Exotic delicatessens Rennes

When you're craving delicious Italian specialties, stop by Dolce Italia! The delicatessen is brimming with products imported from Italy: wines with strong personalities from Piedmont to Sicily, olive oils from small producers, top-quality fresh or dried pasta, various sauces and pestos. The family-run store exudes friendliness and generosity. The catering department (pizzas, truffle risotto, Italian cheesecake, Sicilian cake) means you can eat at any time. Everything is cooked on site con tutto l'amore del mundo! Delicious cheese, charcuterie and antipasti platters to take away for sun-drenched aperitifs.

La Casetta, Dolce Italia's little sister, has carved out an excellent reputation in the Central Market district for sourcing fine Italian delicatessen products, as well as pizzas and panuozzo. The pizzas are crispy and generously topped. It's the house trademark, and Florian's dog Ernest won't disagree. There are a dozen on the menu, and a new one every week. The charcuterie and cheeses are of the highest quality. You'll also come for the incredible panuozzo, bursting with Italian warmth, and to fill your basket with truffle cream, fresh ravioli and 30-month-aged parmesan, always served with generosity!

La Cale aux épices is making a much-appreciated entry into the heart of Rennes. After creating the Comptoir aux épices in Paimpol in 2014 and the Vannes shop in 2018, it is with the same passion that Christophe Lemaire, a backpacker at heart and a fine connoisseur of spices, has joined the Breton capital. The shop, which is run daily by Marven, a native of Sri Lanka, has no less than 85 peppers and berries, flavoured curries as well as various blends that are ground, roasted and assembled with care in the Paimpol lab. The shop is a true ode to a journey of the senses, but above all it shows a desire to share and to provide quality at low prices.

Behind this tangy coffee-shop are Anne-Hélène and Antoine, who also run Bluebird Coffee and Oko café. Here, we take a trip to the United States with Rennes' first donut shop. 24 doughnuts bask before our eyes, from the classic sweet to the sparkling yuzu and a variety of chocolate bar flavors. Boxes of 4 or 8 donuts are available, so you don't have to choose. Let yourself be tempted by the sweet temptation, a premium treat made with vanilla, kinder bueno white and chocolate shavings. Serve with a chai latte, milkshake, bubble tea or smoothie ! Donuts can also be customized for special events. The latest addition is a range of delicious cookies.

Come and meet the very first "pâtothèque" in Rennes, run by Italy-lover Céline! The high shelves are a floor-to-ceiling showcase for artisanal dry pasta. You'll be surprised by the shapes and varieties that are sometimes little-known (fettuccine, calamatara, rotelle...)! Fine olive oil, capers from the island of Pantelleria, fragrant risottos, well-chosen wines and characterful sauces offer something for every palate in the region. Céline also offers recipe books, utensils, flours and wheat semolinas for those who'd like to don their apron. And those in a hurry can enjoy a caffè Borbone from Naples to go!

Jars bursting with Turkish delight and olives, large moussaka dishes, a pot in which stuffed peppers are simmering... here we are under the olive trees! Agob, who has been present at Les Halles for seven years, welcomes us generously and introduces us to his cuisine with Greek and Mediterranean influences (he is of Armenian origin). We let ourselves be tempted by the gratin of his invention, Agob's gratin, as he calls it with a smile. His stand is his kitchen, and his stalls are filled with popular dishes and other less known recipes. We stock up on honey, hummus, olive oil, beer and wine, and leave having learned the specificity of Greek-style loukoums.

Ah the delights of Italy and their variations for every moment of the day. Admit it, your mouth is already watering. That's why we're delivering this good address to you: amateurs already know it. Casa Massimo offers a tempting showcase full of antipasti, hams, ready meals and even good desserts. The fact remains that you have to choose between their desserts, pizzas, ready meals, cheeses, cold cuts, antipasti, fresh pasta! Also take a look at the end of the stall to order a pizza made right in front of you. What makes their reputation is their fine pasta, their fresh ingredients that allow you to revel. To you too the Pestos, Aosta ham, cheeses, marinated and stuffed vegetable specialities, involtini, tiramisu for the whole family, stuffed tomatoes, gratins... In short, you will discover a farandole of fresh products and tasty dishes that change regularly. A very good address for Mediterranean cuisine in the heart of Rennes.

A tiny, Ali Baba's cave-like boutique set up over 10 years ago on Rue Vasselot! On the walls, you'll find piles of handmade Turkish tableware (unique pieces), loose Moroccan tea (rose, mint...), Tunisian, Moroccan and Lebanese wine, and all around: mountains of Oriental pastries! Imagine five different varieties of baklava, gazelle horns, loukoums, zlebia, chabakia and more, scented with orange blossom and honey. Perfect for a gourmet escapade to the Orient, but not only sweet. The store is literally overflowing with pastries, but that's not its only purpose. You'll be delighted to sample a takeaway borek, a patty stuffed with spinach, beef or potatoes and zucchinis, or a falafel sandwich with hummus and fresh herbs. The boutique also offers a catering service specializing in oriental dishes: assortments of mezzés, tajines to be ordered the day before, small dishes to take away in a small refrigerated display case (homemade hummus, eggplant compote, traditional tabbouleh, falafels...). Specialties from the Maghreb and Lebanon).

After the Thabor, it is in the lively rue Saint-Hélier that we find Les Italiens du Coin. Nicola Casulli, in charge of the two shops, has at heart to offer the best of Italy, and particularly of its region of origin: Puglia, nicknamed the heel of the boot. And it's a success! It's hard to resist the fresh homemade pasta - gnocchi, ravioli, tagliatelle... -It's hard to resist the fresh homemade pasta - gnocchi, ravioli, tagliatelle, etc. - the smoky scarmoza or the melting gorgonzola, as well as the cold cuts, including the unavoidable speck and prosciutto di Parma. Generosity is also present in the tasty dishes cooked on the spot: aubergine gratin, lasagne parmigiana and risottos. At lunchtime, the regulars, already satisfied by the very good value for money, meet there to take their lunch. For us, it was a puccia pugliese, a typical Apulian sandwich with raw ham, mozzarella and candied tomatoes, accompanied by a slice of homemade ricotta and lemon cheesecake. Fancy an impromptu aperitivo? Take your pick from the colourful antipasti, sun-drenched wines and crunchy biscuits. It's sure to be a no-fail affair!

The flavors of Lebanon beckon on the doorstep of this new Lebanese caterer! At the time of the confinement, Jean Halim, the man in charge, was still running the Made In Bey restaurant, with its highly acclaimed catering service. It was a turning point for this Lebanese-born chef. In February 2023, he opened this Lebanese catering concept, O Zaatar, named after a thyme and sesame-based spice popular in Lebanon. Typical dishes and desserts are on offer, as well as a selection of groceries: Lebanese bread, wines, olive oil, loukoum... Every day, three dishes are offered, all homemade with fresh ingredients, such as couscous or lemon confit chicken, lamb and prunes. A real treat!