Where to get Macarons
Mantovani 1946 ·
The French Baker ·
L'Instant Gourmand ·
Macarons et Madeleines ·
Sophie Bifield Cake Company ·
Urban Baking Co. ·
Art Is In Bakery ·
Patisserie Delice Royal ·
Maison Chalouin ·
Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana ·
Quelque Chose Patisserie
Comments
2012 Dec 16
Just a suggestion to New User 5206 - If you want to complain to a business about their product or service, then you should complain to them. I can almost guarantee that they want to make you happy. You say you understand how these websites can harm a business (although I think the French Baker is safe), and yet you post a complaint on the site without giving the French Baker a chance to make it right.
2012 Dec 12
Disappointing
I would find myself to be Macaron obsessed!
I try to make it out to Paris yearly and when I get back I have major macaron cravings. Every city that I travel to I have to try one, I have been to nearly every reputable bakery in Toronto. While visiting Ottawa last week I took it upon myself to find a bakery, I came across The French Baker. The macarons them self didn't look that appealing so I only purchased 3 (raspberry), I did feel that I was ripped off $9 for 3. However I didn't become upset until I got back to the hotel to eat one, I do not lie I couldn't even bite into it! After numerous attempts to snap it I finally did and it was foul, I feel I was sold Macarons that had been sat there for over a week.
I own my own small business and know how websites like this can harm someone, so I don't mean to write this in bad taste (pardon my pun) but I think it is important for a company to take customer complaints in.
I apologize if this upsets people but I do want to issue my complaint
I would find myself to be Macaron obsessed!
I try to make it out to Paris yearly and when I get back I have major macaron cravings. Every city that I travel to I have to try one, I have been to nearly every reputable bakery in Toronto. While visiting Ottawa last week I took it upon myself to find a bakery, I came across The French Baker. The macarons them self didn't look that appealing so I only purchased 3 (raspberry), I did feel that I was ripped off $9 for 3. However I didn't become upset until I got back to the hotel to eat one, I do not lie I couldn't even bite into it! After numerous attempts to snap it I finally did and it was foul, I feel I was sold Macarons that had been sat there for over a week.
I own my own small business and know how websites like this can harm someone, so I don't mean to write this in bad taste (pardon my pun) but I think it is important for a company to take customer complaints in.
I apologize if this upsets people but I do want to issue my complaint
2009 Apr 25
Somehow at 2pm on a beautiful Saturday afternoon there were macarons left. Pistachio, strawberry and chocolate.
I've never had a macaron before so I have nothing to compare them to, but OMG - these were like little cookie/candy/cake (I can't decide what they are) sandwiches of heaven. I thought they were perfect and will be back for more.
I thought my favourite would be the chocolate, and it was very, very good - but actually I preferred the delicate nut flavour of the pistachio variety; and amazing strawberry-ness of the strawberry (they must use real strawberries in these).
I've never had a macaron before so I have nothing to compare them to, but OMG - these were like little cookie/candy/cake (I can't decide what they are) sandwiches of heaven. I thought they were perfect and will be back for more.
I thought my favourite would be the chocolate, and it was very, very good - but actually I preferred the delicate nut flavour of the pistachio variety; and amazing strawberry-ness of the strawberry (they must use real strawberries in these).
2009 Mar 18
I recently tried a macaron from The French Baker, and sadly, I wasn't impressed. The found the outer crust not delicate enough, and the meringue on the inside not chewy enough. There wasn't a fine balance between the two, and the one I had frankly did not have a lot of taste. I also bought one for a friend who had never tried macarons before (I rave about macarons to him all the time), and actually ended up eating it myself because I didn't want his first experience to be a mediocre one.
2008 Dec 1
I went in Monday after lunch for a little pick me up alongside the baguette for dinner.
I picked up a hazelnut macrons, not entirely sure what I was getting into, also not entirely sure when "hazelnut" came out of my mouth why I hadn't said "Chocolate".
