Macaron Bar

Love the place and the macarons are so good remind me the taste of Paris.

These macarons are everything. These cookies will melt in your mouth and bring tears to your eyes. The cookie itself is light and airy, the filling is sweet, yet dynamic. You will be handsomely rewarded for trying flavors that you wouldn’t normally try. For example, the Earl Grey macaron is reminiscent of the tea, but not too strong or too sweet. I recommend.
One possible downside – at least at the OTR location – is it’s not really a sit down and chill out kind of place. More of a grab-​and-​go.

I have been to Macaron Bar many times. My wife and I have taken macaron making class there and it is a very professional and customer service driven business. Located in the quickly growing Over-​the-​Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati, it is one of the jewels of the area. Now, you will pay for their complex, gourmet flavored delicacies, but what you get is one of the most unique and tasty cookies you will find anywhere.
For those unfamiliar with the macaron, this is not the almond, coconut cakey cookie people think. These are highly technical, shiny topped, flavorful ganache filled treats of pastry chef lore. You are greeted on approach by a timeless tile inlay that says «Family». Beyond is a modern, clean and basic shop with an open view of their ovens and counters where all the magic creation happens. It is delightful and a place I have taken and will continue to take my «family» because macarons are more that just a cookie. They are an art form for future generations to explore and enjoy and understand.

The Earl Grey was my favorite. I knew that just before I bit into it. I must have good memories associated with Earl Grey.
The Black Currant was the most interesting, the Matcha most extreme, and Raspberry most flavorful.
I don’t know much about macarons– I think this is the third time I’ve tried them– but I see why they are $ 2+. I don’t think I could make them this good at home.
I would have liked to see more variety in flavor: Goat Cheese perhaps, or Basil. Or Rosemary, I could like Rosemary. More herb flavors.
I digged the interior of Macaron Bar as well. Wood floor and brick wall, and white white clean everywhere else with the exception of some French Bakery red. And the lights were roundy globes hanging at different lengths like an upside down bouquet of– um, globe lights.

This is my second time here. I really enjoy the service there! The macaroons are nice and it has different texture. It’s chewy, but it has the flavor and it’s not too sweet as other shops.
Best flavors I love are: rose and pistachio. Although they were sold out today! And the ladies there are very sweet
Also their coffee is good
Yes it’s must go shop in Cincy
Update: can’t stop loving this place. Their service is always great. Sarah today provided me with great service.

I originally wrote a review saying that I liked Macaron Bar’s macarons, but couldn’t see myself coming here because of the price ($ 2/​cookie). While I still maintain that their prices are high, after taking their macaron making class (which, btw, I would 100% recommend to any other foodies out there or people that are passionate about baking!), I understand the labor of love that it takes to make these little treats, and the high price tag makes a lot more sense.
Making macarons is not easy ya’ll. Especially making them as beautiful as the ones at Macaron Bar. The class alone took us almost three hours, so I can’t imaging how much work goes in to making these every day. Plus, I often see the owner in the back cooking up a storm, so you know they’re making these by hand.
Now as far as flavors, some of them are better than others. My favorites are the salted caramel, pistachio, raspberry, passion fruit, seasonal gingerbread, and seasonal pumpkin spice. Their chocolate, vanilla, and tea macarons are more mild and don’t pack the flavor punch of their fruit or caramel ones. My favorite thing about Macaron Bar’s macarons though are the texture of the cookie… So crunchy but chewy, it really is a one of a kind dessert.
Macarons are definitely a treat and not something that I eat every time I’m craving sweets. But every once in a while, it’s lovely to enjoy something that is just as beautiful as it is tasty. Plus my husband knows they make perfect presents (I would much rather have a box of macarons than a bouquet of flowers!).

Thank you Macaron Bar — my macarons are no longer an embarrassment! I’ve been here a few times, both to sample their delicious offerings and to take the macaron-​making class. Their store front is clean and simple, the only real pops of color being the original artwork (which is for sale, by the way) and those delicious little gems of cookies. Well-​played, Macaron Bar.
They offer 13 flavors — 12 that are always the same and 1 they switch out seasonally. I’ve had all the regular flavors and a few of the seasonal and loved them all. My favorite though is Passion Fruit, followed by Lemon. Also noteworthy is the Earl Grey and Salted Caramel. Who am I kidding?! They’re all fabulous!
The class was sooooo fun! I learned all the things I’d been doing wrong and managed to turn out some pretty great macarons, if I do say so myself, thanks to their excellent instruction. The class was about 3 hours in total with a break about halfway through. They had us all make our own wafers, then divided us up into groups to make the fillings we then shared with the whole group so we all got variety. My husband and I did the class together the day before Mother’s Day and gave our cookies to our moms. They absolutely loved it!

