The Girl Who Ate Everything

Blogging about food and whatever since 2004.

Macarons! Everywhere! HELP ME, PLEASE!

perfect rows
Macawuh!

I made a nice little introduction to French macarons on Serious Eats that took me a little too long considering that it's not very detailed and only mildly informative, but IT HAS PHOTOS? IT HAS PRETTIES? YOU CAN HAZ THE MACS?

Yes. Thank you! Support me! So I can keep my job!

I know posting this entry will push the other one down the page and that makes me sad because I rather liked the other entry ("This was the day I just sat around and peed," is my most favorite quote ever), but I need some help. Like within the next 10 hours. I need to make A GIANT LIST OF PLACES WHERE YOU CAN BUY MACARONS!

Read more to see what I have so far. And the contribute, if you please. Also if you think I should remove anything from my list because it sucks, let me know. I want to recommend decent macarons.

A bunch of places to get macarons

Paris

This is an extremely inconclusive list seeing as you can get macarons seemingly everywhere. Here are the ones that I've been to or have been recommended. You probably shouldn't go to more than 12 patisseries anyway, right? I mean. Um.

Pierre Hermé
Ladureé
Lenôtre
Gérard Mulot
Sadaharu Aoki
Fauchon
Dalloyau
La Maison du Chocolat
Jean-Paul Hévin
Grégory Renard
Arnaud Larher
Carette

New York (Manhattan unless noted otherwise)

This list doesn't include fancy pants restaurants, which I have a feeling would make the best macarons. You just have to eat an expensive meal first. Sigh.

La Maison du Chocolat
Bouley Bakery
Almondine (Brooklyn)
Payard
Jacques Torres (Seasonal availability; check with the store before you visit)
Bouchon Bakery
Silver Moon Bakery
Kee's Chocolate
Financier
Georgia's Bake Shop
Joyce Bakeshop (Brooklyn)
Madeline Patisserie

California

Paulette (Beverly Hills)
Boule (LA)
Milk (LA, make macaron ice cream sandwiches)
Jin Parisserie (Venice)
Miette (San Francisco)
Bouchon (Yountville)
Macarune (North Beach, custom order)

London

Ladureé at Harrods
Maison Blanc
Yauatcha
Melt
Kondior & Cook
Selfridges Food Hall
Paul

Elsewhere

USA

Pix Patisserie (Portland, OR)
Sweet Pea Bakery (Phoenix, AZ)
Sucre (New Orleans, LA)
Mrs. London's Bakery and Café (Saratoga Springs, NY)
Gesine (Montpellier, VT. They seem to make the original French style macaron cookies, not the filled sandwich kind.)
Le Panier (Seattle, WA)
The Essential Baking Company (Seattle, WA)
Bittersweet (Chicago, IL)
Vanille Patisserie (Chicago, IL)
Miel Patisserie (Philadelphia, PA)
Mad Mac (Based in NYC but ship all over the country)
L.A. Burdick (Have shops in NH and MA but ship all over the country. They refer to their macarons as Luxembourger/Luxemburgerli, which aren't exactly the same thing, but close enough.)

Asia

Pierre Hermé (Tokyo)
Dalloyau (Tokyo)
Sadaharu Aoki (Tokyo)
Le Chocolat de H (Tokyo)
Canelé (Singapore)
Macaron (Singapore)
Mad Baker (Singapore, custom order)
Evan's Kitchen Ramblings (Singapore, custom order)
Bizu (Manila)
Ratafia (Taipei)
Le Goûter Bernardaud (Hong Kong)

Rest of the World

Fauchon (Locations worldwide)
Ganache Patisserie (Vancouver)
Thomas Haas (Vancouver)
T&0uml;ertchen T&0uml;ertchen (Berlin)
Ladureé at Galeries Lafayette (Berlin)
Adriano Zumbo (Sydney)
Lindt Concept Store (Sydney)
Laurent Bakery (Melbourne, Sydney)
Cafe Pistachio (Salmabad, Kingdom of Bahrain)

I'm having trouble with "Elsewhere" as you can see. Someone told me that in London you can only get them at Ladurée and Paul (or maybe those are the most convenient places), which are both French stores anyway. I know there must be more places in Asian—at least I think there are a few places in Taipei that make them—but I don't really know. And of course, there's the rest of the US. And Canada. Ahhh. I had a macaron at Patachou in Toronto, and while it wasn't bad it wasn't...awesome either.

I'll update this list as suggestions come on.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP, YOU ARE AWESOME! AND YES, MAYBE I AM CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY.

Please view the updated list on Serious Eats. Any suggestions you have will be added to the list there, not the one on this post!