Turns out, I was in the mood for hazelnut, I just didn't know it at the time. As cinderella said, the outside is crisp, but not crunchy--more flaky, and the filling is sweet and creamy, with lots of moist, nutty flavour :) They were definitely delicious, and I will be back for more!
I picked up a hazelnut macrons, not entirely sure what I was getting into, also not entirely sure when "hazelnut" came out of my mouth why I hadn't said "Chocolate".
Turns out, I was in the mood for hazelnut, I just didn't know it at the time. As cinderella said, the outside is crisp, but not crunchy--more flaky, and the filling is sweet and creamy, with lots of moist, nutty flavour :) They were definitely delicious, and I will be back for more!
2008 Sep 27
i had the hazelnut; i'm sorry to say that i wasn't that impressed. too chewy, and the visual texture was rather lumpy. lots of sweet creme filling.
since this was on a thursday evening, i will go back on sunday morning for a retry. they only had four flavours when i went (lemon, orange, hazelnut, and a pink one which i don't remember); i was told the bakers are there on sunday mornings so i'll pounce them then...
since this was on a thursday evening, i will go back on sunday morning for a retry. they only had four flavours when i went (lemon, orange, hazelnut, and a pink one which i don't remember); i was told the bakers are there on sunday mornings so i'll pounce them then...
2008 May 28
I went out and bought some two weeks ago after seeing this post. Wow, I'm no macaron expert, but these were exquisite! The exterior is crispy, and the filling is just sweet enough, with lots of flavor! I had one hazelnut, one lemon, one raspberry and one pistachio.
Went back this morning, and they also had chocolate and orange. Picked up one of each. They are absolutely delicious!
Went back this morning, and they also had chocolate and orange. Picked up one of each. They are absolutely delicious!
Older
2014 Aug 27
Update...
I stopped by there this afternoon and they have NOT yet opened, so I do not know what New User 5965's rant was about. There were two people in the place, both workmen. I did ask if they knew it would be opening and they said they had no idea. I also wonder if the person New User was speaking to was actually the owner or one of the workers. Oh, and by the way, since they have not yet opened, there was, not surprisingly, nary a macaron or any other edible is sight.
I stopped by there this afternoon and they have NOT yet opened, so I do not know what New User 5965's rant was about. There were two people in the place, both workmen. I did ask if they knew it would be opening and they said they had no idea. I also wonder if the person New User was speaking to was actually the owner or one of the workers. Oh, and by the way, since they have not yet opened, there was, not surprisingly, nary a macaron or any other edible is sight.
2014 Aug 26
New User 5965,
I had not realized that they had opened. I will say that "the baker" as you call him, has always been very pleasant to deal with and will go out of his way to accommodate special requests. I find your experience completely the opposite of what I and I daresay many others, have experienced. I also see that it is your first post and look forward to reading about your more positive reviews.
I had not realized that they had opened. I will say that "the baker" as you call him, has always been very pleasant to deal with and will go out of his way to accommodate special requests. I find your experience completely the opposite of what I and I daresay many others, have experienced. I also see that it is your first post and look forward to reading about your more positive reviews.
2013 Jan 12
After reading the WooKstah's review, I decided to try some macarons and bread.
This place is home based business, so it looks like someone's private house, but just open the door and get inside!
Maple Walnut (brown), Chai Tea w RaisinGreen), and Raspberry w Mint Chocolate(red).
It is easy to make macaron shells which look perfect from the outside, but I know it is very difficult to make macaron shells without hollow air bubbles inside.
All three macaron shells were perfect. Outside is shiny egg shell and inside is moist, dense and chewy. My favourite is Maple walnut most simple one, you can taste almond very well. Chai macaron tasted like nothing but real chai tea, raspberry one is sweet and sour raspberry with bitter ganache with hint of mint.
$1.75 per macaron is very reasonable for this quality.
This place is home based business, so it looks like someone's private house, but just open the door and get inside!
