VIDEO: Supper Series | At Le Petit Cafe, Nearly 100 Religious Statues Create Spiritual Haven in Brooklyn
CARROLL GARDENS — Le Petit Cafe is a neighborhood favorite in Brooklyn. Whether customers come for sweet or savory items, many keep coming back for something that is not on the menu: faith.
Close to 100 statues and religious images fill every nook and cranny of the Carroll Gardens eatery. Some of them are tucked away while others cannot be missed, but each one has its place.
Faster than a customer can grab a fresh-squeezed orange juice or pastry, a saint or statue draws attention to the heavens.
As patrons look up towards the ceiling, they’ll take in a painting of the Creation of Adam, freehand painted by an artist 28 years ago when the restaurant opened.
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Over the years, the cafe’s religious items have been acquired as well as gifted.
A statue of the Blessed Mother came from neighboring St. Mary Star of the Sea Church.
Customers say the faithful finds add to the welcoming atmosphere at Le Petit Cafe.
“I love it, I like it because it’s done in a way that’s not offensive and I see it as a spiritual environment more,” customer Ada Discipio said. “To me it’s very soothing, it’s very pleasant and the most important thing is that it’s not offensive.”
“It’s kind of tucked away so it’s nice… it’s here because faith is such a wonderful thing,” added Victor Reyes, a customer at the cafe. “I just love the environment here. It’s just such a great and welcoming place between the greens, the running water, the statues — they welcome people through food.”
In a city that moves fast, Le Petit Cafe offers a space for calm and quiet — and while waiting for food, maybe even a prayer.