Au Revoir: Sadly, After 25 Years, Branford's Le Petit Cafe Closing

BRANFORD, CT — Another heartbreak. The beloved and award-winning Le Petit Café is closing its Branford eatery.

After a quarter-century, the French-inspired restaurant named the best in the state by Zagat in 2011, called the "Miracle on Montowese Street," by the New York Times, is forced to close its doors.

Owners chef Roy Ip and Winnie Lui posted the announcement on Facebook.

"To our beloved Le Petit Café Patrons, Friends, and extended Family:

With this letter, we are reaching out to our dear patrons, friends and family in our treasured Branford, across our beautiful Connecticut coast, New England and the Tri-State area, and beyond.

After 25 wonderful years of serving you, we have made the very difficult and reluctant decision to close our current restaurant. This decision was not made lightly. Cooking for and spending time with you throughout these many years in our current location on the Branford Green have been near and dear to our hearts. Unfortunately, we were recently informed that, due to regulatory and insurance requirements, major renovations would be needed for the kitchen. After careful consideration of the situation, in view of the prevailing business environment and challenging labor shortage, we decided with a heavy heart to close our current restaurant.

We thank you for your patronage and support through the years. We are so grateful for all the love that you have shown us, and for the many compliments and inspiring feedback that you have generously and graciously offered. It has been our pride and joy to serve and to get to know you. We thank you for allowing us to share this brilliant journey with you. Until we can meet again, we will dearly miss seeing you in our dining room.

Wishing you joy and fantastic culinary experiences!

Au revoir et merci infiniment,

Chef Roy Ip & Winnie Lui"

Hundreds shared their sadness at the closing, and their stories of "magical" dining experiences at Le Petit Café.

"One of my favorite memories in Branford was made at your restaurant. My husband and I just enjoyed a delicious meal & exited your restaurant to a beautiful view of the Christmas tree on the green. It really felt magical."

In a recent post, Le Petit Café chef Ip shared his "pleasure to cook lunch for chef Jacques Pepin."

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