Le Petit Cafe

I gave Le petit café 5 stars last year. Unfortunately, Unilocal hasn’t given us another star to add, or I would. All is still perfect, and all the food was wonderful. From bread through dessert, it was a perfect. The atmosphere is wonderful, and it feels like a little corner bistro. If you go on a snowy night, try to sit in the window overlooking the town green.

Amazing. Probably one of the best places to eat in CT. The menu is great and the food cooked to perfection. Yes, it is a bit small inside but that shouldn’t be a deterrent to going

This is the best restaurant in the New Haven area, probably Connecticut. The food is great, high quality and lovely flavors with nice variety, and the atmosphere is really welcoming and relaxing! After eating here, we always feel comfortable and satisfied.

Still charming, personable and timeless. Honestly perhaps the best French restaurant in Connecticut, and we’ve been to most of them. We’ve been going here for years; Chef Ip’s execution remains subtle and flawless. Roy does what he does with a deft and sure hand, and by God I hope he never stops.
Quintessential classic French staples (Cassoulet, confit, pâté) are featured among other seasonal items. As before, prix fixe and two seatings per evening, so reserve early and be punctual.

I very much enjoyed everything about the food and the experience.
The environment is warm and inviting, you very much feel welcome and comfortable. The service is on point. They take your jackets and hang them so they’re not awkward or in the way. Each course is served with consideration for everyone eating and with perfect timing.
The food itself is spectacular. The attention to detail is very apparent; each course was carefully prepared and delivered. The portion sizes are very agreeable and cooked to perfection.
The chef even came out to see how we enjoyed our meal when we were finished. He made us feel very special, despite being an average customer.
I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. You can tell there is a lot of care and passion for what they do.

I imagine that the menu hasn’t changed since the reviews 10 years ago; for me it was like French food used to be. I think it could do with a refresh.
The food.
The duck confit appetizer was tasty but the pâté was very large and very dry. The rack of lamb was nice as was the steak but neither was inspired. The flour-​less chocolate cake was so-​so.
The atmosphere.
It is a nice little space but all the reviews, captured in frames on the walls and in the bathroom, were from 2005. No good reviews since then? There was an annoying alarm that went off every 10 minutes; we weren’t sure if this was a guest or some signal for the wait-​staff.
The Diners.
It looked like most of them had been going to the place for years. The chef-​owner came out to meet all of them, except newcomers who he completely ignored. Hello, how about being nice to others that you might want to come back?
The Pricing.
I like great food and don’t mind paying for it (see my other reviews). I thought this was very expensive for what it was.

Le Petit is by a long shot the nicest restaurant in Branford and one of the best in New Haven county. As a regular recipient of local awards this small, intimate café consistently owns up to the hype that surrounds it. Reservations required and seating is in two groups– 6 & 8, if I remember correctly. The owner is awesome and remembers his regulars. He is very involved with the operations of his restaurant and I haven’t been without seeing him there. Nice place for a first date as well as a group gathering. Would recommend for anyone looking for a great dining experience.

Absolutely outstanding in everyway. A spectacular choice for a romantic evening or a special occasion. Cosy, refined, yet relaxed. Our service was impeccable, the food sublime, and attention to detail appreciated. Excellent wine list. Expensive, but worth every penny & worth doing right. I especially want to commend the chef’s attention to my date’s gluten allergy, which he accommodated in such a considerate and professional way. This is my first choice for fine dining along the shoreline.

This is a true hidden gem. The service is exceptional, food is extraordinary, and ambiance is romantic. I just celebrated my birthday at this charming French restaurant and it was perfection. The chef is a true artist. Every dish is cooked to perfection with a beautiful presentation. I can’t stress enough how much I highly recommend this restaurant, thank you to the chef for the wonderful experience! I will certainly visit again in the future.

Wonderfully quaint French bistro, not much bigger than your typical hole in the wall. Seating is limited, the food is outstanding! Dinner is four course severed prix fixe, with several choices for both the appetizer, entrée and dessert. The chilled shrimp with soba noodles was great and the Australian rack of lamb was among the best I’ve ever had. The apple tart was thinly sliced with blue berries and a Chantilly cream. Other excellent dishes at our table included roasted pork and roasted duck. A great restaurant in Branford.

I had the pleasure of eating at Le Petit café last night with my wife for her Birthday. The food was amazing as was the service. The atmosphere was great! The owner chief comes out to check on all the customers and is super nice. I don’t do a lot of reviews unless I am blown away by a place as I was with Le Petit Café. It is defiantly going to be one of our new favorite spots to go.

My wife and I came for our Anniversary, and I could not have made a better choice. The food is AMAZING. Chef Roy is a magician in the kitchen.
My wife is gluten intolerant, so we called the day before and they changed the ingredients around so she could have a fantastic dinner. And Chef Roy would come out and make sure everything was great for my wife. I can’t say enough great things about Le Petit. Oh, and the prices are so reasonable. My wife and I will be back very soon.

