Nantais chef Alain Ruffault practically grew up in his parent's boucherie (butcher's shop), today a smart gastronomic bistro with soft-hued colour palette and a strictly seasonal menu that celebrates local products. Think sea bass braised with fleur de sel (rock salt), breaded tête de veau (calf's head) slow-cooked in red wine and served with creamy parsnip purée. Saturday afternoon cooking courses too.
L’Atelier d’Alain
Nantes
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Les Machines de l’Île de Nantes
0.79 MILES
Nantes' quirkiest sight is this fantasy world – a serious and seriously wacky workshop with mechanical contraptions galore displayed in plant-filled…
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0.36 MILES
Forget fusty furnishings – light-filled rooms inside the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany house multimedia-rich exhibits detailing the city's history. Look…
0.59 MILES
A six-year renovation job by London architects Stanton Williams has done wonders for Nantes’ art museum, open again since 2017 inside the historic Palais…
1.46 MILES
Overlooking the river, this is a magical museum with 1st-edition books, hand-edited manuscripts and cardboard theatre cut-outs. Child-friendly interactive…
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0.69 MILES
Opened in 1860, this exquisitely landscaped park is among France's most interesting botanical gardens. Century-old magnolia and mulberry trees, Japanese…
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Mémorial de l’Abolition de l’Esclavage
0.76 MILES
Down by the water, 2000 brick-sized glass plaques embedded in the quay-side pavement scream out the names of slave-trading ships that regularly set sail…
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Cathédrale St-Pierre et St-Paul
0.51 MILES
Inside Nantes' Flamboyant Gothic cathedral, the tomb of François II (r 1458–88), Duke of Brittany, and of his second wife, Marguerite de Foix, is a…
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0.99 MILES
Edgy temporary art exhibitions, events and happenings fill this old industrial slipway, shaped like a wedge of cheese at the foot of Île de Nantes'…
Nearby Nantes attractions
1. Château des Ducs de Bretagne
0.36 MILES
Forget fusty furnishings – light-filled rooms inside the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany house multimedia-rich exhibits detailing the city's history. Look…
2. Cathédrale St-Pierre et St-Paul
0.51 MILES
Inside Nantes' Flamboyant Gothic cathedral, the tomb of François II (r 1458–88), Duke of Brittany, and of his second wife, Marguerite de Foix, is a…
0.59 MILES
A six-year renovation job by London architects Stanton Williams has done wonders for Nantes’ art museum, open again since 2017 inside the historic Palais…
0.69 MILES
Opened in 1860, this exquisitely landscaped park is among France's most interesting botanical gardens. Century-old magnolia and mulberry trees, Japanese…
0.73 MILES
Nantes' Natural History Museum has a fascinating collection of minerals, fossils, stuffed animals and an impressive whale skeleton. There are frequent…
6. Mémorial de l’Abolition de l’Esclavage
0.76 MILES
Down by the water, 2000 brick-sized glass plaques embedded in the quay-side pavement scream out the names of slave-trading ships that regularly set sail…
7. Les Machines de l’Île de Nantes
0.79 MILES
Nantes' quirkiest sight is this fantasy world – a serious and seriously wacky workshop with mechanical contraptions galore displayed in plant-filled…
0.99 MILES
Edgy temporary art exhibitions, events and happenings fill this old industrial slipway, shaped like a wedge of cheese at the foot of Île de Nantes'…