Ranked.

At Least Nine Dallas Bakeries Have Hopped On The Macaron Bandwagon. But Which Is Best?

Welcome to Ranked, our recurring column in which we take a long, hard look at oddly specific things pertaining to Dallas and tell you the order in which you should care about them.

This past Friday, the country celebrated National Macaron Day. And though the macaron phenomenon has only recently caught on here in Dallas, some of the colorful desserts crafted in our own backyard are already worth celebrating, to be sure. Really: It takes a certain level of skill and craft to produce hype-worthy takes on these small, French cookies.

Around Dallas, at least nine shops are taking a stab at it currently. Some keep things basic with flavors like vanilla, others dabble in the more adventurous realsm with such flavors as caramel passion fruit. Additionally, each shop has a unique take on the signature pastry; they all vary in size, color and amount of creme filling. In other words: No two Dallas bakeries' macarons are the same.

Of course, that's not to say that all macarons are created equal, either. That in mind, we present our guide to Dallas's vast array of macarons, rated by texture, filling, flavor variety and, of course, taste.

9. Tart Bakery.
5219 West Lovers Lane, #B.
Honestly? These cookies are pretty underwhelming. Worse, they're microscopic. Macarons already run a pretty steep price, but these single-bite takes will still cost you $1.75 each. They're not massively flavorful, either. But, hey, the decorative paper cups are a nice touch. They look great.

8. Rush Patisserie.
1201 Eldorado Avenue.
Here, you can order from an absolute abundance of flavors. Per the owner: “We make whatever flavor you suggest.” They mean it, too. But while the prospect of dabbling in exotic flavors like champagne, Earl Grey and passion fruit is certainly an enticing one, it's mostly a distraction. These cookies are by no means terrible — bad macarons are still macarons — but they're a little flawed in that there's just so much filling in play. The outsides just end up a huge mess. Napkins are a must.

7. The Hospitality Sweet.
400 North Ervay Street, #175.
If you find yourself downtown and inside the historic post office building, consider stopping in to grab a macaron out of the cafe located inside. This spot only offers three flavors, but theirs is a pretty decent cookie, if also a little small. Like Rush's offerings, these macarons can be a bit of a mess — be prepared for some clean-up — but surprisingly flavorful. The chocolate is especially strong.

6. Chocolate Secrets.
3926 Oak Lawn Avenue.
Chocolate Secrets' macarons are so huge, they might as well be whoopie pies. They're also not necessarily chocolate, despite the shop's specialty. At my last visit, only two flavors were available — one a hit, another a miss. The rose flavor was the star, and it was pretty damn amazing. It had the perfect amount of filling, tasted just like a rose and melted in your mouth. It was spot on. On the other hand, the green apple flavor disappointed, coming off as crumbly and with an undesired crunch. So the macarons here are a little inconsistent.

5. Crème de la Cookie.
6706 Snider Plaza.
These macarons, which can be found here and at NorthPark's Toni Rivard, are solid. They're pretty flavorful, they don't have too much filling and they come in a variety of flavors. It's all good stuff. But not necessarily great.

4. Haute Sweets Patisserie.
10230 East Northwest Highway.
OK, these macarons are awesome. The patisserie offers a wide range of interesting flavors — the most distinctive being the caramel passion fruit, which honestly, is a bit of an acquired taste. But it's good. Additionally, they use local coffee roasters, Noble Coyote, in their coffee macaron. Fair warning: This roast is strong. If you find yourself in the White Rock area and seeking a treat after a round-the-Lake workout, this spot is worth keeping in mind.

3. Bisous Bisous.
3700 McKinney Avenue, #150.
Bisous Bisous offers up a fairly basic set of flavors when compared to some of the other shops in town, but what this spot does, it does very well. The balance found in this shop's cookies borders on perfection — so long as you wait the full suggested 10 minutes before diving in. They've got the whole thing down to a science over here.

2. Kate Weiser Chocolate.
3011 Gulden Lane, #115.
The macarons at Trinity Groves chocolatier Kate Weiser are some of the most surprising you'll find in Dallas. While a majority of the other bakeries in town generally give strict instructions on when to consume the cookies so as to meet their desired taste specifications, the Kate Weiser team is all laidback about the issue. That's because there's no need to wait: These macarons are just flat-out delightful no matter when you opt to chomp down on them. They're all low-key about their greatness, too: Rather than showcase in some fancy display case, Kate Weiser stores its macarons in Tupperware container kept just behind the counter. Then, when served, they melt in your mouth and deliver a perfect cookie-to-filling ratio. Wanna really get taken aback? Try the passion fruit.

1. Joy Macarons.
839 West Davis Street.
Joy Macarons nails it — just absolutely nails it. Here, most every flavor imaginable is laid out right in front of your eyes on a tray designed to fit each individual cookie. Oh, you want a Nutella-, blackcurrant- or rose lychee-flavored macaron? That's no problem whatsoever. And you can't really go wrong with any of them. Honest, the only real problem you might encounter heading here is leaving with way more cookies than you originally planned to buy. But that's why it's the top macaron spot around.