La Caravelle — Restaurant in Arles

Top line - avoid.

No word of a lie. I have never been more disappointed by a restaurant. We (party of two) opted for the set meal of a main and dessert for €22. We walked away halfway through.

This is the story, of La Caravelle.

It was a tempestuous evening after throngs of rain and sporadic sun, La Caravelle was only a short stroll from our Airbnb. After eye-watering prices elsewhere in the town, we thought we’d hit a gem. I must stress that at first we did have a pleasant experience: the server was kind, inviting, warm. He took our reservation as we walked past. And the menu, also, is enticing, chalked on boards outside the paved front seating area. We opted for provincial beef strew and cuttlefish.

After we sat down, a figure emerged from the restaurant, greeting other guests, like a used car salesman accosting passersby. There was much bravado and posturing, and I had a shivering inkling of what was to come. A complimentary shot glass of nuts did little to settle my nerves. Our carafe of red arrived in a strange Ibiza style ice bag. We originally thought it was to keep it cool in the heat, however upon reflection this is clearly due to improper storage of wine.

Then came the food. The beef stew was reminiscent of school meals during my childhood. Bland, lifeless, served with an upturned ramekin of rice that stood sadly alone lacking flavour or authority. A sad, incongruous, lone quiche leaked water on the side. It tasted of nothing. Barely able to stand the cafeteria flashbacks any longer, my partner and I swapped plates, forcing me to step into a new circle of hell.

The cuttlefish, shredded, rubbery and dispersed amongst a tinned tomato base, was evidently frozen. The small saving grace was the lettuce salad that seemed overcompensatingly tossed over the strange pie the fish was served in. It was a blackened and burnt pastry calzone type thing. If you want to consume carcinogens, this is the dish for you. I’ve seen fresher pastries in the rubble of Pompeii.

When the kind waiter returned to ask us our desert requests, we made it clear we wanted to swiftly depart. After an awkward payment inside, in which the waiter with a hint of shame acknowledged the culinary desperation of the restaurant, we - with a sigh of relief - finally left.

It is not common that I own such scathing words. I am truly disappointed. The owner, whatever your name is, hang your head in shame. I can tell by your antics outside that you’re in charge of the kitchen. Some poor chefs must have had their spirits taken by you. I pray, give it back, or at least open your eyes, ears and heart to some kind advice that can turn this place around. At this rate, you will be closed before the end of the decade.

The building itself is beautiful, with such charm and history. Take this chance whilst you can to make this...

If you are looking to waste €50+ on the most terrible food you could ever have, please do yourself a favour and stop here :)

On the lookout for decent food in Arles, inspired by lovely photos and reviews, the convenience of the proximity of our Airbnb and to be honest the perceived affordability - we made a reservation to have dinner here on a windy Thursday evening. It started off strong, a lovely carafe of house red, some nice nuts to nibble on while you wait, a friendly waiter. We chose to go for the formule - the set menu - specifically we ordered the daube de boeuf a la provencale & tielle de la caravelle (seiches et tomate piquante) - our understanding: a lovely local beef stew and some lovely cuttlefish with tomato sauce pie. What we got: the most flavourless beef, rice and whatever the thing on the side was - a mini quiche? - and some burnt, tasteless thing that basically tasted like the worst calzone you’ve ever had (minus the cheese) which apparently had cuttlefish in it (undistinguishable), the tomato sauce probably a tin of tomatoes not even brought to the boil. The salt shaker on the table, cute as it looked, not working to save the day. We’ve had bad food before, but this was next level. Needless to say, we finished our wine (which was good), debated whether to send the food back, but decided instead to cancel our desserts - because when you eat anything THAT bad, you really don’t want more of it. So for two mains, that were a chore to eat, barely left us full, and a carafe of wine we paid nearly €50 - one of the cheaper restaurants in Arles but really not worth your money. Save...

We recently visited this place with a large group. The restaurant is located in the historic part of town, which makes it attractive. However, the main room was narrow for a large group of people. The staff were decent, welcoming but nothing exceptional. We felt we were being pushed around during the meal. The main dish was barely finished before the ice cream arrived! If you think you'll leave this place having eaten a lot, it's probably not the restaurant to go to. We had to feed half of group again by going to a fast food restaurant. While the meat was very good (Daube), there were only 3 unfortunate pieces of meat per plate and most of everyone's beans were literally burnt and gross! Apparently, this restaurant reads posted comments. They should use them to improve the experience of the groups they receive!!!! Tourists deserve a great...