Francois Payard Bakery

A pale reflection of the past glory. FPB used to be a great place. Apparently no more.
Bought some croissants in the early afternoon on June 8. When I opened the bag at home, I found stale — I mean really STALE, possibly 2 days old croissants. Never experienced anything like that at an upscale city bakery, and do not want to ever experience it again.
Did it become a tourist trap, so many of them around Columbus Circle?
Next time will go to Balthazar.

The pastries are great as well as their coffee but the manager has been so rude everytime I have been there (the dark skinned older man who’s only there once in a while I’m guessing he’s the manager?) he acts like he is above everyone else. There was once instance I had a year ago where he yelled at me for taking two Splenda and didn’t order, which is understandable but I didn’t go back there because of it. Today when there was a line waiting to pay he did not acknowledge myself nor anyone else while we were patiently waiting at the register. I wanted to buy a ice cream macaron and the fridge where they are is right in front for everyone so I thought that you can just grab it yourself and instead of saying «excuse me» HE SHUT THE DOOR ON MY HAND and then continued to ask what I wanted. I also proceeded to be polite and say thank you after my I ordered and he did not say a word. Needless to say I will be now going to Maison Kayser bakery across the street. Very disappointed with this manager.

Baked goods were mediocre at best. Service was nonexistent. I was basically ignored and had to flag someone down to make an order because none of the people working behind the counter would make eye contact. I work up by Lincoln center and have been looking for a new bakery in the area. This place is sadly not the answer. Better off just going to whole foods in time Warner, since that’s what I could compare the quality to.

The new Cheese cake it’s amazing!!! Totally make my day! And you can’t miss the weekend special Napoleon, I don’t like dessert are too sweet, but these two are perfect balace. I gotta say something when I saw somebody gave a bad review because he/​she receive free Macaron the service person wasn’t being nice. What do you expected from something free which they supposed charge you $ 2.50?

Macaroon is not bad. Purchasing a groupon deal with one box of 12 macaroon. Pistachio is the best, and overall, all macaroon tasted good. Staff is friendly, and the display of pastry and dessert look yummy. I will come back to try more!

Bought the L’Ecureuil for my BF’s bday. Nice blend of flavors and textures. Highly recommend.

This review is not for food but crap attitude. It’s also a message to merchants using Groupon.
Got a $ 35 Groupon (half-​off) for a box of macarons. Voucher stated to order «at least» 24 hours before pickup. Called day of expiration to order and was told it was too late because pickup would be after expiration. Tried explaining Groupon expiration dates are for when you buy, not when a product is delivered/​picked up. Plus given that vaguely worded «at least,» I could have called three days earlier and still missed some arbitrary cutoff.
Groupon refunded me. But the point here is that merchants using Groupon to attract new customers should not be quibbling dickheads. Why would I spend money at Payard now?

After wandering around Central Park for the afternoon we decided to have an ice coffee and some treats. This was the first hot day in April and CPW was incredibly busy in all directions.
We shared 4 macarons, lemon tart, and a chocolate eclare. The macarons were perfect in texture and not too sweet. The caramel macarons were my favorite. The lemon tart was well balanced with tartness and sweetness. I was impressed with the quality of their desserts.

Now I know why this store has only 3.5 stars and a few ratings for every location it has. The pastries were really mediocre as to such an unfriendly pricing. And the service was not great, either, to compensate the average taste of their products.
It was Macron Day. I came here in the morning (around 10:00 am) to get their new Macaron Doughnut ($ 5.25) and a Napoleon ($ 4.75) and Blood Orange Éclair ($ 4.75), plus, of course, the free macaron.
When I was in line, I saw the pastries and cakes. I was a little shocked to find that they were of such small sizes. For example, the opera cake, which was priced a t $ 5, was only ¹⁄₃ of my hand and I really have a small hand.
I had the Macaron Doughnut (only strawberry flavor) first. Very sweet. And the first taste that came to me was the sweetness from some eatable essence. It was both in the paste and cookies, which were supposed to be doughnut dough but didn’t taste as such. I wouldn’t associate them with doughnuts but, I’d say, soggy cookies. The couples next to me, both sides, didn’t finish their macaron doughnuts, and I can tell their disappointment from their expression.
The Napoleon made me happy after the disappointing «doughnut». It was not a traditional Napoleon cake, but 3 pastry sheets (crackers?) filled with vanilla cream. Although I didn’t quite like the vanilla cream (they were sweet, of course), I like how the flaky crackers got mixed with the cream. It also had coffee cream in it, too, and that bitterness enriched the whole eating experience.
The Blood Orange Éclair was the worst of the 3. It did has a strong orange fragrance at first, but the aftertaste was so miserable to me. I didn’t know what I was eating. Artificial sugar and color were the only words that jumped in my mind. The choux dough tasted soggy as well. I felt like it’s been in the case for at least 2 days.
Then it comes to the service part. I went to grab my free macaron and saw there were 2 kinds. I didn’t see the sign on the table about the flavors, so I asked the guy who were distributing macarons. He faked a smile, with his mouth shut, and didn’t say a word, but pointed his finger to the sign. Okay, I got it. There was a sign and we could just read what’s on it. BUT, as a salesperson, wouldn’t you mind just telling me what they are? A good salesperson not only answer a customer’s question, but also knows how to sell by giving more details on their product. It’s not a hit-​and-​run! I just think this is really unprofessional.
In a nut shell, I think this store doesn’t use much natural ingredients but artificial sweeteners and colors. The service was quick but short of professionalism in my opinion.

