Our Story

Restaurateur Stefan Jonot wanted to create a space that feels as welcoming as a typical corner bistro in Paris - his home city. LES Enfants is an unfussy, welcoming spot that becomes a part of locals' daily routines, from drinking coffee to reading the paper, working through lunch or meeting friends for an apero, dining with the family or grabbing a nightcap on the way home. His previous restaurant, Les Enfants Terribles, was an early Lower East Side settler and fondly remembered as a living room of sorts for the neighborhood. As someone who spent his younger years organizing underground parties in Paris, making music documentaries, and building more than a few restaurants and bars, Jonot found his way to the Lower East Side 25 years ago.

OUR COLLABORATORS

Award-winning firm Freecell Architecture (John Hartmann, Lauren Crahan, Sam McBride) collaborated on the design and space organization. French visual artist Jeanne Verdoux and Scottish architect/ illustrator John Gibson created a site-specific wall mural that draws from Verdoux's acclaimed drawing series that capture glimpses of New Yorkers in everyday life. Cathy Long Ho commissioned Linda Pollak (Marpillero Pollak) and Julio Salcedo (Scalar Architecture) to design sections of the restaurant.