Restaurant in Brest, France
Brest's strongest cooking case, book ahead.
L'Embrun is Brest's only Michelin-starred restaurant (2024), where chef Guillaume Pape — trained at Auberge des Glazicks and a Top Chef alumnus — delivers modern Breton terroir cooking from an open kitchen. At €€€ with a 4.8 Google rating from 776 reviews, it is the right call for a special occasion dinner. Book three to four weeks ahead; the room fills fast.
If you are planning a special occasion dinner in Brest and want Michelin-level cooking without travelling to Paris, L'Embrun is the right call. Chef Guillaume Pape earned a Michelin star in 2024, and the restaurant now holds a Google rating of 4.8 from 776 reviews — a combination that signals consistent delivery, not a one-off press night. This is the address for a birthday dinner, a business meal where the food needs to match the conversation, or a date where you want the kitchen to do the heavy lifting. It is not a casual drop-in; the format, the price tier (€€€), and the booking difficulty all point toward a planned, occasion-driven visit.
L'Embrun operates out of modern premises at 48 Rue de Lyon, with an open kitchen that puts the cooking in full view of the dining room. The spatial logic here matters for your decision: an open kitchen at this price point signals transparency and theatre rather than white-tablecloth formality. You are watching the food being made, which shifts the atmosphere toward engagement rather than traditional fine-dining distance. For couples or small groups, this format works well , the room gives you something to focus on beyond each other, without the performative noise of a larger brasserie.
Seat count is not published, so assume a compact room. That is relevant if you are considering a group booking: smaller Michelin-starred rooms in France often have limited capacity for parties of six or more, and private dining arrangements, if available at all, require early confirmation. Contact the restaurant directly well ahead of your intended date if you need to seat more than four , the format of an open-kitchen restaurant with a single chef driving the menu is not naturally configured for large parties.
Guillaume Pape's background gives the menu its shape. He trained under Olivier Bellin at Auberge des Glazicks, a two-Michelin-starred address in Brittany known for its commitment to regional produce, and went on to compete on French television's Leading Chef. His cooking at L'Embrun follows the same logic: cuisine de terroir grounded in Breton ingredients, worked with modern technique. The award data references flambéed pollack with a Champagne sauce alongside butternut ravioli and shellfish, and a dessert called "Douceur de Lait" , a rice pudding mousse with dulce de leche, vanilla ice cream, and milk opaline. These are the kind of dishes that justify the price tier: technically considered, ingredient-led, and anchored in the region's seafood and dairy traditions. Brittany's coastline makes pollack and shellfish a natural fit, and Pape uses them as primary ingredients rather than garnish.
The 2024 Michelin star is the critical trust signal here. It confirms the kitchen has met a recognised external standard, not just local approval. For a first-time visitor to Brest, or for someone who does not know the local restaurant scene well, the star removes guesswork. You are booking a kitchen that has been independently assessed.
L'Embrun is closed Monday and Sunday. Lunch service runs Wednesday through Saturday from 12 PM to 2 PM; dinner runs Tuesday through Saturday from 7:30 PM to 10 PM. The Tuesday dinner-only service is worth noting , it is the only weekday option if you cannot make lunch. Booking difficulty is rated Hard. Given the compact room size typical of restaurants at this level, expect to plan two to four weeks ahead for dinner, further for weekend slots. Lunch on a weekday is your leading chance at a shorter lead time, and it is worth considering if your schedule allows: the cooking will be the same, the room quieter, and the pace more relaxed. There is no published booking platform or phone number in the available data, so check the restaurant's current booking channel directly before planning your visit.