This FP is an unexpected treat. I have yet to find a better decaf coffee anywhere in the city. The staff is friendly and helpful. I particularly enjoy the quiche (a very good deal) and the soups. The music is also great. Fantastic playlist.
I’m not a big sweets person but their savory has never disappointed.

Pastries taste fabulous but i was disappointed with chai! I almost thew it away. I will give another try!
Another plus point, Its conveniently located in columbus circle and Central park area!

if u find yourself wandering around the streets of Manhattan in the summertime, it’s a good bet u need to cool down with a refreshing snack. there r about 5 François Payard Bakeries in the city which carries their famous Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches, regular macarons, n desserts.
this shop is located in Columbus Circle in the Midtown West area. it’s not a large shop, but it suffices for amount of items they sell. they also sell sorbets, sandwiches, n salads for the lunch crowd.
so the main reason we stopped by that day was, 1. it was sweltering n we were already feeling like we’ve begun melting under the sun. 2. we needed to get a taste of their famous Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich to c how good it is for ourselves.
I couldn’t wait to chomp down into my just ordered Coconut Mango Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich. (they have a few other flavors also.) n OMG. this was so good! I was really glad we stopped by to try this. the 2 macaron pieces were crunchy n flakey. the texture added to the softness of the ice cream. the coconut n mango flavors were very present also. if I’m around there again, I would try another combination of flavors.

The macaron icecream cakes were good. Kind of expensive for a macaron sandwich that I wouldn’t spoil myself with it.
Service, not so much.
I think they should allow us to sample an icecream just to see how it taste before spending money on it. But hey, that’s my two cents

I saw this bakery walking uptown from the MoMA; I had heard about their ice cream sandwiches and was curious about them so I decided to stop by to try one with my boyfriend. They only had two flavors left for the season; Espresso Brownie and Pistachio Raspberry so we got one of each. They are kind of small for $ 5 each, which is a bit disappointing. The Pistachio Raspberry one was really pretty, it was made of actual macaron for the shell, with a swirl of raspberry and pistachio for the ice cream. The Espresso Brownie one was not made of macaron, it was two brownies with ice cream in between. If they have macaron ice cream sandwiches, you would expect that the outer part would be Espresso macaron. They were nice to try, but it is not worth the price or the hype.

Came here to try the famous macaroon ice cream sandwich! I opted for the raspberry pistachio flavor and paired it with the croque monsieur, a gloried grilled cheese sandwich with ham. The croque monsieur was surprisingly filling and the macaroon ice cream sandwich was surprising small. The macaroon portion was great but I found the raspberry filling to be too sweet. The Columbus Circle location is great because you can enjoy your goodies in nearby Central Park. Try this bakery for French sweets and the ice cream sandwich if you haven’t.besides that, there are plenty of other baked goods like a wide selection of macaroons!

One the best hot chocolates in the city. I tried the City Bakery one but it was a BOMB, good to dip a croissant but not to drink. The one from Payard is perfect. The right amount of chocolate and water, super tasty and not that heavy.
Their croissants and pastries are as good as Maison Keyser’s so you can go to either place (right across the street).
The coffee is not good, super strong and burned. Stick to the hot chocolate and pastries

Another one of the places that I usually stop at at least one time or more when I’m in NYC. The first time in I was drawn in by the croissants that I was able to spot from the front window, they looked delicious and were reasonably priced compared to other places, and yes they were delicious. Once inside there are all sorts of pasties.
In addition to the pastries there are salad, sandwiches and a variety of quiches. A wonderful place to pick up lunch or a light dinner. I know everyone raves about macaroons, and they’re good, however don’t limit yourself to those. I also always get tempted by the last minute selections at the register, I’ve bought some of the chocolate and the occasional cookie too!

Francois Payard had been on my to do list for quite some time and I was finally in the neighborhood on a hot sunny day. Francois Payard is a bit hard to find, not exactly what I would call a hole in a wall but a modest bakery a short walk away from Columbus Circle and Central Park West. Francois Payard has an impression collection of macarons, pastries, sandwiches and a nice drink selection but I came here specifically for the macaron ice cream sandwich. They had 4 flavors: coconut mango, chocolate espresso, pistachio raspberry and salted caramel. I went for the pistachio raspberry. It came prepackaged in an adorable box and was about the size of my iPhone for about $ 6.
The texture was interesting, being prepackaged and frozen for a time prior to consumption the macaron cookie pieces had a strange texture to them — moist and dense, a strange contrast to the ice cream interior. The macaron shells were also overly sweet taking away from the tart raspberry and honestly I couldn’t even taste the pistachio. It was very pretty but just not that impressive.
They get points for creativity and presentation… but that’s about it.

Finally, a bakery with pastries that are better than what I can make at hone!
Hubby and I ordered a chocolate éclair and a pain au chocolate to share. Both were outstanding! The chocolate éclair had chocolate cream inside, chocolate ganache on top, and cocoa nibs on top on that. It was the perfect consistency and just the right amount of sweetness.
The pain au chocolate was flaky and perfectly baked. I could actually taste the real butter that was used to make it! Personally, I would have liked it to have more chocolate in it, but I devoured my half anyway. :-)
I know that we will go back here when we’re in town next time.

I got a Groupon for 12 macarons for $ 12! It was an unbeatable price for such wonderful macarons. They are not overly sweet and the flavor is unique. I really like the caramel, coffee and chocolate flavors. It is definitely one of the nicely made macarons place in the city.
I would like to try other pastries here as well!