food
Rennes is a great place for food lovers. Specialization is sausage pie – Bretton Street Food. It’s a sausage wrapped in a buckwheat galette, maybe with onions, but no sauce (if you’re Breton). It is sold in the main market on Place des Lices, in the smaller market of Les Halles, and by many food trucks outside the football field on match days. Two Coquille restaurants are located on Nantaise Street, which has become a small gastronomic center near the city center. We serve dishes using local produce, such as fish, seafood and vegetables from small gardeners in the markets, but the kitchen is influenced by my time working in Asia. Also on the street is the very traditional Breton Café, a real establishment with an extensive menu of classic and modern dishes. There is also a great Thai restaurant, Chawp Shop Kphet. Pierre Restaurant de Copains, run by a friend who reached the final stage at Top Chef [the French version of MasterChef]A trendy, lively place to hang out. You can spend days eating only on this street.
inspiration – inspiration
The Musée de Bretagne is really interesting – a journey through the history and people of Brittany – and contains some works that many will recognize, including drawings by greats like Picasso and Gauguin. The most famous of these is Le Nouveau-né by artist Georges de la Tour from the seventeenth century. There are also pieces by Brittany-inspired artists, such as Narcisse Chaillou and Octave Penguilly, as well as regular exhibitions of modern art and sculpture.
Neighborhood
Rennes is very small, so it’s hard to pick a specific neighborhood, but the area around Saint-Germain Square, next to Saint-Germain Church, is great. It has an attractive little plaza and good places to eat and shop; A new metro line that will open later this year will stop here. Behind the church is a great Japanese restaurant called Le Fuji: it’s been around for about 30 years and it’s really authentic. For shopping there is a great bookshop, Librairie Le Failler, that offers interesting publications. Across the river, interesting stores on Vassilot Street include Wakatépé, which sells only ethical goods—organic cotton and other sustainable clothing, and vegan footwear.
Green area
The main park in Rennes is the Parc du Thabor, which dates back to the 18th century and is located on the highest hill in the city. When it first opened, only men were accepted. It has formal gardens, a bandstand and birdsong, but there is a nicer one nearby: Parc Oberthür is small but more charming, quieter and a bit wild. It is the garden of the old residence of the printmaker François-Charles Oberthor and his wife Marie Hamlin. I love taking my kids there – it has some old trees and a lake with lots of bird life.
night out
Bar Le Doujezu is a popular hangout in Rennes. The name is a play on the words “sweet Jesus” and it pulls in a good mix of eras. The music is quite rocky and the top of the bar is set on an old Mercedes, which is great. South of the centre, 1988 Live Club has guest DJs from all over Europe. It’s very popular with techno lovers, but there’s something for everyone out there. I’m a big fan of rock, and although we don’t have a rock scene in France like we do in Britain, we do a lot of concerts. I like The MeM, a little further out of town along the river: it’s a great place, like a big tent, and there are some bars by the river, or Guinguetes, adjacent. A favorite, which has just reopened in summer 2022, is La Basse Cour, on an old farmhouse.
where to stay
The Magic Hall (doubles from €68 per room only) is a great place to stay, especially if you’re a music lover. There is a soundproofed music room and the bedrooms are all different. The basement area is like being in someone’s house, with an open kitchen and lounge.
Chef Arnaud Gillux He was born and raised near Rin, but Worked all over the world before going home The Breton in 2017
