Bisous Ciao

Great place to try all kinds of Macarons. Loved it and the staff was very nice and friendly. Prices are reasonable.

I really like how they have a few unique flavors such as black sesame and Thai iced tea. Since it was during their Happy Hour (3−6pm), which you can buy 2 get 1 free, I chose the black sesame, Thai iced tea, and my flavor flavor that I use to judge macarons, rose. They all taste just like the flavor describes! And it is not overly sweet. Also, at $ 2.75 a piece, not bad. It’s also a plus when you don’t have to wait in a long line for your treats

Everytime I visit New York I get incredibly depressed because I am reminded of how inadequate the macarons in San Francisco are.
And this time the point was doubly brought home. My sister knows that I love macarons and macarons are basically my entire reason for existing so for my birthday she had a box of macarons FLOWN IN from Lauduree in Paris. Not to be a total bitch, but I didn’t really love them. Instead, I dragged her along to BIsous Ciao and bought a jasmine tea macaron (TO DIE FOR I SWEAR), the lavender macaron (UNFFF) and a black sesame macaron.
She became an instant convert. Seriously.
We went back the very next day.
And the day after that.
And basically everyday until the end of our New York trip.
Just so you know, my sister doesn’t even like macarons.
But basically that is how life changing Bisou Ciao macarons are. They are crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, and subtle, delicious and creamy. And now I need to plan my next trip to New York so I can have MOARRR.

Macaron places are always the same on review apps — declaring which flavor is best. Here, it’s the Thai iced tea one. Tastes EXACTLY like you’re drinking one.
Get a million of these. They are really sweet, but just balance it out with a vanilla or rose macaron and you’ll be good!

I like the flowery macarons like rose, poppy and lavender! Most of the others however ran on the too sweet side, like salted caramel.
The store is cute and it’s one of the few dessert places that’s open late in the West Village.

I never noticed how many dessert spots were in this area! My sis and I were headed to a Unilocal event down the block and stopped by since we were a little early. Anyways, the happy hour sign caught my eye. Buy 2, get 1 free from 3−6pm!
The space is so bright, shiny and inviting. The colorful macarons and other delights were neatly displayed in the case. We decided on the pistachio, thai tea and salted caramel and it came out to $ 5.50.
So the flavors were definitely there, the thai tea being the most distinguished and my favorite of them all. The macarons were light and flaky on the outside but I found the fillings to be a tad too sweet and dense. These macarons were also on the smaller side. I wouldn’t pay $ 2.75 each for these but the happy hour is a decent deal if you just want a lil’ somethin’ to satisfy your sweet tooth.

I passed by this place twice before finally giving in to temptation and going in.
The goal: to buy some macarons
The hope: that they would be as good as or second place to laduree
The disappointment: they are not comparable to laduree macarons… They are not.
I bought 3: the lemon, almond and black sesame.
The display of the macarons was impressive: every color and flavor imaginable splayed out in a rainbow before you… Half of the store’s space is dedicated to this long display case for the macarons…
In general this place is a pretty, aesthetic and inviting place.
But the macarons are not so good. They need to rework the recipe for the filling because it is dry and solid in the center like a white block of sugar. I think they put too much sugar not enough butter. Something is off. And it ruins the cookie entirely.
In any case I threw mine out after 2 small bites.
Sadly.
Out of the 3 I liked the black sesame the most!
They have other things besides macarons so if I pass by again I may try something else and give it another try.

Not the best macaroni we ate, also wasn’t fresh, if you already there and have to decide take the sesame macaron :/

I really enjoyed Bisous Ciao. So much we came back on our 5 day trip. The macarons were excellent and the coffee was great too. If you buy a coffee, they will give you a free macaron. My personal favorite was the lavender but we tried 6 or 7 flavors and they were all very good. We also spoke with the owner and he was very friendly and passionate about the ingredients of the macarons. We were told by the other barista that his wife makes them all at the other location.
I would recommend if you are in the area.

Stopped by this little shop while I was walking with my friend in the city while they were having a sale: free macaron with every purchase of a coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. I ordered an iced coffee, which was alright. There’s also a deal during happy hour where you can buy 2 macarons and get one free. However, I’m absolutely in love with their macarons, which is their specialty, and that far overpowers the quality of their drinks. There are a variety of flavors, and the macarons I had just melted in my mouth. My favorite so far is the gianduja: definitely ¹⁰⁄₁₀! Probably the best macarons I’ve had to date, and would highly recommend. I would definitely come by here again just for the macarons. There were also some other pastries on display that looked quite good, which I definitely want to try next time I go there.

My thought after visiting here today: go for their macarons, only.
I’ll give 2 stars to their chocolate éclair. I don’t know what it is, it just tastes awkward and plain. Maybe the chef forgot to put sugar in it? But the chocolate flavor didn’t come out, either. It’s like watered down chocolate. And the chocolate chips on top taste funny, too. I’m just disappointed.
The chocolate noisette is a joke, not about the taste, but the portion and how they present the cake to customers. Basically, it’s in a cup where the hazelnut mousse cream is on top of chocolate sponge cake (bread?) cubes that are supported by a layer of mascarpone cheese (flan-​like) and chocolate spread at the bottom. They face one side of the cup which is full of chocolate and mousse to customers, so I didn’t know that, on the other side, there’s a big space (about ¹⁄₃ of the cup)!!! More specifically, there is a huge gap between the mousse and the cake cubes. I was like wtf! This little tiny thing cost me $ 5.5 and it’s even not full!!! No matter how good it tastes, they should not try to hide it to their customers!!!
The only thing that kinda gave me some comfort is their macaron. I only had the Turkish Coffee macaron and it’s very good. It does have a strong coffee flavor that is different from the regular. I’ve never had Turkish coffee, so I guess this is it.
They have macaron happy hours from 3 – 6, I believe, when you buy two and get the third free. And the young guy who worked there this morning (3÷12÷2016) was nice and served me well.

