The best pastry shops Loire-Atlantique

On the Ile de Nantes, a stone's throw from L'Éléphant, Sabrina, a naturopath by training, and her husband Grégory Lejeune, a pastry chef, have opened an exceptional patisserie. The two decided to combine their respective passions in this bold and highly successful project. The new establishment focuses on creative, healthy and natural pastries. This alternative patisserie focuses on the senses: sight, because "you eat first with your eyes", as Sabrina puts it, and taste, with gustatory flavors such as poached pears with hibiscus juice in Déli'biscus (sweet pastry, organic vanilla diplomate), the spirulina circle on organic vanilla and white chocolate chou. The creations, which are as pretty as they are tasty, are also less sweet, using only natural sugars (e.g. coconut blossom sugar) with a low glycemic index (ideal for diabetics and gourmands who need to be careful), such as the matcha green tea macaroons, with no additives or artificial coloring, using certified organic French flours, as well as non-hybridized and gluten-free flours. Délicatessaine's approach is delicate and healthy, ethical and responsible, as it favors local and seasonal products. Délicatessaine is also a tea room where you can sit down for a cup of tea or coffee. You can also enjoy home-made chocolate bars. Educational workshops to learn how to bake lighter. You can make healthy, tasty snacks for children, or prepare pastries for allergy sufferers. In fine weather, enjoy the terrace while sampling the Déli'fragola: a gluten-free pastry (shortcrust pastry, strawberry confit, peas, yoghurt mousse, burrata heart, fresh organic and local strawberries) and a great new addition in 2022, the Déli'grey: a low GI pastry (hazelnut and citrus shortbread, light Earl Grey tea mousse, soft hazelnut and citrus zest cookie, bergamot confit), a real treat!

Just a few steps from the Place Royale and its fountain, Maison Grimaud proudly displays its know-how: "the art of choux pastry". The idea may seem surprising, but once you've tried it, you'll find it most appealing. The charm is quickly felt in this contemporary space where light and space have been privileged. Sofas, benches and small armchairs await you. Maison Grimaud is two rooms located on either side of an entrance in which you will discover the many cabbages to taste. Here, we come to enjoy the creations of Sébastien Grimaud, young and talented pastry chef, and his team. At lunchtime, Maison Grimaud offers sweet and savory dishes. At lunchtime, there is a nice choice of revisited gougères, accompanied by raw vegetables or soup. Generous bowls are also to be discovered, in vegetarian version, with trout or Serrano ham. For sweet tooths, choux filled with creams (Tahitian vanilla, salted butter caramel, milk chocolate, lemon meringue, tangerine, pear, coconut speculos, pistachio...) but also chouquettes, pastries such as paris-brest, saint-honoré or Fleur de sel. Maison Grimaud is also a tea room where you can have a coffee, a tea or a hot chocolate all day long. In addition to the quiet terrace, Maison Grimaud organizes brunches on Sundays with three new formulas (sweet, savory or both!) including the famous briochou: a good opportunity to come and enjoy the sweet and savory treats prepared by Sébastien. An address not to be missed.

Since its opening in June 2019, the craze for this fine patisserie has continued to spread... The clientele that throngs behind its tempting window display has made it a sure bet. Julien Merceron, the pastry chef from the Ritz, and Gérard Porte, the artisan florist, cultivate art and beauty. Here, everything awakens the senses: pretty cakes titillate the eyes, tickle the nostrils and delight the taste buds. We're eager to discover the new 2023 cakes, such as Mathilda's apricot and almond cake, or the strawberry-basil tart. You'll love the melt-in-your-mouth flavors of Pain d'épices au miel et chocolat, and the seasonal freshness of Tarte aux agrumes et kasha. What a pleasure it is to watch these marvels being made live through the laboratory windows, from which delicious caramelized aromas emanate! We salute the eco-responsible approach of working with rigorously selected seasonal products, most of them local. In addition to the divine pastries, you'll be tempted by other delicacies like the appetizing chocolate bars, such as the crunchy one topped with caramelized pistachios or the exquisite one with candied oranges. And let's not forget a few delicatessen products: jams, ciders, wines, teas and coffees... Let yourself be carried away by the aestheticism of these artists... as if on a swing..