I really wanted to like Macaron Bar. It’s a cute little shop on Main in OTR and the concept is neat af. The little cookies look delicious and smell divine but I found a hard, sad fact: I don’t like macarons.
We arrived about 30 minutes before closing time, and they weren’t mad. Thank you for not being angry, because I know when I worked customer service it was one of the most infuriating things to me. Sarah and I each ordered 6 because we wanted to try all the flavors, and Michelle and Brittany split a six pack. I chose the chocolate, coffee, pistachio, salted caramel, vanilla, and raspberry. The cookie texture is something that I just won’t ever be able to get used to. It’s hard on the outside but chewy on the inside, kind of like having a biscotti with chewing gum! And to top it all off, I didn’t think the flavors were anything amazing. They weren’t necessarily nonexisistent, but it was just kind of bland for me. They didn’t satisfy my sweet tooth. My entire group agreed that the cookies left a lot to be desired.
I wish I could have enjoyed this place; it’s the type of shop I really root for. And luckily for the store, they seem to have quite a following. Unfortunately, I will not be one of them.

I did the macaron making class with three friends and it was a blast. We got a discount being a group of four and for being students, but even at full price it would have been worth it.
You learn so much in 3 hours. Making the macarons is an extremely hands on process and they demonstrate everything before you do it. Each pair makes the own batch and filling (you share the fillings to end up with 4 different flavors). Our batch made almost 4 dozen macarons, which we got to take home!
Everyone at Macaron Bar was so helpful and fun to work with. This class is great for anyone interested in baking or wanting a special thing to do with friends!

After a lovely lunch at a nearby restaurant in O-​T-​R my date and I decided to explore the rest of the neighborhood. We stumbled upon the Macaron Bar, which is in the middle of a block that appears to be going through some gentrification. As a big, BIG fan of macarons I was very, very excited this would be my dessert option.
Upon walking in the first things I noticed… Wowzers, it’s really bright in here! And hoooray for super cold air conditioning! The look to the MB is very minimal and lacking in color except for a few pops of color in the seating.
I decide upon the blackcurrant and the green tea macarons. We take a seat in bright red chairs and watch the construction workers outside the window.
Blackcurrant was up first. The texture of the macaron was spot on. The flavor was just ok. I try the green tea, and it was a total winner in my book! I loved it! Not too sweet. It for sure tastes like green tea… the chilled kind with sweetener. So yummy!
For spending only $ 4 on a dessert that I love, I felt this was worth the stop in. I would have taken a box home with me too if it weren’t so warm outside that day.

After an exceptionally awful dinner in Newport, I needed something to wash away the taste and memory of that meal. Thank heavens the Macaron Bar was open! This was my first visit, but it won’t be my last.
Paul wasn’t real excited about the area where Macaron Bar resides, I work in Over-​the-​Rhine, so I felt completely comfortable. The Macaron Bar itself is shiny and pristine inside, which his quite a contrast to the exterior of the building. The gentleman who served us did just fine.
A macaron at Macaron Bar runs about $ 2.00. Before you get your knickers in a knot about the price, I suggest doing the following. First, look up a macaron recipe on Pinterest and you will see how complex they are to make. Second, try one!
Since there were three of us visiting, we decided to get a dozen macarons (that’s four a piece in case you were wondering). I chose the vanilla, passion fruit, lemon, and chocolate orange, which was the daily special. The passion fruit was by far my favorite. It was several bites of perfection. My least favorite was the chocolate orange because the chocolate was somewhat overpowering, making the orange difficult to discern.
Did I mention that I’ll be back?

Macaron Bar has perfected the french delicacy known as the macaron. I’ve had my fair share of macarons from my travels, and more often then not, the macarons aren’t quite right– they’re either stale, too sweet, too little filling, or have airbubbles. However, I’m happy to say Macaron Bar right here has avoided all of these setbacks– these cookies are a perfect balance of crispy, chewy, and creamy, all in one bite. The location and concept of Macaron Bar are also great additions to the culture of OTR.
A few notes on the price point– As many have posted, $ 2 may seem a bit pricey for a cookie. However, compared to the baking processes of other cookies, the macaron requires much more care and attention. There are so many little steps, from sifting almond flour to ensuring the air bubbles are out, to create a perfect macaron. Compared to many other places I’ve been, $ 2 is actually on the lower end of the spectrum.
A sleeve or box of macarons would be a great gift for a birthday, valentine’s day, or «just because.» A little goes a long way with these– definitely try them out!

