To say that the restaurant La Cigale is an institution in Nantes is an understatement. It could have been satisfied to be famous for its completely crazy art nouveau decoration which is worth being classified with the historic buildings, but in addition, it doubles of a very beautiful of chic brewery and a greedy tea room. We love it!
Back in pictures on this beautiful place, with our review on the cuisine and the wine list of the restaurant La Cigale.
This review is completely independent, we ate anonymously and paid our bill in full.
Why eat at La Cigale restaurant
Is La Cigale worth it? Our review
Not to eat, even if only a pastry, at La Cigale during your visit to Nantes would be a serious mistake! This Nantes institution inaugurated in 1895 presents an art nouveau decor among the most beautiful in France.
Located on the prestigious Place Graslin, opposite the neoclassical theater, its colorful and elaborate facade stands out in this universe of white stones.
The atmosphere that reigns there is very warm, between chic brasserie where the regulars of the good society of Nantes crowd, to the tourists amazed by this fairy-like decor, without forgetting the gourmets at tea time.
Because at La Cigale, you don't just eat with your eyes, the brasserie menu is relatively short for a restaurant of this type, but the quality is there. We are always lost when faced with homemade pastries, each more appetizing than the next.
As in all establishments of this type, the wine list is wide and very qualitative, with a nice selection of champagne and magnum (1.5L bottle).
We enjoyed our experience at La Cigale Brasserie so much that we included it in our list of the 15 best restaurants in Nantes.
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What you will eat there
The principle of a brasserie menu is to offer a wide choice to its customers and to serve continuously from breakfast to nightfall. La Cigale is no exception to the rule and you can sit there from 7:30 a.m. until 12:30 a.m.!
Because you are in a maritime city and in a brasserie, you have the right to be tempted by seafood, with a nice selection of oysters and the traditional platter.
The menu also offers 4 choices of meat and 4 choices of fish. At La Cicada, the cuisine must have taste, we work with the noblest products that we enhance with sauces and accompaniments of character. Delicious!
Be careful, the dessert menu only arrives after your meal and it would be a shame to lose your appetite! We revisit the classics of pastry (Baba au rhum, tiramisu, profiteroles ...) with greed and generosity, but you can also be tempted by a beautiful ice cream.
Our dinner menu:
- Dish : Roasted cod fillet - Broccoli mousseline - Grilled pancakes - Bordeaux style juice
- Dessert : Home made puff pastry - caramelized apples from "Maison de la Pomme
PLAN YOUR STAY IN Nantes
Itineraries
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What you will drink
La Cigale's wine list is a real novel that offers great adventures.
You can choose to lose yourself (in moderation) in the twenty or so champagnes selected from the best Champagne houses (the brut rosé from Billecart-Salmon, the cuvée 743 from Jacquesson).
But, it would be a shame not to walk through the selection of Bordeaux or Burgundy. For the great amateurs, you can even succumb to a prestigious and rare Domaine de la Romané Conti - Saint Vivant...
And if you wish to remain reasonable (like us...for once!), the wide selection of wines by the glass will allow you to indulge yourself. Note that La Cigale offersexceptional wines by the glass, including a 2015 Gevrey Chambertin, to taste the best sparingly. A philosophy that we like!
The atmosphere of the restaurant
We are in a typical atmosphere of high-end brasserie, with beautiful white tablecloths, grandiose decor, large tables and more intimate tables, open room to see and be seen...
The service is as good as the place, efficient, warm and with character!
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Why is La Cigale restaurant famous?
In addition to its great age, its enviable location on the Place Graslin, it is its art nouveau decor that made it famous.
Inaugurated on April 1, 1895, the decor of the brewery was designed by the Nantes ceramist architect Emile Libaudière. It is him who imagines the emblem, this sulky cicada wearing a tutu and carrying a mandolin.
The paintings are the work of Georges Levreau, another artist from Nantes. We owe him in particular the paintings of elegant women on the 2 sides at the entrance of the main room of the restaurant, as well as the ceiling.
The clock above the counter, as well as the figures at the corners were sculpted by Emile-Arthur Gaucher who divided his life between his workshop in Nantes and Le Croisic on the coast.
