The story
Since 2019, La Petite Ourse has been the place in Rennes for a lunch that feels both thoughtful and unfussy. Chef Germain Caillet and Charlotte Brochard run this bright, welcoming restaurant on Boulevard de la Liberté, open Monday to Friday from 12 to 2.
The kitchen works with organic, local produce, changing weekly. Each day there are three options: a meat dish, a fish dish, and a vegetarian choice. The common thread is Caillet’s love for sauces and jus, which he prepares with particular care. The result is cooking that tastes of its ingredients first – vegetables from Xavier Moisiere at Ferme Biji Biji, eggs and poultry from Ferme de la Ploutière, bread from Fleur de Levain in Saint-Coulomb, scallops from Welga in Saint-Malo, and pork from Ferme du Pressoir. Cheese comes from Ferme du Gros Chêne in Betton.
Three lunch formulas keep things straightforward: entrée + plat at 25 euros, entrée + plat + dessert at 28 euros, and entrée + plat + cheese + dessert at 31 euros. There are no surprises, just good cooking at fair value. That approach earned La Petite Ourse a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide, an award that recognises quality cuisine at moderate prices.
La Petite Ourse is not about trends – it is about feeding people well, day after day, with products grown or raised nearby. The short opening hours (lunch-only, weekdays) reflect a team that prioritises quality of life as much as quality on the plate. For anyone in Rennes looking for a seasonal, organic lunch that delivers real flavour, this is a address worth booking.
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good quality, good value cooking
Bid adieu to la galette ! Inside the recently remodeled walls of this former crêperie, we now lunch under a cosmic ceiling where Charlotte (a former journalist for Les Inrocks who switched careers to become a sommelier) and Germain (ex- Le Pantruche ) shine. The tasty treats coming out of his kitchen are equal parts locavore and galactic! On the blackboard menu the day we went, for €13.50 or €16.50: an impeccable potato salad with whelks and smoked mayo; tender squash gnocchi with red onions and petals of Mimolette cheese that melt in your mouth; transcendent caramelized pork loin served with celeriac purée and a damn good vinegary jus ; mackerel fillets over a bed of homemade soba noodles, a buttery nage and strips of black radish with a peppery jolt; before an astonishing chocolate cream with crunchy cacao and salted caramel for dessert. The drink selection is as stellar as the rest: a red from the Domaine des Roches Neuves produced by Thierry Germain (€4.50 a glass), a white Glouglou from Caraguilhes (€3.50), a Crozes Hermitage from the Domaine des 4 Vents (€39 a bottle) or even a delicious raspberry-strawberry nectar from Meneau (€3.50 for 250 ml). Appetizer + main + dessert lunch option €16.50 and appetizer + main or main + dessert for €13.50. // Claire Rémy
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