40 cheap eats places in Nantes, editor-picked. the best low-budget spots in Nantes: the places editors actually return to. All Nantes food.
Cime Café ★ 4.5
Graslin · 4 Rue Santeuil, 44000 Nantes
Cime Café is the Rue Santeuil shop of the Nantes roastery of the same name, beans roasted weekly and poured as espresso, filter or sold by the bag.
Tip: The chocolate babka and the tigré on the counter are the pairing to order, and the week's roast is sold in bags at the till.
Crêperie Heb Ken ★ 4.4
Graslin · 5 Rue de Guérande, 44000 Nantes
Running since 1976 and rebuilt for its fortieth birthday, Heb Ken grinds through galettes at lunch and turns into a tea room every afternoon.
Tip: No reservations are taken, so the queue outside at 12:30 is normal; the homemade chocolate spread crêpe is the one regulars order.
La Petite Boulangerie ★ 4.4
Hauts-Pavés · 1 Place Saint-Félix, 44000 Nantes
La Petite Boulangerie was founded by a Meilleur Ouvrier de France baker and works organic grains at Place Saint-Félix in Nantes, café tables included.
Tip: It closes on Wednesday, opens at 06:45 the rest of the week and keeps a tea salon beside the bread counter.
L'Artichaut ★ 4.4
Decré · 8 Rue du Marais, 44000 Nantes
L'Artichaut gathers a coffee shop, a seasonal canteen and an urban art gallery into one room on Rue du Marais in Nantes, lunch served at midday.
Tip: The lunch formula runs Wednesday to Saturday from 12:00 to 14:00, and brunch lands on the first Sunday of each month.
Horizon Café ★ 4.4
Talensac · 38 Rue Léon Jamin, 44000 Nantes
Horizon Café works as coffee shop and bean cellar on Rue Léon Jamin in Nantes, about thirty specialty references rotating through the brew bar.
Tip: The same pair run Alaïa Café; brewing, tasting and latte art workshops are booked through the shop's Instagram account.
Madeleine Café ★ 4.4
Champ-de-Mars · 7 Rue Pélisson, 44000 Nantes
Madeleine Café pours European specialty coffee in a converted warehouse in Nantes, pastries from Maison Arlot Cheng and art on the tall walls.
Tip: Lunch is small plates rather than a full card, and the room doubles as a gallery and meeting space for the Madeleine quarter.
Les Triplettes ★ 4.4
Champ-de-Mars · 4 Bis Rue Émile Masson, 44000 Nantes
Les Triplettes puts a pastry chef, a barista and a third friend in one Nantes room, patisserie counter in the morning and canteen at lunchtime.
Tip: Lunch runs Tuesday to Friday from 12:00 to 14:30 and brunch fills Saturday from 10:30; the pastry counter is the reason to return.
Morfal ★ 4.4
Graslin · 12 Rue des Vieilles Douves, 44000 Nantes
Morfal packs Greek and Levantine flavours into pitas near Place Royale in Nantes, filling them with kefta or house falafel, burnt aubergine and tahini.
Tip: Pitas run around €9 and the sides change with the season; the summer terrace fills fast at noon.
Ezope ★ 4.4
Champ-de-Mars · 13 Rue Léon Blum, 44000 Nantes
Ezope bakes its sourdough focaccia daily on Rue Léon Blum in Nantes, splitting it around rotating seasonal vegetable fillings for around €10 a serving.
Tip: The filling combinations rotate with the market, so the board changes week to week; lunch queues peak at 12:30.
Soba et Sarrasin ★ 4.4
Zola · 4 Rue de la Ville en Bois, 44100 Nantes
Soba et Sarrasin is the buckwheat workshop near Place Canclaux in Nantes, sarrasin noodles, onigiri and mochi made behind a glass laboratory.
Tip: This is a takeaway counter and Japanese grocery rather than a restaurant, and it shuts at weekends; go on a weekday at lunch.
Ker Breizh ★ 4.4
Graslin · 11 Rue de l'Héronnière, 44000 Nantes
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.
Tip: Reserve even at lunch, the room is small and fills; the house cider is made for them near Quimper under the Grain de Pomme label.
Café Penché ★ 4.3
Graslin · 17 Rue des Vieilles Douves, 44000 Nantes
Café Penché pours specialty coffee next to a vintage clothes shop off Place Royale in Nantes, with V60, Chemex and Aeropress brews and cakes made in house.
Tip: The room is small and shares its door with the vintage shop, so mid-afternoon is easier than the lunch hour for a seat and a filter.
Alaïa Café ★ 4.3
Decré · 4 Rue de Budapest, 44000 Nantes
Alaïa Café pairs a specialty coffee bar with a low-waste boutique on Rue de Budapest in Nantes, lunch and Saturday brunch from local producers.
Tip: Adeline and Florian went on to open Horizon Café; Saturday brunch is the busy service and vegan or gluten-free plates are handled.
Vin te faire boire ★ 4.3
Doulon · 83 Route de Sainte-Luce, 44300 Nantes
Vin te faire boire turned a former PMU on Route de Sainte-Luce in Nantes into a cave of close to 300 natural, organic and biodynamic bottles.
