Créé par Emilie, le 5 juil. 2026
Votre guide Ryo
Top 10 culinary specialties in Rennes
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Thus, butter, various flours, caramel, fruits and other "rustic" products are the great essentials of a Rennes table. Sublimely married to each other, these Rennes specialties will give delicious dishes that are well-rounded in the mouth, ultra-indulgent and perfectly comforting.
What will you eat in Rennes and more specifically, what are the specialties not to miss?
With Saint-Malo just an hour away by car, Rennes is a promise of good seafood products. Quality fish and shellfish are transported there daily, and will quickly find their way to your plate to make your taste buds tingle. Sometimes raw, in the form of a seafood platter. Sometimes cooked, accompanied by broth, buckwheat or ancient vegetables.
What to eat in Rennes? Our selection of 10 Rennes specialties
Rennes and the entire Breton region claim their local specialties with rare fervor! This pride proclaimed by all the inhabitants is well known and respected by the rest of France. After all, it's to Brittany that we owe a certain number of our childhood treats. Like the legendary "quatre-quarts" cake, Breton crepes, salted butter caramel or the symphony of Breton biscuits, the most famous of which is undoubtedly the thick "palet breton".
1. Scallops
This delicious shellfish is known to be the symbol of pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. In Brittany, it is mainly fished in the bays of Saint-Brieuc, Erquy and Saint-Quay-Portrieux. This iron-rich food is consumed in season, from October to May. A delight!
2. Rennes pâté
A word of advice, meticulously prepare your strategy before tackling the "King of pâtés". Rennes pâté owes this flattering nickname to its gargantuan weight, which can reach up to 5 kilos. Imagine for a moment, the size of a 5-kilo pâté... Rennes pâté is also famous for its most generous composition. Indeed, it is made with pork caul fat and the noblest parts of pork. Enough to make more than one person salivate, accompanied by fresh morning bread.
3. Galette Sausage
A buckwheat galette, a grilled sausage, mustard and onions, these are the ingredients that make up the authentic Rennes-style galette sausage! It can be consumed as a main course of a meal or on the street like a sandwich. A traditional product of Breton street food!
4. Cuckoo Hen
Whatever the recipe, the star of the dish is the hen! Yes, the "Cuckoo" hen is a typically Breton species. Saved from extinction, it now holds a central place in Rennes culinary heritage. In freedom, it is recognizable by its dark and speckled plumage, black and white. But you will remember it above all for the unique taste of its flesh. Yes, the tender meat of the free-range Cuckoo Hen has a slight hazelnut taste that is unmistakable! You will find it proudly displayed on the menu of many restaurants in Rennes and its region, alongside the famous poultry from Janzé.
5. Frigousse
Here's a Rennes specialty that doesn't lack indulgence! Rennes frigousse is a dish of medieval origin, whose funny name means "to simmer". But what's hidden in this casserole? A free-range chicken – generously buttered and oiled, you're in Brittany remember – slowly simmering in a cider bath, accompanied by onions, chestnuts and bacon. The stew is flavored during cooking with spices, nutmeg and cardamom. You'll smell it coming from afar, you lucky ones!
6. Kouign-Amann
It needs no introduction! Well, almost... Certainly, the way to pronounce it can be debated, but its taste often reaches consensus! Translated from Breton, "kouign-amann" means "butter cake", which pretty well sums up the tasting experience. Its texture divinely combines the lamination of well-buttered puff pastry and the indulgence of Breton butter. The uninhibited generosity of this Breton specialty gives it notoriety beyond the country's borders. Abroad, people praise the limitless generosity of Brittany's most famous treat. To taste it, head to the first artisan bakery that crosses your path, you'll surely find these delights of Breton gastronomy there.
7. Far Breton
Along with kouign-amann, far breton is the most famous of Breton cakes. It simply consists of butter, milk, flour, eggs, sugar, a dash of rum, and of course prunes. These were once very appreciated by Breton sailors for their energy content and their tendency to keep for a long time.
8. Parlementin
This recent specialty, created in 1999, is now a culinary must-have in Rennes. The Parlementin pays tribute to the Parliament of Brittany, which reopened its doors that same year of 1999, after several years of restoration following a fire in 1994. The cake is made with apple confit in cider, an almond biscuit and a nougatine tuile. Considered by many as one of the best specialties of Rennes, remember to include it in your Rennes food tour!
9. Rennes Apple Cake
As its name suggests, the Rennes apple cake is a sweet specialty, made with apples, wheat flour and butter that couldn't be more local. It's mainly thanks to its rectangular shape that it's distinguished from the traditional Breton apple cake. Although, depending on the bakeries, the Rennes apple cake has more the features of a turnover than a tart. Notably, depending on the arrangement of its lattice, which hints at the succulent compote.
10. Cider
The Bretons will tell you that this beverage is typical of their region, the Normans will tell you it comes from Normandy... No matter, this fermented and sparkling apple juice is one of those drinks that are an absolute treat. Perfect to accompany a galette or a crepe!
The Rennes region is part of Upper Brittany and not Lower Brittany which includes the no less famous cities of Quimper, Lorient or Brest.