Food & drink

Dining Off The Beaten Track In Nantes

With some of France’s finest produce on its doorstep, Nantes is a haven for food lovers. With restaurants like these, there's no excuse for not dining in style three times a day - at least - throughout your stay.

Situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the River Loire and surrounded by fertile land, Nantes has a rich and varied cuisine. The vast array of local ingredients from land, sea and river is comprehensively reflected in the city’s celebrated restaurants, so if you're visiting, leave plenty of time for your meals - and plenty of room for seconds.

11 Mar 2024 4 min to read

Butter and breakfast: La Cigale

A short walk from the Radisson Blu Nantes, La Cigale is a Nantes institution. Established in 1895, its beautiful art nouveau interior with ornate tiling and frescoed ceilings is almost as dazzling as the food. However, it’s very popular, so avoid busy lunch and dinner times and make an early start instead. Homemade brioche is served with salted butter, using salt harvested from the nearby Guérande salt marshes. Find out more about the traditional production techniques at Le Guérandais, where you can take a tour of the area and pick up some heavenly salted caramels.

Blog images - 2024 - dining off the beaten track in nantes La Cigale

Blog images - 2024 - dining off the beaten track in nantes Hotel Exterior

Lunch by the Loire: La Civelle

Popular with locals for its excellent seafood, La Civelle is situated in the old fishing village of Trentemoult, on the south bank of the Loire. It’s an easy hop across the river from the city centre by water bus and the perfect spot for a waterside lunch. Try the river fish accompanied by beurre nantais – a close relative of the famous beurre blanc, reputedly invented a few kilometres upstream from Nantes.

Blog images - 2024 - dining off the beaten track in nantes La Civelle

Patisseries and petit beurres: Vincent Guerlais

You can’t visit Nantes without eating biscuits - or at least, you really shouldn't. The celebrated Lefèvre-Utile or ‘LU’ biscuit company started life as a small patisserie in the town in 1846 and today its former factory tower has become a centre for arts and music. The LU museum, housed at the nearby Chateau de Goulaine, is worth visiting to learn more about the iconic brand - or for a contemporary twist on their signature petit beurre, head to one of Vincent Guerlais’ patisseries in the city centre. The iconic rectangular biscuit has been reinvented by the master chocolatier - and it turns out they taste even better in a cocoa butter coating.

Blog images - 2024 - dining off the beaten track in nantes Vincent Guerlais

Mouth-watering Muscadets: Maison Baron-Lefèvre

Located in a warehouse once used to store market produce, Maison Baron-Lefèvre is a stylish, contemporary restaurant in the heart of Nantes. Fresh seasonal produce comes directly from the restaurant’s own garden, and the wine cellar is particularly impressive. It’s also on display in the restaurant, so take the opportunity to taste some of the best Muscadets from the vineyards that surround Nantes. Le Musée de Vignoble Nantais is a great source of information about the wine region.