The savoury buckwheat pancake that Nantes eats as everyday food thanks to its Breton half: a thin, lacy, nutty galette folded into a square around ham, egg and grated cheese, with cidre in a bolée alongside.
Where to eat it: 11 restaurants across 2 cities.
Buckwheat took hold across Breton smallholdings from the late middle ages because it grew where wheat would not, on thin acid soil and in a short season, and it was ground into a flour that made a batter rather than a raised loaf. That batter cooked on a flat iron plate became the galette. Nantes spent those centuries as a capital of the Duchy of Brittany, and the eating stuck even after the border moved: the city still has crêperies on more corners than bistros. The galette complète, folded square around ham, a fried egg and emmental, is the fixed point of the format, and a good crêperie uses pure blé noir with nothing but water and salt in the batter.
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Common allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Dairy
Tip from the editors. The first galette of any batch is a test and usually a failure. Judge the pan's heat by it. Skipping the rest gives batter that tears as you spread it.
Le Loup, le Renard et la Galette unsettles Nantes crêperie habit on Rue de la Baclerie, galettes built on guacamole, hummus and roast chestnuts.
OrderThe Crazy Avocado galette at €12.50, or La Cueillette
Why locals goThe house takes no bookings at all and keeps a second dining room round the corner on Rue de la Juiverie, so the queue on the pavement is only half the story.
TipComposed galettes run €3.20 to €7 and sweet crêpes about €7.50, so it stays cheap even with the elaborate toppings.
Trading since 1948 beside the Sainte-Croix belfry, this crêperie spreads over three floors and fills its galettes with scallops and smoked trout.
SignatureScallop galette, Smoked trout galette, Truffle ham galette
TipThe chef's galette comes in a meat-free version with Espelette butter and six-month Ossau-Iraty, and the cider list runs to Fouesnant bottles.
Running since 1976 and rebuilt for its fortieth birthday, Heb Ken grinds through galettes at lunch and turns into a tea room every afternoon.
SignatureBuckwheat galettes, Salted butter caramel crêpes, Gâteau nantais
TipNo reservations are taken, so the queue outside at 12:30 is normal; the homemade chocolate spread crêpe is the one regulars order.
One of the older galette houses on the pedestrian lanes of Bouffay, generous plates of buckwheat with artisan ciders and a small street terrace.
SignatureBuckwheat galettes, Sweet crêpes, Artisan cider
TipIt serves seven days a week, which in this quarter is rarer than it sounds; Sunday evening is the calmest sitting.
Barapom griddles Breton galettes and crêpes on Rue de la Juiverie in Nantes, with a galette du jour and a crêpe du jour chalked up beside the card.
TryBreton galettes and crêpes
TipThe Bouffay branch runs a split service midweek and stays open straight through on Friday and Saturday until 22:15; Monday is the closed day.
The €8 midday formule at Ker Breizh buys a savoury galette, a sweet crêpe and cider or coffee, on organic Breton flour and Vendée free-range eggs.
Signature€8 lunch formule, Scallop galette, Salted butter caramel crêpe
TipReserve even at lunch, the room is small and fills; the house cider is made for them near Quimper under the Grain de Pomme label.
Crêperie La Saint-Georges on Rue du Chapitre in Rennes names its 35 galettes after famous Georges, a design-led room in the half-timbered old town.
OrderOne of the 35 galettes named for a famous Georges; pick your Georges
Bretone serves buckwheat galettes in the mosaic-tiled former home of the Odorico family in Rennes, a Fooding-listed crêperie with a pastel rooftop patio.
OrderThe grilled Guémené andouille galette with caramelised onions
Ouzh Taol, Breton for at the table, folds burger-galettes and classic buckwheat rounds in a small room on Rue Saint-Melaine in Rennes, best booked ahead.
OrderThe burger-galette, the house's cross of two comfort foods
Crêperie Sarrasin faces the Halles Centrales in Rennes with galettes rolled from 100 percent IGP Breton buckwheat and largely organic French ingredients.
OrderA savoury galette in 100 percent IGP Breton buckwheat, naturally gluten free
Crêperie du Pont-Levis faces the 15th-century Portes Mordelaises in Rennes, IGP Breton buckwheat galettes at the oldest crêperie address in the city.
OrderA 100 percent Breton IGP buckwheat galette facing the medieval gates
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