Le Macaron French Pastries

This Le Macaron was definitely not my Favorite.
I ordered several pieces of chocolate, and several macarons. The macarons were dreadfully dry. Like they were in the fridge or freezer too long. I didn’t get it. I’d rather have the macarons you can pick up in a box at Trader Joes to tell you the truth.
It is hard to understand the owners. They also hate questions.
It’s so close to home, and I’m always at Shops of Wiregrass, but this won’t even be the last place I go.

My sister bought one and I was hooked! It is delicious, I bought 4 for my wife and they last 4 days ;)
Happy stomach, happy wife and happy life!!!

I just dont get how one small piece of chocolate albeit good (it was passion fruit) should be justified at a couple dollars a piece.
My wife likes macarons, but I could careless. Iblove sweets, but it is not my thing. The two people working were okay, but not the most friendly.
For those who love sweets, chocolates, macarons, or looking for presents, it is here at Wiregrass.

Just got back from my second trip to Le Macaron and for the people complaining — they are crazy… and part of why Americans are seen as being so gauche. These are French pastries. The idea is not to stuff your face with as many as possible, but to slowly enjoy one or two with a coffee. They are expensive, but between the ingredients and the technique it takes to make them, I am MORE than happy to pay $ 2/​each for them! I went planning to get 8 macarons ($ 18) and grabbed an impulse buy — they had a tray of fresh pan au chocolat and chocolate twists. I got the twist… it was incredible! I won’t be coming super often — they are rich and I prefer them to just be a treat when I need one — but when I do go, I am totally fine with the price!

What have all my friends been talking about, this new macaron place that’s opened? A must try! The interior is very cute, very trendy. The variety of macarons are eye catching! A very picture worthy place. My favorite had to be the coffee macaron. The rose tasted like perfume. Some agree, some disagree. The lemon macaron was delicious, slightly sweet and tart. All of them had a beautiful vibrant color! I shared a chocolate gelato with my aunt, and a coffee. The coffee wasn’t too strong black, but didn’t have a roasted flavor so it was better accompanied with sugars and cream. This is a very cute place to bring your family, friends or a date! The service was friendly as well. The lady behind the counter was very patient with me while picking out the flavors! The packaging is adorable and it’s something you need to check out if you’re in the area! I will soon bring my sister along for her to try and write her own review! (:

Very nice love it ! The rasberry one is the best! And coconut is really good too. My sister loves them too.

FYI macarons and macaroons are two TOTALLY different cookies! Don’t confuse them!
I’ve always wanted to try a macaron after hearing all this hype about it for the past few years. I finally got a chance yesterday as I just happened to be in the area and made a note to stop by the shop. As soon as I stepped foot in the shop, I felt giddy bc oh my goodness this whole little shop is just adorable! I LOVE their décor, as if their little macarons were not already cute enough by themselves! Very French, classy, and I felt like I stepped into an authentic French patisserie. However, as someone else has mentioned, it doesn’t appear that they make any of the delectable treats on site. «Le Macaron French Pastries» also appears to be a franchise bc a quick search on Unilocal shows several other locations at the International Mall, Citrus Park, Westshore, and Clearwater.
The store owner welcomed me with a friendly «Bonjour!» as I attempted to speak to him with the little french that I knew, so that was fun! The shop was empty when my friend and I arrived, so I had the owner’s full attention to myself. Apparently it’s run by him and his wife, who was the one responsible for the beautiful interior design. She had stepped in and out of the shop during the time we were there, greeted us, and was friendly. The couple would speak to each other in their native language in the background periodically, so that was kind of cool and added to the French ambiance.
I figured my visit wasn’t going to be cheap, but as this is my first time experiencing these little bits of heaven, I really have no price point for comparison and had anticipated to splurge a bit. I wasn’t sure if you could really purchase by individual macarons (apparently you can based on a previous review — $ 2.30ea), but I knew I wanted to try a variety of flavors anyway so it didn’t quite matter to me at the time. A quick glance at their price board lists a box of 6 macarons as the smallest variety for $ 13.80, so I went with that to start my macaron experience. I can be indecisive, so the owner was very helpful with making my decisions for the «chosen 6.» I decided on passion fruit (owner’s personal fav), hazelnut/​Nutella, pistachio, mint, rose, and coffee. They were all beautiful, lightly crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and deliciously sweet! However, calculating now, it seems like ordering more in quantity didn’t save me any versus purchasing just a few as you might think. It looks like you’d have to purchase at least a box of 8 to start saving at least a little on the price per macaron.
I enjoyed my experience and time there. My friend and I stuck around just chit chatting in their lounging area for a good couple of hours. I think you have to keep in mind that these macarons aren’t like any other cookies and you don’t just eat them — you must savor them with every little bite you take to make it worth your while and experience the flavor. I had 3 of the macarons while we were at the shop, and then saved the other 3 for the next day and they were still just as good! I wouldn’t be too quick to come back because it’s such an expensive dessert, but I would definitely come back in the future to treat myself or perhaps gift to someone.

