Back Bay Nantes: Homemade American Burgers, Menu and Prices
Who founded Back Bay, what goes into its homemade burgers, the menu, dated prices in euros and how to reach 11 quai Turenne on the Île Feydeau.
Back Bay, at 11 quai Turenne on the edge of the Île Feydeau, is the first address I’d give anyone after an American-style burger in Nantes. Tom Proux opened it in 2021 after studying in the United States and training at Ferrandi in Paris. The house says everything is made in-house from fresh produce, in a kitchen with no freezer. The last published price for a burger is €10.50 (March 2025). And in April 2026, Big City Nantes called it “l’institution du burger américain à Nantes”: the city’s benchmark for an American burger.
Back Bay Nantes at a glance
Back Bay is a small American street-food counter serving burgers, homemade fries and regional US sandwiches, a short walk from the Commerce tram stop.
| Back Bay, Nantes | |
|---|---|
| Address | 11 quai Turenne, 44000 Nantes, France |
| Nearest tram stop | Commerce |
| Nearest parking | Gloriette |
| Phone | +33 7 49 70 83 14 |
| welcome@backbay.fr | |
| Founder | Tom Proux |
| Open since | 2021 (official site) |
| Style | American burgers and sandwiches, 100% homemade (restaurant’s claim) |
| Burger price | €10.50 (March 2025, last published price) |
| Opening hours | Not listed on the official contact page; call or email before you go |
Who founded Back Bay? Tom Proux’s path from Boston to Nantes
Tom Proux founded Back Bay, and the menu reads like his years as a student in the United States. The restaurant’s story page lists Thomas College in Maine, Boston University and UC Berkeley.
Back in France he worked in food tech, at Brigad and then Lunchr. Then he changed course. He trained at Ferrandi Paris, one of the country’s best-known culinary schools, and opened his own counter in Nantes.
The name comes from Boston: Back Bay is the neighbourhood where he lived as a student, according to the blogs Marion a découvert and Nantes Végétal.
The official site lists a second team member, Jean Baptiste, without giving his role, so I won’t guess at it. The restaurant consultancy Foodies Consulting says it worked on the concept, the menu (including recipe testing) and sourcing, and quotes Tom Proux on its project page.
What makes Back Bay’s burgers stand out in Nantes?
Back Bay names its suppliers: beef from a wholesale-market butcher, bread from the bakery down the street. Plenty of burger places say “local”. Few tell you who, and that is what convinced me this place deserves a closer look.
Homemade, fresh, no freezer
Back Bay describes its food as “100% fait maison” (100% homemade), made only from fresh produce in a kitchen without a freezer. Nantes Végétal reported the same claim in 2022, and Big City Nantes repeated it in April 2026. The fries are cut in-house too. In 2022 they were cooked in vegetable oil.
Where the beef and bread come from
In March 2025, Marion a découvert named the beef supplier as Maison Berjac, which sells at the wholesale market, and the bread supplier as Le Boulanger de Feydeau, the neighbourhood bakery. Nantes Végétal had already named the same bakery in 2022.
Some things I still don’t know. I couldn’t confirm that Maison Berjac still supplies the beef in 2026, and no source gives the cut or the patty weight. One source also mentions “homemade buns” alongside the bakery, so whether any buns are baked in-house is still an open question. I’ll ask on my visit.
A shelf of local condiments
Back Bay also sells local products on site, including Piqu’hans hot sauces and 3 Chouettes pickles (Marion a découvert, March 2025).
The Back Bay menu: burgers and American sandwiches
The Back Bay menu pairs a short list of burgers with regional US sandwiches, plus a burger of the moment that changes regularly. In April 2026, Big City Nantes listed:
- Cheeseburger, the classic
- Big Bacon
- Pulled pork
- Chicken BLT
- César
- Grilled cheese
- Halloumi Amor, the halloumi option
- Burger of the moment
A classic cheeseburger, the first burger on the Back Bay menu in Nantes. Illustrative photo, not taken at Back Bay (2700×1800 px). (Photo: Renee Comet (National Cancer Institute), public domain (Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cheeseburger.jpg). Original photo of Back Bay’s cheeseburger and fries still needed.)
