Rennes, ice queen. The pun is obvious, the reality much less so. The Breton capital has few well-known ice cream parlors – exclusively producing ice cream. There have been a few attempts. The famous Saint-Malo ice cream bar Sanchez, for example, opened opposite La Visitation between 2009 and 2018. Like a franchise of the American industrialist Häagen-Dazs. She camped between 2012 and 2015 under the arcades between Town Hall Square and Parliament Square. The glacier creperie, the Roazhon opera, which succeeded it, did not last long either. It melted like snow in the sun in 2020 with the health crisis.
Could the Breton capital, known for its fine dining, bistro, patisserie and bakery, have a problem with ice cream? For Sylvie Bondil, founder of Mustache ice cream, ice cream is above all a holiday product that is not necessarily profitable in Rennes. Especially since the city is still very far from being a tourist destination.
“In 2018 I closed the Sanchez Glacier in Rennes. There were hygiene problems, the customers were not satisfied, explains the woman who took over the historic Saint-Malo ice cream bar in 2016. I did not find it appropriate to open another one in Rennes. Ice cream works in the summer , at the weekend and during the holidays. But at the weekend, when the weather is good, people are at the coast, and in the summer they are not in Rennes. If we add to this the very high rental prices, it is not appropriate to open an ice cream shop here. »
In fact, apart from the historic Lopez ice cream shops and the Sainte-Anne ice cream parlor adjacent to the creperie of the same name, today no one would risk launching an activity devoted exclusively to ice cream. Does this mean that quality is nowhere to be found in the Breton capital? Not necessarily. The Coupel chocolate factory, rue de Nemours, makes its ice creams and sorbets in its workshop. And the judgment is implacable. Impossible to stay frozen in front of these frosty candies.
Outside these institutions, it is hard to be surprised anyway. Except to get out of the vision of dad’s ice cream. For example, by going to enjoy an ice cream in a Japanese fast food restaurant. Or by trying frozen yogurt, which vaguely resembles Italian ice cream. Because in Rennes it is well known that we like side steps.
Lopez ice cream
Town Hall Square and Thabor Park
It is THE historical glacier in Rennes. Established for 44 years, the Lopez dynasty alternates between chestnuts in the winter and ice cream in the summer. If the Lopezes don’t make their own ice creams, they are actually “artisanal,” Esteban Lopez assures. The father, Sébastien, and the son get their supplies from a supplier “as if you had made them in your kitchen” in Lézignan-Corbières in the Aude.
Price: €3 (one ball); €5.50 (two balls)
The little extra: The location opposite the carousel, Place de la Mairie, perfect for children.
Sainte-Anne Glacier
4 Place Sainte-Anne
Adjacent to the Sainte-Anne creperie, the ice cream bar of the same name has marked the comings and goings of spectators in the most touristic square in Rennes for ten years. Ice cream and sorbet are not made on site. It is the Costa Rican Éric Elien – supplier of the Ty’Papo ice cream bars in Erquy, Pléneuf and Paimpol – who makes the frozen candies and sorbets.
Price: €2.90 (one ball); €4.40 (two balls)
The little extra: A terrace with a view of the half-timbered buildings and the liveliest square in Rennes.
Chocolate cup
10 rue de Nemours
As the name suggests, Coupel chocolaterie is not originally an ice cream parlor. Never mind, the ice cream sold here is 100% artisanal and prepared in the lab behind the house with milk from the Vitré producers. The result is clear. Coupel makes the best ice cream we’ve tasted for this selection.
Price: €2.60 (one ball); €4.70 (two balls)
The little extra: vanilla caramel peanut ice cream. A delight!
Bubble ramen
18 rue Vasselot
Ice cream coated with a layer of sticky rice accompanied by neon blue bubble tea balls. You got it, this crazy thing comes to us from Japan. Well, almost. Inspired by a traditional Japanese dessert coated with rice paste, frozen mochi is its “fusion” version. The result? A pleasant sensation in the mouth. The coldness of the ice cream is softened by the rice paste.
Price: €3 (one ball)
The little extra: The opportunity to try Japanese street food as a prelude to this dessert between ice cream and pastry.
Cupÿou
3 rue de la Visitation
In the picture, it looks distinctly like Italian ice cream… To taste, the difference is palpable, with this lightly spiced yogurt flavor. Logic. Cupÿou offers “frozen yogurt”. The difference between these frozen yogurts and ice cream? The cream traditionally used for ice cream has been replaced by… yogurt.
Price: €3.70 (160ml); €4.70 (280ml); €5.70 (360ml)
The little extra: The option to add between one and three toppings (crunchy, fresh fruit or coulis) depending on the formula.
