10 upscale places in Rennes, editor-picked. occasion restaurants in Rennes: destination kitchens for celebrations and visits. All Rennes food.

Khimaira ★ 4.4

Les Lices · 5 Place du Bas des Lices, 35000 Rennes

Khimaira runs surprise-only menus off Place des Lices in Rennes, €26 at lunch and €52 at dinner, built on organic and locally grown Breton produce.

Khimaira ★ 4.4

Les Lices · 5 Place du Bas des Lices, 35000 Rennes

Khimaira runs surprise-only menus off Place des Lices in Rennes, €26 at lunch and €52 at dinner, built on organic and locally grown Breton produce.

Tip: There is no printed carte, just the surprise menu; tell them about allergies when you book and let the kitchen drive.

Essentiel ★ 4.3

Bourg-l'Évêque · 11 Rue Armand Rebillon, 35000 Rennes

Essentiel sits in glass on the Canal Saint-Martin towpath in Rennes, Blandine Lucas cooking seed-to-plate menus from the restaurant's own garden and orchard.

Cope ★ 4.3

Thabor · 33 Rue Saint-Melaine, 35000 Rennes

Cope is Clément Couture and David Pellerin's market-cooking room on Rue Saint-Melaine in Rennes, an Ima alumni kitchen in the old Bercail premises.

Le Paris-Brest by Christian Le Squer ★ 4.3

Gare · Gare de Rennes, Niveau 1, Hall Départs, 35000 Rennes

Le Paris-Brest puts Christian Le Squer's Breton brasserie inside Rennes station's departures hall, pâté en croûte to a reworked paris-brest, open every day.

Essentiel ★ 4.3

Bourg-l'Évêque · 11 Rue Armand Rebillon, 35000 Rennes

Essentiel sits in glass on the Canal Saint-Martin towpath in Rennes, Blandine Lucas cooking seed-to-plate menus from the restaurant's own garden and orchard.

Tip: Ask for a bay-window table over the canal; the weekly Market Menu changes entirely with the garden's output.

Cope ★ 4.3

Thabor · 33 Rue Saint-Melaine, 35000 Rennes

Cope is Clément Couture and David Pellerin's market-cooking room on Rue Saint-Melaine in Rennes, an Ima alumni kitchen in the old Bercail premises.

Tip: Book the lunch sitting Wednesday to Saturday for the €21 formule; the kitchen reopens for dinner from 19:00.

La Table de Balthazar ★ 4.2

Centre · 19 Rue du Maréchal Joffre, 35000 Rennes

La Table de Balthazar is the dining room of Rennes' Balthazar Hôtel and Spa, where Benjamin Jourdren runs vegetable-led modern menus from €52 to €78.

Tip: Non-residents are welcome but the room is small; call the hotel ahead rather than walking in, especially at weekends.

Le Galopin ★ 4.1

Gare · 21 Avenue Jean Janvier, 35000 Rennes

Le Galopin has run its seafood brasserie on Avenue Jean Janvier in Rennes since 1965, Cancale oysters and whole lobster a short walk from the station.

Mama Shelter Rooftop Brunch ★ 3.9

Sainte-Anne · 3 Place de la Trinité, 35000 Rennes

Mama Shelter Rennes lays on the city's biggest Sunday brunch above Place de la Trinité, a €42 all-you-can-eat spread with a children's rate at €21.

Tip: It is the splurge brunch of Rennes; children four to twelve eat for half, and the rooftop seats are the ones to request.