about that.

People have said it all, but let me just add to the noise.
Raw chocolates and desserts… well made. premium prices. interesting flavours.
I would recommend this place to people interested in the variety of dessert experiences this world has to offer. They make very pleasant food, my friend and I enjoyed it. How can I express that it was better than «meh» but less than rave-​worthy? I wasn’t blown away, and since I prioritise deliciousness above all else (namely health) in my desserts I would probably rather just go to a normal patisserie for what is, to me, a more enjoyable product, but there’s a place for Pana and it’s a nice way to inject some sugar into your system.

This little shop was worth the trek in the rain :) small and cosy, and In its own little way — zen. The matcha slice is amazing — a great balance of zest and sweet. The ice chocolate of Brazilian nut milk and cashew ice cream… do I have to say more?
and the pana special tea YUM.
Add to that the amazing service :)

Heard about this place via their Instagram and by the looks of the photos decided I had to give it a try. There’s no street parking, so you’ll have to find somewhere nearby to park and walk to it. It’s a small room with two small tables, barely any seating and a stairway that leads to nowhere you can go. It has one case full of the items, I was expecting more from the building when I arrived.
The employee asked me what I wanted and I asked if they still had their special tasting deal and she said they did, but online it states you get half the size but get to choose your flavors. She told me I got whatever flavors they had set aside. Well that doesn’t make sense if it’s just half of what you have, which is every flavor? So she wouldn’t let me pick the flavors I wanted for the testing. Therefore I decided to buy my own two cakes, asking her which were the best or more popular and she couldn’t give me an answer. Okayyyy, so why were you hired if you don’t help or know? I finally picked out what I wanted and WHOA for two small pieces of cake $ 18??? I could get a whole meal or two off of that! But I bought them to go, and the packing was too large for the two cakes and they ended up smudging up by the time I ate them. I will say, the flavors were AMAZING. This raw dessert is delicious, I tried the blueberry lemon and the green tea matcha raspberry flavors. I’d recommend them both, but only if you have the money to buy them as full.
Overall: small, out-​of-​the-​way location, uneducated and unhelpful employees, expensive prices, but delicious products.

Wow. Just, wow.
The latest trend at the moment is raw food — so if you want to indulge in raw desserts this is the place to come to in Richmond.
I am a huge fan of Pana Chocolate — its dairy, sugar and gluten free and comes in an assortment of flavours. Visualise those flavours in slices. Yes.
The day I popped in I wanted to stock up on some slices as I was meeting up with a friend and bought the raw lamington, chocolate brownie, carrot cake and lemon slice. All awesome and delicious. The raw lamington has literally changed my life.
It’s not cheap (slices cost from $ 5 to $ 10), but they use premium ingredients and its not full of processed crap. Just do it.

Pricey but with the gourmet ingredients it’s to be expected. Beautifully made and taste sensational. Perfect non guilty pleasure and the staff are just as wonderful.

Simply brilliant chocolate, which has spoilt me for all other kinds. Admittedly it’s a luxury problem.

Wondering where all the women in Richmond are? They’re at Pana Chocolate. All of them.
Ok, so that might sound a little sexist, but this tiny little speciality chocolate store (think raw, local, handmade, organic chocolate) was bursting at the seams when a co-​worker and I stopped in. Offering loads of tasty little morsels of flavoured ganache, truffle balls and their pre-​package take home blocks, it’s a good place to stop in for a small treat or to stock up on office snacks.
Given that Pana chocolate is also vegan and low GI — this will no doubt attract visitors from more than just the local area.
The staff are run off their feet but do a good job of moving through people quickly, so hustle a spot and don’t fear the small crowd.