Italian€€€Hauts-PavésMon 12:00-15:00 and 19:30-22:00; Tue-Fri 12:00-15:00 and 19:30-23:00; closed Sat-Sun
Emporietto is the Italian osteria up a courtyard off Rue Adolphe Moitié in Nantes, seasonal pasta set against about 100 natural Italian wines.
Order: Squid ink pasta with pistachio cream and bottarga
Why locals love it: The door sits at the back of a courtyard off Rue Adolphe Moitié, in premises that were a fine-foods shop before they were an osteria, so the street gives nothing away.
Tip: Book for the evening; lunch is a shorter, cheaper card and the room is small enough that walk-ins rarely work.
Ramen€€DecréWed-Sat 12:00-14:00 and 19:00-21:30; closed Sun-Tue
Mugen Ramen on Rue Fénelon in Nantes pulls its house noodles through a pork and seafood broth simmered twelve hours, behind burnt wood panels.
Order: Tonkotsu shoyu, its pork and seafood broth simmered twelve hours
Why locals love it: Victorien Gicquel and Guillaume Dallas came home from four years at Menma in Brussels and open four days a week only, behind burnt wood panels and a two-century-old oak counter.
Tip: It opens Wednesday to Saturday only and the last bowls go before 21:30; takeaway is possible when the counter is full.
Japanese€ZolaMon-Fri 11:30-19:00; closed Sat-Sun
Soba et Sarrasin is the buckwheat workshop near Place Canclaux in Nantes, sarrasin noodles, onigiri and mochi made behind a glass laboratory.
Order: Soba salad or soba ramen, with a black sesame mochi after
Why locals love it: Sophie de Thy developed her buckwheat noodles at home for three years before opening this workshop near Place Canclaux, where they are made in 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.
Bakery€€TalensacMon-Fri 08:30-18:30; closed Sat-Sun
Marguerite is chef Marguerite Parent's canteen across the street from her own Nantes bakery, marble floors and lunch plates that sell out fast.
Order: The chocolate and hazelnut babka
Why locals love it: Marguerite Parent runs the canteen directly opposite her own bakery, one chef on pastry and one on savoury, and the day's plates sell out well before closing.
Tip: Coffee comes from Café Machin and the chai from Destination Épices; arrive before 13:00 if you want the babka.
French regional€Île de NantesTue-Sat 10:00-19:00; closed Sun-Mon
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.
Order: The burrata heart, at €9.90 per 100g
Why locals love it: Two former aerospace engineers make the cheese in a street-facing workshop by the Machines de l'Île, using organic hay milk from a single farm near Nantes.
Tip: The shelves also carry yoghurts flavoured with verbena or black sesame and a few natural wines, including a sparkling from Anjou.
French regional€€DecréMon 14:30-20:00; Tue-Sat 09:30-20:00; closed Sun
Les Bottes is the turquoise-fronted butcher on Rue Saint-Léonard in Nantes, whole animals from small farms hanging behind a glass cold room.
Order: Pastrami smoked by the urban smokehouse Marché noir, €90 a kilo
Why locals love it: There is no counter between butcher and customer, only a glass cold room; the two owners retrained as butchers and Nantes restaurant kitchens buy from them.
Tip: A second shop on Rue Racine opens on Sunday morning and shuts on Monday, the reverse of this one, so between them they cover the week.
