Why go
The counter in the old port of Saint-Martin-de-Ré is an ice-cream counter first: more than sixty flavours, macarons glacés and frozen pastries from a family glacier that has worked on Île de Ré since 1970.
An island glacier, not a pastry salon
La Martinière is a glacier before anything else, and the Saint-Martin shop is its port-front retail face. The making happens at the company laboratory in Sainte-Marie-de-Ré, where the ice creams, frozen pastries, biscuits, nougatine, sablés and guimauve are produced, which leaves this counter free to be about display, choice and quick service.
That division explains what the shop is not. There is no bread atelier behind it, no viennoiserie case and no oven-led programme. The family has spent two generations on frozen work since the founding generation opened in 1970, and the range reflects it. Relais Desserts membership places the house among French dessert makers held to the same standard.
A walk-up counter on the port
Treat this as a standing visit rather than a seated one. There is no dining room and no table service: you step in, read the flavours, order at the counter and take the dessert out to the port. In high summer the queue is part of the format, and the pace behind the counter is built for it.
The Saint-Martin shop is the primary storefront of a house with several island addresses, and it plays the part accordingly. The salon de thé belongs to another branch, so nothing here is arranged around coffee, tea or a long sit. What you get instead is the fastest route from the display case to the harbour wall.
Start with the ice creams, then a macaron glacé
Order from the ice creams first. The list runs past sixty flavours, which is the clearest statement the house makes, and it rewards a second scoop rather than a careful single choice. If the day calls for something composed, the macaron glacé is the signature to add: a macaron shell holding ice cream, and the piece most associated with the name.
From there the frozen range widens into pâtisseries glacées, verrines glacées and bâtonnets glacés, with macarons pâtissiers, biscuits and coulis on the shelf for taking home. There is no savoury counter and no sandwich case, so the whole visit stays inside one craft. That focus is the reason the shop works: an island glacier doing frozen desserts and very little else.
Frequently asked questions
What should I order at La Martinière in Saint-Martin-de-Ré?
Ice cream first, since the list runs past sixty flavours and that range is the point of the house. Add a macaron glacé for the signature: a macaron shell filled with ice cream. Beyond that the frozen case covers pâtisseries glacées, verrines glacées and bâtonnets glacés, with biscuits and coulis to carry home.
Is there anywhere to sit at the Saint-Martin shop?
No. This branch is a walk-up counter on the old port with no dining room and no table service, so the visit is a matter of choosing at the display and eating outside. The salon de thé belongs to another of the family's island shops, and production happens at the laboratory in Sainte-Marie-de-Ré.
Compare nearby places
| Venue | Type | Area |
|---|---|---|
| La Martinière Saint-Martin de Ré | Bakery | port de Saint-Martin-de-Ré |
| La Martinière Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré | Bakery | centre du Bois-Plage-en-Ré |
| La Martinière La Flotte-en-Ré | Café | Port / Quai de Sénac |
| La Martinière Le Phare des Baleines | Bakery | Phare des Baleines |
| Chocolatier-Pâtissier Gelencser | Café | Les Sables-d'Olonne 85100 |
