Domaine du Fief aux Dames

The fine dining restaurant of this charming hotel has two plush, stylish dining areas, where guests savour elegant and appetising cuisine that reflects the zeitgeist. Influenced by the region's terroir, the dishes showcase the chef's craftsmanship, particularly in the realm of sauces and jus. The wine list features very reasonable entry-level prices and a fine selection of regional tipples. The service team is unfailingly warm and affable. Brasserie Constance is a more relaxed venue serving traditional cuisine in an atmosphere of simplicity and conviviality.

This greenhouse with timber arches devoted to the goddess Freia is perched on top of a contemporary building. It is the perfect place to grow a garden of aromatic herbs and berries and to admire the panoramic view of Nantes. After the success of Vacarme, Sarah Mainguy crafts poetic and creative cuisine, mainly plant based and scattered with Scandinavian and Asian touches. Each dish is a treasure trove of brainwaves and delicious sauces – cases in point being the white asparagus with a vegetable seaweed XO sauce, or periwinkles with crisp green peas, topped with a glazed gwell snow.

In this warm buzzy eatery, chef Romain Bonnet crafts creative surprise menus of Asian inspiration: the ‘omija’ is a Korean fruit, known as the five-flavour berry due to its unique combination of sweet, sour, bitter, salty and pungent flavours. Bonnet is unswerving in his dedication to taste, illustrated by green ‘kombujime’ asparagus flanked by sesame-flavoured ice cream, or squid from la Turballe marinated in Korean pepper. Virtuoso craftsmanship, gutsy stocks and addictive, big-boned sauces. The mainly organic produce is painstakingly sourced (common shrimp from la Cotinière on Oléron Island

Overlooking the little Canal de Goulaine, this white building with a contemporary interior boasts a lovely garden terrace for alfresco dining in fine weather. Having cut his teeth abroad, chef Mathieu Corbineau bridges the gap between traditional recipes and modern influences: braised pork shoulder, thyme jus and vegetable tarte Tatin; fillet of pollock, shellfish marinière and a medley of Nantes carrots. Affordable lunch set menu and a wine list that zooms in on Muscadet.

In his contemporary and elegant restaurant laid out around a lovely patio, Xavier Giraudet creates top-drawer modern cuisine with a focus on vegetables. The various set menus feature local and seasonal produce (sometimes even from the family vegetable garden), expertly cooked and full of flavour. In season, don't miss their exemplary rendition of hare à la royale à la Antonin Carême, a classic dish! A bravura performance.

Trained under Michel Troisgros, Ludovic Pouzelgues is one of the faces of the city's fine dining revival. A stone's throw from the famous Machines de l'Île, he heads up this restaurant with a pleasing, comfortable and contemporary interior. Here, the finest produce reigns supreme (the fish markets of La Turballe and Le Croisic are nearby); it is prepared with precision and inventiveness to create surprise menus based on what the market has to offer. Modern cuisine that is full of personality: a real success.

Overlooking the Loire, this 19C mansion, a landmark of Nantes, commands a sweeping view over the former shipyards. Chef Jean-Yves Guého deftly fashions a banquet of grandiose Gallic classics. Seafood and fish take the limelight, illustrated by a delicate marriage of Breton langoustine and sea urchin or Croisic John Dory confit in butter. The front-of-house team is enthusiastically led by the chef’s daughter, while the well-curated wine list is rich in Loire vintages. Gutsy food in a restful setting – consider us smitten!