Le Petit Parisien Bakery on East 78th Street Has Suddenly Closed

The lauded French bakery and cafe-by-day, restaurant-by-night in Yorkville is shutting its doors after four years of business—and four years under scaffolding. Its three other Manhattan locations remain open.

| 09 Aug 2026 | 04:53

One of the Upper East Side locations of Le Petit Parisien, the French bakery and cafe-by-day and restaurant-by-night that spent the last four years under scaffolding, has closed its doors for good. So ends, in appropriately shadowy fashion, an era of impressive pastries and sandwiches on the southern edge of Yorkville.

Located at 355 East 78th Street between First and Second Avenues, from at least August 2022 until the present day, the business was covered in whole or in large part by scaffolding. The bane of long-term scaffolding on commerce and neighborhood life in general is widely acknowledged by business owners, politicians and city agencies although it could not be learned if this was factor in the restaurant’s demise.

The Super Club had a notice on the front door saying only, “Thank You for the many small and big moments. Allowing us to accompany you and your friends was a privilege. We are closing but the beautiful memories remain.” It was signed by “the LPP team.”

Le Petit Parisien was known for serving coffee, croissants, and French sandwiches during the day, then taking on a restaurant vibe starting at 5:30 p.m. from Wednesdays through Sundays.

The evening restaurant was called Supper Club by Le Petit Parisien, offering a rotating seasonal menu consisting of French delicacies with a wine license.

The bakery used flour imported from France for its acclaimed pastries and baguette sandwiches. The business opened in 2022, replacing the previous tenant, Maison Bangkok, a Thai restaurant.

Owners have not confirmed a cause for closure. Online speculation has suggested that the recent departure of a Le Petit Parisien chef may have been a factor.

Additional long-term construction on the Maison78 luxury high rise (one bedrooms start at $8600 a month) on the southwest corner of First Avenue and East 78th Street often made this a block to avoid, at least from the First Avenue side, where the popular saloon Plug Uglies holds down the northwest corner.

Closer to mid-block, Orwashers Bakery at 308 East 78th St. still thrives, as does an outpost of X’ian Famous Foods at 328 East 78th St. Orwashers is an internationally renowned tourist attraction, however, and Xian’s is unique, with a substantial takeout business. While Le Petit Parisien is generally well-respected, it takes a lot of passion to suffer all those scaffolds, especially with abundance of excellent outdoor and indoor dining up and down nearby Second Avenue.

Le Petit Parisien has two remaining locations in Manhattan that continue to have steady business; the shop on 1035 Third Avenue in Lenox Hill, and the one at 32 East Seventh Street in the East Village. The latter location was where the business began back in 2015.

The chain also had an Upper West Side location on Amsterdam Avenue and West 68th Street up until August 2024, when it had to vacate due to skyrocketing rent.

The walls of the Upper West Side location were even decorated with pages of the namesake French newspaper, which ran from 1876 to 1944.

Google Reviews emphasize the Upper East Side location for its authentic atmosphere, fresh pastries, friendly staff, and nostalgic flavors which transported customers back to French cafes. One user said, “this is the only place in NYC that makes these like they do in France,” commenting on the daytime bakery’s sandwiches and croissants.

Other reviews note the high prices which were blamed in part for contributing to the growing list of impossibly expensive lunch options on the Upper East Side.

The shutdown of Le Petit Parisien is happening in close proximity to recent closures of the Upper East Side establishments San Matteo 89th, which served pizza, and Sushi Ren, a Japanese restaurant.,

Following an initiative by former Mayor Eric Adams, the present Hizzoner, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has taken steps to hasten the removal of unnecessary scaffolding and levy fines against those who violate scaffold regulations.