New Orleans trained Lafayette native, Justin Girouard has teamed up with his wife Margaret to open a new staple in the Lafayette restaurant scene. Located downtown across from Parc Sans Souci, The French Press serves breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Sunday in a casual family friendly atmosphere. Also, dinner on Friday and Saturday nights allows Chef Girouard to showcase some his artistic and more technical abilities he honed at Stella in the French Quarter and in Southern France.

Leaving the original floors and walls intact, the couple designed an intimate restaurant and bar that easily allows for the casual dining of the breakfast and lunch crowd as well as the white linen service of the weekend fine dining. The back of the restaurant is dominated by a concrete-and-steel cocktail bar designed by Margaret; overall the décor plays with the idea of French-style dining and the building's original use as a printing plant. Letter trays and old photos hang amongst and around full-sized replications of Picasso and Rousseau paintings.

The French Press has maintained an active presence in the local community, supporting and donating to arts and cultural organizations like Festival International de Louisiane, Festival Acadiens, the Performing Arts Society of Acadiana, Boy Scouts of America and the Alliance Francaise; local schools such as, Cathedral Carmel, Ascension Day School, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Department of Marketing and Hospitality; and other local non-profit organizations and charities, such as Downtown Lafayette Unlimited, KRVS, Downtown Preservation Society, Preservation Alliance of Lafayette and Lafayette Community Health Care clinic.

Want the French Press to get involved with your organization? Contact the restaurant by phone.