The shop is clean and fancy-​like. Prices here are pretty steep for small dainty desserts. Of course, I had to purchase something because the pleasing visuals got to my artistic desires.
I got the white chocolate nest with a mocha cake ganache center; sounds super fancy but it’s just white chocolate swirls around a not so memorably tasting cake… the cake was small in size as well.

Stop #4 of our NYC DIY food tour brought us to Bisous Ciao for some tea/​coffee and a macaroon. A quaint, authentic macaroon shop in the heart of the West Village, Bisous Ciao offers some decent macaroons.
Advantage: If you order a beverage you can enjoy a free macaroon of your choice. After ordering a double espresso and a tea my wife and I chose a salted caramel macaroon and a gianduja (mix of chocolate and hazelnut).
Plus: The espresso was very tasty and a trouble double shot as the small cup was basically filled to the brim. Plus: the gianduja macaroon was very good. Soft exterior and nutella like interior which doesn’t really get much better.
Minus: the salted caramel macaroon fell short of our expectations. The exterior was dense and didn’t taste as fresh as the other gianduja.
The store was very nice and the prices weren’t terrible either. I don’t often crave macaroons but I would probably come back if the mood ever strikes again and I’m in the city.

**DEAL ALERT** They’re offering a free macaron with any coffee, tea, or hot chocolate purchase. A drip coffee or espresso is $ 2.75 which is the same price as a macaron so it’s a pretty good deal. Coffee here isn’t great, but doable/​good.
I loved Bisous Ciao 2 years ago. That was the last time I’ve been and I remember loving every single macaron bought there. Fast foward 2 years later and the quality has seriously gone down.
Macarons are too gooey and filling way too sugary. The flavors are masked but the unbearable amount of sugar that it’s sort of disgusting. My jasmine green tea macaron proved to be a bad choice, but the pistachio was still good but just too sweet.

Extremely tasty pastries (raisin and walnut) and a chocolate brioche… I didn’t eat both immediately, so can report that the brioche makes an excellent breakfast!
Definitely would return, macaroons seem to be their forte… but I’m not a fan, but the pastries and cakes looked really good and the couple I had were excellent.
Will try their coffee next visit too and report back.

I have to say in all fairness this place looks better than it tastes. I tried the chocolate hazelnut layer cake because it looks soooooo attractive! However from the first bite to the last, it is very disappointing. The texture of the crêpe was nothing compares to Lady M or even Chikalicious. The hazelnut cream in between was hard and not cream at all. And there is no taste of either the chocolate or the cream. For a slice of cake that costs $ 9 I would expect more. Well I haven’t tried their other pastries maybe it’s just this cake. I would at least not try this chocolate cake again…
(Update) I had a bad stomachache after this cake… I am not sure whether it’s a combination of the weather or it’s the cake… :(

I make serious $alad.
Whenever I hit this spot up, I think I need to make more $alad than I’m making.
It should say «$$$$ — Bakeries» on Unilocal.
Yes, the macarons are sick (lilikoi/​passion fruit macarons be mad yummy).
The package of 6 = $ 18+ …but worth every penny.
The container/​bag they put the macarons in are redic ornate… now I know where the $$$ is being siphoned into.
Packaging.

A snap shot of Paris on Bleecker. Located on Dessert Drive Aka Bleecker, is this chic french dessert bakery. Gorgeously decked out in my favorite combo of Hot Pink & Black, like Victoria ’ s Secret. Croissants, cakes and a PLETHORA of macaroons were on display. This shop, is like the Bergdorf Goodman of pastries.
Very chic and very well packaged are the items. I was curious about the Macaroon hype sweeping the nation. I ordered a Pistachio macaroon. It melts in your mouth not in your hand. Very pleasurable for the palette. Sweet and smooth. There were several other green tea, ganache flavored. Very artisanal and chicly packaged with plastic and a gold emblem B sticker.
I will be back for more.

This place is very eye-​catching, modern, and sleek. All the macarons are very lively and are a dense color. This place is just grab and go. All the flavors are very interesting. One that stood out to me was the Lavender Earl Grey (i think its called). I tried the Blood Orange Macaron which was good. The flavor was excellent but they seemed a bit stiff and super chewy.
The presentation of the macaron bags are pretty good. I am taking off stars because the employee that was there was a bit standoffish. When I asked her if the macaron was made in the Italian or French style– she didn’t know. The macarons are also shipped from another location, Delaware i think.

So the sign outside said «Macaron Happy Hour 3−6pm. Buy 2 get 1 free.» I’m a total sucker for macarons lately so I was in the shop before I even finished reading the sign.
The shop is small and simple. There’s one case with maybe 25 different macaron flavors to choose from, cash register and thattts about it. Behind the glass the macarons look large. Do not be fooled. These little guys were truly the smallest I’ve had, from any bakery in the city.
The flavor, however, was large. I picked the Bailey’s to start. Green cookie with brown filling is not the prettiest mac, but it sure was the tastiest. Whatever amount of liquor they put in there is perfect. Loved it.
For my 2^nd and 3^rd picks I went with two flavors I wouldn’t usually be drawn to: Rose and Honey Lavender. Both were super florally but I totally liked them, which surprised me — who would want to eat a rose? I didn’t get much honey from the lavender one though, lavender is definitely the more dominant flavor with this pairing.
So all and all I really liked the flavors at Bisous Ciao but the size and cost* will detour me from running back over immediately.
*$ 2.75 isn’t anything to balk at when it comes to macarons, but the size of these … ugh, sooo small.