The best bars and cafés Rennes

The kind of tea room you'd dream of after a ride in a blizzard, British to the bone! An atmosphere somewhere between kitsch and cocooning, underpinned by gold-flowered merry-go-round teapots, velvet armchairs, antique prints, a telephone booth and English pastries to die for! We recommend the Queen Victoria sponge cake and homemade lemonade combo, or the British pie like in the old English pubs. Sunday brunch is just as delicious.

The PDA is the kind of place that gives all its soul to the nightlife (and daytime) of Rennes. Named after the expression of connoisseurs, which refers to the volume of alcohol that evaporates when it is left to age in casks, it is the troquet in which one systematically feels good. In his offbeat, arty but not consensual universe, his character so typical that one never gets tired of it. The music is always in good taste, never too loud, between jazz and rock, depending on the time of day. We know him through a plural vision because he makes tea room, bistro at lunchtime, and wine bar at night. Everything is of great quality, and there are even biodynamic and natural wines! The owner of the house, Orane, is not the type to deal with low-level products, and knows at her fingertips what she serves and often has anecdotes to tell about it. The welcome is apple-packed and that's what we love about it: this strong character, this comical humour that tends towards the potache, this love of art and literature, this unequalled vision of the world and this unequalled openness of mind that allows us to have endless discussions about everything at any time and to learn more at the counter than in a library... Because the place is punctuated by ancient and artistic books, sown in the corners, between the opera red velvet armchairs and the old cinema seats of the same colour. There is no denying a Belle époque influence, with contemporary design touches that match perfectly. A feminist den that gives pride of place to the LGBTQ community, it is typically the place where taboos do not go out the door! The library and exhibitions of works on the walls set the tone, unequivocally! It is a kaleidoscopic place with many faces whose coherence flows under the meaning once you are seated there. Essential and simply magical!

"Frivolous brasserie and intoxicating cocktails" set the tone for this new Rennes venue, which revives the Mabilay, the emblematic cigarette-shaped tower. Both a bar and a restaurant, we discovered it when it opened in September, one foot on the terrace, the other inside to soak up the 70's ambience. The work on lighting is superb, with a deliciously subdued atmosphere in the evening. The cocktail menu allows you to discover the art of mixology. We pounced on the Crazy Andy, tasted the tapas with our fingertips - arancini, beef gyosas and Lebanese hummus - and let ourselves be captivated by the DJ's eclectic music. It's a place that's sure to get the Rennes parties going!

In the Plaine de Baud district, head for Désordre (a nod to Joy Division's "Disorder" album, by the way) to enjoy the bar or restaurant. Depending on the time of day or day of the week, this lively venue offers a variety of facets. Stand-up, comedy club, karaoke, drag nights, DJ sets: there's no shortage of events. Lunch is a time for toasting and tasting: onion soup, veal polpette, chocolate mi-cuit and more. The place has a real personality, with a wall signed by Rennes graffiti artist Tom Nelson. Darts, vintage table soccer, natural wines, local beers and homemade punches are the latest arguments for joining in the merry mess created by Donovan and Cécilia.

Bluebird Coffee takes us somewhere between California and Australia. The 4-metre high ceilings are filled with a myriad of rattan hanging baskets. With its small wooden table, side table and pastel banquette, this is a place to share good times at lunchtime, nibbling on grilled cheese, avocado toast or a bento. Stop in for a generous snack, including a delicious New York-style donut and a gingerbread latte. The many juices are made fresh with the finest ingredients. You can even come for breakfast: there's nothing like starting the day with a peanut butter bagel! The atmosphere is relaxed and cosmopolitan.

It's with a great deal of heart and dignity that you're served in this café unlike any other, since most of the staff are mentally or cognitively handicapped. The first solidarity café of its kind in Rennes, the place lives up to its name. The team welcomes us with a smile, and serves up some particularly tasty classics. With its bright yellow decor, reminiscent of a Brooklyn concept café, and its lively playlist, the place warms you up. You'll be given a plastic cube before you reach your table, so that your waiter can identify you in the room. We salute this deeply human initiative that makes you see life differently!

