Discover the 6 best macarons in Chicago
Macarons seem to be everywhere these days!
But just a lucky few know exactly where to go to indulge in delicious, meticulously crafted macarons made and sold right here in the Windy City.
Come with us as explore the patisseries of Chicago for the best macarons in town!
Alliance Bakery & Cafe
Alliance Bakery in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood (pictured below) is a hipster bakery in an old-school setting. It offers a selection of unique flavors like pumpkin spice, balsamic fig, coconut lime and salted caramel.
1756 W. Division StreetPrice: $1.75.
La Fournette
La Fournette opened its doors in Old Town last summer – and they’ve been serving up fresh, authentic French breads and pastries ever since. Whenever I grab a fresh baguette, I order a few macarons too. They always have a good selection of flavors including chocolate, pistachio, coffee, raspberry-chocolate, hazelnut and cassis.
1547 N. Wells StreetPrice: $1.80.
Slurping Turtle
Slurping Turtle is a Japanese restaurant – not a place you’d typically associate with macarons. But you should. Its dessert menu includes some of the best and biggest macarons I’ve ever had. You can sample unique flavors like raspberry wasabi, yuzu, chocolate-sesame and caramel soy.
116 W. Hubbard StreetPrice: $2.25.
Ba Le
The banh-mi sandwiches are usually what attract the biggest crowd at Ba Le in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. But, on a recent weekend day, the macaron display case was mobbed with hungry dessert fans (pictured below). We rushed to get our hands on macarons in flavors like boysenberry, raspberry, coffee and pistachio.
5014 N. Broadway StreetPrice: $1.35.
Vanille Patisserie
I can never go to the Chicago French Market without stopping at the counter of Vanille Patisserie. The patisserie offers a large rotating list of traditional and seasonal flavors including PB&J, honey almond, green tea and lavender.
Chicago French Market131 N. Clinton Street
Price: $1.50.
Delightful Pastries
Owner Dobra Bielinski says macarons are one of the items that bring people into the doors of the three Delightful Pastries locations in Chicago – and makes them infinitely happy.
The European bakery offers an expansive selection of macarons in flavors like green tea jasmine, mango caramel and marzipan. You can buy them by the piece, pound or the platter!
1710 N. Wells StreetPrice: About $1 ($30 per pound)
Which is your favourite macaron-seller in the Windy City? Add to our list by commenting in the box below.
Image credits:1. Pierre Hermé salted caramel macarons, by Edward Kimber via Flickr.
2. Alliance Bakery, by Aimee Thompson.
3. Macarons from Ba Le, by Aimee Thompson.
4. Macarons, via Wikimedia Commons.
About the Contributor
Aimee Thompson
