Make chocolate the way it’s been made for five hundred years — over dinner.
Dinner where you make the chocolate. Four rooms. Two drinks and three things you make with your own hands. Three courses you don’t.
Arcana, Moorooka · Thu 1 – Sun 4 October · Family afternoon and 18+ evening · From $89 family / $149 adult, everything included
What you’ll be holding.
Tenochtitlan, 1519
You'll be handed five cacao beans at the door. They were money once. You'll spend them on your first drink, and froth it yourself the way the Aztecs did — poured from a height until it foams.
The Court, 1600
Where chocolate turned sweet. You'll whisk it with a molinillo in the cup the Spanish court drank from. Evening: the sherry goes in at your table.
The Chocolate House, 1693
London's chocolate houses came before the cocktail bar. After dinner you'll make chocolate almonds from a 1718 recipe and stake your beans on whose are best.
The Alps, 1875
Milk chocolate was invented in a Swiss village. You'll pour your own bar as you sit down; it sets in front of you while you eat, and comes back for dessert.
Queensland, tonight
Chocolate grows four hours north of here. You'll make the last piece from it — and the room decides whether Queensland goes in the crate. That piece goes home with you.
What’s on the plate.
Three courses from Arcana’s kitchen: oysters to start; a slow‑cooked main; and dessert — hot chocolate poured over the bar you made. Two drinks are yours to make; the evening pairing (two cocktails) is included in the ticket. Family sitting: kids’ menu and a chocolate shake they whisk themselves. Dietary needs at booking; nut‑free and dairy‑free versions of every make.
Sittings, times, prices.
FAMILY AFTERNOON
Thu 1 – Sun 4 Oct · afternoon, time confirmed with your booking
About 90 minutes. Home by six.
$89–109 per person, everything included
Family bundle (2 adults + 2 children) available at booking
All ages; a parent pours the first drink for under-12s
EVENING · 18+
Thu 1 – Sun 4 Oct · doors 6:30pm, seated 7:00pm
Under two hours; out by 8:50pm.
$149–169 per person, everything included
Three courses, two cocktails, everything you make
18+
One adult price and one family price — no add‑ons at checkout. Early‑bird release capped at 20% of seats and shown as such. Remaining seats per sitting appear at the checkout.
A chocolate maker has spent his life collecting the ways chocolate has been made since the Aztecs and crated them up. For four nights he’s opened his rooms in Brisbane. He’ll hand you the tools, one crate at a time.
We won’t tell you what happens. We’ll tell you what you’ll be holding.
The practical part.
WHERE
Arcana, Moorooka. Parking nearby and public transport close; directions with your booking confirmation.
DRESS
Whatever you'd wear to a good dinner. Sleeves you can push up.
ACCESSIBILITY
Seated throughout at long tables; every make can be done seated; step-free access.
ALLERGENS
Nuts, dairy, sulphites (sherry); substitutions on request at booking.
GROUPS
Book the table (8) and you've booked the bench — the wager and the vote are table games. Write to us for group bookings.
Is it a cooking class?
No — it's dinner. You'll make five things at your seat, a few minutes each; the kitchen does the rest.
Will my kids be bored?
The afternoon sitting is built for them: five makes, a chocolate shake they whisk themselves, and home by six.
Can I bring a baby?
Yes, at the family afternoon — babes-in-arms are welcome. Tell us at booking so we set the table right.
Do I need to know anything about chocolate?
No. Every make is shown to you first, and each takes a few minutes at your seat.
What do I take home?
The bar you poured, the Queensland piece you made, and your certificate.
BRISBANE. FOUR NIGHTS.
Remaining seats per sitting appear at the checkout.