| Detail | L'Embrun | Le M | Hinoki |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuisine | Modern / Terroir | Modern Cuisine | Japanese |
| Price range | €€€ | €€€ | €€€€ |
| Michelin star | Yes (2024) | Check listing | Check listing |
| Google rating | 4.8 (776 reviews) | See listing | See listing |
| Booking difficulty | Hard | See listing | See listing |
| Closed | Mon, Sun | See listing | See listing |
L'Embrun's open-kitchen format and Michelin positioning make it a strong choice for small group celebrations , two to four people , where the cooking itself is part of the experience. For larger groups considering a private dining arrangement, the honest advice is to call ahead and confirm whether the restaurant can accommodate a dedicated space or a reserved section. Single-chef, starred restaurants in this format often do not have a purpose-built private room, and attempting a large group booking without prior confirmation risks a disappointing evening. If you need a guaranteed private dining setup for six or more in Brest, the safer approach is to confirm availability before committing to a date. For a business dinner of two to three, L'Embrun is well-suited: the food quality makes an impression, the room is calm enough for conversation, and the Michelin credential signals effort to a guest who does not know Brest.
See the comparison section below for how L'Embrun sits against Le M, Hinoki, Peck & Co, and La Tentation des Mets.
A single Michelin star in a city like Brest carries genuine weight. France's starred restaurant network includes addresses like Arpège in Paris, Mirazur in Menton, and Bras in Laguiole at the leading of the tier structure. L'Embrun does not compete at that level of international recognition, nor does it need to. Its value is regional: it is the most formally credentialled modern restaurant in Brest, and it delivers Breton terroir cooking at a standard that holds up against the broader Brittany scene, including Pape's former training ground at Auberge des Glazicks. For visitors arriving via Flocons de Sel or Maison Lameloise in their frame of reference, the cooking is in conversation with that standard even if the setting is more modest. For anyone exploring the broader Brest scene, start with our full Brest restaurants guide, or browse Brest hotels, Brest bars, and Brest experiences to build out your trip.
Book L'Embrun if you want the best-credentialled modern cooking in Brest, plan ahead by at least three weeks for dinner, and have a clear occasion in mind. It is not the right choice for a spontaneous night out or a large group without prior arrangement. For a two or three-person celebration, business dinner, or serious date, it is the strongest option in the city at this price point.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'Embrun | €€€ | Hard | — |
| Le M | €€€ | Unknown | — |
| Peck & Co | € | Unknown | — |
| Hinoki | €€€€ | Unknown | — |
| La Tentation des Mets | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Brest for this tier.
Small groups of two to four are the right fit here. The open-kitchen format and Michelin-starred positioning at €€€ pricing suit an intimate celebration better than a large party booking. For groups larger than four, check the venue's official channels to confirm availability and seating arrangements before committing.
Within Brest, the comparison set includes Le M, Hinoki, Peck & Co, and La Tentation des Mets. L'Embrun is the only address in that group holding a Michelin star (2024), so if credential-backed modern cuisine is the priority, none of the alternatives match it on that measure. For a less formal or lower-price-point meal, the others are worth considering.
At €€€, L'Embrun is priced at the top of Brest's dining market, and its 2024 Michelin star gives that price range genuine backing. Chef Guillaume Pape's training under two-Michelin-starred Olivier Bellin at Auberge des Glazicks, combined with his Top Chef profile, means the cooking has a clear pedigree. If you are visiting Brest for a special occasion and want the most credentialled table in the city, the price holds up.
The open kitchen makes solo dining more comfortable than at a conventional fine-dining room — you have something to watch and the format does not assume couples or groups. At €€€, a solo visit is a considered spend, but the Michelin star justifies it if modern seasonal cuisine is what you are after. Book ahead; at this level, walk-in availability is not something to rely on.
Bar seating is not documented for L'Embrun in the available venue information. The restaurant operates out of modern premises with an open kitchen as its defining feature, which suggests a seated dining-room format rather than a bar counter arrangement. check the venue's official channels at 48 Rue de Lyon, Brest to confirm seating options before your visit.
Lunch runs Wednesday through Saturday from 12 PM to 2 PM; dinner runs Tuesday through Saturday from 7:30 PM to 10 PM, giving dinner the broader weekly window including Tuesday. For a special occasion, dinner makes sense — the 7:30 PM start and Michelin-starred format suit a slower, occasion-led meal. Lunch is the practical choice if you want the same kitchen at a potentially lighter commitment, though menu specifics are not publicly detailed.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
