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Harvard Square officially welcomed Le Macaron French Pastries in a grand opening event Saturday.

Located on Massachusetts Avenue, Le Macaron is a Black-owned business offering a selection of French macarons and pastries, as well as gelato and European-style coffee. The shop first opened its doors on Aug. 12 during Black Business Month, but held off its official grand opening celebration until nearly a month later.

“We have been just well received by the community, the students, the locals, the Harvard Square Business Association, and particularly the Cambridge Savings Bank,” co-owner Karine Ernest said.

Cambridge City Councilor E. Denise Simmons attended the grand opening. Simmons, the former mayor of Cambridge, spoke at a ribbon-cutting ceremony and congratulated the business on its opening, calling it “a sweet, delightful surprise”.

Ernest called the business her “lifelong dream” during the ceremony.

“Thank you to all those in Harvard Square. Thank you to my friends and family, my children for coming out here to support me,” Ernest said.

David I. Heller ’79, a close friend of the owners who enjoyed a bubblegum macaron, called the establishment a “delicious addition to the Square” and a “nice place on date night.”

Two of Le Macaron’s employees are current Harvard students.

Joseph W. Hernandez ’25, who works at the shop, praised the store’s management, saying he appreciates that “they are willing to hear from the people that are working there.” He called both owners, Karine and Emmanuel Ernest, “nothing but great.”

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Le Macaron sits in what was previously an office space for the Cambridge Savings Bank. Karine Ernest called the bank an “incredible partner in this journey” of launching the pastry store.

She also previewed new flavors planned for the holiday season.

“For Christmas, we offer a gingerbread Christmas macaron, and then we also offer, in November, Pumpkin,” she said.

Noting that “it’s taken long” to set up Le Macaron in the Square, Karine Ernest advised other aspiring entrepreneurs to be persistent.

“Never forget your dream and pursue that dream, and don’t be discouraged,” she said. “The whole process may take longer than you anticipated, but if you stick by it, you’ll get there.”

“We are super excited to be in Harvard Square” Enest added. “We love the community, and we’re having fun.”

In the age of Kindles and iPads, it’s easy to forget the feeling of holding a physical book. However, no matter their convenience, e-readers will never be able to replace the sense of joy and curiosity that arises from wandering through stacks of books, with their crisp pages and inimitable aroma.

Luckily, there are plenty of places in Boston dedicated to preserving that very experience. Boston is home to shops dedicated to poetry books, progressive book collectives, and, of course, popular new releases and bestsellers. So whether you’re looking to peruse or pick up your next great read, here are the best indie bookstores to visit in Boston.

Harvard Square is a living, breathing, and ever-evolving organism. Shops, restaurants, and cafes come and go pretty often, and there have been (and will be) some major additions (and losses) to the heart of campus life. If you’re not sure what’s up with all the changes or what to expect in the next few months, here is your guide to what’s new in the Square.

Gong Cha

Long gone are the days when the somewhat perplexing Boston Tea Stop was the only boba place to rule the Square. A popular bubble tea chain but new to the Harvard scene, Gong Cha opened on Church Street this past summer and is already a hit with students. PSA: Flyby will be exploring their boba offerings quite thoroughly for purely scientific research purposes.

Taiyaki… to come!

Ah, yes: Taiyaki AKA Japanese fish-shaped waffle cake with sweet fillings AKA our personal kryptonite. We hope you’re just as excited as we were to hear that the incredibly popular ice cream shop by the same name is finally coming to Cambridge! While opening date details are still murky, definitely keep an eye out for when those delicious, Insta-friendly treats hit the tourist-heavy streets of Harvard.

Harvard Shop #3

R.I.P. beloved Starbucks. Yes, there is Peets, Capital One, Tatte, Darwin’s, and more Dunkin’s than I can count (and another Starbucks by the Quad) to fuel our coffee addictions. Even so, our central, ever-so-convenient Starbucks will be missed. The silver lining is that the new Harvard Shop’s merch is way cuter than any merch at the Coop AND you get a consistent student discount on most items. Do we really need three Harvard Shops in the Square? No. Do I love my new Harvard Shop hoodie? Very much so.

Corporate Jefe’s

While the cozy, homey and somewhat sweaty vibe of the original Jefe’s may be gone, the Square is now home to a giant, two-story, upgraded Jefe’s, complete with lots of indoor seating and standing room (check out Flyby’s full Jefe’s investigation here). The vibes are different and may take some getting used to, but our new late-night meal spot will still fulfill drunken cravings, impress with its fun decor, and definitely feel less cramped as you not-so-patiently wait for your burrito.

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Rock-climbing wall

If someone asked me to name 10 things (or maybe 50) that the Square is missing, I can’t say that a rock-climbing wall would be one of them. But, the new rock-climbing wall in F45 Training’s new Brattle Square location, is impressive. You can use their (not-so-generous) one-day free trial option to check it out and flex your climbing knowledge in front of everyone at CVS and Russel House.