Lovers of very drunk parties, don't limit yourself to the primary meaning of this bar. You will have understood to which common expression we are referring, but before we stick one on, this is a place to admire the work of the pencil... in front of a pint or a glass of rum of course! Here Thomas and Sylvain have completed one of the pieces of the puzzle already in place in the Saint Hélier district: the world of comics. There were already a few stalls dedicated to the genre, but not of this type! Here the independent comics and the fanzine are enjoyed with a slice of sausage and a beer, because there are things that are more beautiful when you live them together! Enter the den and you will understand when the walls lined with comic book boards reveal themselves before you. Your visit will be punctuated by the discovery of a universe between art, literature and street art: a counter surmounted by a mechanical shooter straight out of the steampunk universe, toilets and an inner courtyard lined with frescoes and graffiti, a fanzinothèque and comic book library corner like a boudoir for the most absorbed, and works exhibited all around you. A program of autographs and artistic performances will brighten up your evenings. A concept to water body, heart and mind!

A former Peugeot garage is the setting for this brocante, with its strong whiff of sixties nostalgia. Retro furniture, tables and chairs, all for sale, are arranged in the four corners of the store, from floor to ceiling, and make up the astonishing configuration of the canteen, which opens every lunchtime and some evenings. On the menu: homemade dishes of the day, including a vegan one, delicious sandwiches, tarts, toasted bagels, cookies, cannelés and other sweet treats. The menu changes regularly. It's an opportunity to enjoy a good meal at a more than respectable price, in the midst of a cheerful bric-a-brac that contributes to the friendly atmosphere of the place. Antique enthusiasts will be delighted!

The Black Bear is, as its name suggests, a manly place where serious spirits are offered (because we don't treat good whisky lightly!). Sophie, a trained cellar master, and Clément will welcome you with warmth and guide you towards a spiritual elevation because it is sometimes quite an art to know how to taste and appreciate the fruit of an ancestral know-how. A hundred references of whiskies are facing you behind the bar, like mystical books to be deciphered and a wide range of rums, some quality vodkas and 16 draught beers from Belgium and Czech Republic are on the menu. This is not the place for a Bailey or a Ricard, a matter of honor and quality! Come for an initiation and an invitation to travel with a glass of Welsh or Japanese whisky (the Ryo Ma or the Penderyn) which will take you to peaty and iodized lands. And if what the bar offers is not enough, you should know that the place is also a cellar and offers for sale 250 references of high quality spirits that you will have difficulty in finding elsewhere. We recommend you the detour!

La Lichouille is a bar for chocolate lovers, to eat in or take away, which offers us a consumption experience around the chocolate bar... So when it comes to making a totally original creation, combining it with the cookie flavor, and crushing it inside a hot milk, the pleasure is intense. The meeting place for those who love four o'clock! La Lichouille also offers lunch formulas with sandwiches, salads, toasts or wraps as well as smoothies prepared on the spot in a wide choice of flavors that goes from orange to black radish, muffins or gourmet waffles... A nice and charming address.

Sitting in the heart of Rennes, on Sainte Anne Square, the artist's workshop is an unfailing meeting of everything that the city has to offer. At the crossroads of bohemian influences, punk, rock and jazz, this is the place where you come to philosophize, discuss art, recreate the world or taste the market discoveries on Saturday morning by sipping a glass of good wine in a relaxed and isolated atmosphere of the world. The place is a mini labyrinth made up of alcoves made of mixed furniture and stained with old books, posters and postcards, faux chimneys, or works by local artists in exhibition (do not hesitate to offer your own works!). And at the heart of this labyrinth: a covered patio that recalls a dropout greenhouse in which you forgot old objects, paintings, and set tables for an improvised party. Heated in winter and always sheltered from rain, this area is highly appreciated by smokers who find the best of both worlds. The map offers many wines that regularly change, many Britons beers at the pressure, and everything necessary to spend a pleasant time at any time of the day. And every visit comes out as we come back from a weekend at Cézanne's, it's crazy what it's all about!

This friendly place offers a purring interlude in the heart of downtown. Take a seat on the small, brocante-style wooden tables and let yourself be tamed by the cats on hand. The concept is the brainchild of Sophie Allain, who opened a bar specializing in "purr therapy" in the Saint-Germain district, with a concept that comes from Japan and has proved its worth. On site, this cat bar offers a "cocooning, home-like" space with hot drinks, sweet snacks and a library corner. The strength of the address lies in purr therapy, and to create it, many charming animals come from various associations: so you can easily adopt them. So you can sit back, enjoy the cats present for your purr-fect fix, and watch them play with games and wall runs set out for them. Inside the bar, everything is perfectly organized, with automatic litter boxes and no pets allowed in the kitchen. The animals are chosen to be particularly cuddly and adaptable, and get on well with each other, so there's no risk of fights or feline depression. All are adoptable and deserve a second chance!