It is a charming piece of England that has taken its place near the Parc du Grand Blottereau, a sweet taste of England, our English friends will say. And this sweet taste of England is skillfully created by Steve and Laëtitia, two cooks who manage perfectly to make us travel across the Channel without leaving Nantes. Steve is English and Laëtitia, his wife who officiates in the dining room, has lived for many years in England where she gleaned her mother-in-law's recipes. Today, they adapt the recipes and make a number of succulent, typically English pastries: millionaires (biscuit, caramel, chocolate), two chocolate brownies, lemon meringue tart, cheesecakes, light banofee, lemon curd muffin, scones, pear-hazelnut-chocolate cake, carrot cake... It's a real treat! At Christmas time, don't hesitate to taste the mince pies (magic tarts of which only a few ingredients are delivered here: raisins, apples, oranges, lemons, almonds and cognac). For your receptions, parties or brunches, you can also call on their catering service, personalised according to your desires. Finally, there are plenty of fine products in the delicatessen: organic jams from the jam garden in Vritz, coffees roasted by "Un Grain une Feuille" in Carquefou... a so sweet address! The tea-pastry shop also has a restaurant for lunch, and coffee, 3-in-1!

Do you know the famous trio of the Triplettes de Belleville? Here, no cartoon but a great place "3 in 1" with a trio at the helm: Nina, a real pastry chef by trade; Marion, the barista and Laurianne, the manager. The place is a superb canteen based on fresh products at lunchtime. It is also a café, bar and even a tea room! They also serve a brunch on Saturdays and Sundays to fully enjoy the place. Near the Cité des Congrès, customers will find what they are looking for, with the pastries of the moment, the omnivorous or vegetarian market menu without forgetting the gourmet grocery. These Triplettes have more than three strings to their bow!

From New York, where he won a New York Times award, to London and Vienna, Matthieu Simon is now developing his expertise in Sainte-Luce, to the delight of our taste buds! Accompanied by his wife Amandine, the chef prepares his homemade creations with organic seasonal produce: chocolate saint-honoré, tropézienne, some recipes reveal a zest of originality: lemon avocado basil tart, pear coffee Timut walnut tart. Also viennoiseries, chocolates, jams, spreads... a real treat! Humility and creativity characterize the couple, who want their little patisserie to be authentic and warm, filled with tasty treats. A true delight! Since February 2023, a chocolate shop-tea room has adjoined La Petite Pâtisserie.

Not far from the remains of the ramparts and Anne de Bretagne's castle, just opposite the cathedral, is the red front of La Trinitaine in Nantes. In this store, where the wood of the beams rubs shoulders with the stone of the granite pillars, it's a veritable paradise for gourmets and lovers of the Breton terroir. You'll find a wide variety of both savory and sweet Breton specialties, from the Pointe du Raz to the Pays nantais. You'll find, for example, those beautiful colored or painted boxes that some of us's grandmothers used to grab from the buffet at coffee time, and which contain the tasty, and famous, Breton butter galettes. But galettes aren't the only thing on La Trinitaine's shelves: kouign-amann, sablés, madeleines... try dark or milk chocolate buckwheat cookies. But also confectionery: berlingots nantais, salted butter caramels, Salidou cream, Coucougnettes (roasted almonds) or Niniches (Quiberon lollipops). On the savoury side, it's all about gourmet ideas, with a wide choice of preserves and other preparations (tuna, sardines) as well as fish soups, products from Belle Iloise or Guérande salt, buckwheat potato chips, Crousti Breizh, or buckwheat caramel.... A corner is devoted to speciality drinks: nantillais, cider, chouchen, pommeau, liqueurs, beers... Beautiful jams are among the many delicacies on offer, including the Bois Jumel brand and its delicious flavours. And don't forget to check out the new boxes designed by B. Morinay. Last but not least, admire the earthenware tableware and textiles featuring the famous Bécassine. This is the ideal corner for gift ideas all year round! And don't forget the chocolate, vanilla or raspberry Trinibeurre.

A wide range of cookies: galette, palet, madeleine, the "Crakou", a crunchy caramel speciality (available with pistachio or chocolate), the caramel-salt flower palet, the buckwheat galette... Fresh Breton cookies and cakes made by hand, without preservatives or coloring agents, from churned butter, giving this inimitable taste. At the same time, the pastry chef makes by hand the famous Kouign amann as well as the Breton cake declined in various flavors.