Maple Walnut (brown), Chai Tea w RaisinGreen), and Raspberry w Mint Chocolate(red).
It is easy to make macaron shells which look perfect from the outside, but I know it is very difficult to make macaron shells without hollow air bubbles inside.
All three macaron shells were perfect. Outside is shiny egg shell and inside is moist, dense and chewy. My favourite is Maple walnut most simple one, you can taste almond very well. Chai macaron tasted like nothing but real chai tea, raspberry one is sweet and sour raspberry with bitter ganache with hint of mint.
$1.75 per macaron is very reasonable for this quality.
2012 Feb 16
It's funny that so many of the previous reviews also mention that it was M&M that first turned them towards the possibility of macarons being so delicious; that was exactly the case for me as well. My first macarons (not by M&M) were had at a charity event at the Museum of Civilization which confirmed my suspicious - they looked like plastic and tasted quite similar to plastic :P I then had some while I was in France, and they were definitely better, but I wasn't converted. Then, earlier this year I had Stephan's lavendar and vanilla macarons and I was blown away! They were incredible! I have since had I few flavours of macarons that I didn't enjoy as much (ie. rosewater) but I've also discovered their canelles and madeleines which I have to get whenever I'm in the store.
I'll admit, I've now developed an incredible biased towards Stephan's bakery because (a) most of everything I've tried has been delicious and (b) Stephan and his wife are just so friendly and undeniably likeable. I realize this is a food reviewing site, but sometimes you have to agree that the service itself makes a huge difference! Macarons and madeleines is truly a hidden gem in Ottawa :)
I'll admit, I've now developed an incredible biased towards Stephan's bakery because (a) most of everything I've tried has been delicious and (b) Stephan and his wife are just so friendly and undeniably likeable. I realize this is a food reviewing site, but sometimes you have to agree that the service itself makes a huge difference! Macarons and madeleines is truly a hidden gem in Ottawa :)
2011 Oct 31
Tried the macarons last week, on Saturday. Got 2-3 flavours, one of which was vanilla, which I tried, and loved. Never a big fan before of macarons, but these were great.
Oddly enough, the owners, who are very nice and proud of their establishments (as they should be, a beautiful shop on the main floor of what appears to be an old brick house, nice granite counters, wood cabinets, etc), they talked to us about all their creations, except madeleines. Perhaps they had run out.
Anyway, we got about 10 macarons and 2 almond croissants, which were also knockouts. Looking forward to visiting for more treats. Interesting neighbourhood too, nice old houses, and pretty peaceful and cozy once you walk a decent distance from Albert.
Oddly enough, the owners, who are very nice and proud of their establishments (as they should be, a beautiful shop on the main floor of what appears to be an old brick house, nice granite counters, wood cabinets, etc), they talked to us about all their creations, except madeleines. Perhaps they had run out.
Anyway, we got about 10 macarons and 2 almond croissants, which were also knockouts. Looking forward to visiting for more treats. Interesting neighbourhood too, nice old houses, and pretty peaceful and cozy once you walk a decent distance from Albert.
2010 Dec 24
Urban Baking Co. is a home-based business run by Wendy Raoux in Kanata. She specializes in petit carrés and French macarons.
I have only tried her 3 flavours of French macarons - Red Boyne Raspberry, Dark Chocolate and Bartlett Pear & White Fig. I did like them and think they would make great gifts.
The prices on the macarons range from $1.53 to $2.00 each depending on the quantity you buy.
If you want to read more and see pictures, feel free to stop in at my blog.
ottawafood.blogspot.com
I have only tried her 3 flavours of French macarons - Red Boyne Raspberry, Dark Chocolate and Bartlett Pear & White Fig. I did like them and think they would make great gifts.
The prices on the macarons range from $1.53 to $2.00 each depending on the quantity you buy.
