Ladurée Brings More Than Macarons to D.C.

Ladurée, the fashionable food boutique straight out of Paris, is about to say Bonjour! to D.C.

Located at 3060 M Street NW, the 1,110-square-foot, soaring art-deco space expected to debut this week features a powder blue paint job, a smooth white marble bar, and downstairs “pastry lab” where its iconic macaron-making magic happens.

“We want you to feel like you are in a Parisian house,” said Elisabeth Holder Raberin, co-president of Ladurée USA, while perched in a purple chair in the soon-to-open restaurant.

Handpicked items from France are found inside, such as dramatic crystal chandeliers, ornate wall lamps, and Bernardaud porcelain sets. Antique frames are en route from across the Atlantic, she adds.

There’s more than pristinely packaged cookies and candles on the menu. Along with an assortment of breakfast and weekend brunch options — like omelettes, fruits, yogurts, and Ladurée’s line of teas — there’s a weekday lunch lineup including soups, rotating specials, a Croque Monsieur, and salads.

Co-president Pierre-Antoine Raberin’s favorite from the savory selections is the “Vol au Vent” de Volaile aux Champignons Sauvages, a $31 puff pastry featuring chicken slow-cooked for six hours.

“Our kids order it all the time,” he said.

The brand first landed in the U.S. five years ago in SoHo; two more recently popped up in LA. A second D.C. location is also coming soon to Union Station; at half the size, a to-go fancy format means mini sandwiches, fresh salads in clear jars, and pastries.

Unique to the Georgetown location is a $21 six-piece cherry blossom gift box of macarons and a Spring Spritz (vodka, champagne, cherry blossom water topped with cherry macaron, for $18). One idea is to transform the bright and airy space into a dimly lit cocktail parlor after its current closing time, slated for 7 p.m. daily.

Ladurée’s arrival signals the expansion of Holder’s family name in Georgetown; her brother runs Paul Bakery, which opened a few blocks away in 2011.