Le Petit Village: A love letter to old-world France in the heart of the West Village

During this summer’s French Restaurant Week, New York’s dining scene shimmered with Champagne flutes and coq au vin specials—but tucked within the leafy, storybook charm of the West Village, Le Petit Village offered something more enduring than a two-week fête: it offered a portal.

Brought to life by Mino Habib and Mathias Van Leyden—the same duo behind the beloved Loulou Petit Bistro—Le Petit Village was less a restaurant and more a memory made edible. A softly lit corner of Manhattan where tradition didn’t shout, but sang, one perfect plate at a time.

Guests who stepped inside during French Restaurant Week were greeted not with spectacle, but with soul. The menu was an homage to Southern France, rooted in heartfelt nostalgia and culinary precision. Mino’s kitchen whispered secrets passed down through generations—roasted duck that melted on the tongue, steak frites with unapologetic confidence, and goat cheese tartlets that made conversation pause mid-sentence. Every dish told a story, and none of them felt rushed.

Le Petit Village Cheese Board Photo by Daniel Bedoya

Mathias, with his memory-soaked inspiration, brought the warmth. The space felt as though it had been plucked from a hillside village outside Aix-en-Provence and dropped gently onto Grove Street—warm wood, vintage French posters, and the kind of candlelight that makes everyone look like they’ve just returned from a long, romantic holiday.

There were no gimmicks at Le Petit Village during Restaurant Week. Just old-world elegance dressed in West Village ease. The prix-fixe menu honored French classics with just enough modern mischief to keep it exciting—crème brûlée that cracked like old vinyl, ratatouille with the elegance of poetry, and wine pairings that made time melt like butter over escargot.

What made Le Petit Village stand out was not only its reverence for flavor, but its refusal to rush the experience. In a city obsessed with the next thing, Le Petit Village insisted on presence. Meals were lingered over. Stories were exchanged. Glasses clinked with the kind of joy that didn’t need a hashtag.

Le Petit Village’s Baked Camembert Photo by Daniel Bedoya

Though French Restaurant Week has since drawn its final cork, the essence of the celebration lives on nightly at Le Petit Village. It remains a place where memories are plated, Provence is never far, and every meal feels like coming home—even if home happens to be several wine-soaked time zones away.

To book a table or learn more, visit www.lepetitvillagenyc.com.

Le Petit Village’s Creme Brulee Photo by Daniel Bedoya