Café Albertine is a girly little canteen, perfect for lunchtime nibbles on vegetarian or vegan dishes or homemade sandwiches. But it's also a coffee shop! There's always a nice little corner where you can sit alone or with others, read a magazine or chat endlessly with friends. In the kitchen, Solenn fine-tunes the daily specials and pastries (oh, the babkas are to die for!). Here, you choose at the counter and then settle in. But what we really like is that the recipes are really delicious and full of freshness and pep! Ax detours from our various stops: vegetable and red cabbage tart, butternut soup, caramel brownie. Serve with ginger iced tea, chai latte or fresh juice.

This is a Small and Not Great Britain pub! His name echoes an ancient Breton legend anchored on our shores. The City of Ys was based on the legend of the world's most beautiful city, built by King Gradlon, for his daughter. A city in which it is said that all excesses were allowed, made up of women, sailors, alcohol and party parties to the point that it would have been swallowed up by the waves to punish its people. So, in Rennes, we recreated an overview of this missing city Vasselot Street, and this bar has become a myth in turn. An institution of urban rennes, the City of Ys offers local beers (and sometimes from organic farming) the Ker Ys to pressure made also reference to the famous city immersed. The frame evokes a mixture between an abandoned church and a xviiie pub^, on its floor populated with deciduous furniture, orange stained glass windows, carved stones and majestic staircases that swivel in the center of the room. Romantic pub but especially Rock 'n Roll, it is frequented by lovers of the genre, for Pop Rock music, relaxed atmosphere and events. The most: the saucers, the sunny terrace, Irish music sessions and happy hour every day from 7 p. m. to 8 p. m. A beautiful address that blurs Brittany.

There's one patisserie where snack time rings particularly true. 4:30 pm: we enter, attracted by the cookies, cakes and honey gingerbread from Rennes in the window. Inside, we can sit down to enjoy them with a tea from Tea & Ty and a coffee from Felix. Among the pastries that follow the seasons, Saint-Honoré, Zonka, Moulins and Duarn' are divinely structured and balanced (some gluten-free). Marion also offers cocktails with infused plants. Here, the question of the ecological footprint is inseparable from pastry-making. We also offer a reusable bento bag for transporting your cakes.

Cousins Catherine and Pascale have been running Thé au Fourneau - also known as TaF - since 1987. This charming address, with its cake moulds on the walls and colorful lanterns, is located in the old town of Rennes, in a nook that opens onto the Portes mordelaises, the last vestige of the city's medieval walls. Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Thé au Fourneau offers a break in a cozy, peaceful setting. So secluded, in fact, that the pace is quite different, and we recommend you be patient with the serving time... Then all you have to do is choose from a fine selection of teas and mouth-watering home-made pastries. We love that British touch: scones, carott cakes, tarts... Everything is delicious.From 12pm to 3pm, you can also enjoy savoury tarts, salads and tartines. Recipes change regularly.

Le Hibou Grand-Duc, or "Hibou" to its friends, is a neighborhood bar, a very fashionable estaminet, a real headliner of the nightlife in Rennes. Located in the Saint-Hélier district, in a very trendy "arty-vintage" setting, it is located in a street that is barely off the beaten track, but enough to make it a meeting place for connoisseurs. It is established in the former workshop of Odorico, the famous mosaicist from Rennes at the beginning of the 20th century, whose original house is next to the bar. This allows you to admire the traces of the artist's experiments that appear here and there in the decor. Hence the Belle Epoque atmosphere, the high molded ceilings, the Parisian café style furniture from the last century, the subdued light which gives it this very special atmosphere... But far from being dusty, the Hibou is a place overflowing with life (concerts, blind tests, exhibitions and other varied animations), in which you have to come early to get a table! Many lively and definitely epicurean evenings take place there. You can taste quality beers, organic wines and to satisfy your appetite, boards and snacks are proposed (codfish accras or Mont d'Or with potatoes). A temple erected in the honor of the Rennes art of living!