Le Petit Four will be no more after March 31st, 2025
West Hollywood, CA, March 2025
• GAYOT’s Rating: 14/20
• Cuisine: French / California
• Open: Lunch & Dinner Sun.-Thurs. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Le Petit Four is on GAYOT’s:
– Best Los Angeles Bistros
– Best Los Angeles French Restaurants
– Best West Hollywood Outdoor Dining Restaurants
Le Petit Four | 310-652-3863 | View Website
View map: 8654 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069
I had no idea that, when I recently dined at Le Petit Four, the photos I took would illustrate an article about the closure of this French bastion in the très American heart of Sunset Plaza. Le Petit Four has been a love affair with Angelenos since it opened in 1981. It felt like a little of Saint-Germain in the City of Angels, with its terrace and French repertoire that had welcomed Cali influences.
Founders Robert Bigonnet and Alexandre Morgenthale turned a cozy pastry shop into a restaurant that held its colorful reputation for over forty years, more for its lively atmosphere à la française rather than its cuisine, as good times are always cherished. Its sunflower awning and electric-blue sign became icons on the worldwide famous strip.
In 1999, Alexandre Morgenthale took over. Sadly, the economic situation deteriorated with rising costs. He posted on the restaurant’s Instagram account that the soaring rent combined with a 30% minimum wage increase since COVID, and the decline of foot traffic made it impossible to continue operating Le Petit Four.
But I would add that the restaurant scene in Los Angeles has rapidly evolved in the past ten to fifteen years, with eateries blooming everywhere like mushrooms. It has become more fast-paced and trend-driven. There is not enough room for all of them. Patrons want to hit the latest new, hip and notable restaurants. I am not saying they are right, as a classic is a classic and should be respected, but that is a fact.
French Cuisine in Los Angeles
We have also witnessed the rise of cuisines that are not French. Los Angeles has become a melting pot of culinary influences. In 1981, the sushi mania did not exist, Mexican cuisine was not really respected, fusion is recent—to name just a few. They have reshaped dining preferences, putting French cuisine restaurants in the mix and diluting them.
The quest for frog legs and calf liver has started, as Le Petit Four will not serve them anymore. Escargots are easier to find.
California Cuisine on the Table
The French dishes were happy to see their Californian cousins join the menu.
Farewell Le Petit Four…
It is always bittersweet when an institution like Le Petit Four closes its doors.