Comments

Katie K / October 22, 2007 3:54 PM

Mrs. London's Bakery and Café in Saratoga Springs, NY has great macarons.

I found this info online: "Gesine's on Elm Street in Montpelier has delicious pastries, cakes and other goodies - their specialty is macaroons." That is in VT.

Jorid / October 22, 2007 4:05 PM

After all the splendid things you write about them, I really want to taste Macarons. Do you know if they are being sold anywhere in Norway? *sigh*

roboppy / October 22, 2007 5:02 PM

Thanks for your suggestions! I AM UPDATING...IN REAL TIME!! It's safe to assume that there isn't already a "world macaron list" floating around out there, right?

Jorid: I just asked Morten if he knows of any places in Bergen that sell them and he said no. :[ (We don't have Norwegian bakeries over here if that's any consolation! I do love those cinnamon buns.) Maybe your best bet is to try to make them yourself? Or go on a bakery hunt! Woohoo!

maria: I think they only make them seasonally (like around passover?), unless they changed that in the past few months. If they had them all the time I would include them on my list. :\

Melissa / October 22, 2007 5:03 PM

Vanille Patisserie in Chicago. I haven't eaten them, but the place makes gorgeous cakes and excellent croissants.

Molly / October 22, 2007 5:33 PM

I have no helpful info to add, sorry, but you made me want some macarons like WHOA. Yes, LIKE WHOA. The only macaron I've ever had was from Financier though and it was fantastic. I would hike all the way downtown for one right now if there wasn't this little thing called "a job" stopping me.

I need baked goods! Sugary carby goodness! *Tears*.

Jiny / October 22, 2007 5:39 PM

törtchen törtchen
(tortchen tortchen, w/ umlauts above the o)
Alte Wallgasse 2a
D-50672 cologne
Germany
tel: +49 0221 1707108

And you can get Laduree ones at the Galeries Lafayette in Berlin...

roboppy / October 22, 2007 6:19 PM

Thank you for the suggestions! YEAAH I HAVE A BIG PILE OF THEM NOW!!! And I have places to go should I ever find myself in Chicago or Philly. :]

Molly: I've only tried the ones from Financier once and I don't remember much. They weren't really bad but didn't leave much of an impression either! Hm. Maybe I should try them again though; I haven't been there in ages.

Sarah: I was about to say that I had those down, but not the Tokyo locations! Oopsie..

Why does Tokyo get all the good stuff? Not! Fair! Sniff! I think Jean Paul Hevin is there too. And other chocolatiers, not necessarily macaron makers. Ahhh man. I was born the wrong Asian.

Jiny: I had no idea there was a Laduree (or Galeries Lafayette) in Berlin! Thanks for the info.

serena / October 22, 2007 6:55 PM

London: Ladurée, Maison Blanc, Paul, Yauatcha, Konditor & Cook (if my memory doesn't fail me), Melt in Notting Hill, the Selfridges foodhall (I'm pretty sure they get them from somewhere else but I don't know where), & (maybe? someone else might need to confirm this) Patisserie Valerie.

...

hmmm.

John / October 22, 2007 7:10 PM

Tres magnifique, Mademoiselle Boppy! Je suis entièrement d'approuver de l'histoire du cookie!

I don't really know French. :\

BUT I DO KNOW I LOVE MACS! \(^-^)/

Tina / October 22, 2007 7:25 PM

I remember about a year ago, I made a trek to Park Slope, Brooklyn to Joyce's Bakeshop for their macarons. Though not awesome, it ain't so bad either. I think it's similar to Mad Mac's if you want a comparison when I had it back then.

I don't know if you would want to add Fauchon? We both know that it's closed in NYC, but I remember reading from a few people's post somewhere that they would have in outside the US?

bionicgrrl / October 22, 2007 9:05 PM

u must remove financier! they suck big time and fail your "basic equation for a macaron." don't u remember my pic (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bionicgrrl/343533694/)?

roboppy / October 22, 2007 10:39 PM

Serena: Holy crap! I made London a different section since you suggested so much! ;D So many places, aahhh...

John: YOU'RE SPEAKING FOREIGN!

Tina: Oo, Joyce's doesn't sound bad. I should check that bakery out...

I forgot Fauchon had a gazillion other locations. I'll put that under "elsewhere". NYC is all lonely with no Fauchon! :(

Mike: Fauchon is no longer with us, but will supposedly open again. Someday. Hm.

bionicgrrl: I think I may write some kind of note about how I don't actually recommend all those places in NYC, but if people want em then...euh...yeah. I haven't been to Financier in ages; I wonder if it's any better now. Your macaron looks like it HAD NO FILLING! :(

Loretta: If there is such a title, I shall claim it!

