The Best Macarons in Paris Based On My Personal Research
Along with croissants, pain au chocolat, and éclairs, macarons are a quintessential French treat that can be found all over Paris.
Macarons are sandwich cookies made of almond flour and egg whites with a ganache or buttercream filling. Due to their ingredients, macarons are naturally gluten-free.
Note that macarons are different from macaroons (the latter is a coconut cookie). Macaron is pronounced with a long “o”, while the o’s in macaroons are pronounced like spoon.
The most recent time I visited Paris (I’ve visited Paris 7 times, including a 3-month stint in college) was with my daughter who absolutely adores macarons. So of course, we took it upon ourselves to sample as many macarons as we could during our week in the French capital, in search of crowning a winner as the BEST macaron in Paris.
We tried macarons from the most famous bakeries and cafés, as well as many lesser known spots, and we found some real winners (as well as a definite loser!)
Methodology: To try to keep our results somewhat scientific, we mainly ordered raspberry (framboise), caramel (caramel), or pistachio (pistache) flavors at the different shops so that we were comparing the macarons themselves and not just different flavors.
We generally ordered 1-3 macarons, compared texture, flavor, and overall taste, noted the size and price of each macaron, and any unique flavors the shop offered.
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8 Best Macarons in Paris
For the rest of the post, we’ll discuss the different shops where we tried macarons, which ones we liked and would recommend, and which ones we thought weren’t good and you can skip.
To start, we’re comparing the two cult classic macaron shops: Pierre Hermé and Ladurée. When most people think of Parisian macarons, these two shops are usually the first that come to mind!
1. Pierre Hermé
Pierre Hermé is one of the most well-known names in Paris for macarons, and you can find locations all over the city. Pierre Hermé has a number of interesting flavor combinations, such as chocolate-passionfruit, or rose-litchi-raspberry.
For us, the flavor was good and the texture pleasantly chewy, but the cookies were just a little on the dry side.
Price: Depends on the number of macarons you purchase, but it starts at €3.60/piece (and goes down as the number of macarons goes up).
2. Ladurée
Ladurée is practically synonymous with Parisian macarons. While you can enjoy your macarons “to go” at many locations around the city, we stopped in at the Ladurée Café on the Champs Elysées, and… WOW.
This café was absolutely stunning. There’s a gorgeous dining room where you can enjoy a sit-down treat or meal, or you can just visit the takeaway boutique for macarons.
The Laudurée macarons struck a great blend between crispy crust, chewy cookie, and sweet filling. The raspberry was a little dry, but the others (vanilla, caramel, and pistachio) were fantastic.
And bonus – you can also order a delicious, savory meal or some of the best hot chocolate in Paris here as well.
Price: €3.50/piece
Ladurée vs Pierre Hermé: Which Cult Classic Macaron Is Better?
Personally, for both me and my daughter, there was no contest – while Pierre Hermé had more unique flavor combinations, we definitely preferred the macarons at Ladurée.
Ladurée has a cult following and I think it is deserved – these were some of my very favorite macarons in Paris.
3. Carette
Carette is an adorable Insta-famous cafe in Paris, that is particularly well-known for their delicious hot chocolate, but they also have a variety of pastries and desserts.
The macarons at Carette were solid and we quite enjoyed the raspberry, though it wasn’t as good as the ones at Ladurée.
Price: €3.80/piece
4. Maxim’s de Paris
Maxim’s de Paris is a delightful little chocolaterie boutique located in the Carrousel du Louvre, the shopping mall underneath the Louvre. This cute store has a large display of macarons in many flavors and the macarons are quite good! They have a nice, crispy crust, good flavor, and smooth filling.
This is a great place to grab a little treat after your visit to the Louvre or before heading out to the beautiful Tuileries garden (a favorite park in Paris).
Price: €2.40/piece
5. Maison du Chocolat
The Maison du Chocolat is also a chocolaterie boutique in the Carrousel du Louvre and is actually just across the hall from Maxim’s. They offer mostly combination flavors (such as chocolate raspberry, chocolate caramel, etc).
While that seems very fun, the Maison du Chocolat was actually one of our least favorite macarons – the texture was too soft and the chocolate flavor really overpowered in the combos. We got the chocolate-raspberry, and couldn’t taste the raspberry very much at all.
Between Maxim’s and Maison du Chocolat, I’d for sure go with Maxim’s.
Price: €2.50 per macaron/piece
6. A La Mere de Famille
A La Mere de Famille is a beloved chocolaterie in Paris with a very traditional and upscale look and feel.
We picked up a raspberry and a caramel macaron here, and the caramel in particular was excellent, with a well-pronounced caramel flavor without being too sweet. The cookies were chewy but not too soft, and the crust wasn’t quite as crackly as we wanted it to be, but overall, still a very solid macaron.
A La Mere de Famille has around 10 locations around the city, and I’ve visited several locations (Montmartre, Rue Montorgueil, Rue Cler). However, I think Rue Cler is a particularly fun location.
I always stop on this street before or after visiting the Eiffel Tower to pick up fixings to make my own picnic. I love hanging out on the Champs de Mars and admiring the Eiffel Tower while eating my picnic lunch – it’s a quintessentially Parisian activity.
Price: €2/piece
7. Le Valentin
Le Valentin is a delightful little tea shop serving sweet desserts and savory snacks. There are two locations quite close to each other – one on Galerie Vivienne, the other in Passage Jouffroy, both of which are pretty covered passageways and very charming hidden gems in Paris.
While there were only 5 macaron flavor options, they were all excellent – a light, crispy crust, chewy interior, and a solid flavor. This was actually one of my favorite macarons in Paris.
Price: €1.80/piece
8. L’Atelier Lea
L’Atelier Lea is a small, independent boulangerie in the Marais neighborhood. We popped in for a quick afternoon snack after visiting some of the free museums nearby and had to get the giant macaron stuffed with fresh raspberries and a light cream.
This is certainly not a “traditional” macaron thanks to the extra filling, but oh my gosh it was so good. The cookie itself was perfectly chewy with the requisite crisp, and the combination of the chewy/crispy cookie with the light cream and fresh, tangy raspberries was perfection.
Address: 129 Rue de Temple
Price: About €5
The One Macaron Shop I’d Recommend You Avoid
I hate to really lambast a business, but I’d highly recommend you avoid Paul, a chain boulangerie. This boulangerie (bakery) sells a variety of viennoiseries, patisseries, and coffee – the macarons are just a small part of the menu.
We ended up stopping at Paul several times out of necessity, because they are often located in train stations and we’d grab breakfast there while hurrying to make our trains early in the morning.
Every time, though, I was disappointed – the quality is not great, including their macarons. They have smaller macarons and giant heart-shaped macarons, which look super fun, but the texture is SO soft – too soft.
The Wrap Up – Which Macarons Were Our Favorites?
From the variety of macarons that I have tried, my favorites are:
- Ladurée: For both the macarons themselves and the absolutely beautiful Champs Elysées café
- Le Valentin: Really solid macaron in a charming location, and the best value
- L’Atelier Lea: A non-traditional but fantastic treat
We had a great time eating our way through Parisian macarons, and I’m sure you will, too. The good news is that a lot of boulangeries sell macarons, so you’ll have plenty of opportunity to try them while you’re in Paris!
