Gourmet Chocolate Near Me on Orchard Road: Venchi's Paragon Boutique

Venchi, the Turin chocolatier founded in 1878, sells its layered Cremino 1878 at S$25 for 100g from unit #B1-25, Paragon, 290 Orchard Road, Singapore 238859. This basement counter does double duty, with Italian gelato on one side and boxed chocolate on the other, which makes it a strong answer to gourmet chocolate near me for a group that cannot agree on dessert.

Paragon sits on the stretch of Orchard Road between Orchard and Somerset, and its getting-here page puts Orchard MRT's Exit A about five minutes away on foot, on both the North South and Thomson-East Coast lines. Bus riders are told to alight at the stop outside Lucky Plaza, 304 Orchard Road, across the road. Venchi is on Basement 1, a level below the main shopping concourse, so it is easy to fold into a lunch break or a stop on the way back to the MRT.

Paragon is one of seven Venchi boutiques on the brand's Singapore store locator; the others are at ION Orchard, Marina Bay Sands, Parkway Parade, Raffles City, Takashimaya and VivoCity. That means Orchard Road alone has three counters within walking distance. If one counter has run out of a Cremino flavour, the next is a short walk away, and Paragon's is the one to choose if you are already shopping at the mall's fashion floors.

Venchi's history page tells the founding story directly: in 1878, a 20-year-old Silviano Venchi spent all his savings on two bronze cauldrons and began experimenting with chocolate in a small shop on via degli Artisti, in Turin's Vanchiglia neighbourhood. His first success was Nougatine, which earned him the title of purveyor to the Royal Household. The brand now counts 250 chocolate recipes, 90 gelato flavours and more than 180 stores in over 70 countries.

The company says everything is made in its own factory in Piedmont, the hazelnut region whose nuts define the house style. Paragon describes the Cremino as a timeless Italian icon since 1878, and Venchi (Singapore) Pte Ltd runs the local shops. For a visitor, the point is that this is Piedmontese chocolate rather than a Swiss or Belgian imitation of it, with gianduja, the hazelnut-chocolate paste born in Turin, at the centre of the range.

Cremino is the item to buy first. The product page describes a layer of white chocolate with almond paste between two layers of milk gianduja made with PGI Piedmont hazelnuts, each piece about 2.5cm wide and 1.5cm high. A 100g bag costs S$25, a 110g Cremino bar S$20 and a 30g mini bar S$8. The covered Cremino soft bar, at 200g, is S$40 and the most indulgent of the set.

The 95g bars, including Nougatine, milk chocolate with hazelnuts and 60% dark with hazelnuts, cost S$20 on the Singapore web shop, and the pistachio bar is S$22. Extra dark bars at 60%, 70% and 90% are S$22 for 70g. Nougatine, the original 19th-century hit of caramelised hazelnut pieces in chocolate, is S$25 for 100g, and a 200g jar of Nougatine spread costs S$32, a pantry souvenir that survives a flight.

The online pick-and-mix, called My Venchi Mix, builds boxes 100g at a time, with almost every item at S$25 per 100g, and the boutiques also sell pralines by weight. If you are assembling a gift, mix Cremino, Gianduiotto and a few Chocoviar pearls into one bag rather than buying three separate packs. Ask staff to weigh in front of you so you can stop near the 100g mark.

The gelato counter is the reason many Orchard shoppers stop. Venchi's gelato page lists flavours rather than prices, and it describes add-ons: hazelnut and chocolate spread, crunchy sprinkles, and a free individual dark or milk chocolate with your cup or cone. Ask for the chocolate; it is easy to forget. Pick one chocolate-based flavour and one nut flavour, which shows off the Piedmont hazelnuts better than fruit sorbets do.

Paragon's store page lists a Venchi members' deal running until 31 December 2026: either 10% off, excluding gelato and promotional items, or a free upsize with every gelato purchase. A separate Paragon article states the 10% off applies with a minimum spend of S$250, so it suits corporate gifting rather than a single bag. The gelato upsize is the more useful perk for everyday visitors.

Weekend afternoons on Orchard Road bring the biggest crowds, and gelato is what most people queue for. A weekday visit in the middle of the afternoon is usually easier, and if you only want boxed chocolate you do not need to join the gelato line. If the queue is long, walk ten minutes to Takashimaya at 391 Orchard Road, which has its own Venchi outlet, or try ION Orchard's counter at #B1-25A, open 10am to 10pm.

Pair the visit with the rest of Paragon's basement or with a walk along Orchard Road toward Ngee Ann City. Chocolate in tropical heat needs care: carry it inside the air-conditioned malls rather than along the open street for long, and put pralines in the fridge once home. Bars and spreads tolerate a short walk; Cremino, which is soft by design, is the most delicate item to transport.

Address: #B1-25 Paragon, 290 Orchard Road, Singapore 238859. Mall hours: daily, 10am to 10pm. Nearest station: Orchard MRT, Exit A, about five minutes on foot. Prices in this guide come from Venchi's Singapore web shop: Cremino 1878 S$25 per 100g, Chocoviar S$25 per 100g and 95g bars S$20. Gelato prices are not published online, so pay at the counter.