Mary Sue: Thanks! That looks like a fun bakery.

Kathy / October 22, 2007 11:51 PM

What about Something Sweet in the East Village? They didn't look very tasty though...but nonetheless, they make 'em! :)

roboppy / October 23, 2007 11:14 AM

Thanks for the recs, guys!

Kathy: I had those once! Almost 3 years ago. ...DID NOT LIKE! I wonder if they've changed since then. I just remember biting into it and feeling like it was wrong. Not that it tasted bad, but it was probably too dry or something.

We need an East Village crawl. Check out Something Sweet and...um, Pinisi...and yes.

audris: Oo, I see the photos of them on the website; they look awesome! Sounds like a place I have to check out if I'm ever in LA.

maria~ / October 23, 2007 11:36 AM

Oh, I forgot to tell you too, that Tisserie at Union Square has these giant macs. Well, not GIANT giant, but you know, big :)

Julia / October 23, 2007 12:32 PM

In London, there's also a Laduree stall on Regent Street off Picadilly Circus. Can't miss it, with it's technicolor macarons displayed in the window.

kathy / October 23, 2007 1:45 PM

La Tulipe in Mount Kisco, NY has wonderful macaroons (the chocolate are the best) as well as a vast array of mouth-watering cakes, pastries, etc. Worth the trip from the city; the chef has an impressive resume and has worked at Fauchon. Also, their caneles are the best I have ever tasted outside of France.

DoriMer / October 23, 2007 3:46 PM

The Market in downtown Denver has great macaroons (and tons of other fab stuff too).

ParisBreakfasts / November 3, 2007 2:28 PM

On a one-day quickie trip to Lausanne I saw mini-macs but I didn't taste them..I'd run out of Swiss money and didn't want to dip into my numbered account :(

Audrey / November 4, 2007 9:11 PM

Boule has moved to 408 not 420. Its displays, offerings, and recipes have definitely gone downhill. I would rather eat a generic Oreo cookie.

There is also a Bouchon in Las Vegas at the Venetian. Limited quantities of macs so called ahead to order. The employee gave me cafe instead of vanilla. Yountville is superior.

Lulu / November 5, 2007 4:39 AM

In Taipei, there are other places to buy macarons. The quality range from moderate to WTH. But of course, my taste buds have been spoiled by Pierre Herme. So here's the list:

15eme Patisserie (The pastry chef worked at Aoki in Paris before.)
http://tw.lifestyle.yahoo.com/6dab3070/070421/143/3pa1q.html

Liz Gourmet Corner @ The Landis Hotel
http://taipei.landishotelsresorts.com/dine_liz.php

Saisons Patisserie
http://www.christabelle.idv.tw/rewrite.php/rewrite.php/read-257.html

Franciacorta
http://www.franciacorta.com.tw/

kosmose7 / September 20, 2008 4:30 AM

Try "Sweety BLVD" in Seoul, Korea. It is a local brand launched by a famous creative western restaurant brand called "Tasty BLVD", but their macarons are quite authentic. They also have truffle macaron or foie gras macaron! They are better than say, Dalloyau, which is a French brand, but produces macarons locally under licence in Korea.
* http://tastyblvd.com/
* tel: 02-3467-8688

Another good macaron brand will be Le Notre in Seoul, also a licensed French brand.
* tel: 02-793-6252

Alexis / May 2, 2009 7:49 AM

Fauchon at Shin Kong Place in Beijing.

The Peninsula Boutique in Shin Kong has a few in cellophane bags (but they looked haphazardly assembled and unappealing).

Comptoirs de France also in Beijing at several locations.

Valerie Luther / June 22, 2009 11:13 AM

I work in the Pastry Kitchen at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead in Atlanta, and I just wanted to post that we make these macs, and that they are served on buffets throughout the hotel, as well as several flavors daily in the club lounge. I personally think ours are fabulous, and you don't have any listings in Atlanta yet.

Brandon / July 13, 2009 3:30 PM

I can't stop singing the praises for these macarons in NYC:

www.bisousciao.com

Lynee / April 18, 2010 1:53 PM

Schoggi in San Fran has wonderful macarons, lovely tea and chocolates as well. Loved the rosewater mac! Well, really all of the flavors were divine! Am on the hunt for a macaron in Denver...

Emmanuel / January 2, 2011 1:19 PM

Hello !
If you come to Paris, you can pre order some macarons and have the delivered at your Hotel , if you order them on www.macaronsdefolie.surinternet.com !

Have a nice day
Emmanuel

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