Dragged in by business associates. Kicking and screaming I might add. Yes, I had a very delicious meal (this time) but it won’t make up for the hives I got for laughing out loud at a very funny story and then being shushed by the Yale librarian sitting next to me. Like wearing a sweater in a sauna. That’s how this place makes me feel. I drive a Jeep. Not a Jeep kind of place. I want to give chef Ip an eye patch so when he’s scanning the room wondering about that extra pinch of lemon zest he can look like a bond villain. I think a little disco might lighten the mood up. I think we can stand a 75 year old lady on roller skates shooting the duck right before her grenoblaise. Maybe I’m too critical but when I log onto the website to see the menu I see ‘let the food talk’ and top 30 restaurants in the world. Sorry chef IP. Not buying it.

The most wonderful place I’ve been to in years
Talk about that little gem of a place you have to know about or by chance may stumble upon, that will leave you so satisfied, the next time your in the area you will want to stop by.
This is that place
Gina and I had our first date here
A little piece of Paris
We fell in love, not just with each other but also with this wonderful restaurant

Tastier and less pretentious than the other French cuisine restaurants I’ve visited in this area. The service is slow but personable, the food options are limited but very pleasant. They will accommodate allergies in the sense that they will tell you what you can’t have — don’t make a GF reservation and expect to have gluten free bread waiting for you. This is not that kind of outfit. Still, the food is some of the best I’ve had in CT.

I was anxious to try this restaurant after reading it was the «best rated in the state» and it did not disappoint. The high-​touch service and high-​quality food from Chef Roy was outstandingly delicious and no detail was missed. I docked a star because one if the desserts had pastry that was too well-​done and the meal — while delicious — lacked innovation. From the French onion soup to the lava cake, the food was high-​end classic and traditional but not many new tastes or flavors.
I will monitor the menu over time and definitely return.

Based on the other solid, 4 and 5 star reviews, I was really looking forward to celebrating Valentine’s Day here with their prix fixe menu. However, after a lackluster and sub-​par meal, I’m sad to say that I’m sorely disappointed.
The uninspired menu should have been our first warning. It featured crowd-​pleasers like foie gras terrine, lobster bisque, sea bass, and filet mignon. But when I went and checked back at pictures of other’s meals on Unilocal,it seems like these dishes are nothing special. I think others have posted multiple shots of the same filet mignon drowned in a flavorless brown sauce, served with fries that are reminiscent of McDonald’s. If you’re going to do a prix fixe and charge $ 75 a per person and not even offer a wine pairing, at least come up with something new or inventive.
I ordered the lobster bisque, filet mignon, and fruit salad. My dining partner ordered the foie gras terrine, sea bass, and chocolate hazelnut (read: Nutella) mousse. Everything felt dated and from the 1980s, like I was in a time warp back to mediocre hotel food. It’s true, I did enjoy the truffle butter and warm, home-​baked bread (in fact, that was unfortunately the best thing I ate that night). For the others:
— lobster bisque: it was decent, but not the best I’ve had. The whole shrimp in the soup felt like a throw away. Why are there shrimp in a lobster bisque?! Shouldn’t there be chunks of lobster? They were also clumsy and hard to eat.
— foie terrine: for foie, which is pretty hard to screw up, it lacked flavor and only tasted of fat on the palette.
— arugula salad with shaved asiago: again, nothing special. I saw many other photos of this salad on Unilocal,indicating it’s nothing out of the ordinary.
— filet: I ordered mine medium rare, when it came, it was smothered in a flavorless brown rue. I took my fork and knife to cut it, and it was so mushy, I knew immediately that it was not properly cooked. When I cut into it, it was basically raw/​blue. After sending it back, it returned somewhat improved, but still mushy in texture. It was not high quality nor was it properly cooked. A nice filet should have a great crust on it, and I should be able to cut into the meat without my knife sinking into it.
— Bass: the fish was technically properly cooked, but i did not care for the asian sauce and the out-​of-​season vegetables that accompanied it.
— fruit salad: what was this?! it was a bowl of grapes, some raspberries, blueberries, and slice of grapefruit in a simple syrup. You’re charging people $ 75 prix fixe for that?!
— nutella chocolate mousse: served in a martini glass, it looked straight from the 1980s. It was way too sweet and rich.
The wines were also awful. The waiter tried to help us with pairing. With my lobster bisque, he recommended a chardonnay that was awful. It had a terrible acidic, tannic taste to it finished with a tart butter that is not supposed to be characteristically bad of a chardonnay. The reds were also unremarkable.
I left disappointed and frustrated that I had such high hopes for Le Petit Café. I really think Le Petit Café must be resting on its laurels and sticking to a formula (e.g., filet mignon, chocolate molten cake) that they think works, but sadly it does not. I will not come back here and will continue my search for good, new-​to-​me restaurants in CT.

