Paris is known for many things sweet, from incredible patisseries to famous hot chocolate, but the macaron may be the city’s finest contribution in the world of sugar.
Macarons are sandwich cookies made of almond flour, egg whites, powdered sugar, meringue and buttercream and first appeared in France during the 17th century. In 1862, Louis-Ernest Ladurée opened Ladurée in Paris, a bakery entirely focused on macarons.
The sweet treat became intensely popular in Paris with its crunchy exterior and smooth, creamy interior of buttercream filling. As more Parisians craved the taste of macarons, other bakeries opened across the city and around the world, introducing everyone to the delicious macarons of Paris.
Pierre Hermé is another famous Parisian macaron institution, which opened in 1996 but now has eighteen locations in Paris and many across Europe and Asia.
Parisians typically divide themselves between the avant-garde and the traditional.
While there are dozens of different macaron shops in Paris, Parisians typically divide themselves between Ladurée and Pierre Hermé. “It is funny because when you talk to the Parisians, there are two macaron camps: the avant-garde and the traditional,” said Lisa Rankin, the founder of Flavors of Paris. The reason for this split is because the two bakeries have very different approaches to the art and style of macarons. Ladurée is quite traditional with classic flavours like lavender, salted caramel and raspberry, while Pierre Hermé offers more adventurous concoctions like vanilla and olive oil, jasmine and passionfruit and milk chocolate.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, some macaron shops across Paris have shut their doors for good including Ladurée. While the company is still operating at their other international locations, they will remain closed in Paris until a new buyer can be found.
“It is not one that would have been recommended by me anyway,” Lisa said. According to her, the quality of Laudrée macarons has decreased steadily over time as the company started producing the cookies in one central location and distributing them to all their stores rather than making them fresh daily.
In addition, with such a reliance on their classic flavours, Parisians were mostly uninspired by the creations at Ladurée in comparison to the special offerings at other local shops.
With so many macaron shops in Paris, it can be hard to know which ones to try and what to order. Here are some of the best macaron patisseries in Paris:
Pierre Hermé
Image Credit: Betsy Weber
Named after “the world’s best pastry chef,” Pierre Hermé goes above and beyond to offer guests unique creations for every occasion. With new collections introduced every season and fresh flavours that combine fruit, chocolate and florals, and other unexpected ingredients such as ketchup, this macaron institution is a treasured name among the best pastry shops in Paris.
La Maison du Chocolat
Image Credit: La Maison Du Chocolat
With ten locations across Paris and others spread around the world, La Maison du Chocolat, (in English: the House of Chocolate) serves thirteen classic flavors, the majority of which focus on chocolate. From Venezuelan dark chocolate to caramel, hazelnut or coconut, the patisserie also offers eclairs, cakes, chocolates and truffles.
Pierre Marcolini
Image Credit: Pierre Marcolini
The Brussels-based chocolate and macaron shop brings the finest Belgian chocolate to Paris with delectable creations of coffee, berries, tea and nuts to inspire even the most adventurous eaters. While Pierre Marcolini serves incredible macarons, the company is also known for its chocolate boxes, truffles and jams.
Sadaharu Aoki
Image Credit: Yuichi Sakuraba
Inspired by the pastry chef’s Japanese culture and heritage, Sadaharu Aoki is a Parisian patisserie infused with the flavors of Tokyo. Named after the chef patissier himself, Sadaharu Aoki, he opened his first boutique in 2001 in Paris and has expanded to more locations around the city and in Tokyo ever since.
“Everything he does is so good,” Lisa said. “What I like about his bakery is that he is originally from Japan and he infuses flavors from his home country. They are unusual flavors that you won’t find anywhere else and, of course, they are exquisite. There is a perfect crunchy texture on the outside and then you bite into this pillow of goodness.”
Some of the macaron flavor sensations include yuzu, earl grey, rose fraise, matcha, black sesame, green tea with brown rice and wasabi. For macaron enthusiasts with a sense of adventure, this patisserie is a must on the Parisian macaron tour.
Dalloyau
Image Credit: Huichimai Fang
As one of Lisa’s favorite macron spots in Paris, Dalloyau represents all things luxury dating back to 1682 when Charles Dalloyau served King Louis XIV as Officer of the Mouth. “Dalloyau offers the most regal experience with your macaron,” Lisa said. “A lot of their flavours are more traditional, and they use the best of the best ingredients.” The bakery sources their ingredients internationally which can be seen in their macaron flavors: hazelnuts are from Italy, almonds are from Spain and the pistachios are from Iran. Lisa’s favorite flavour is champagne cognac but the shop also offers classics like chocolate, vanilla, lemon, raspberry, salted caramel and praline.