The artistic world of Nantes used to meet at the Clou, a club where notables and artists from Nantes used to meet, but also within the Société des artistes nantais founded in 1897. We find all this joyful, cultural and colorful spirit at the Cigale!
Practical information - La Cigale, restaurant in Nantes
Restaurant Type:
Brewery
Schedules
Every day, even on Sunday, from 7:30 am to 12:30 am.
Attention, the menu is slightly reduced after 10:30 pm.
How to get there
La Cigale is accessible by car, but quite difficult, as Place Graslin was largely returned to pedestrian use in 2014.
You can opt forpublic transportation, which is very dense in Nantes. The main streetcar and bus lines are within 300 meters of the restaurant.
OUR TIPS FOR RENTING A CAR IN Loire
- Compare prices on our preferred platform: DiscoverCars - one of the best rated sites.
- Choose a fairly compact car (many villages have narrowed the road).
- Think aboutfull insurance (parking in big cities is really tight).
- There is a lot of demand, book it early.
Parking
Parking in this area will necessarily be paid for. If you can't find a space on the surface, which is very likely, opt for the Graslin parking lot or the mediatheque parking lot. Be careful, the traffic in the parking lots is not always easy in Nantes...
The menus
A 2-course menu and a 3-course menu are offered except on Sundays.
A delightful "Introduction to Taste" children's menu is available for lunch and dinner every day.
Finally, on Sundays, in addition to the 3-course menu, a delightful "return from the beach" or "return from the forest" menu is offered depending on the season.
On request, the dishes can be adapted for vegetarians.
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Is the restaurant La Cigale family friendly?
We think La Cigale is a good choice to eat with your children. The brasserie menu and the menu dedicated to the initiation to taste of our children leave enough alternatives.
The dining room is spacious andrelatively quiet, which can help relieve stress.
Finally the dessert menu should make everyone agree!
The bill
At 46,30€ for 1 dish, 1 dessert and 1 glass of wine (reasonable we told you), we are in the top of the range brasserie, but nothing exorbitant with regard to the setting and the quality of the meal.
Reservation and contact
- We strongly advise you to book and you can even do it directly online with this link.
- And if you still have a doubt about the interest of going to La Cigale, you can learn more on their website.
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Sozo Hotel
Just a stone's throw from Nantes' magnificent Jardin des Plantes, sleep in an authentic 19th century church converted into a 4-star hotel. Sleeping under the stone vaults, but in a resolutely design decoration, this is what we liked at the Sozo hotel!
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Radisson Blu Hotel
Walking through the "salle des pas perdus" and having breakfast in the former courtroom is the experience offered by the Radisson Blu Hotel, located in an impressive neoclassical building that used to house the courthouse.
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Maison du Monde Hotel & Suites
When a great name in French interior design gets passionate about the hotel business, it gives a hotel with a warm and subdued atmosphere. In addition, it is ideally located, between Place Graslin and the Passage Pommeraye!
- Back to our night at the Maisons du Monde hotel in pictures
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And to learn more:
our complete selection of 12 hotels where to sleep in Nantes
Our top 3 things to do in Nantes
The elephant and the Machines de l'Ile
Over the years, the elephant and the machines on the island have become the cultural and tourist signature of Nantes. They combine incredible technical know-how with a phantasmagorical universe largely inspired by the Nantes author Jules Vernes. You can only succumb to these funny animals made of wood and metal.
The castle of Nantes (Dukes of Brittany)
The impressive castle of Nantes is a real architectural puzzle, the result of a tormented history, which it is pleasant to reconstitute. You will meet the Dukes of Brittany, the famous Anne of Brittany, wife of 2 successive kings of France, but also Louis XIV! The castle houses the surprising and very well designed museum of the history of Nantes.
- Discover all our advices and photos to not miss anything of the castle of Nantes (Dukes of Brittany).
The Pommeraye passage
An immersive experience in the bourgeois and wealthy universe of the 19th century, with this unique shopping mall in Europe. The play of light, the ironwork on the staircase, the sculptures... everything contributes to making this passageway a timeless place dedicated to the pleasure of window shopping.
And to learn more:
our complete selection of 15 things to do in Nantes
