Soleils d’hiver is Angers’ winter festivities: Christmas market, illuminations, a big wheel in the jardin du Mail, street performances and activities for children, from late November to early January. It all happens outdoors, in December, and the need is simple: to warm up. Les Variétés is at 33 boulevard du Maréchal Foch, right in the middle of it all.
Official source · Destination Angers
The Soleils d’hiver programme
Check the official programme of the Christmas festivities in Angers: market dates, illumination times, big wheel and activities. It is published in the autumn.
See Soleils d’hiverWarming up is the real issue
A family doing the Christmas market, then the big wheel, then a tour of the illuminations spends three hours outside at five degrees. This is not about fine dining but about sitting down somewhere warm. We open at 9:30 am Monday to Friday and at 10 am on Saturdays, and the dining room stays open until 2 am. You can come in for a hot chocolate and leave twenty minutes later: that is what a brasserie is for.
The illuminations start at 5:30 pm
That is when everyone heads back out, and when the children are hungry although it is not yet dinner time. We serve the menu at lunch and dinner; between the two services, dishes in jars are served at any time — duck parmentier, pea risotto, cottage pie. A child who eats a proper hot dish at 5 pm lasts until the end of the walk.
On Sundays, open from 11:30 am to 4 pm during the Christmas market
The Christmas market opens on Sundays, and many families go that day. Usually closed on Sundays, the house therefore opens on Sundays 29 November, 6, 13 and 20 December 2026, from 11:30 am to 4 pm. Apart from these four Sundays, it remains closed on Sundays, except for a group by reservation, once confirmed with the team. Above all, remember the time: the dining room closes at 4 pm.
December: the terrace stays open
The forty-three terrace seats stay open in December, under the large awning. On top of that come eighty-five covered seats spread over four rooms: Entrée Foch, Arrière Foch, the Bressigny room and the Salle Haute upstairs. The Christmas-market Saturdays fill the house quickly. Book.
With children and pushchairs
High chairs, a children’s menu, and a room set apart: Arrière Foch, seventeen seats, is the one we give to families when it is free. A larger group — two or three families meeting up — fits in the Bressigny room, twenty-five seats, or in the Salle Haute, thirty seats upstairs. Give the exact number when booking, children included.
This is not the same page as Christmas dinner
If you are looking for a table for Christmas dinner itself, this is not the place: this page is about the weeks of festivities, the market and the illuminations. Soleils d’hiver lasts six weeks; 25 December is another matter, with its own opening hours.
From boulevard Foch to the market
33 boulevard du Maréchal Foch is within walking distance of the place du Ralliement, the jardin du Mail, the Château d’Angers and Saint-Maurice cathedral. In December, the centre of Angers is best done on foot: traffic and parking during Soleils d’hiver are an ordeal.
At the table
A French brasserie menu cooked on the premises. Our meat is French, our fish comes from Maison Savia in Saumur. Today’s menu can be viewed online.
What we do not promise
A table without booking on a December Saturday. And Sunday evening: on the Christmas market Sundays, the dining room closes at 4 pm.
Checking this year’s programme
The market dates, the times of the illuminations, the setting-up of the big wheel and the programme of activities change every year and are only published in the autumn. Destination Angers and the Ville d’Angers website publish the official programme: check it before you come rather than relying on a restaurant’s page.
Frequently asked questions
The answers
to your questions.
Where is Les Variétés?
At 33 boulevard du Maréchal Foch, 49100 Angers, near Saint-Laud station and the main places in the city centre.
Can I book online?
Yes. Click “Book a table” to see availability. For a group or a special request, you can also contact the team by phone or WhatsApp.
Do you welcome groups?
Yes, subject to availability. Give the date, the number of guests, the time and the format you would like so that we can prepare your welcome.