I concur with Angel S’s review below in that the individual working there was not helpful at all and displayed haughtiness. I have seen numerous places in the Tampa area eventually close down due to not understanding the value of customer service, and I think that this joint will follow suit. The two chocolates that I did have were great but just imagine all the more that I would have purchased if they showed at least some interest in me as a customer. Tools I tell ya!

I went to this new place at the Wiregrass Mall more out of curiosity than anything else.
The shop is nice and simple, clean and empty except for a young lady getting some espresso .Upon entering I wasn’t greeted right away the owner was too busy checking out the girl buying the espresso. I interrupted him and asked him how much those little 2 inch circles cost. He said with a bit of arrogance that they were $ 2.30 each which actually shocked me. To be satisfied you would have to buy at least 5 and that’s $ 11.50 plus Tax which would buy me a nice meal in most places in the Wiregrass Mall. I did not even order Coffee which would bring the cost to close to $ 15.00. If you plan on taking your family get ready to pay and it will be pricy at that. I purchased 2 pieces /​/​one was Pistachio and one was Raspberry and they were good but the satisfaction was not there, they went too fast. Like I said you need to buy at least 5 to get Happy. What a Shame. This café has it’s work cut out /​/​They need to pay Rent, Employees, supplies, and get the Macarons shipped to their store. They are not made on Premises which was obvious. They also sell Chocolates which are on the gourmet side but at $ 1.95 each i’ll get a box of Russell Stover at Walgreens and be just as Happy. Sorry to say but that space will be empty soon !!!

Very good pastries and their Gelato is just like the one I had when I went to France!

If I remember correctly, the exchange went something like this:
Me: Hey, there’s a new macaron place at the Wiregrass Mall. I’m interested in checking out. I saw it featured on some fitness blog the other day. You want to go?
J-​Fur: Baby, tired, Bruster’s, grumble grumble.
Normally J-​Fur doesn’t turn down sweets so I was a bit taken aback when my suggestion was met with resistance. I didn’t bother bringing it up again. Instead I decided to sneak off and visit the shop myself.
I entered Le Macaron French Pastries and immediately caught sight of a sign that said «Happy Macaron Day.» Hmm… perfect timing. The man behind the counter greeted me with a «Bonjour» and then proceeded to tell me a little about macaroons. He said they are the finest pastries that France has to offer, that they are little cakes made from almond with icing in the middle. He thanked me for stopping by on national macaroon day and then left me to peruse the desserts at my own pace.
At this point I turned my attention to the cases in front of me. One had all kinds of ornately designed chocolates, the other a bevy of colorful macarons. Seeing as it was national macaron day I ignored the chocolates and focused only on the macarons. There were so many different macaron flavors to choose from that I wasn’t even sure where to begin. I knew J-​Fur was into chocolate so I started there. I ordered a Belgian chocolate, sea salt and caramel, a passionfruit and dark chocolate and a raspberry. I was intrigued by the lavender and the basil so I asked for those two as well. Six macarons in all, totaling 13 dollars (Le Macaron is definitely not cheap). By the register, they had a display of Pan Au Chocolat so I got one of those for J-​Fur as well. All told, I spent seventeen dollars in Le Macaron.
I brought my bounty of desserts home and handed them to J-​Fur. She bit into the passionfruit macaroon and exclaimed «These are amazing. The macaroons I had in the past must’ve been really bad because I remember not really liking them.» So that’s where the resistance came from. J-​Fur wolfed down the remaining macarons and the Pan Au Chocolat.
The macarons were sweet but not overly so. The flavor of the cakes were subtle, enough to know they were there but not so much that it overwhelmed. This was especially important for the lavender and basil as too much of those would’ve been problematic (the basil was excellent, by the way). Inside, the macarons were creamy and offered just the right amount of icing. The cake part of the macaroon felt crispy on the outside but was super soft once you bit into it. I loved the variety of flavors that Le Macaron offered. There were options for the fruit, vanilla, coffee and chocolate lovers. There were also off-​the-​wall flavors like basil, lavender and rose for someone looking for something a little more adventurous.
I think it is safe to say that I won’t be returning to Le Macaron French Pastries… alone. J-​Fur is already planning her next visit (Black Currant anyone?).