OKLAHOMA CITY –
You can now enjoy escargot, French onion soup and creme brulee in the heart of Oklahoma City.
A new restaurant, Le Parisien, just opened in the old Café Do Brazil space in Midtown, offering casual French cuisine at NW 11th and Walker.
Le Parisien is the dream child of co-owner Alain Jeu, who moved here from LA to open it.
“I’m born and raised in France, but I’ve been living in America for decades,” he said. “I moved here and we found the space and voila,” he said.
Le Parisien opened in late 2025 and Jeu said things are going well so far.
“Great, great, great, great, people are trying us out and they seem to be very happy with what we serve,” he said.
The walls are covered in decor and knick-knacks Jeu bought at French markets. He said it looks very authentic to French bistros back home.
The top items on the menu are the French Onion Soup, the Gnocchi a la Pariesenne which is like a dumpling, and the escargot, which are cooked snails. They sell out of escargot most nights. Jeu said escargot is a delicacy and explained its origins.
“We went through famines, and during those times, people didn’t have anything to eat, so they tried to find something to eat and they found snails,” he said. “They cooked them and they put a lot of garlic and parsley and, and other things, to make it really good, actually,” he said.
If you cannot pronounce the French names on the menu, do not worry. Jeu has trained his staff to call him over to help understand the dishes.
“I’ll come to the table, and I will train people how to pronounce it,” Jeu said. “I’m going from table to table, explaining.”
Chef Bryant Gallegos, who also moved here from LA for this job, said he is shocked the Gnocchi a la Pariesenne is one of the top dishes.
“I was surprised, coming to Oklahoma, a meat state, I thought we’d be selling more steak, but it’s the gnocchi that has taken this restaurant by storm,” Gallegos said.
Le Parisien was just named one of the best new restaurants in Oklahoma City. Jeu said it felt great to get the recognition.
“We are going to try to keep, keep being good and keep, making people happy when they come and see us,” Jeu said.
Dining and Cooking