Love the décor, love the macarons!
Best macarons I’ve had in Cincinnati thus far! I’ve tried them from Taste of Belgium and Bella Terra but Macaron Bar is my favorite. They have unique flavors and each macaron is $ 2. My favorite flavor was the Raspberry! That’s a pretty good deal for a macaron, and they’re decently sized!
A sleeve of 6 is $ 12. Worth the buy! Seriously, I’d take a sleeve of these babies over a bouquet of flowers any day! They come in a snazzy looking box too!
We came 5 minutes to closing time and they were very nice. Didn’t try to shoo us out or anything, and they were open to our questions. I’m so glad this place opened up!

I never got the hype about macaroons. I didn’t quite understand what was so great about them because in my mind they were just a small cookie. And cookies are delicious but they can’t be THAT great, right?
Wrong.
I am so glad my first taste of macaroons came from The Macaroon Bar. It’s in the most lovely part of town although it’s no secret Over the Rhine district is drool worthy and full of culture and amazing art. However I love the clean simplistic style of the inside of the Macaron Bar and we haven’t even got to the macaroons yet!
This place is great because they focus solely on macaroons so you know they’re going to be really good. They have amazing flavors although I stuck to a lemon and got a little more wild with a rose macaroon, I confidently think you could get any single macaroon and be so happy. They also have an assortment of teas and coffee to go with your treat.
My first bite of macaroon helped me completely understand the hype and I’m sad that I lived my life for so long without knowing the glorious treat of a macaroon from the Macaron Bar. Go here. Now.

A must-​see and oddly specific venue catering to macarons and macarons only.
For the life of me I can’t understand how a place like this can exist from a business model perspective, but hey, I’m gonna love it while it’s there. Not cheap, but not a bank breaker either– for two bucks you can get a tiny and insanely delicious cookie in one of a dozen flavors –and just when you think you’ve tried them all, they throw out something new, like Chocolate Orange Blossom (magnificent).
So far my favorite is Passion Fruit, but a wide variety is available including yummy Chocolate, an oddly perfume tasting Rose, and a couple of unexpected Tea flavors.
You’ll probably want to get a box of six for $ 12 or a dozen for $ 23 and then you’ll somehow woof them all down before the end of the night. It’s okay, nobody was looking!
Macaron Bar also offers $ 93 classes on Saturdays (that include all the macarons you make — like 36ish) and some excellent graphic design choices
Anyone else ever wonder why it’s not spelled macaroons? I feel like I should be calling them MacaRONs. What’s up with that?

Slight update: Last time I was there we ordered a box of 6 and 2 coffees. The carafe ran out of coffee on our second cup. The clerk said, Oh its out! Is that enough for you? Staring at my ¾ of the way full cup of coffee I thought, I didn’t want to be a bother, so I said yes, no problem. But honestly, the coffee isn’t cheap. And I didn’t pay 100% of the price to get 75% of the product o.0 I miss that clerk who gave me free macarons! Part of excellent customer service is going above and beyond. And mostly consideration in the form of anticipating a customers needs before they know it themselves. Aka, me staring at my non-​full cup of coffee. Iol Oh well! slight hiccup. still love the place!
The price is really scary for me even though it’s the average price for macarons. I would almost prefer to pay for macarons for half the size and half the price because the fun for me is trying all the different flavors.
I walked in on a very rainy day, and the parking and neighborhood was not so great, but I was determined to try these babies!
I tried all 13 flavors that were available. I got a box of 12 ($ 23) and an extra one $ 2 more. There is also a 6 pack box for $ 12. The website also says they give student discounts, I forgot to show my student ID. whoops, the clerk didn’t ask either. He also accidentally smooshed one of my macarons and gave me a free one on the house =]
Now that we’ve gone over pricing and portion; TASTE.
Green Tea and Chocolate Noir were the only 2 that didn’t impress me.
Raspberry, passion fruit, earl grey tea, and others were all very delicious!
I can’t tell if I’ll be back or not. It was a really cute place. Their macaron making class is $ 95