If you want to read more and see pictures, feel free to stop in at my blog.
ottawafood.blogspot.com
2011 Mar 24
In light of yesterday's adventure to get a macaron from French Baker, I thought I would stop by Art-Is-In this morning to get a six pack for a friend's birthday and to compare their raspberry to the one I had yesterday (on the recommendation of a friend).
I was disappoint. The exterior was crunchy and crumbled all over when I bit in: no delightful chewiness. Neither the filling nor the cookies taste like much of anything, except sugar.
I'm hoping that the gift box fares better with my friend and that this was only a matter of taste. :S
I was disappoint. The exterior was crunchy and crumbled all over when I bit in: no delightful chewiness. Neither the filling nor the cookies taste like much of anything, except sugar.
I'm hoping that the gift box fares better with my friend and that this was only a matter of taste. :S
2010 Jun 17
I work in Hull and every Thursday during the summer there is a market on Laval street.
This is the first summer that there has been an Art-Is-In stand - so fun!
I bought a package of 6 macarons for $10 - 2 chocolate, 2 strawberry and 2 pistachio.
I haven't eaten any of mine yet but I did taste a pistachio that they had samples of and it was really tasty. Crunchy on the outside and moist and gooey on the inside.
Can't wait to dig in to the rest tonight :)
This is the first summer that there has been an Art-Is-In stand - so fun!
I bought a package of 6 macarons for $10 - 2 chocolate, 2 strawberry and 2 pistachio.
I haven't eaten any of mine yet but I did taste a pistachio that they had samples of and it was really tasty. Crunchy on the outside and moist and gooey on the inside.
Can't wait to dig in to the rest tonight :)
2010 Aug 20
Patisserie Délice Royal now carries macarons from "Boutique Point G" in Montreal www.boutiquepointg.com/.
They are comparable to those from the French Baker however they have more variety of flavours. I've twice gotten a box of 6 (very nice box design that keeps them from touching each other and moving around)for $9 tax included.
Flavours I've tried and liked... you could even say loved:
-pistachio (always my go-to test for a good macaron)
-chocolate coconut
-gingerbread
-hazlenut
-maple
-caramel fleur de sel
-Madagascar vanilla
Flavours I've tried and didn't like:
none
They are comparable to those from the French Baker however they have more variety of flavours. I've twice gotten a box of 6 (very nice box design that keeps them from touching each other and moving around)for $9 tax included.
Flavours I've tried and liked... you could even say loved:
-pistachio (always my go-to test for a good macaron)
-chocolate coconut
-gingerbread
-hazlenut
-maple
-caramel fleur de sel
-Madagascar vanilla
Flavours I've tried and didn't like:
none
2009 Apr 6
Macarons were too soggy and broke very easily, even in the box. They were melty, the meringues not crispy and it was very watered down.
I liked the mango and maple ones the best, the lavender one was okay, and I did not really like the rum one due to the strong rum taste and the banana one because it seemed too synthetic.
Pricy macarons, I wouldn't buy them here anytime soon. :(
I liked the mango and maple ones the best, the lavender one was okay, and I did not really like the rum one due to the strong rum taste and the banana one because it seemed too synthetic.
Pricy macarons, I wouldn't buy them here anytime soon. :(
2009 Mar 24
Hmm, that doesn't seem to be the experience I had, but the ones I tried were back in November. Did they say how fresh they were? It could be the ones you had weren't freshly made, but it's still not good to leave them there if they're not at peak freshness. (They did tell me it's been a slow climb to sell them since so few of their clients even know of what macarons are.) Perhaps if you return, you can ask when the current macarons were made. I'll try to return soon and get some again and compare with my previous experience. It would be a shame that so many other of their products would be of excellent quality and these fall by the wayside.
2009 Mar 19
I bought eight of those when I first visited Maison Chalouin. I was pretty excited to try them, since I have been trying out every macaron I can find in Ottawa and Montreal.
