Feature

A French creperie named for a grandmother is now open in Donelson

Maminette, the second restaurant from the couple behind East Nashville wine bar The Authentique, opened in Donelson in late September with crepes, galettes and quiches from family recipe notebooks.

By Up Next Nashville · Updated Oct 18, 2026

Photo courtesy of Maminette (@maminettenashville)

Donelson has a French cafe again, and this one comes with a family story. Maminette opened on Monday, Sep 28, 2026, at 104 Graylynn Dr, a small room of 16 seats serving crepes, galettes, quiches, omelets and coffee through the morning and early afternoon.

Who is behind it

The owners are Philippine Maillard and her husband Alexandre Meunier. Nashville met them first in East Nashville, where they opened The Authentique wine bar in 2022. Maillard grew up in France and learned to cook from her grandmother, and the cafe is named for her: Maminette was her grandmother's name, and the menu is built from her handwritten recipe notebooks.

What is on the menu

The kitchen makes almost everything to order. Savory buckwheat galettes and sweet crepes anchor the menu, alongside quiches, omelets, baguette sandwiches and pastries baked in house. Coverage of the opening notes a real effort on gluten-free and vegan dishes, and Maillard has said most ingredients are imported from France. The cafe's own description of itself is simple: a little French creperie and cafe in Donelson, named after a grandmother, with every recipe from her notebooks.

Why Donelson

Donelson has quietly become one of the city's most interesting food neighborhoods, with longtime local spots drawing people across the river on purpose. A 16-seat French cafe is a different kind of addition from a drive-thru or a chain: it is a bet that the neighborhood will support a small, personal restaurant. The early signs are good. The cafe's listing shows regular morning and lunch hours, Tuesday through Saturday, and reviewers have already found the room, describing navy walls, family mementos and lacy curtains.

A small room, completely thought through

The room itself is finished with the same care as the menu, down to a pergola with outdoor seating at the back. What is unusual is how complete the package is for a room this size: a named chef-owner story, a menu with a point of view, and a neighborhood that did not have one.

Maminette is open now. Its site is maminette.com, and its Instagram is @maminettenashville.

Read more

• City Cast Nashville: new restaurants and bars, September 2026 - the opening roundup that listed Maminette's first day.
• The Tennessean: Nashville restaurants opening this fall and winter (Sep 25, 2026) - the season preview, with the owners' story.
• The Infatuation: Maminette review
• Maminette (official site)