La Cigale — Restaurant in Nantes

A sad experience at the beautiful La Cigale. It has history, it has beautiful interior and it has a great choice of food and drinks, but the waiters were unsympathetic, rushing and generally did not give off the feeling that they care (they didn't even pretend). We sat down at the terrace, Waiter 1 came over. My partner wanted a beer but was undecisive. Instead of helping her to choose, Waiter 1 was looking away most of the time as if he's in Mission Impossible and need to go away to defuse a bomb. Seeing she couldn't make a decision within 3 minutes (because she didn't know, hello??) he rushed off to tend to his more important business. We felt uncomfortable, but determined not to ruin our afternoon, we decided to move on and order something else. Fast forward to the end of our visit, we wanted to pay and leave. We requested the bill. Waiter 2 acknowledged the request. 10 minutes later, nothing showed up. The terrace was more than half empty, it was early afternoon and not particularly busy. We decided to be more proactive and take the matter in our own hands so we walked inside attempting to pay, ONLY to be turned around and told "no you can't pay inside, you have to pay outside". Fine. We went back outside, Waiter 2 finally understood our intention and nonchalantly picked up the card machine. Half way through her operation, another colleague of hers walked out of the restaurant and started talking to her. She stopped what she's doing and talked to that colleague for another 3 minutes (presumably about something far more important such as defusing a bomb), at which point I felt the most appropriate action for us is to turn around and walk away. They didn't show much interest in charging us, so walking away ought to get some reactions from these people, right? It is a tremendous shame that this is the kind of service they provide a couple of ordinary tourists on an ordinary July afternoon (maybe this is the reason?!). I urge any tourists who are interested in visiting this place: go in, take some photos, and go to...

I won’t be coming back, I recommend you avoid.

I came here with my parent who jointly we managed to rendezvous coming from two separate countries. All of us exhausted and hungry after traveling a long time came here on my dad’s recommendation.

My first insight was the building is cool, art deco.

Then, after waiting a long time to be waited on, my dad waved the maitre d to come over. At first the head waiter or Maitre d or whatever you call them flat was neglectful of our table and flat out ignored us, deliberately looking away. Then, after coming over a few minutes later My dad (who is French) politely asked if we could have someone wait on us soon. The Maitre d made a joke saying he could just as easily walk away, and began to move. Then he said, no me.

We all placed our orders. I asked for steak medium rare and asked for a side of dauphinoise, after traveling I liked the idea of a hot meal. The maitre d talked me out of the dauphinois judging it as not mixing with the steak since there was blue cheese.

After waiting about 30 minutes our food arrived. My steak arrived bloody, and lukewarm except no blood, and only cooked on one side. Having seeing many people order steak tartar before me, I considered it maybe some kind of regional delicacy.

Given how judgmental and unapproachable the maitre d was , I did not want to say anything. I did speak to another member of staff after however who was more friendly. I asked about it and he explained how it is supposed to be cooked on both sides. He was sorry for the uncooked steak, but the damage is done.

All in all I do not recommend this restaurant. It is expensive, and far too expensive to get half cooked steak. The maitre d was completely unwelcoming, and while I’d recommend visiting the building, I strongly suggest avoiding...

Dinner at La Cigal, a real French “brasserie” is a must do treat. Think Toulouse-Lautrec and La Chat Noir (minus the nightclub aspect). La Cigale opened its doors on April 1, 1895, in the heart of Nantes. The brasserie is the real deal (and a model for restaurants like Washington, D.C.’s Le Diplomat). The walls are covered in Art Nouveau ceramics. The restaurant was designed by architect-ceramicist Émile Libaudière, with ornate interiors crafted by sculptor Émile Gaucher and painter Georges Levreau. The style is a striking example of Art Nouveau, featuring lavish ceramics, gilding, sculptures, and floral motifs. The establishment was founded by Madame Calado, and from the outset, it attracted Nantes’ bourgeoisie and artists performing at the nearby theater.

La Cigale was classified as a historic monument in 1964, protecting its remarkable décor and architectural features. In the 1970s, the restaurant fell into decline and was even briefly converted into a fast-food establishment. However, thanks to its protected status, the original décor remained intact. In 1982, new owners restored La Cigale to its former glory, reviving its reputation as a center of gastronomy and social life in Nantes. The dinner was a real and...