So what’s the best Japanese restaurant in Nantes? I’m going to have to go with Paku Paku … damn, wait … I’m meant to put this in towards the end of the review.

Saturday saw us heading out as a family for my wife’s birthday, her choice as to where she’d like to eat and Paku Paku was chosen. It’s been ages since we’ve had Japanese food (in a restaurant). In Dublin, we had a few restaurants and I was always a big fan of Wagamamas .. sadly here it feels rather limited or expensive? Going out at lunchtime thankfully means we can avail of the lunchtime prices. Now you’ll also have to realise I can’t compare this to a Japanese restaurant in .. let’s say .. Japan … as I’ve never been.

Paku Paku is located up beside the Talensac Market so if you find yourself in that neck of the woods and fancy something a bit different for lunch why not make a reservation (It’s advisable)

The notice board contains the specials of the day. I felt like a kid in a candy store … what are all these weird sounding dishes.

With a starter and main coming to €13.90 … or a starter/main/dessert coming in at €16.90. It’s coming in at standard ish Nantes prices. You can find more expensive restaurants, you can find cheaper.

I opted for the Donburi du jour. Trust be told I wasn’t really looking forward to pork.

Thankfully I was very pleasantly surprised. The miso soup was incredibly (I’m so used to salty miso packet soups that this just hit the spot nicely) The potato side salad I guess felt slightly strange (I had two as Val wasn’t a fan) … and my Butadon? Donburi was pretty much amazing.

There’s a kids menu at €8 seems good value to me, contains a drink (dash of syrup) .. dessert … a mochis glacés and a main which seemed quite nice though maybe not for all kids.

Charlotte had the tempura crevettes with rice and a small salad. Victor had some breaded fried pork which they both seemed to enjoy.

My Litchi Mochis Glacés above was the perfect way to finish off the meal.

All in all, I’d definitely recommend it and we’ll go back 🙂

Do you have a favourite Japanese restaurant in Nantes? 🙂

ps: Don’t forget to ask for the kids chopsticks ( If you’re with kids … might be weird if you’re not 😛 )

Paku Paku – La Cantine Japonaise is located at 14 Rue Talensac, 44000 Nantes their number at the time of posting was 02 40 35 74 91. I would advise booking in advance.