Francois Payard

* Gasps and whispers in disbelief* Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
The store itself seemed super ambitious. There was a whole lotta space and not a whole lotta people dying for coffee. Also, I heard murmurs here and there about the laxed quality in service. I can see what they mean; they were neither rude nor enthusiastic every often I paid a visit.
Francois Payard however, did have the best macaron I’ve ever tasted. And I eat a lot of macarons. The salted caramel melted the same way a steak would on your tongue. And I don’t even like salted caramel.
Oh well, what can you do?

I got macaroons from this place. They were pretty good. I wouldn’t say they were the best I’ve ever had. They are also kind of pricey but it’s not unusual for the area. I’d like to go back and try something else.

Only stopped by for some coffee around 7:30 right before it was closing. I agree with some of the other folks that the service wasn’t very… welcome…maybe it was because my friends and I came late but there were already people sitting inside and we knew we wouldn’t be long. But he fact that it was late is not an excuse for bad service. Anywho. The coffee! This is what I told my friend… I would come all the way uptown for their coffee and then back downtown for class.

3.5 stars. I have never been to this FP location as I prefer FP bakery on Houston because it’s so much closer! Anyway, I met up with a friend for coffee and pastries here on a Sun. afternoon. It was Macaron Day as well as the first day for their macaron donut, yes it’s a real thing now. Once we walked in, we both got our free macaron, which they offered in two flavors, strawberries and cream and vanilla chocolate, yum! I ordered a chocolate almond croissant and a latte while my friend ordered a mango pastry and a lemonade. My friend had wanted another dessert, but the waiter said he knew which one and brought the wrong one, still good though.
The chocolate almond croissant was pretty disappointing though; it pretty much fell apart on the outside, while the inside was very wet and sweet. I love French almond croissants, but it wasn’t good here. My latte was just alright and the latte art (heart) on it just looked kinda sad. The mango merengue that my friend had was pretty good though, not too sweet, light texture. FP desserts may possibly be overrated, but their macarons are solid! Service is friendly here and they will gladly answer your questions if you have any. I didn’t get a chance to try their macaron donut; they had it in strawberries and cream flavor and it looked like a donut shaped macaron. I hope it’s popularity will lead to more flavors in the future. If you’re in the area, stop in and get yourself some macarons!

Vous êtes nulle. You’re supposed to be open until 9. It’s 8. You can’t just close because you’re bored. You suck.

I bought a good chocolate cookie and cake. The Louvre is one of Payard’s most popular cakes, made with a center of chocolate and hazelnut mousse and a crunchy hazelnut wafer.
Taste is a bit of strong but its not too sweet. I liked it a lot.

So my mother and I adore the macarons here and typically the service is fine.
However, today I walked in to buy some macarons. It was actually empty.
I was the only customer at the time.
Heidi (as stated on the receipt) was behind the counter wrapping up some pastries (which could have waited to be done after she helped me.)
But no, she says «Can you wait a minute I’m busy.» She proceeds to keep wrapping pastries. I was like «okay»…I’ll give this chick a minute.
I’m standing there. Waiting and waiting. Waiting some more. Till Finally I looked at her straight in the eye and then she’s like «okay what do you want.»
I said «Can I have 5 macarons.» Yes 5. I wanted 5.
She rings me up and I notice its a touch more than what I usually pay for the 5 macarons.
I asked her «How many did you give me?» She says «6.»
I said «Okay…I told you 5 but sure give me 6.» She wasn’t listening to my order!
I guess she was to worried about packing up the pastries.
Mind you this whole event with Ms. Heidi had a lot of sass.
HEIDI you work at a pastry shop. Be a nice counter girl. If you don’t like your job change it!
Mind your manners!

They make a really nice cup of coffee.
Their pastries are okay. The first time I had them, I wasn’t blown away. I think that the eclairs and the macarons are better at Laduree. There were a few items that tempted me today, but I wasn’t going right home.
Maybe next time…

Gelattos, louvre and cappuccinos are AMAZING… great ambiance cute date spot. A hidden gem and inviting staff!

Bought the Louvre Dome chocolate cake here for a friend’s birthday. Superbly presented and packaged and tasted fantastic. Ordered it the day before picking it up. Was seen to by the friendly staff immediately we entered the shop and got my cake within minutes, despite that they had some children’s party going on at the back.

I haven’t been to Payard in a while (last time was few years ago). Oh how I’ve missed this place.
I ordered the Louvre and the Sacre Coeur. The Lourve is a silky chocolate and hazelnut mousse, hazelnut dacquoise cake and crispy hazelnut wafer. No picture available because I ate it too fast. It was that good. I was worried the chocolate would be too sweet but the crispness of the wafer gave the pastry a perfect texture that offset the overall sweetness of the chocolate.
The Sacre Coeur is a mandarin mousse, matcha panna cotta, vanilla bean pound cake. The cake itself is beautifully and delicately made. I wish there was more matcha but overall it was delicious.
Only downside to this place is price ($ 7.25 a piece) but hey, you get what you pay for!

