Le Petit Paris opens in Jacksonville, offering authentic French fare
Le Petit Paris, known for its fresh made-from-scratch authentic French fare, celebrated the grand opening of its fourth Jacksonville restaurant.
Le Petit Paris opened its fourth Jacksonville location on Beach Blvd., its first with a drive-thru.The French cafe serves homemade pastries, sandwiches, salads and more.The new location offers indoor and outdoor seating as well as a drive-thru.
A new French cafe in Jacksonville means customers don’t have to leave their cars to get authentic freshly made-from-scratch macarons, croissants, quiche, baguette sandwiches, tartines and salads.
Le Petit Paris opened its fourth restaurant and first one with a drive-thru Thursday at 14474 Beach Blvd. at the Publix-anchored Intracoastal Plaza shopping center.
Cars lined up around the 2,095-square-foot bistro as customers looked over the outdoor menu board, placed their order by the intercom then drove to the pickup window to get their food and be on their way.
Equally busy was the indoor dining room and small outside terrace of the restaurant from founder and owner Alex Chezaud, a French native who is already planning to open a fifth Le Petit Paris in Ponte Vedra Beach.
The drive-thru — offering the cafe’s full menu — was key among the factors attracting Le Petit Paris to the Beach Boulevard location. Their customers told them that they wanted to be able to get the restaurant’s fare quickly while heading to and from work, Chezaud told the Times-Union.
Another major factor was the proximity to the growing residential and commercial communities along San Pablo, Kernan and Hodges boulevards as well as nearby Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, he said.
“We’re just excited to be here. And we’re very grateful to the community for welcoming us in every location that we’ve opened,” Chezaud said.
Chezaud debuted the original Le Petit Paris in 2019 at 9965 San Jose Blvd., Suite 46, at Merchant Walks in Mandarin. As its popularity grew so did its footprint.
Two years later, he opened a second location at 363 Atlantic Blvd., Suite 14, at Shoppes of Northshore in Atlantic Beach. The third opened in 2023 at 7111 Bentley Road, No. 1, in Bentley Pointe off JTB near Interstate 95.
The roughly 2,100-square-foot cafe took over the former Pangea Keto building which closed abruptly last September just eight months after its opening. The building has also been home to Hakka Kitchen, House of Leaf & Bean and originally a Taco Bell.
A taste of home for cafe’s French founder
The restaurant offers a taste of home for Chezaud. Born and raised in Paris, Chezaud worked his way up in the restaurant business since he was 18 years old. His love of food and his hospitality evolved from childhood.
“In France, at the end of the day, the place where you always gather with your family is the kitchen,” Chezaud previously told the Times-Union.
He inherited his passion for cooking and welcoming guests to the table from his parents, Claude and Joy Chezaud. At age 28, he emigrated to America to help his sister open her Parisian cafe in St. Petersburg.
Chezaud only planned to stay six months. But then he met his wife, Yevah, who was from Jacksonville, and the couple settled down here. His parents, wife and her mother all influenced the creation of Le Petit Paris, he said.
Mom’s specialties on the menu
Chezaud borrowed his mom’s recipe for traditional Quiche Lorraine, a top seller. Coming soon to the cafe menu, he recently promised her, will be her chocolate mousse and possibly some other family recipes.
The cafe’s menu includes:
Quiche Lorraine ($13.50): Bacon, caramelized onions and cheeseSalmon Quiche ($14.75): Smoked salmon, creamy spinach and cheeseToasted Croissant ($10.75): With brie, honey, walnuts and mixed greensToasted Croissant ($10.75): With fig, blue cheese, walnuts, honey and arugulaLe Parisien French Baguette Sandwich ($11.50): Ham, baby Swiss and salted butterLe Montmartre French Baguette Sandwich ($12.75): Rotisserie chicken, crispy bacon, zucchini, red pepper and Provence MayonnaiseLe Monceau French Baguette Sandwich ($13.50): Prosciutto ham, turkey, Brie, arugula, cranberries, mayonnaise and truffle oil
Le Petit Paris also offers breakfast egg sandwiches (starting at $9.75); half French baguette tartines with butter and Bonne Maman Preserves or Honey or butter and Nutella ($4.25); and salads ($12.50 to $14.75).
Featured croissants are butter, chocolate, and almond. There are also multiple flavors of French macarons and other pastries.
In addition, Le Petit Paris features coffee, espresso, teas, wine including champagne and French sodas.
Fresh flowers on every table, natural light streaming in through broad, tall windows, reproductions of vintage French posters adorning the walls and an outside terrace replicate the ambiance of the Parisian cafes Chezaud enjoyed in France.
Although he hasn’t finalized the location, Chezaud hopes to open the next Le Petit Paris location in Ponte Vedra Beach by the end of next year. He’s also on the lookout for a possible site in Nocatee.
Le Petit Paris, which has 70 seats, is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Monday through Sunday.
Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.
If you’re a subscriber, thank you. If not, become a subscriber to get the latest dining coverage.