This is my second time eating a Macaron ever in my life. I’ve heard of it and wanted to know what this sweet dessert everyone is raving about.
I know most know what it is but those who don’t, a macaron is a drop cookie made of egg whites, sugar, usually almond paste or coconut, and sometimes a little flour. The first time I tried it was in Atlanta at a Paris Baguette– a specialty baked goods store. The flavor was caramel and it was okay. It was a bit stale.
When I heard there would be a macron bar opening up downtown, I had to check it out myself.
When I entered, a gentleman greeted me and was very friendly and helpful. There was many Macarons displayed and freshly made. It was so hard to choose.
You can either get them:
-$ 2.00 each
–6 piece box for $ 12.00
–Dozen for $ 23.00
I decided to just try three flavors since the last time I tried a macaron, it was bad.
I got:
–Caramel
–Praline
–Pistacio
My favorite was the Caramel!!! OMG! The taste just sat in my mouth and was so delicious! Now I wish I would have gotten a 6 piece box!!! :)
The Macaron bar is very spacious with seating. I love the retro décor! Besides Macarons, you can purchase beverages (coffee, tea, bottle/​can products and more).
After trying their product, I don’t think I want to eat them anywhere else but here.
An FYI, their macarons may contain nuts for those of you who have a peanut allergy and they are also gluten free.
A great addition to the Over the Rhine area!

The choices. Oh, my. The choices.
Fortunately, they make one very important decision for you: you’re getting macarons. So now that’s out of the way, good luck picking your flavors.
After discussing the options with the friendly man behind the counter, and asking him which were his personal favorites, I settled on a box of six: pistachio, Earl Grey, raspberry, salted caramel, hazelnut, and rose. Each was properly made and delicious, but the Earl Grey and the Salted Caramel were the stars of the box.
Speaking of the box, the packaging is beautiful. Modern and bright, with easy access to the goods. Sadly, the box isn’t big enough for six macarons. It was a huge disappointment to discover that some of my macarons had been crushed.
I will definitely return in the future, but I hope they work out the packaging issue. Pretty macarons are far more important than a pretty box.

I’ve only been here once so far, but it was a very happy visit! These are the best macarons I’ve had in Cincinnati.
(Taste of Belgium’s are really good, but small. Bonbonerie’s are fine, but not truly macarons.)
My husband and I came on a Saturday night after dinner at Nicola’s, just a few min before Macaron Bar closed. The store is bright and pleasant and surprisingly sparse. There are two alcoves for sitting and munching on your delicious cookies, but most of the space is behind the counter, reserved for the production of these delicate treats.
We ordered pistachio, dark chocolate, raspberry, and black currant (or something like that… a purple one). Pistachio is our favorite flavor and the one we use to measure all macarons against. Macaron Bar’s pistachio was quite good! In fact, all of the flavors were. And importantly, they had the right texture — a bit of crunch to the shell, then softer when you bite down and chew. (But still light! Not dense or brownie-​ish, like Bonbonerie’s.) You can taste a hint of the almond base, which is nice. And the fillings are neither too creamy nor too icing-​ish.
Next time — and there WILL be a next time — we’ll have to try our macarons with a cup of coffee.
Sidebar: The design nerd in me loves the typography, colors, and boxes, and how they all tie in with the branding.

A bakery dedicated to nothing but macarons?
I mean, how could this be anything but amazing???
When I stayed with family over the holidays in Northern Kentucky, I got to meet the Unilocal Cincy CM (Hi Cindy!) one morning for brunch. She mentioned that just down the street, a new bakery had opened up that we should try.
And really, she had me at «Macaron Bar.»
The clean and white shop isn’t very big, but considering it’s only selling one type of pastry — the delicate, French macaron — it doesn’t need much room.
The front had a few tables, and separating the seating area from where the macarons are made is the counter, which displays an array of the colorful cookies.
On my visit I got the six-​piece box for $ 12, and filled it with one each of the salted caramel, raspberry, pistachio, chocolate, vanilla and pumpkin (seasonal) macarons.
The salted caramel was my favorite. The mix of salty and sweet in such a delectable package really added complexity to the normal dainty macaron.
The raspberry and pumpkin were also stand-​outs.
I was also impressed with Macaron Bar’s packaging. The adorable blue and orange boxes give you such an adorable package to take home with you.
Macaron Bar, please open up a location in Louisville! I would love you forever!