Brattle Square Florist 2.0(ish)

Remember all those cute plants everyone got during the first week of classes? You can thank the ever-reliable Brattle Square Florist for those. After a few years of touch-and-go changes, this beloved family establishment has finally settled into their new location on 52 Brattle Street. If you’re scrambling for finishing touches on your dorm ahead of those wintertime sneaky links, you know where to visit first.

So long, &pizza

Controversial list of pros (personal pies and Snackpass immortality) and cons (insanely overpriced and subpar crusts) aside, it seems this Harvard Square staple has finally closed its doors. We can only wonder what will eventually take its place; after all, it’s pretty prime real estate right by the Red Line T stop. A laser tag arena? A Mini Bass Pro Shop? A 21+ Rainforest Cafe? Yet another Harvard Sh…?

The Macaron Store?!

Not quite what a college campus needs, but Le Macaron French Pastries’ macarons are delicious and beautiful. There are macarons in flavors including but definitely not limited to chocolate praline, birthday cake, lavender white chocolate, and passion fruit dark chocolate. If you ever want an extra fancy snack or to manifest your next Parisian vacation, this is the spot for you.

Though we’re always talking about popping the Harvard Bubble, don’t forget to also take some time to explore what’s in our own backyard! We promise Lamont and Cabot will always be right there when you return (for better or for worse). See y’all on the 2nd floor of Jefe’s!

‘I’m kind of a monster, and it’s been pointed out to me that I don’t feel pain.’

The Boston restaurant scene continues to change, but Dorchester’s Jody Adams, 65, is a constant. She comes from a different generation of Boston chefs: Todd English. Gordon Hamersley. Lydia Shire. Adams, who’s from Providence, arrived in Boston in the 1980s, working at restaurants such as Michela’s and Hamersley’s before opening Rialto in the Charles Hotel in 1994; it closed in 2016.

Harvard Square is also a changed place (more on that later), and her focus has changed, too. Now Adams runs Porto in the Back Bay; Trade in the Financial District; and a growing web of counter-service Greek restaurants, Saloniki, with locations in Harvard Square, Central Square, and the Fenway. Two new branches will open this month, one on Newbury Street and another on Beacon Hill.

“We’re incredibly proud of our spatchcock chicken,” says Adams, who loves Mediterranean food, because “it feels like home.”

It was only the second day of class, but Sabrina M. “Rezzy” Reznik ’25 estimated she had visited El Jefe’s Taqueria “three or four times” since arriving on campus for the fall semester.

El Jefe’s, which has been a student hotspot since it opened in Harvard Square in 2015, relocated this August to a new storefront in the newly renovated Abbot building.

While the lines at new El Jefe’s move faster than it did at the old location, according to Reznik, “it doesn’t have the same ambiance that old Jefe’s did.”

“It’s the nostalgia,” Reznik said. “It’s walking in every time and remembering all the moments that you remember and more so, the moments you can’t remember — and enjoying that.”

The new location, which straddles Brattle Street and John F. Kennedy Street, lies just around the corner from its former location at The Garage, a longtime shopping mall in the Square.

The new space, which spans two floors and almost twice the square footage of its previous location, also offers increased menu options. El Jefe’s added al pastor steak as a new meat option when it opened in August, and the restaurant intends to apply for a full liquor license to serve frozen margaritas.

Many students said they enjoyed the new location, citing its spaciousness compared to the previous venue.

“It’s bigger, it’s less chaotic,” said Debjani “Debby” Das ’24, a Crimson Arts editor. “The main street has CVS and all the other stores anyway, so I feel like it’s more convenient.”

But for Reznik, part of her nostalgia for the old location is how hectic it would get late at night.

“It’s just the chaos and the excitement of not knowing if your burrito is going to be right,” she said. “Standing in that line and the classic ‘will Tasty Burger be faster’ debate — and it never is. ”

Several students said though the quality of the food remains unchanged, El Jefe’s signature late-night ambiance has disappeared with the old storefront.

“I don’t think the food’s any different, but I do think the atmosphere is different,” said senior Justin Y. C. Wong ’22. “Seems a bit more touristy than college — but I’ll still come.”

El Jefe’s regional manager Jon Eller said in an interview last month the taqueria left its venue in the Garage, which is slated to begin major renovations in the coming months, due to the prospect of shutting down while the shopping mall completed construction.

Samuel Y. Ho ’22-’23, who said he preferred El Jefe’s former location, said he may frequent Felipe’s Taqueria — a Mexican restaurant on the other side of Brattle Street — due to the proximity of the two restaurants since El Jefe’s relocation.

“Since I was in Eliot House, at least mentally, it seemed closer to go to Jefe’s,” Ho said. “Now, I think I’d be open to go into Felipe’s just as much.”

Other students felt indifference about the store’s relocation.

Lena M. Tinker ’25 said she believed the new space is “beautiful” but the location has not significantly changed her routine.

