The Restaurant
Racine opened on Place Godinot in central Reims in 2016 under chef Kazuyuki Tanaka — Japanese, trained in the Kanto region before moving to France to work at L'Astrance in Paris and the Eleven Madison Park kitchen during its ascent. Racine earned its first Michelin star in 2017 and its second in 2021, making Tanaka one of the fastest chefs in the post-2010 generation to reach two stars outside Paris. The dining room seats twenty-four across a single space, with the kitchen behind a low pass visible from most tables.
Tanaka's cooking is creative French with an unmistakable Japanese technical discipline — perfect knife work, precise portion weights, an obsession with temperature control, and a minimalist presentation that feels Tokyo more than it feels Paris. A typical tasting menu course might include Champagne-region pigeon with dashi and an intensified reduction; a signature dessert involves yuzu and a champagne granité. The tasting menus run €170 to €260; the pairings, Champagne-led, add €90 to €140.
The wine list is obviously Champagne-heavy — Tanaka has deep relationships with several of the region's most sought-after grower-producers — but extends into serious Burgundy and a small Japanese sake section that is unique among Reims restaurants. The service is precise, warm, and fluent in English. Racine has become the hardest reservation to obtain in central Reims; weekends book four to five weeks ahead.
Why This Is Reims’s First Date Pick
For a first date in Reims, Racine delivers a restaurant experience that functions as a genuine event. The two Michelin stars signal serious intention without requiring the formality of Les Crayères. The contained dining room (twenty-four covers) keeps the energy intimate. Tanaka's technical discipline gives every plate a built-in conversation topic. And the pacing — five to eight courses across two and a half hours — allows a first date to find its rhythm without pressure.