Hester Street Fair mainstay Macaron Parlour has finally found a permanent home, serving up funky twists on the French treats from its flagship East Village store. Tucked under a St. Marks brownstone, the shop boasts a colorful array of brown sugar-baked macaroons, with flavors as varied as classic pistachio to candied bacon with maple cream cheese, in addition to offering Blue Bottle coffee, giant cinnamon buns and other tasty delicacies.
Owners Christina Ha and Simon Tung (who are also a married couple) started the company in 2010; they opened the store earlier this month, and bake all foods on the premises. The shop has small space in the back outfitted with white tables and chairs for patrons, and a long glass counter in the front shows off the goodies, with a section reserved for teas, coffee and specialty drinks like homemade raspberry lemonade. And the macarons themselves are an ever-changing menu of unique options, like Earl Grey with milk chocolate ganache, a peanut butter and banana Elvis macaron, a S'mores flavor with a heavy, graham-cracker like crust and a cheesy Cheetos-flavored macaron for Halloween. Ha and Tung will also make custom flavors for special orders, and document their baking adventures on their blog.
Macaron Parlour is only open from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily, but Ha and Tung plan to expand their hours in the near future. Macarons are $2.50 each, with a box of six running $15, 12 are $28 and a large box of two dozen are $54.
111 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A, macaronparlour.com
