L'Ami Provençal — Restaurant in Arles

We just happened upon this beautiful and charming restaurant, and we are so fortunate that we did! We were warmly welcomed, and we could tell by how busy it was, the delicious looking meals coming out of the kitchen, and the satisfied and contented energy of those around us, that we were in for a treat. We had the pommes frites and two avocado salads, with gorgeous slices of avocado, fresh burrata, fresh herbs, pesto, pine nuts and greens, sliced baguette also accompanied the meal, it was very clear that a tremendous amount of love and care goes into the food here, using only the freshest and most local ingredients possible to highlight the pride, abundance, and quality of food found here in Provence. The head chef made an effort to connect with his patrons, including us, he took time to check-in to see how we enjoyed the meal, to ask about us, and to share some highlights to take in while visiting the area, he was very kind. It was such a beautiful and unexpected treat to spend part of our afternoon luxuriating in slowing down and enjoying the beauty and nourishment that this special area has to offer. Highly...

We tried two times. 1st time, not to bad - the seafood spaghetti were poor in seafood. But the restaurant was cold - we needed to wear our coat. 2nd time - awful. The dish of the day was a couple of slices of octopus - 1 cm diameter, while you can have three 30cm long octopus arms in another restaurant in Fontvieille. My wife took a salad with goat cheese - again, very small quantities, and obviously out of an industrial package - not at all prepared (no preparation actually) with fresh ingrediants as wrongly clamed. We left the place to have an icecream elsewhere. Over-graded. Too expensive for quality...

The couple that run the restaurant are warm, welcoming, and completely engaged in their clients'experience. They take the time to explain the choices on the menu, which change regularly.

Many local products are used in making imaginative dishes. Our duck and steaks were cooked precisely as requested, and were delicious.

We reserved and were glad, because it was a windy day and service was only in the small dining area inside, which can get noisy, but it's a small inconvenience, given what a pleasure it is...