The Restaurant
La Cigale opened on 1 April 1895 across from the Grand-Théâtre on Place Graslin, designed by the ceramicist Émile Libaudière in the full Art Nouveau idiom that was then reshaping European taste. Sarah Bernhardt dined here on opening night. The Breton nationalist movement met in the back room. Jacques Demy filmed Lola across the street and used the brasserie repeatedly as backdrop. In 1964 the interior — mosaics, mirrors, ceiling frescoes, carved woodwork — was classified Monument Historique, the highest French heritage protection available.
The cooking, under chef Antoine Doré, is brasserie classicism done straight: the Atlantic seafood platter and a choice of six oysters are the reason to come, alongside magret, beef tartare, prime rib and the full grande carte that has barely shifted in a century. Mains run roughly €20 to €42, with set menus from €25.90; a full dinner with wine rarely passes €90 a head. The list leans Muscadet and Loire — there is a "Muscadothèque" — and extends into Burgundy and Bordeaux. The value, for the room, is remarkable.
La Cigale opens seven days a week from 7:30am for breakfast through to 12:30am for late supper — a schedule that fits the Théâtre Graslin opposite, the Passage Pommeraye next door, and the generations of Nantes families who eat here before and after everything. The service is old-fashioned in the best sense: career waiters in waistcoats, a sommelier who remembers you, and a welcome that does not distinguish between the Sunday regulars and the first-time visitor.
Why This Is Nantes’s Birthday Pick
For a birthday in Nantes, La Cigale is the answer. The room alone justifies the occasion — 130 years of continuous service, a Monument Historique ceiling, mirrors that have reflected Bernhardt, Demy and every Nantes generation since 1895. The table along the window is the most photographed seat in French brasserie dining. The set menus let a group of any size order without friction, the wine list permits generosity without ruin, and the 12:30am close means the night runs as long as it needs to. See more in our Nantes dining guide.
Skip it if you want cutting-edge cooking or a quiet table. This is a grand, busy, 130-year-old brasserie serving classics to a full room from breakfast to past midnight; a diner chasing a modern tasting menu or a hushed corner should book LuluRouget instead.
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