Bistrot le Mistral — Restaurant in Arles

This was one of my favorite lunch spots on our recent trip to France. We were on a day trip to Arles and our first stop on arrival in town was lunch. We wandered through the city gate off Place Lamartine and quickly found Place Voltaire and Bistrot le Mistral. The square was a charming place for lunch, with several cafes surrounded by plane trees.

The service was very friendly with the waiter complimenting the hats my wife and I were wearing. Not speaking French, I at first thought he was telling us we had to remove them, but a couple of friendly diners, who we had already met in the parking lot, translated for us!

We both had the club sandwich and I thought it was one of the best sandwiches I had on our trip. I also liked that, when we were finished, they told me I could pay at the bar inside. As an American accustomed to a quick departure from a restaurant, I appreciated the efficiency of...

first we stopped for a beer on their lovely terrace, after a complicated day trying to get to our hotel. we were offered a reservation for dinner, and after looking at the menu (and checking the reviews), we accepted. we spent the next 2 hours exploring the town, and a very sweet town it is, too!

our dinner was delicious. we shared a ceviche with guacamole, a coconut sauce and sprouts, as well as a risotto with clams and grilled octopus piked on vegetables with a tangy cucumber base. while i would have preferred the risotto to be a little creamier/less al dente, the flavours of each dish we unusual and successful. service was friendly and efficient, and the setting, under tall, leafy sycamores and protected by a planters of...

DO NOT EAT HERE. My wife ordered shrimp ravioli and didn’t eat it because it was bad. I ordered beef. It was extremely salty, the potatoes tasted like powdered potatoes and, worst of all, I got FOOD POISONING. My wife went the next morning to tell them how sick I was and they insisted it wasn’t them. But, I’d shared a pizza with my wife elsewhere earlier in the day and she didn’t get sick. I was ill within hours of eating there. I was up all night and was very sick. I never post bad reviews, however, their attitude makes me think they won’t look into...