The restaurant’s own blog puts its American sandwiches forward as signatures:
- Reuben with pastrami
- Philadelphia cheesesteak
- North Carolina “low and slow” pulled pork
- Shrimp Po’Boy
- Chicken BLT
- Grilled Cheese
A pastrami Reuben, one of the American signature sandwiches Back Bay lists on its blog. Illustrative photo from a US deli (4032×3024 px). (Photo: Logan Frick, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pastrami\_Reuben\_from\_Brent%27s\_Deli.jpg))
A Philadelphia cheesesteak photographed in Philadelphia, the sandwich Back Bay brings to Nantes. Illustrative photo (1536×2048 px). (Photo: Smuconlaw, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philly\_cheesesteak\_sandwich,\_Philadelphia,\_Pennsylvania,\_USA\_-\_20120502.jpg))
A shrimp po’boy at Parkway in New Orleans, the original of the Shrimp Po’Boy on Back Bay’s menu. Illustrative photo (4608×3456 px). (Photo: Paul Lowry, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shrimp\_Poboy\_at\_Parkway,\_New\_Orleans.jpg))
The blog also mentions a Christmas burger served until 31 January. Menus move, so ask at the counter whether Halloumi Amor and the current burger of the moment are still on.
A Nantes twist on the grilled cheese
The vegetarian Grilled Cheese is made with Curé Nantais, a washed-rind cheese from the Nantes area (Marion a découvert, March 2025). It’s the only properly local dish on a very American menu. That makes it the one I’ll order first.
Curé Nantais, the washed-rind cheese from the Nantes area that goes into Back Bay’s vegetarian Grilled Cheese (5760×3840 px). (Photo: Pierre-Yves Beaudouin, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WikiCheese\_-\_Cur%C3%A9\_nantais\_01.jpg). Original close-up of Back Bay’s grilled cheese still needed.)
How much does a burger cost at Back Bay Nantes?
A burger at Back Bay cost €10.50 in March 2025, the most recent published price. Neither the official site nor any 2026 source I could reach lists current prices, so treat this table as history, not a menu.
| Item | Price | Date of the price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burger | €10.50 | March 2025 | Marion a découvert |
| Side (fries or salad) | €3–5 | March 2025 | Marion a découvert |
| Dessert | €4 | March 2025 | Marion a découvert |
| Grilled Cheese | €9.90 | October 2022 | Nantes Végétal |
| Vegetarian club sandwich | €9.90 | October 2022 | Nantes Végétal |
| Club + side | €12.50 | October 2022 | Nantes Végétal |
| Club + side + drink | €13.90 | October 2022 | Nantes Végétal |
| Student menu | €12.90 | October 2022 | Nantes Végétal |
| Fries | €3 | October 2022 | Nantes Végétal |
At 2025 prices, a burger, a side and a dessert came to €17.50–19.50. Expect a little more now and check the board on arrival.
Back Bay Nantes prices by dish: €10.50 for a burger in March 2025, against €9.90 for the Grilled Cheese in October 2022. These are historical prices, so check the board on arrival. (Chart: Burger Breton, data from Marion a découvert (19/03/2025) and Nantes Végétal (21/10/2022), rendered with QuickChart)
Vegetarian and vegan options at Back Bay
Vegetarians are covered at Back Bay; vegans weren’t at the last check. The options include the Curé Nantais Grilled Cheese, a vegetarian club sandwich (2022) and Halloumi Amor (April 2026). Nantes Végétal found no vegan dish in October 2022.
Where is Back Bay and how do you get there?
