Where to buy macarons in Paris (the truth about Paris macarons)

Where to buy macarons in Paris (the truth about Paris macarons)

Updated by Jordan on 13/12/2019

If you are in Paris, your trip won’t be complete without sampling some French pastries, and tasting the most famous of them all – the macaron. If you’re wondering where to buy macarons in Paris, this is a guide for you.

But first, just what are macarons? These are delicious and colorful little pastries are made of sugar and almond, and you can find them in many different flavors.

So, where to buy macarons in Paris? You can find them in many bakeries but also in macaron shops dedicated to the little local pastry. Some of them are famous worldwide while others are as good but less famous and less expensive. And the best part is, you can do all this as you shop in Paris!

There are the classic macarons, but some bakeries have what we can call “big” macarons. If you’re a really big fan, I suggest you to take our private tour to check out all the bakeries with the best macarons in paris.

This pastry is very complex to make, but this is this complexity which makes it so good. It is the reason why they are always pretty expensive, even if in regular bakeries the macarons less – way less – expensive than in pastry shop dedicated to macarons. However, most of the time with macarons, the price does correspond to the quality; the cheaper you go the less flavorful the macaron. I find that in many mass-produced ones, the texture is too chewy or too soft, they use too many artificial colors flavorings, etc.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

I’m not saying that they are all bad, but usually it is less tasty than in a pâtisserie or a cake shop.

Here are little tips to know if the macaron is good or not:

• It should not be too flashy or too pale. A good baker knows how to use food coloration.
• Macarons should not be big, the best are the little ones and they are also the hardest to get right.
• If there are many macarons in the shop window, macarons should all be exactly the same size.
• The top of the macarons should not have bubbles or be broken or cracked.
• Macarons should have a pretty ruffled foot.

With all that advice you should be able to determine if the macaron in front you is good or bad! But it’s not a bad experiment to undertake, especially if you have a sweet tooth like me.

The truth about Parisian macarons

Today, macarons in Paris are becoming some kind of luxurious dessert that everyone wants to try. It is the star of French pastries, like the Chanel n°5 is the star of fragrance. Everyday you can find new flavors and new specialized boutiques. The price of those little sugary delight is also going up like crazy. So what is really behind all this macaron madness?

There is one very famous brand of macarons that everyone is looking for: Ladurée. Their marketing team is quite good and they have managed to put macarons in many movies or television ads. They are the one that became famous first, and we could even say it was Ladurée that launched the macaron to superstardom. They created the fame of the macaron by glorifying the object itself (a nice little box, specialized shops, and an image very easy to recognize).

Ladurée started their success with homemade macarons and using simple natural ingredients. Unfortunately, their success today has forced them to industrialize the production and now there’s more than 100 different ingredients in their macarons. I’ll let you be the judge, but from the name of each ingredient the macarons contain, they don’t sound organic at all. Here is the list in French: “gomme de guar“, “xanthane“, “benzoate de sodium“, “anhydride sulfureux“, “dioxyde de silicium“, “orthophosphate de calcium“, “tragacanthe“, “gomme arabique“, “propylène glycol“, “carraghénane“, …

Of course, the taste is delicious and the store is so pretty, so it’s worth experiencing at least once. But if you’re craving something a little more authentic and natural, check out our recommendations below!

So, where to buy macaron in Paris, and I mean the really good ones?

Of course, a macaron in Paris can be an amazing or disappointing experience, but I want to make sure you have a great one! That is why I would rather recommend macarons made by real “chefs” of pastries and who won awards.

1. The Most Celebrated Macaron Maker in Paris: Pierre Hermé

Photo courtesy of Pierre Hermé Vaigiard Boutique – Sourced from Pinterest

Today he’s a household name in Paris, but how did Pierre Hermés’s creations become so iconic? Pierre Hermé started his training with the best chefs at the age of fourteen years old. He opened his first shop in 1996 and was met with immediate success.

His specialty is creating innovative and surprising flavor blends. I bet you never imagined olive oil as a macaron flavor but somehow it just works. You’ll also find savory renditions here, which come out around the holidays each winter. If you’ve ever hoped to taste a foie gras macaron, Pierre Hermé is the place! There are plenty of different boutiques around Paris, but the one listed below is open every day, even Sunday which can be hard to find in the city.

practical information:

pierre hermé – 4 Rue Cambon, 75001 Paris

metro station: concorde

opening hours: open daily 10AM//8PM

2. The Chocolate Specialist and Macaron Maker: Jean-Paul Hévin

Photo courtesy of Jean Pual Hévin -Sourced from their website

Awarded many times a meilleur ouvrier de France since 1986, Jean Paul Hévin is traditionally a specialist of chocolate. But guess what? Macarons and chocolate make a magnificent pairing. After years of experimenting, Hévin mastered a recipe for truly decadent chocolate macarons. Using the finest dark and milk chocolates from around the world and very low levels of sugar, these macarons have an intense chocolate flavor. To no one’s surprise, Hévin won the best chocolate macarons award in 2012.

Of course, there’s much more than chocolate flavors in the macarons here, those are the most famous (and in my opinion, the most delicious). Classic flavors like raspberry, vanilla and pistachio can also be found here!

practical information:

jean paul hévin – 3 rue vavin 75006 paris

metro station: notre-dame-des-champs

opening hours: tuesday – saturday 10:30AM//7:30PM

3. The Traditional Macaron Maker: Dalloyau

Photo courtesy of Dalloyau – Sourced from their Pinterest page

Dalloyau is the oldest macaron maker on my list, and certainly one of the best macarons in all of Paris. Rumors has it they use to make pastries for Louis XIV, the Sun King while in Versailles. This macaron maker is for those who love the real classical macaron – simple flavors but made with top-notch products and executed with precision!

Of course, Dalloyau isn’t limited to just macarons. In fact, this award-winning pâtissier and chocolatier is also well-known for being the birthplace of the classic Opéra dessert. Layers of delicate biscuit, decadent chocolate and coffee cream? This one is also worth a try when you stop by!

practical information: dalloyau –

How to Keep your Macarons Fresh

Now that you know where to buy the best macarons of Paris, here are a few pieces of advice to help keep them fresh as long as possible.

If there are any leftover anyway…

– Keep them in the fridge
– Keep them in some kind of Tupperware box to keep them from other smells;
– Take them out of the fridge one hour before eating them (that’s a tough one);
– You can keep them maximum one week but I’m sure that’s more than enough.

So now that you know where to buy macarons in Paris, I hope you will enjoy those little French pastries! Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need further information about anything!

Feel free to share your own tips and recommendations! Tell us where you’ve bought your favorite macarons while in Paris! See you soon in Paris!