The Most Scrumptious French Macarons in London
The Most Scrumptious French Macarons in London
Here are the best places in central London to buy delicious macarons
Macarons. Macaroons. To-may-to. To-mah-to. No matter how you say it, these French pastries are a delight. So I’ve spent some time eating the best ones and have put together a list of the best shops to buy French macarons in London.
But why? Well, I pretty much always crave a macaron. I love their delicate meringue shells, and the promise of fillings inside. And they’re cute to boot. So, I thought there must be other macaron addicts in the city. And if this list helps just one person find their macaron soulmate, then it’ll be worth it.
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What is a French macaron?
Before we go through the best places to eat macarons in London, first we have to know what they are.
And it seems as though I’m not the only one in love with them, as the now-ubiquitous French biscuits are all over the city. You’ll find macarons as ice cream toppings, or as part of an afternoon tea at a fancy hotel in London.
So what are they? To put it simply, macarons are like a very delicate biscuit sandwich. They’re made of two shells and in between the shells is a filling.
The macaron shells themselves are made of meringue and ground almonds. And the filling can be anything you like, although buttercream is traditional.
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A map of where to buy the best French macarons in London
Down to business then. Here are the best shops to buy macarons in London:
- Laduree
- Pierre Hermes
- Cafe Concerto
- Yolkin
- Pierre Marcolini
- PAUL
Laduree
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For traditional macarons and other delicious cakes
Laduree is my favourite shop to buy French macarons in central London. They have a couple of branches all over the city, but I always end up at their Covent Garden store.
I recently tried the Laduree afternoon tea, which is served with your choice of two macarons. But between you and me, two macarons just doesn’t do it. When I’m deep in my cravings I need at least half a dozen of them.
And there are a bazillion flavours to choose from. Some are seasonal, but my favourites are the stalwarts. I love the delicately flavoured orange blossom macarons, or else the subtly fragrant rose ones. The coffee macarons are also a bit of a delight.
In terms of texture, macarons at Laduree are quite smooth, and have very little bite. They’ll dissolve in your mouth, so take your time with them.
My advice would be to rock up at a Laduree shop, order a couple of their best macarons, maybe a coffee to go, and take them for a walk around London. One step, one bite. And repeat. Yum.
Do Laduree offer macaron delivery in London? Big fat yes 😊
How much are the macarons at Laduree? You can buy a box of 6 macarons at a price of £19.20
Pierre Hermes
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For fancy macarons and intricate flavours
I always think of Pierre Hermes macarons as being just a bit too fancy for me – I guess it’s because the shops always seem hushed. And they’re not in the places that I am most often, so I haven’t tried too many of their macarons.
But (and it’s a big but), Pierre Hermes have some of the best French macarons in central London. And I really should go and get them more often. They’re very particular about how they make their macarons, using ‘liquefied eggs’ in the Italian meringue, and sourcing almonds from Valencia.
Pierre Hermes also have some very interesting flavours when it comes to their macarons. At the moment their flavours include hazelnut praline with crispy praline bits, rose and lychee, apple with mint and cucumber, and fig macarons with candied fig. See – they’re pretty fancy.
And when it comes to mouthfeel, the Pierre Hermes macarons are maybe even smoother than the ones at Laduree. They also seem a tiny bit smaller.
Do Pierre Hermes offer macaron delivery in London? You know it.
How much are the macarons at Pierre Hermes? You can buy a box of seven macarons at a price of £19.
Café Concerto
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For affordable macarons
Whenever I’m around the Green Park area I sometimes head to Café Concerto for their macarons. Café Concerto have some of the more reasonably priced macarons, and you can get a box without breaking the bank too much.
Although the macarons at Café Concerto are more affordable, they don’t come in as many flavours as some of the other shops in central London. So you can choose between vanilla, pistachio, chocolate, and salted caramel.
And when it comes to texture, these macarons have a lot more of a crumb than the ones at Laduree or Pierre Hermes. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing – they’re still very delicious, and they give you something a little different.
Do Café Concerto offer macaron delivery in London? Nope. Boo.
How much are the macarons at Café Concerto? You can buy a box of six macarons at a price of £9.
Yolkin
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For ice cream sandwich macarons
Have you ever wondered where to buy ice cream macarons in London? The answer is Yolkin. It’s a shop located in Chinatown, selling thick wodges of ice cream sandwiched between two macaron shells. And they’re scrumptious!
There are plenty of ice cream macaron flavours to choose from too, and favourites include snickers with banoffee, or lychee with earl grey tea flavoured ice cream. Yum.
When it comes to eatability (not a word but I’m rolling with it), the Yolkin macaron sandwiches are a bit more involved. So Yolkin give you a paper bowl and spoon with your order, both of which you’ll need to slowly enjoy your macaron sandwich.
Do Yolkin offer macaron ice cream sandwich delivery in London? Nope. Pft.
How much are the macarons at Yolkin? One macaron ice cream sandwich costs around £4.50.
Pierre Marcolini
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For macarons at Harrods
Like the macarons at Pierre Hermes, Pierre Marcolini is a very fancy macaron shop. Fancy pants.
Pierre Marcolini have a shop in Harrods and sell some of the prettiest pastel macarons in central London.
As well as the more traditional flavours, Pierre Marcolini also have some interesting new macarons. These include bergamot and lemon zest, which is like a softer, more intimate lemon flavour, and a blackcurrent macaron with milk chocolate ganache from Ecuador.
And in terms of chewability, the macarons at Pierre Marcolini are just as smooth as many of the others. They have a delicate crispness to the shell, that gives way to the most delicious melty interior. The fillings are equally good.
Do Pierre Marcolini offer macaron delivery in London? Yee….no. Have go to Harrods for their macs
How much are the macarons at Pierre Marcolini? You can buy a box of 6 macarons at a price of £15.
PAUL
For jumbo macarons
The macarons at PAUL come in two different sizes. The regular sized ones are the same size as everywhere else. But the magic is in the larger macarons. And if, like me, you have macaron cravings, then these jumbo macarons are the way to go.
You can choose between a couple of basic flavours which include vanilla, pistachio, and chocolate. My favourites are the pistachio macarons, which I enjoy with a cup of hot tea.
The big macarons at PAUL are hefty things, and have a distinctly thick and dense texture. The delicious chewability of the macaron shell comes from that stretchy mergingue and coarse ground pistachios. And in the middle is glossy pistachio buttercream. I usually order one and eat it in two sittings. And unlike other macarons, having just one of these is enough satisfy cravings. Good for the tum and the wallet.
Do PAUL offer macaron delivery in London? Not yet, although they do deliver some other cakes and patisseries. Watch this space.
How much are the macarons at PAUL? You can buy a box of 12 small macarons at a price of £12.95, and one jumbo macaron at £4.00.
So who makes the best French macarons in London?
Ah, now you’re asking. I’ll happily devour macarons from any of the above shops in London. But I do have to say that my favourites are still the ones at Laduree.
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Have you tried any French macarons in central London? Let us know which are your favourite on our Instagram.
Halal food note – please check with each bakery about the ingredients used in their macarons. The macaron shells shouldn’t have any ingredients that aren’t halal, but there may be differences in some of the fillings.
