LA Parisian Bistro Site of Famous Photoshoot

One of the more famous photoshoots of the last decade was a 2009 ad for Louis Vuitton featuring Madonna in a decidedly French Bistro.

Considering the brand and the big name celebrity, I assumed the cafe was in Paris.  I mean why not.  Then one day I was talking to a neighbor and she asked me if I had ever been to Figaro Bistrot, the French Restaurant in Los Feliz.  She said it was originally in Paris where it had been disassembled, shipped to Los Angeles and reconstructed in its current location at 1802 N Vermont Ave.

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I haven’t been able to verify her story, but I learned from their website that it was the location used for the famous Louis Vuitton 2009 Spring/Summer Campaign photographed by Steven Meisel.  The photographs show Madonna in a sepia-toned setting reminiscent of a Paris café in the Forties, with its zinc bar, bentwood chairs and air thick with smoke.

Tucked away in a charming section of shops and sidewalk cafes in Los Feliz, Figaro Bistro became the only 1930’s-style Bistrot in LA offering full-service Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner restaurant, lounge, full bar, sidewalk cafe and bakery retail.

The elite of Los Feliz gather at the bistro, swapping screenwriting secrets and artistic ambitions, while taking in the French antiques, cast-iron chandeliers and a zinc bar. The menu includes Bistro standards such as garlic butter escargots, imported cheese platters and a beef Carpaccio topped with parmesan cheese. Croissants, chocolate croissants, baguettes and pastries are baked fresh each morning in the adjoining bakery.

Figaro Bistro is a must for your fine dining list. Note that their website recommends making reservations a week in advance.  Call them at 323 662 1587