Tip: Drinking a shop bottle on the spot adds a €6 corkage; the back room runs concerts and karaoke on quiet weeknights.
Le Voyage à Damas ★ 4.3
Decré · 49 Rue Maréchal Joffre, 44000 Nantes
Le Voyage à Damas bakes manaïche to order on Rue Maréchal Joffre in Nantes, Syrian and Lebanese flatbreads folded around mostly vegetarian mezze.
Tip: Manaïche run €6 to €7 and come in classic and premium versions; evenings stay open later than most Nantes counters.
Bàng Bàng Cuisine ★ 4.3
Bouffay · 4 Rue de Briord, 44000 Nantes
Bàng Bàng Cuisine folds its jiaozi by hand on Rue de Briord in Nantes, with dan dan noodles and mapo tofu beside them, and half the card vegan.
Tip: Dumplings start at €5.20 and the house chilli oil is worth the extra €1.30; delivery runs through the Naofood co-op.
Barapom Bouffay ★ 4.3
Bouffay · 17 Rue de la Juiverie, 44000 Nantes
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.
Tip: The Bouffay branch runs a split service midweek and stays open straight through on Friday and Saturday until 22:15; Monday is the closed day.
Laiterie Nantaise ★ 4.3
Île de Nantes · 5 Allée Assia Djebar, 44200 Nantes
Laiterie Nantaise makes mozzarella, ricotta and burrata in a street-facing workshop by the Machines de l'Île, from one farm's organic hay milk.
Tip: The shelves also carry yoghurts flavoured with verbena or black sesame and a few natural wines, including a sparkling from Anjou.
Maison Arlot Cheng ★ 4.3
Île de Nantes · 36 Rue La Noue Bras de Fer, 44200 Nantes
Maison Arlot Cheng bakes on Rue La Noue Bras de Fer in Nantes and gives Saturday over to brunch, bakery plates, cakes and coffee at the counter.
Tip: The Saturday service runs from 10:00 to 14:00 and it is a bakery queue, not a table booking; the adzuki pastry is worth the wait.
Soba et Sarrasin ★ 4.2
Zola · 4 Rue de la Ville en Bois, 44100 Nantes
Soba et Sarrasin puts buckwheat to Japanese use by Place Canclaux in Nantes, with soba bowls, onigiri and mochi and the whole card gluten free.
Tip: Everything on the menu is gluten free and there is a Japanese grocery counter at the back for fresh soba and condiments to take away.
Casa Cruz ★ 4.2
Decré · 62 Rue Maréchal Joffre, 44000 Nantes
Casa Cruz cooks Portuguese street food on Rue Maréchal Joffre in Nantes, chicken grilled to order with house frites and local baker's bread.
Tip: It only opens Wednesday to Sunday and lunch is the busier service; takeaway orders go through the operator's own ordering page.
Pains, Beurre et Chocolat ★ 4.2
Hauts-Pavés · 10 Boulevard Amiral Courbet, 44000 Nantes
Pains, Beurre et Chocolat bakes organic levain loaves and AOP butter viennoiserie near the Saint-Félix canal in Nantes, and it trades on weekdays only.
Tip: The gâteau nantais here is heavy on rum and needs ordering ahead; the shop shuts entirely at the weekend.
ArnO Boulangerie ★ 4.2
Bouffay · 16 Rue de Verdun, 44000 Nantes
ArnO bakes organic breads and prize-winning croissants on Rue de Verdun in the old quarter of Nantes, with everything made on site each morning.
Tip: It stands a minute from the château, which makes it the practical breakfast stop before the ramparts open to visitors.
Maison Juhel ★ 4.2
Hauts-Pavés · 90 Boulevard Robert Schuman, 44300 Nantes
Maison Juhel took the prize for the best gâteau nantais in 2022 and still bakes it on Boulevard Robert Schuman in the north west of the city.
Tip: It opens at 06:30 six days a week and closes on Tuesday, but Sunday is a morning service only, finishing at 13:30.
BARA Boulangerie Pâtisserie ★ 4.2
Zola · 2 Rue de la Contrie, 44100 Nantes
BARA bakes near Parc de Procé in Nantes with dairy from local farms, its own range of breads, the Tourt'O lin loaf and a house gâteau nantais.
Tip: The shop collects prizes at regional baking competitions; Sunday closes at 13:30, so go early for the fullest counter.
Barnabé ★ 4.2
Île de Nantes · 10 Boulevard Babin Chevaye, 44200 Nantes
Barnabé bakes organic levain breads and low-sugar pastry on the Île de Nantes, one of four shops the house runs across the city, open every day.
Tip: Unsold bread goes to local charities at the end of the day; the flours are milled nearby and the pastry skips colourings.
Délice Végétal ★ 4.2
Graslin · 65 Quai de la Fosse, 44000 Nantes
Délice Végétal is the fully vegan bakery two sisters opened on Quai de la Fosse in Nantes, organic where they can and sandwiches beside the cakes.
