Fillmore Bakeshop's Macarons Might Break Your Face

Tamara Palmer

Fillmore Bakeshop's blackberry macaron.

Larger and heftier than their counterparts around town, these macarons might actually break your face from trying to open too wide to take an all-encompassing bite. A generous amount of flavored buttercream hold together the almond cookies, which seem to separate into chewy and crunchy layers.

Macaron shrapnel will likely be all over yourself or the floor, but the pleasing shatter in the mouth makes it worth the cleanup. And though we've always been partial to the tiny delights served across town at Thorough Bread and Pastry, made with the recipe taught to aspiring pastry wizards at the San Francisco Baking Institute, this is also a true contender for best macaron in San Francisco.

French favorites like rose are a part of the flavor collection here, as are locally inspired takes such as green tea and mango. Often, a booze-infused flavor sneaks into the daily macaron lineup at Fillmore Bakeshop; this week, it's a heavenly take on Irish Coffee, the beverage that San Francisco likes to claim it popularized in the 1950s.