tl;dr the hot chocolate is worth a visit for the choco-holic, but the highly touted macarons may be hit or miss
Macarons were toward the top of my list of must-try Parisian eats, and the 2 shops that seemed to top every list were Laduree and Pierre Herme. Of the two, Pierra Hermé swings toward larger with a more ambitious flavor lineup. The eponymous pastry chef opened his first shop in 1998 in Tokyo, followed by a store in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés. district in 2001. Since then, Herme has been hailed as "the Picasso of Pastry" by Vogue, and he even garnered the title of World's Best Pastry Chef in 2016 from The World's 50 Best Restaurants. Nowadays, there are plenty of locations across the world.
I first visited the outpost in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Wooden tables and woven chairs are nestled up to the matte black storefront. The warm oversized bulb lighting, red-toned patterns, and mosaic floor feel very 70s. The L-shaped display counter is decorated with pastries, macarons, and prepackaged sweets. Upbeat instrumental plays unobtrusively.
During our early morning arrival, I was surprised to find that traffic caused the pastry truck to run late -- a common occurrence, per the barista. Undeterred, our party opted for the Chocolat Chaud Viennois infermin Chocolad, a cappuccino, and a sampling of macarons. The hot chocolate was divinely rich and intensely dark chocolate-y without tasting too bitter. The cold foam on top added a pleasant creaminess. Meanwhile, the cappuccino was smooth, milky, and light, with a strong coffee flavor. Across the large, Italian-style macarons, I was impressed by the excellent, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Our collective favorite was the rose-forward Istaphan, which gradually evolved in flavors of raspberry and lychee. We also enjoyed the nutty Cafe, although it tasted heavy on vanilla and milkiness. Only the Jardin de Cassandre didn't do it for us; it wasn't particularly flavorful, and the minimal hint of blackcurrant outweighed any semblance of rhubarb.
Service was friendly enough, but the fare was notably expensive; our "meal" set us back nearly $30. While the hot chocolate was a winner, the highly touted macarons were hit or miss. While you may still be tempted to pay a visit to this reputable shop, I can't call it a must-try Parisian patisserie. read more