Tip: Pistachio rolls and hazelnut chocolate cakes go first, and several Nantes coffee shops buy their pastries from here.
Tokki ★ 4.2
Decré · 18 Rue Armand Brossard, 44000 Nantes
Tokki was the first Korean coffee shop in Nantes, pouring Cime beans beside yuja tea, red bean lattes, croffles and bowls of shaved ice bingsu.
Tip: Bingsu is the summer order and gimbap carries the lunch counter; the playlist and the pale wood room are Seoul to the last detail.
Curieux Coffeeshop ★ 4.2
Bouffay · 3 Allée Jean Bart, 44000 Nantes
Curieux Coffeeshop keeps a fully plant-based counter behind its specialty coffee near Commerce in Nantes, sweet and savoury alike made without dairy.
Tip: Everything on the counter is vegan, which makes it a safe stop if you avoid dairy; the room is small and fills fast at lunch.
Chop Chop ★ 4.2
Decré · 11 Rue Saint-Léonard, 44000 Nantes
Chop Chop runs a two-floor coffee shop and canteen on Rue Saint-Léonard in Nantes, cooking from raw produce with locally roasted coffee at the bar.
Tip: The upper floor is the quiet one and the wifi holds, which makes this one of the better rooms in Nantes for a working morning.
Saguaro Coffee ★ 4.2
Bouffay · 4 Rue de l'Hôtel de Ville, 44000 Nantes
Saguaro Coffee picked up where Canyon closed a few doors away in Nantes, pouring cold brew, affogato and coloured lattes beside grilled cheese.
Tip: The vegan chocolate and peanut butter cookie comes out warm and the grilled cheese anchors lunch; the room is small, so mid-morning is calmer.
BAO DAO ★ 4.2
Bouffay · 5 Rue de la Clavurerie, 44000 Nantes
BAO DAO on Rue de la Clavurerie in Nantes was the city's first fully Taiwanese counter, steaming gua bao and pulling bubble tea daily until 22:00.
Tip: Half the card is vegetarian and gua bao start around €6; go off-peak, the room is small.
Bercail ★ 4.2
Olivettes · 11 Rue des Olivettes, 44000 Nantes
Bercail, little sister to Broussaille, builds €8 sandwiches on organic sourdough on Rue des Olivettes in Nantes, with seasonal daily specials.
Tip: The sunny terrace is the draw in fine weather; sandwiches sell out before the posted close on busy Saturdays.
OHMYFISH ★ 4.2
Decré · 21 Rue de Strasbourg, 44000 Nantes
OHMYFISH runs a seafood street food counter near the cathedral in Nantes, filling butter-toasted brioche buns and cold bowls with the day's catch.
Tip: The counter serves weekday lunchtimes only, with a single Saturday service on the first weekend of each month, so plan around it rather than turning up on spec.
La Cachette ★ 4.1
Bouffay · 2 Rue du Refuge, 44000 Nantes
La Cachette hides on Rue du Refuge in Nantes with one daily fixed-price menu, half of it vegetarian or vegan, and a doggy bag for skipped courses.
Tip: The full formula costs about €22 whatever you choose; the tiny room fills on word of mouth, reserve.
Oldü Boulangerie ★ 4.1
Hauts-Pavés · 36 Rue Pierre Yvernogeau, 44300 Nantes
Oldü bakes at Pont du Cens on the northern edge of Nantes, a quarter boulangerie whose gâteau nantais keeps the rum discreet and the crumb moist.
Tip: The gâteau nantais is among the cheaper ones in the city at about €2.90, with four, six and eight share formats to order.
Izi Café Jazz ★ 4.1
Graslin · 19 Rue Voltaire, 44000 Nantes
Izi Café Jazz sells specialty coffee and jazz vinyl from one counter on Rue Voltaire in Nantes, a spare room of wood and metal built around records.
Tip: The records racked along the wall are for sale as well as for listening, and the pastries are made for the shop rather than bought elsewhere.
Fricotte ★ 4.1
Hauts-Pavés · 34 Rue des Hauts Pavés, 44000 Nantes
Fricotte works as neighbourhood canteen, coffee shop and salon de thé on Rue des Hauts Pavés in Nantes, with pastries baked on site each morning.
Tip: Dogs are welcome and the walls rotate work by Nantes artists; Friday closes early at 14:00, so plan that afternoon elsewhere.
Tumbleweed ★ 4.1
Graslin · 6 Rue Santeuil, 44000 Nantes
Tumbleweed is the first fully vegan coffee shop in Nantes, a 1970s room on Rue Santeuil pouring plant-milk drinks with pastries from Délice Végétal.
Tip: Everything served is plant-based, and the pastries come in from the vegan bakery Délice Végétal on Quai de la Fosse.
Moloss ★ 4.1
Bouffay · 7 Rue Bon Secours, 44000 Nantes
Moloss builds proper casse-dalle sandwiches near Feydeau in Nantes at €9.50 apiece, or €11.50 to €15 once you add the sides that make it a full lunch.
Tip: Only Thursday and Friday get an evening service; the rest of the week the shutters come down at half two.