Celebrated table

Café Madeleine

Step into a converted rice storehouse turned seasonal cantine in Nantes. Find curated European roasts, chef Eleanor Jackson’s earthy plates, and quiet corners for work or conversation.

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The story

Café Madeleine Nantes: A Reinforced Concrete Retreat for Specialty Coffee

A Converted Rice Storehouse

Café Madeleine in Nantes operates as a seasonal cantine and specialty coffee destination. Managers Youtchen Su Bounkeut and chef Eleanor Grace Jackson reshaped the reinforced concrete building into a quiet neighborhood café. The venue earned a spot on the 2026 Le Fooding list for its grounded daily service. Freelancers gather at simple tables while browsing rotating exhibitions of work by local painters.

Earthy Plates and Seasonal Focus

Lunch service centers on carefully assembled small plates rather than heavy traditional menus. A spelt khorasan wheat flatbread arrives topped with sautéed chard, mushrooms, black garlic sauce and pine nuts. The kitchen sources every vegetable from Nantes merchant Alice Menard to maintain strict seasonal alignment. Pastry rotations feature items from Maison Arlot Cheng alongside fresh coffee.

Curated Roasts and Neighborhood Corner

This café draws green beans from independent European roasters including Goat Story in Slovenia and Coffea Circulor in Norway. Patrons can purchase brewing equipment alongside bottles of Piqu’Hans hot sauce and jars of local honey. Quiet corners remain available for reading or remote work without rush. The retail shelf also stocks Agnes Pierre chocolates for home preparation.

Recognition

Awards & accolades

2026

Le Fooding

Listed

Ambience

A glimpse inside

Details

At a glance

Le Fooding 2026 — Listed

Services Breakfast, Kids friendly

History

On the record

2026

Le Fooding — Listed

This reinforced concrete den used to act as a rice storehouse before being turned into a coffee shop / art gallery by Youtchen Su Bounkeut (the head barista and manager – ex-Sugar Blue in Nantes, Jocteur in Lyon and Première Moisson in Montreal) and Eleanor Grace Jackson (the chef). That’s where freelancers in the Madeleine neighborhood sip their specialty coffees sourced from across Europe – Goat Story in Slovenia, Coffea Circulor in Norway, Kawa in France – in which pastries from Maison Arlot-Cheng (a 2023 Guide Fooding award winner) get dunked. At lunch, they serve small plates made with carefully chosen ingredients, most notably from the fruit and vegetable vendor Alice Menard, like the spelt-khorasan wheat flatbread stuffed with mushrooms, sautéed chard, black garlic sauce and pine nuts, served with a small side salad. And if you want to bring a taste of Madeleine home with you, there’s an épicerie corner: AeroPress, Piqu’Hans hot sauces, sticky chai, local honey or even Agnes & Pierre chocolates. The space also regularly displays and sells art by local artists. // Kate Bouche

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Established

Location

Find us

33 Rue Marie Anne du Boccage, 44000 Nantes, France
Nantes, France
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