No passport or Air France flight required (even when it’s direct service from Harry Reid to Charles de Gaulle three times per week). From French wines and Riviera-inspired pastries to high-speed supercars and one of the city’s oldest parks, these local businesses reveal the French flavors, personalities, and unexpected influences woven into Las Vegas history.
SpeedVegas Motorsports Park
French racing champion Romain Thievin found a fitting home in Las Vegas, a city built on life in the fast lane. A professional stunt driver who worked on “The Bourne Identity,” Thievin co-founded Exotics Racing before merging it with SpeedVegas in 2021. Today, he serves as CEO and co-owner of SpeedVegas Motorsports Park, where aspiring drivers can take Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, and other supercars around a closed racetrack with professional instruction.
- Know Before You Go: A driver’s license is required to get behind the wheel, but no prior racing experience is necessary. Professional instructors ride along and coach you through every lap.
French Riviera Tropézienne Bakery
Tropézienne is bringing a taste of the French Riviera to neighborhoods across Las Vegas. Its bakeries serve breads, croissants, viennoiseries, sandwiches, quiches, macarons, and pastries — including the namesake tarte tropézienne, a sugar-topped brioche filled with cream that originated in Saint-Tropez. Now, they are preparing to expand downtown inside the former André’s restaurant, where chef André Rochat helped introduce Las Vegas to fine French dining.
- Know Before You Go: Watch for its forthcoming location at 401 S. Sixth St. The historic building has been empty since André’s closed in 2008.
Ohlala French Bistro
A trip through France’s wine regions doesn’t require leaving Summerlin. At Ohlala French Bistro, chef Richard Terzaghi pairs escargots, mussels and fries, steak tartare, and duck magret with a wine list that travels from the Rhône Valley to Bordeaux and Burgundy. Start with a Famille Perrin Châteauneuf-du-Pape, explore grand cru bottles from Clos de Vougeot, or splurge on the 2005 Château Beychevelle, a fourth-growth Bordeaux from Saint-Julien. Born to a French mother and Italian father, Terzaghi serves the kind of bistro dishes made for sharing over a bottle.
- Know Before You Go: Visit Sunday evening, when select bottles of wine are 50% off. Start with a Côtes du Rhône and escargot, Terzaghi’s recommended pairing.
Lorenzi Park
Long before Las Vegas had its own Eiffel Tower, French immigrant David G. Lorenzi dreamed of growing grapes in the desert. Lorenzi purchased 80 acres west of Downtown in 1912 and drilled an abundant artesian well. The vineyard never materialized, but the water allowed him to create two lakes and open Lorenzi’s Lake Park in 1926. After later operating as Twin Lakes Lodge, the property was purchased by the city in 1965 and became Lorenzi Park.
- Know Before You Go: Walk around the park’s twin lakes, bring lunch for a lakeside picnic, or take advantage of the playgrounds and basketball courts. Sammy Davis Jr. Festival Plaza also hosts community performances and special events throughout the year.
