Folks all around town are raving about Le Petit Paris, especially with the new location that opened in Atlantic Beach this June. Embracing the Parisian café culture, Le Petit has two very charming cafés (there’s an additional location in Mandarin, which opened in March of 2019) that not only serve delectable cuisine right in our backyard, but also provide a cozy atmosphere that makes you want to stay and hang out all day.

As the establishment evolves into a local staple, I spoke with General Manager, Santiago Dviviro, about the restaurant’s menu, features and long term aspirations. 

“What makes Le Petit unique is that we are trying to embrace the Parisian café culture and bring those good vibes, too,” Dviviro says. “We want to make it feel like you’re stepping into a local Parisian café. We try to do local dishes you would find in a normal Parisian café and use all of the ingredients you would find [in Paris].”

Chef and Owner, Alex Chezaud, originally from Paris, met his wife in Florida and decided to stick around Jacksonville to create his culinary business.

“Alex’s goal was never to move [to Jacksonville],” Dviviro says. “He was visiting and noticed there was nothing like Le Petit here.”

And according to Dviviro, the team is looking to expand to a third location. 

Regarding their current café locales, there are some differences that distinguish the two.

“With the Atlantic Beach location, we were trying to recreate [an] original [Parisian] café [that has] its own look and feel,” Dviviro says. “The Mandarin location [has a] more Parisian bar-feel’

The Mandarin Le Petit features white marble tabletops, Parisian bistro chairs, and a stripe of red tile along the wall. The Atlantic Beach location has charming tabletops with bright beachy pillows along the wall-built benches, a large white wood backdrop and offers a few more cuisine options, stemming from the south of France, including zucchini, eggplant, fennel and melon. It also offers a greater selection of wine, cheese and charcuterie boards.

“Our speciality is definitely our quiche,” Dviviro says. “Of the four quiches we have, the most popular is the Quiche Lorraine with baked cheese and caramelized onions. We are also known for our egg sandwiches. We have a great selection of drinks, with our wine and champagne selection coming straight from France. And our most popular coffee drink is the caramel brulee latte.”

With the hustle and bustle of the traffic-heavy location off of San Jose Boulevard, as well as the always crowded Atlantic Beach Town Center, there is no shortage of customers at Le Petit.

“We see a huge variety of people,” Dviviro says. “We get a lot of European people, who oftentimes have traveled all the way from Daytona to experience a European-styled cafe that reminds them of home.”

Needless to say, if you like French cuisine, Le Petit Paris is the place to go. Nutella and fresh banana croissants, plenty of french baguette sandwich options, smoked salmon and creamy spinach quiche, and many more Paris-inspired treats await your tastebuds. The menu is entirely made to order, with fresh ingredients and the orange juice and coffee are freshly squeezed and locally sourced in Florida. What a great way to combine French flavors with local influences.

Both locations are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with only the Atlantic Beach café closed on Tuesdays. Stop by and enjoy breakfast, lunch, or the “ever-French aperitif, the magical moment in the afternoon to grab a small bite, a glass of wine and take life in with friends.”

Le Petit Paris: (Multiple Locations); lepetitparisjax.com // @lepetitparisjax