Since moving to CT, this is our go to place whenever there’s a special occasion to be celebrated. It’s a small French bistro which has never disappointed. On entering, once your eyes have adjusted to the low lighting, you’ll think you’ve been transported to France. Once seated they’ll bring you warm freshly baked bread, which you can slather with decadent truffle butter.
When presented with the menu you are literally torn between the choices. There are a selection of ⁵⁄₆ appetizers all of which sound exceptional. We opted for the duck confit which was not only packed full of flavour but also so tender that it came away easily from the bone. The duck was presented on slithers of radish with a sweet jam.
Onto the second course. Now the first time I came to the restaurant, upon being presented with the organic salad I remember feeling underwhelmed. That was until I tried it, oh boy, how wrong was I! It is dressed in a light mustard vinaigrette and on top they place a chunk of the creamiest goats cheese. I could happily dine on this alone.
Onto the third course and by now I’m getting pretty full. I chose the rack of lamb which came with dauphinois parsnips and green beans, it was cooked to perfection. My partner chose the steak which came with a side of fries, he was in seventh heaven and would have happily licked the plate clean had he not been in public!
And finally, my favourite course, dessert! They are all delicious! Yep, I’ve tried them all! But if I had to choose one then I’d say go for the crème brûlée.
Needless to say, I love this restaurant and I recommend it wholeheartedly!

This cute French restaurant is an absolute gem of Connecticut. It’s hands down the best dining experience you’ll find in the State and certainly in the greater New Haven area. Every time I’m in the area I have to make a stop here.
You’ll be started off with warm fresh organic bread that has the perfect texture and crust. I believe they even make it in-​house. It comes with some sort of truffled butter that’s excellent.
For appetizers, I recommend the French Onion soup if it’s available (menu changes weekly) and the duck confit. They are both absolutely amazing. I found the scallops to be okay but not nearly as good as the other two. The chef was generous enough to provide extra servings of the onion soup when everyone wanted to share and we were all so wowed by what was brought out.
You also get an organic mesclun salad with goat cheese. I personally don’t like goat cheese but they don’t mix it directly it but present it beautifully on top so it works out. The vinaigrette is also delicate but flavorful.
For entrees, I highly recommend the steak au poivre. It was the best steak au poivre I’ve had in my life. We had it prepared «blue» which is basically low heat cooked and some would consider it more «raw» than «rare» but it is still perfectly safely cooked and in fact packs more taste. Most places don’t know how to do that but this chef really knows what he is doing. The sauce was perfect without being overpowering of the quality of the meat and cooking.
The lamb chops also are excellent. They are a fairly generous cut (not small tiny things you see at other places).
For dessert, everything is phenomenal. I think the brandied pear is the standout in presentation and taste. The bread pudding is also amazing even if you don’t normally like it.
Service is very personal and attentive. They also don’t rush you but they also check in enough and do it in a very subtle way so they aren’t interrupting conversations everytime they clear something. You feel so welcomed here.
It gets a little dimly lit so it can be romantic but certainly great for intimiate conversations among friends too. The music they play keeps it classy and lively without it being too loud in here either.
I haven’t found something as good as this, especially for the price ($ 55 pre-​fixe here is an absolute steal). In San Francisco or New York or Vegas, this place could easily charge $ 75 – 90 for this menu. I couldn’t be happier with this meal.

Wow, definitely not what I was anticipating. In the restroom, they have accolades from the 2001 – 2005 time period. In the latter they were actually tied for First Place Dining in Connecticut Zagats with Thomas Henkelman of Greenwich. Well, since then they must have been resting on their laurels. This was a beyond disappointing experience. Food may qualify for 4 stars but service was more like 2 stars. We were treated poorly like mere commoners.
Fresh homemade bread was the highlight of the meal. Definitely a standout. The truffle butter ok but would have been better whipped and soft.
Wine list is ok not prompting me to crave any one bottle. The offerings by the glass good and quite reasonable.
$ 55 prix fixe gets you the following:
Five appetizers with none of them being vegetarian is ridiculous. Well, the soup of the day was. The escargot in puff pastry looked lovely. Too bad they didn’t do that with mushrooms instead.
Salad is great with warm goat cheese. Really excellent.
Then there was nothing for me to eat on the entrée list. When I asked for a vegetarian meal, they declined. This has never ever happened to me. Well, maybe about 20 years ago perhaps. Get with the times for goodness sake. My only option was fish, which turned out to be lovely.
Dessert selections nice and fresh whipped cream welcomed. Not standouts however. We were supposed to have received the specialty dessert for a special occasion but that didn’t happen.
The service was rushed, rushed, rushed. Definitely not appreciated one bit! Fine dining isn’t about rushing but enjoying the whole experience. Because of this I simply can not give them 4 stars even though some of the food served merits it. It was worse than being on a cruise ship being shuttled into and out of servings.
Place itself is very dated. I would not return.
Glad I tried it but now know I’m not missing a thing.
***UPDATE***After reading my review, the chef/​owner called a mutual friend. I was asked to remove the review. I find there to be nothing wrong with what I wrote except a true, honest experience. The fact remains it really is not the best place for a vegetarian. Period. Now, this mutual friend is no longer welcome at this restaurant. What kind of treatment is that over honesty? No wonder why I didn’t feel a warm, pleasant vibe in the place.