New🇫🇷Rennes, France
The Galette Pilgrimage
A dark, nutty buckwheat crepe folded around ham, a fried egg and bubbling Emmental, washed down with cold Breton cider poured from a ceramic bowl. Three ingredients, no pretension, total satisfaction.
Why this dish?
The galette complète is Brittany's everyday masterpiece: a crepe made from buckwheat flour (blé noir) - dark, nutty and naturally gluten-free - spread thin on a flat griddle, then topped with a slice of ham, a cracked egg and grated cheese, folded at the edges and served while the egg is still runny and the cheese is still pulling. It's the simplest possible combination done exactly right, eaten across Brittany at lunch, dinner or whenever hunger strikes. The drink is a bolée of cold Breton cider, poured from a traditional ceramic bowl.
Rennes is the capital of Brittany and arguably the galette capital of France - the old town is dense with crêperies, many of them multi-generational family businesses turning out galettes from buckwheat grown in the fields outside the city. The city itself is a beautiful mix of medieval half-timbered streets and lively student energy, with one of the best Saturday morning markets in France.
Our Picks
Crêperie Saint-Georges
- Address
- 11 Rue du Chapitre, Rennes
- What to order
- Galette complète (ham, egg, cheese), with a bolée of cider; follow it with a sweet crepe (beurre-sucre or salted-caramel) for dessert.
- Book ahead
- Popular, especially at lunch; book or go early.
- Pro tip
- Breton cider comes in brut (dry), demi-sec (medium) and doux (sweet) - start with demi-sec if you're not sure.
Rue Saint-Georges crêperies
Rue Saint-Georges / Rue Saint-Malo, Rennes
The old town streets are lined with traditional family crêperies - any of them will do a proper galette, and locals are loyal to whichever happens to be theirs.
- What to order
- A galette saucisse (a buckwheat crepe wrapped around a grilled sausage, eaten walking) from a market stall, then a sit-down galette complète at a crêperie.
Good to know
A galette is the savoury buckwheat version; a crepe is the sweet white-flour version. In Brittany, ordering a "crepe complète" when you mean the buckwheat one will get a gentle correction. Cider is the proper drink, poured into a ceramic bowl (bolée), not a glass. The Saturday morning market at Place des Lices is one of France's best. The airport bus reaches the centre in about 20 minutes.
Your day plan
Wheels up to eating the dish.
Outbound Flight goals - what you're aiming for
- 07:00Depart London Stansted
- 09:15Land Rennes
- 09:45Bus into the centre (20 min)
- 10:15Walk the half-timbered old town, the Parlement de Bretagne
- 11:00The Place des Lices market if it's Saturday (one of France's finest)
- 12:30Galette complète and cider at Crêperie Saint-Georges
- 14:00Wander the medieval streets, the Thabor gardens
- 15:30A sweet crepe (salted caramel) and a coffee
- 16:30A last bolée of cider