“It’s really half a block away,” said Tinker, a Crimson Arts editor. “For me, it doesn’t make that much of a difference. If I want to go, it’s late at night, whatever it is — it’s still right there.”

 Taiwan-based chain that claims to be “one of the most recognized bubble tea brands around the world” is expanding again, this time opening another shop in Cambridge.

According to an article from boston.com, Gong Cha is opening in Harvard Square, moving into a space on Church Street. The post says that the upcoming place will offer the same options as the other locations, including bubble tea, slush, and other tea beverages, and it will join another store at CambridgeSide along with other locations locally in Boston, Burlington, Lowell, Malden, Natick, Peabody, and Quincy.

The new shop plans to open on September 9, according to the article.

The address for Gong Cha in Harvard Square is 50 Church Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138. The website for the chain is at https://www.gongchausa.com/

Milk teas, fruit-based beverages, slushes, and more will be on the menu.

A new branch of the bubble tea company Gong Cha will open in Harvard Square on Sept. 9. This shop marks the 100th store of Anchal Lamba, Gong Cha’s “youngest and most successful” master franchisee in the U.S., according to the company. 

Lamba said she has been interested in the Harvard Square neighborhood for several years because college students love to drink bubble tea, but it was just a matter of finding the right space.

“It’s right by Harvard University, it’s got great retail, and it’s kind of a perfect fit for Gong Cha,” Lamba said. “I’ve had stores in the Boston area since 2017, in Chinatown, Allston, [and more]. We really are growing. Harvard Square’s always been at the top of our list for many years.”

The original El Jefe’s Taqueria location in Harvard Square suffered a slow, unglamorous death on Thursday.

The horchata was the first victim. Then, the hot sauce wall suffered its demise. Finally, the menu behind the burrito counter vanished, forcing the last customers at the old location to order their meals from memory.

But El Jefe’s was quickly reborn in the Square with its new location in The Abbot building opening just minutes after the old storefront closed.

The new location will offer new menu options for customers, according to Jon Eller, the regional manager of El Jefe’s.

Eller said he is excited to add al pastor to the menu as another meat option for customers.

“It’s something that we already offer at all locations and we just couldn’t do it at the 83 Mt. Auburn location because of space,” he said. “It’s just something new, something I feel like students will appreciate.”

SARASOTA, Fla., Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Le Macaron French Pastries, the #1 destination for authentic French macarons and pastries, announced four new locations this month in Alabama, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Tennessee. The openings solidify the brand’s position as the top French Patisserie with 64 locations nationwide and at least 10 additional stores planned by the end of the year. The new locations include:

• Cool Springs, Tennessee located at 1800 Galleria Blvd. The new store joins the Nashville location as the second Le Macaron in Tennessee
• Cambridge, Massachusetts at 1374 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 101 in Harvard Square. The location marks the second in Massachusetts, following the opening of the Somerville store last month
• Elkhart, Indiana located at 503 S. Main Street. The Elkhart is one of three locations planned for Indiana
• Valley Bend, Alabama located at 315 The Bridge Street in Huntsville

“We are delighted to welcome these new franchisees to the Le Macaron family,” said founder Rosalie Guillem. “The owners of these locations are highly motivated and looking forward to interacting with guests as well as the communities they serve.”

Le Macaron is purposefully expanding in new markets where customers clamor for delicious, authentic macarons, gourmet chocolates, French gelato, European-style coffee, and other classic French pastries. Founded in 2009 by Rosalie Guillem and her daughter, Audrey Saba, Le Macaron is committed to offering premium products and excellent service to its customers while also offering lucrative opportunities for franchisees.

“We have more than 15 franchises in various stages of development,” said Le Macaron spokesperson Greg Guillem. “Our profitable annual unit volumes are exceeding expectations and fueling more growth, so it’s a very exciting time for us.”

Le Macaron’s traditional music and European-style décor offers customers the experience of an inviting, sophisticated Parisian café. The menu features more than 20 flavors of macarons and frequently includes seasonal flavors and limited time offerings to celebrate holidays and special occasions. Macarons take center stage, but there are plenty of classic French pastries such as Napoleons, homemade chocolates, cakes, and gelato to tempt the most discerning sweet tooth. In addition to Le Macaron’s cafes, the company has a thriving catering and corporate gifting business that operates at a brisk pace year around.

Le Macaron was recently named to the FranServe 2022 Fran-Tastic 500 list, which recognizes the top franchises in the country. For more information, visit http://lemacaron-us.com.

About Le Macaron French Pastries

Founded in 2009 by Rosalie Guillem and her daughter Audrey, Le Macaron French Pastries is an elegant French patisserie that offers guests the finest, authentic French macarons and pastries. Headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, the brand began franchising in 2012 and has since grown to more than 64 locations across the U.S. Le Macaron French Pastries is ranked on Inc. 5,000 2016, #17 on the 2019 Top Emerging Franchise List as well as ranking on the Top 100 Food and Beverage category by Entrepreneur and holds a No. 9 ranking in the baked goods category.