Pizzeria€€GraslinMon-Fri 12:00-14:00 and 19:00-22:30; Sat 19:00-22:30; closed Sun
Agapè is Pierre-Yves Combradet's locavore pizzeria on Rue Racine in Nantes, sourdough bases topped with Grandlieu raclette and Safré blue cheese.
Order: The seasonal pizza, on its slightly askew sourdough base
Why locals love it: The pizzas are entirely organic and around 80% of the produce comes from a dozen farms on short chains, hence Grandlieu raclette and Safré blue on the seasonal one.
Tip: Formules start near €10.50 and pizzas run €11.50 to €19; there is no lunch on Saturday and no service at all on Sunday.
Cafe€€DecréTue-Fri 09:30-18:00; Sat 10:00-18:00; closed Sun-Mon
Café Bouture on Rue Maréchal Joffre in Nantes runs a café inside a plant shop, comfort food at lunch and every plant in the room up for sale.
Order: The pinsa at lunch, or a vegan cake with the coffee
Why locals love it: Every plant in the room is for sale as well as decorative, and the café runs plant swaps and maker markets between services, which is not what the shopfront suggests.
Tip: Saturday brunch is €26 for a hot drink, a cold drink, a plat, a dessert and a pastry; weekday lunch plates are about €12.
Bakery€€MalakoffTue-Sat 09:00-13:00 and 15:00-19:00; closed Sun-Mon
Couleur Chocolat works in small batches on Rue Général Buat in Nantes, ganaches, pralines and mendiants beside pistachio and mango-passion sorbets.
Order: A box of ganaches and mendiants
Why locals love it: It took over the old Flandrin house on Rue Général Buat in 2016 and still works in small batches, so the counter changes with whatever has just been tempered.
Tip: The shop shuts between 13:00 and 15:00, so aim for late morning; travel cakes and jams survive the journey home better than the ice cream.
Cafe€€Hauts-PavésMon-Fri 09:30-13:00 and 14:00-17:00; closed Sat-Sun
Cime roasts specialty coffee on Rue des Hauts Pavés in Nantes every Monday and Thursday, single-origin lots scored before they reach the shelf.
Order: A single-origin lot from Ethiopia, Colombia or Peru, ground to order
Why locals love it: The roasting happens on the premises on Mondays and Thursdays and the lots are scored by a Q-Grader before they reach the shelf, so the shop smells of work rather than retail.
Tip: This is a weekday workshop rather than a coffee shop, and it closes for lunch between 13:00 and 14:00.
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.