Sadly, these were beyond disappointing. The meringue was stale, it was also severely cracked, and the flavors were pretty bad. I tried raspberry, lemon, tiramisu and mango. Mango was somewhat better. The lemon one tasted like I had bitten into a lime, far too acidic. And tiramisu didn't taste anything like tiramisu, but like the ganache had been forgotten in booze. For 8, the total came us to almost 15$. La Maison du Macaron in Montreal is still the unbeatable place in my book. For a quick fix, I like the French Baker.
Sadly, these were beyond disappointing. The meringue was stale, it was also severely cracked, and the flavors were pretty bad. I tried raspberry, lemon, tiramisu and mango. Mango was somewhat better. The lemon one tasted like I had bitten into a lime, far too acidic. And tiramisu didn't taste anything like tiramisu, but like the ganache had been forgotten in booze. For 8, the total came us to almost 15$. La Maison du Macaron in Montreal is still the unbeatable place in my book. For a quick fix, I like the French Baker.
2009 Mar 18
Similar to some of the modern French macarons, using their own recipe and made in-store. They gave me a few samples since I had never had a macaron before. Yeah, definitely made a few sales from that.
Very light mousse in the middle, definitely melt-in-your-mouth. The meringue seemed of excellent consistency, but it's not something I get very often. While they may not be the best ever, there seems absolutely nothing wrong with these!
Flavours vary depending on what they can have the time to do; some seen are mango, lavender and tiramisu.
Price: $9.74/100g, though they don't say how many that can make. I think it's around 8-10.
(Also shown is their creamy and very bendable nougat bars.)
Very light mousse in the middle, definitely melt-in-your-mouth. The meringue seemed of excellent consistency, but it's not something I get very often. While they may not be the best ever, there seems absolutely nothing wrong with these!
Flavours vary depending on what they can have the time to do; some seen are mango, lavender and tiramisu.
Price: $9.74/100g, though they don't say how many that can make. I think it's around 8-10.
(Also shown is their creamy and very bendable nougat bars.)
2009 Oct 24
It being the first time I've tried macaroons, I can't comment on how authentic they are. I sampled the white chocolate, pistachio, caramel, chocolate, and pumpkin spice flavors.
Incredibly tasty (although the caramel was not to my liking, the filling was almost as thick as the batter) with rich creamy filling and crispy exterior. A bit stale, but we got there later in the day and there were only a few remaining. I can only imagine how they'd taste fresh!
We also picked up a fruit tart and a mini cake, which will be sampled after supper. If they are half as tasty as they look, they'll be incredible.
Edit: I've gone back a few times, and I have to say, their pumpkin spice macaroons are definitely their best!
Incredibly tasty (although the caramel was not to my liking, the filling was almost as thick as the batter) with rich creamy filling and crispy exterior. A bit stale, but we got there later in the day and there were only a few remaining. I can only imagine how they'd taste fresh!
We also picked up a fruit tart and a mini cake, which will be sampled after supper. If they are half as tasty as they look, they'll be incredible.
Edit: I've gone back a few times, and I have to say, their pumpkin spice macaroons are definitely their best!
2008 Oct 4
i'm sadly disappointed!
i had the chocolate and pistachio;
the ratio of biscuit to filling was rather low, the batter was lumpy, and the texture was -very- chewy.
the pistachio had slightly more crisp, but i think only because of an air pocket. less chewy.
i don't mean to be a macaron snob, but it's just all wrong.
1.45$ + tax, each
i had the chocolate and pistachio;
the ratio of biscuit to filling was rather low, the batter was lumpy, and the texture was -very- chewy.
the pistachio had slightly more crisp, but i think only because of an air pocket. less chewy.
i don't mean to be a macaron snob, but it's just all wrong.
1.45$ + tax, each
warby
The Linzer cookie in the background was superb.
Everything I've had at Mantovani—from the gelato to the coffee to the pastries—is absolutely top notch. The ambience is top of class too, which helps justify the prices...
A most welcome alternative in a city saturated with more rustic pastry shops.