Back Bay is at 11 quai Turenne, on the edge of the Île Feydeau in central Nantes, a few minutes on foot from the Commerce tram stop. Drivers should head for the Gloriette car park, the one the restaurant itself recommends.
Map to Back Bay at 11 quai Turenne, Nantes, on the Île Feydeau, a short walk from the Commerce tram stop and the Gloriette car park. (Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0)
It’s an easy stop if you’re exploring the old Feydeau district or shopping around Commerce, and the CHU hospital is just across the way.
Line 1 tram at the Commerce stop on Cours Franklin-Roosevelt, the closest stop to Back Bay in Nantes (4752×3168 px). (Photo: Llann Wé², CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:W5745\_Nantes\_FranklinRoosevelt\_TramCommerce\_94791Eos.jpg))
My verdict: is Back Bay the best burger in Nantes?
On the evidence, Back Bay is the American burger in Nantes I’d bet on. I haven’t scored it yet, though, because I haven’t eaten there. A rating will come after my visit.
Here’s why I’d bet on it. The sourcing is named, not waved at. The menu goes past burgers into real regional US sandwiches, a Reuben and a po’boy, which most French burger counters don’t attempt. And the Curé Nantais grilled cheese gives it a local identity no chain can copy.
One thing bothers me. A restaurant this proud of its kitchen should publish its prices and opening hours. In 2026 you still have to phone to find out either.
For other addresses, see my Nantes burger guide. To compare with a French chain, read my Big Fernand review in Toulouse.
How I researched this profile
This profile is built from sources, not from a visit. I cross-checked the restaurant’s official pages (story, contact, blog) against three independent local sources: Big City Nantes (28 April 2026), Marion a découvert (19 March 2025) and Nantes Végétal (21 October 2022). Every price is dated, historical figures are kept apart from current facts, and anything only one source claimed is flagged as unconfirmed. All sources were checked on 10 October 2026.
Sources: Back Bay, our story, Back Bay, contact, Back Bay, blog, Big City Nantes, Marion a découvert, Nantes Végétal, Foodies Consulting.
Frequently asked questions about Back Bay Nantes
Who owns Back Bay in Nantes?
Tom Proux founded Back Bay in 2021. He studied at Thomas College, Boston University and UC Berkeley, worked at the food-tech companies Brigad and Lunchr, and trained at Ferrandi Paris. The official site also lists Jean Baptiste on the team.
Where is Back Bay in Nantes?
Back Bay is at 11 quai Turenne, 44000 Nantes, on the edge of the Île Feydeau. The nearest tram stop is Commerce and the nearest car park is Gloriette.
How much is a burger at Back Bay Nantes?
A burger cost €10.50 in March 2025, the latest published price. Sides were €3–5 and desserts €4, so a full meal came to €17.50–19.50. Current prices aren’t published online.
Are Back Bay’s burgers homemade?
Yes, according to the restaurant: everything is made in-house from fresh produce, and the kitchen has no freezer. In 2025 the beef came from Maison Berjac and the bread from Le Boulanger de Feydeau.
Does Back Bay have vegetarian or vegan food?
Back Bay has vegetarian options, including a Grilled Cheese made with Curé Nantais and Halloumi Amor. There was no vegan option in 2022.
What are Back Bay’s opening hours?
The official contact page doesn’t list opening hours. Call +33 7 49 70 83 14 or email welcome@backbay.fr before you go.
Can I book Back Bay for a group?
Back Bay has a listing on Privateaser, a platform for group bookings and private events. Contact the restaurant by phone or email to confirm availability and conditions.
What is the best burger in Nantes?
For an American-style burger, Back Bay is the address local media cite most: Big City Nantes calls it the institution of the American burger in Nantes. The Nantes city guide lists other addresses.
More burger guides from France
Touring France’s burger scene? Read my guide to the best burgers in Toulouse and the Junk smash burgers profile in Paris. Every city guide and review is on the Burger Breton restaurants hub.
