REVIEWING HONEY & BUTTER MACARONS – IRVINE, CA

AMBIENCE:

Honey & Butter is a well-known macaron dessert shop located in the Irvine Spectrum Center in Irvine, California. The ambiance and décor of the dessert shop were colorful, cute, and unique. Due to COVID restrictions, the usual area to take photos was covered, and there were no seating options, which is okay since the Irvine Spectrum Center has plenty of seating options outdoors. The service and staff were amiable and helpful in picking which flavors you may like for yourself if you are trying macarons for the first time. I enjoyed the customized weekly menus, the YTK aesthetic of the dessert shop, the macaron boxes, and the overall uniqueness of this dessert shop.

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MACARONS:

FRUITY PEBBLES:

5/5

I loved the aesthetic of this fruity pebble macaron that was both cute and tasty! The macaron cookie itself was light and airy, whereas the filling tasted like a light whipped cream. You can taste the cereal aspect throughout the entire macaron. Dare I say, the filling reminded me of cereal milk! I also loved the texture of this macaron since the cereal toppings added a nice crunch to the dessert.

ENCHANTED BERRIES:

5/5

The enchanted berry macaron was the perfect tart macaron. The macaron tasted like a berry sorbet that tasted fresh, tart, and sweet! This berry macaron is for those who love fruity flavors with their sweets. I enjoyed this macaron because it was not heavy, and the contrast of sweet and sour tasted terrific.

CHURRO:

3/5

This macaron reminded me of the flavors of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. The flavors of cinnamon and brown sugar were intense in this one. The filling of this churro was a bit dense in comparison to the others. Overall, this macaron did not “wow” me, but it was decent! For those who love fall flavors, this macaron is definitely up your alley.

SEA SALT CARAMEL:

5/5

This macaron…is indulgent. Instead of the classic cream filling, this macaron was laced with salted caramel deep and decadent. The cookie was light and airy, which contrasted the caramel and brought a yummy mouth-feel because of the various textures. I also enjoyed the color contrast of blue and orange together in this macaron.

ORANGE JASMINE GREEN TEA:

5/5

The green tea macaron tasted like “everything matcha” in one bite-sized dessert! The green tea macaron had a pleasant smell and taste that was delicious. I also loved the color of this macaron and the mini swirl on top! The cream of the macaron was nice and light.

OREO (CHARACTER SPECIAL):

3/5

This character macaron was one of the dessert shop’s specials, flavored with cookies and cream. The appearance of this macaron was eye-catching, and I appreciated the incredible attention to detail on this cookie. Not a single feature of the panda was out of place. As for the flavor, the cookies and cream flavor was subtle. The cookie did not “wow” me as much as the other macarons did. This macaron was more pricey than the other ones, so I expected the flavors to be on par with the appearance of this dessert.

TARO COCONUT:

3/5

This taro coconut macaron carried strong notes of coconut throughout the cookie. The toasted coconut flakes rimmed around the cookie were a nice touch in flavor and appearance. I could not taste the flavor of taro as much in this macaron since the coconut overpowered it. However, the appearance of this macaron was gorgeous, with its lavender color and its coconut flake rim.

SALTED EGG YOLK:

2/5

So, this macaron left me confused. The egg macaron tasted more salty and savory than sweet. I did not find that there was a nice balance of flavors in this cookie. You can taste the egg, but the texture of the filling reminded me more of a boiled egg than a whipped egg or creamy egg would taste. This macaron was personally not my favorite.

OVERALL:

Overall, I would recommend visiting this unique dessert shop in Irvine, CA. I appreciate the owner’s attention towards the macarons, menus, weekly macaron options, and the overall décor! Each macaron was unique and carried its flavor palette. This shop is a must-visit for all my sweet-tooth lovers visiting the Irvine Spectrum Center in Southern California.