No visit to Nantes is complete without breakfast, brunch, lunch or afternoon tea at the city's legendary brasserie, a sensational feast of ceramic tile mosaics, gilt-framed mirrors and frescoed ceilings in a series of historic salons dating to 1895. Freshly shucked oysters (€40 per dozen), decadent seafood platters (€39–140) and traditional French classics are served nonstop from 11.30am.
Service is black-waistcoated and spot on, the pan-fried calf kidneys and steak in pepper sauce are both divine, and tables in summer spill outside onto one of the city's most attractive, fountain-pierced squares.