I had the most unprofessional experience at Payard at 74^th st this past Monday.
On Friday I went in to order an Opera cake for my colleague’s birthday this past Monday, to be shared at our weekly Monday morning meeting by 15 or so by other members of our team.
Before accepting the order, the counterperson made a phone call to assure that the cake would be available for pickup around 9:00am Monday and after a short conversation told me it would be no problem; the cake would be at the 74^th Street store around 8:00 am.
As I was out of town on Monday I made arrangements for our office manager to pick it up, I gave her the receipt, which BTW had my full name and cell phone number on it. When she arrived to pick up the cake, she was told there was no cake and they knew nothing about a cake being ordered for that day and they had no cake that size that would serve 15+ people.
Frustrated and angry she left empty handed and when she returned to the office, called the store to complain. As a means to make amends the store sent over a box of assorted macaroons, and two other small cakes, none of which I initially wanted or ordered.
I tried calling the store twice this morning and no one even answers the phone.
No one from Payard has contacted me to explain why all this occurred or to offer an apology.
This is the most unprofessional experience I have ever had with such an allegedly reputable retailer.
I am contacting Amex to dispute the charge.
SIMPLY DISGRACEFUL!!!

I don’t often do dessert but when I do I only have the best or nothing.
Payard has by far my favorite high-​end pastries that taste like nothing else I have
tasted anywhere. The Louvre is my favorite (hazelnut and chocolate, how can you go
wrong?) and I also adore their macaroons and anything I have had here.
I have also ordered from their online store. Perfect surprise to cheer someone up.
Gorgeous presentation and the taste is heaven. If you send somethings be sure to include the ‘Louvre’ and nobody will every forget it!
If you love French pastries, its a must-​do.
Fracois Payard, Je t’aime!

I heard that this place has ice cream sandwiches made of macaroon. So that is what gave me the reason to try this place out. It is a well spaced French café. In the front the offer pastries and various macaroons, and also ice cream. In the middle they sell small bites such as sandwiches and other quick bites. If you want to sit down they have various tables around to sit at. The place you can come and just relax and have a coffee and a dessert and a nice conversation.

I got the purple macaron! It is very uh. Floral! It’s good, a very strong tasting French macaron!

Hate to go against the grain here, but the pastries I got from Francois Payard were some of the worst I’ve ever had from any patisserie.
The Strawberry Basil Éclair had no basil flavor and tasted like it was filled with strawberry whipped cream. The St. Germain Cake wasn’t too bad, but I’ve had similar versions from Chinese and Japanese bakeries at significantly cheaper prices. The macarons? Nahhhh! The strawberry basil was as unimpressive as its éclair counterpart, the cassis was forgettable, raspberry lychee had no lychee flavor (see a pattern here?), the salted caramel was okay, and the dark chocolate and cocoa nibs missed the part about the nibs.
Factor in the unnecessarily snooty service, and this place falls as flat as its bland, flavorless desserts.

I came here with my 2 sisters and 2 nieces for «Free Macaroon Day» on the first of spring. Despite the fact that it was snowing on the first day of spring, this place was jugged out with people getting their free macaroons.
We DID enjoy our macaroons — no complaints there — but we sat down in this adorable little bakery and enjoyed a late lunch as well. We all ordered different quiches and we all enjoyed it thoroughly. I personally loved the QUICHE LORRAINE — mm’mm! Plus, we also picked up a couple of desserts to take home. They have a very nice selection of mini cakes and tons of gluten-​free options as well which is great.
Overall, this is a cute, clean, yummy little place. The only down side is that it’s fairly pricy, but what else would you expect from an Upper East Side bakery?

Disclosure: I came here just for the desserts.
I really enjoyed my experience at FP Patisserie, I came here after eating nearby for dessert. We sat at the bar and ordered dessert and coffee.
My friends and I got the Decadence and Louvre to share and they were both amazing. They are both pretty rich and exceptionally chocolatey which is good if you are a fan of chocolate.

Joli endroit, gateaux super appetissants, lorsque l on rentre on a envie de tout manger.
Mais au gout. Bof c est pas mauvais mais c’est pas non plus .
C’est assez cher. Le service laisse vraiment à desirer

Everything looks so scrumptious in here. They have fancy desserts, macaroons, chocolate, and a coffee bar. Is it overpriced? Absolutely. But it can’t hurt to treat yourself every once in awhile. Besides, each item looks like it was made with special care and detail.
Their pastries are probably some of the most attractive desserts I’ve ever seen. The server said the Louvre was a house favorite. If you love hazelnut, then you’ll definitely enjoy every bite of this.
Some of the servers are actually French, adding to the authenticity of the place. You can opt to get table service, otherwise there are some stand-​up tables you can eat on. They also sell boxes of gourmet chocolates that would make decent gifts.
I would rate this place four stars, but I’m knocking one off because of the prices.

I thought the Louvre in Paris was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, but turns out the Louvre hazelnut/​chocolate dessert here is just as equally stunning — delicious and moist on the outside, with crispy wafers on the inside. Yum yum yum.
4 stars only because the portion size is so damn small for a $ 8 dessert — but I guess that’s an authentically French portion size so I can’t complain too much.
Coffee is decent, nothing to brag about. Pricey items for sure, but that’s no surprise.
The décor is elegant and ridiculously upscale. Take someone here if you want to impress her.

Une musique affreuse une déco qui se la pète des pâtisseries pas bien fraiches (ce jour là) et quelconques aussi peut être mêmes surgelées tellement cela manquait de saveurs. Des casquettes pour les caissières qui rappellent la touché Mac Do… Bonjour le luxe à la française et né parlons pas du passage secret en forme de coquille St jaques qui libère des managers… ça né s’invente pas ;-)
Mention spéciale pour le service qui fut discret et attentionné.