Another Pornicais institution and a must for food lovers! Bertrand Gavet, worthy heir of 5 generations of pastry chefs, took over the family business in 2005, and renovated his shop in 2014, while preserving its spirit. In this pastry shop, you are bound to find something to please you, between the chocolate, the biscuit and the confectionery. A choice so vast that one does not know what to choose. So why not try the Armoricain with its almond meringue and praline cream? Or the kouign-amann with its excellent puff pastry? Or the Délicat&Sens chocolate, a creation by Bertrand Gavet made from selected cocoa beans. You can order online and pick up your order at the back of the shop.

An unmissable speciality of La Baule, the real Fondant Baulois is imitated today, but never equalled. It was Monsieur Denis who, in 1980, developed the recipe. It is made from noble and natural ingredients: a large amount of cocoa, fresh eggs, butter with Guérande fleur de sel, wheat flour and cane sugar. Its fine texture and delicately caramelised flavour, typically Breton, make it a sought-after local speciality. Today distributed by nearly 350 outlets, you can also buy it in this shop.

The beautiful pastry shops and tea rooms in Nantes are on the rise! What a pleasure to discover the one of the two sisters, Marion and Margaux Vanneste, the creators of Rosemary "salon de pâtisserie" at 1 minute from the place Viarme. Rue des Hauts pavés more and more greedy... With, in particular, its nice restaurants... Margaux, the pastry chef trained at Anne-Sophie Pic's in London! amazes us with her creativity and sublime pastries! Everything is 100% handmade. We love the creations sublimated with aromatic herbs and spices, their signature... As for Marion, she is in charge of the reception, the sale (she has worked for Vincent Guerlais) and the running of this succulent pastry shop. You can also stop for a hot or cold drink in the small tea room. Taste the specialties! The Rosemary's, the lemon and rosemary pie revisited, where it all began... Crack for the Pavé Nantais: a wink to the street, a chocolate dessert with different textures (Guanaja chocolate mousse, almond hazelnut praline, crunchy coating...). Let's go for the buckwheat Paris-Brest, the fabulous choux, the Pavlova Citrus or the Baba Corse. Finally, we love the sweets of the delicatessen to take away (Pamplemousettes, fine cookies, chocolate bars, beggars, spreads). The place is greedy as one pleases! You must run to discover it.

Mokatea is Patrick Albera's gourmet store, an institution on the Talensac market since 2003! In 2018, it's decked out in the turquoise and white colors of La Baule's beach cabins, with this signature assertion for one of the region's best-sellers, the Fondant baulois! It's a chocolate travel cake with a melt-in-the-mouth texture, made from natural ingredients that make us melt with pleasure, and it's here that you can enjoy it! Patrick's passion for chocolate, aided by Macha, also offers ninety different tablets from top-of-the-range brands: melt for Noir écorces d'orange from Normandy chocolate-maker Michel Cluizel, or for Apotequil from Maison Bonnat in Voiron, or for Lait et noisettes du Piémont from Italian manufacturer Venchi. When it comes to travel cakes, the Fondant baulois is the benchmark, with its delicious chocolate speciality and salted butter caramel note. It's also available in chocolate mint, choco orange, choco coffee and even gluten-free with a raspberry heart. Other travel cakes include Gâteau nantais, an almond sponge covered with a subtle rum glaze. Accompany these sweet treats with quality hot drinks like Compagnie and Co tea or freshly-ground coffee. And enjoy! And now Patrick has his own website, so take a look and be warned, it's all gourmet!

Mickaël Huet, artisan baker-patissier opened this bakery in 2014 in the artisan zone of Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire not far from the Route de Paris. Previously Grenier à pain, he joined the L'Autre Boulangerie banner and still makes top-quality products. The numerous awards he accumulates year after year bear witness to this. Gold medal in 2018 for his galette frangipane, silver medal in 2019 for his baguette tradition, silver medal in 2020 for his aromatic bread (turmeric, hazelnuts and black sesame), he won the same year, the gold medal for his paris-brest (shaped like an éclair). And in 2023, the bakery changed its name to PIAPIA! Pierre Coiffé, the baker's assistant, won a bronze medal for his mille-feuille. It goes without saying that customers flock to taste the breads and cakes offered by this winning team! They love the original seed-rich Norwegian bread made with rye and spelt flour, appreciate the wholemeal bread, the pain de campagne and the pavé de tradition, are enthusiastic about the bottereaux season, and also for the cannelés, the madeleines and the gingerbread with local forest honey, and savor the lemon meringue pie and the saint-honoré. The snack range is not to be outdone, with delicious sandwiches like this ciabatta bread with tomato confit, goat's cheese and honey, salads and burgers to enjoy on the large terrace or to take away!