The Best Brunches in Nantes

The extravagant brasserie La Cigale, decorated in the Art Nouveau style, has been a Nantes institution since 1895. “Le Brunch Complet” is composed of scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, ash goat’s cheese and salad, Cremet Nantes cheese with seasonal fruit, homemade pastries, croissants, and pains au chocolat, toast, applesauce, and crème caramel to finish.

There’s plenty of choice in the brunch options at Tabl’O Gourmand, all of which are made from fresh, organic products. You can opt for just the basics – artisan bread with jams, churned butter, honey, and Belgian spreads – or add to it. Choosing the “New York” will get you some extra bacon and scrambled eggs, while the health-conscious will prefer the muesli and milk included in the “Fitness First”. Whatever your choice, you’ll be dining in a quaint restaurant with charming decor that is located on the famous Cour des 50 Otages.

Start your meal off at L’Atelier des Délices with a hot drink or some freshly squeezed fruit juice, as the brunch here is a plentiful affair. The plate comes with a salad of smoked salmon, roast pork, and homemade mayonnaise, an egg and bacon casserole, cottage cheese with almonds and fine herbs, artisan cheese (Ossau-iraty, made from sheep’s milk, and grand cru Emmental), as well as pancakes, pastries, and whole milk yogurt. You can choose to dine in the restaurant’s stylish interior or out on its terrace, situated on a pedestrianised street.

O Deck offers an unparalleled location when compared to other brunch spots in the city. The restaurant is located upon the Loire River within the “floating building” Nantilus, a tribute to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea author Jules Verne, who was born in Nantes. Climb aboard and you’ll be treated to a lavish selection of dishes including brioche perduewith red fruit mousse, a rolled omelette seasoned with herbs, and sushi made from smoked salmon, cucumber and cream cheese. French restaurant guide Gault et Millau has praised O Deck for having one of the best brunches in the country.

Papy Mougeot has antique bicycles hanging from its ceiling and flat caps topping its light fixtures. Brunch starts off with tartinesand ficelles(French breads), salted butter and jam, and a croissant or pain au chocolat. The main is a burger, salad, eggs Benedict, or charcuterie, while the dessert is applesauce and pears, rice pudding and crème brulée, or brioche perduewith vanilla ice-cream. The dishes aren’t overly elaborate but are of the highest quality.

Childhood friends Jeremy and Alexandre were inspired by their mothers’ cooking when establishing Les Fils à Maman. Among the choices for brunch are an egg muffin with fries and either bacon or smoked salmon, a lettuce, chicken, tomato and parmesan salad with anchovy sauce, and a board of charcuterie and cheese. The desserts will surely bring out your inner child: shortbread with Nutella, banana, and whipped cream, or Kinder tiramisu.

Vue du Monde’s brunch menu contains a number of options, like the “BSF”, which is a bagel with smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onion, curried tartar sauce, and fried potatoes. With the “Big Ben” customers get a choice of eggs, bacon, sausages, or smoked salmon to accompany their Provencal tomato, fried potatoes, baked beans, cheese, fruit skewers, waffle, and toast. The truly ravenous can upgrade their “Big Ben” to a “Big DaDa”, which adds a helping of eggs Benedict and half a toasted sandwich.