Arles Dining Guide: A Food and Culture Lover’s Paradise

Arles is a city that should be on every visitor’s itinerary while in Provence. There is Roman history, contemporary architecture, museums, shopping, gourmet food, and enough grit to capture your interest. It won’t take long to understand why Vincent Van Gogh found inspiration in this one-time Roman city or why Arles resident Maja Hoffmann was determined to turn abandoned railway lands into an attractive urban park and contemporary art centre—LUMA Arles.

Like most cities frequented by tourists, there are plenty of food choices (not all are good), so we have compiled this Arles Dining Guide. Please let us know if we missed a gem for food lovers.

Arles Dining Guide

Considered the gateway to the Camargue wetlands and Rhône River delta, Arles is the last major urban centre before leaving Provence for the l’Occitanie administrative region to the southwest. While the city centre is small and easily covered on foot, there is a lot to see in this town, so if time permits, plan on spending at least two days in Arles.

Discover our Arles Guide for Visitors

The old centre is mostly pedestrian-friendly, although keep your eyes out for scooters. Depending on your schedule, budget, and agenda, there are dining options for a quick bite or restaurants where you want to linger longer. As restaurants change frequently, this list is not a comprehensive guide but our short list of places we have tried and recommended.

Casual Dining and Quick Bites

Cuisine de Comptoir
Close to the Place du Forum, this bustling spot is hard to beat as an option for lunch. This restaurant is almost always busy as its menu is straightforward and delicious. Choose from the 11 tartines (open-faced sandwiches) served on Poilâne sourdough bread from the infamous Parisian bakery.

Cuisine de Comptoir (website)
Ten rue de la liberté
13200 Arles

Several food options are available at LUMA and in the Parc des Ateliers:

Café du Parc
Facing the LUMA tower, this café has a short menu of Italian-inspired lite bites. Whether you prefer savoury antipasti or a sweet dolci, the restaurant is open from 9 am to 6 pm on Wednesdays through Sundays.

Drum Café
Located at the base of the LUMA tower, this café offers Bistronomic cuisine for lunch and dinner on Wednesdays through Sundays. Fitting for a creative art centre, the Drum Café welcomes visiting chefs from around the globe to create seasonal menus. The Drum Café is where you may linger over your meal, have a meeting, or pull out your laptop and do some work afterward.
Reservations are recommended.
Make sure to ask your server about hanging the sunflower wall.

Le Réfectoire
The place to enjoy French brasserie-style food.
Enjoy the seasonal, market-fresh dishes you can eat on-site or take away.
Open Wednesday through Sunday.

Terrasse des Forges
On a hot day, you will be happy to find shade in the Parc des Ateliers at this casual dining spot. Grab a seat at a picnic table and enjoy a wood-fired pizza or sandwich before heading off to continue visiting the sites.

No Rush Dining Options

Inari is where Céline Pham cooks French-Vietnamese fusion cuisine in a chapel dating from 1224. The decor is stylish and bright, matching her creative, market-inspired menu.

Inari
16 place Voltaire
13200 Arles
Open for dinner on Wednesday through Sundays and at lunchtime on Saturdays and Sundays.
Reservations are highly recommended.

L’Arlatan is located in the boutique hotel of the same name. This restaurant is centrally located near the Place du Forum. Enjoy a signature cocktail while you decide what to order from the menu, which includes dishes that are terrific for sharing.

L’Arlatan
20, rue du Sauvage
13200 Arles
Open every day from 11 am to 10:30 pm.

Le Chardon is a bistro-style restaurant that invites guest chefs to cook and create dishes for the menu. Operating like a pop-up restaurant experience, these chefs are typically invited to cook for two to eight months. Preston Miller will be the resident chef, bringing his culinary skills from a list of restaurants, including Palais de Tokyo in Paris, in 2024.

Le Chardon (website)
37 rue des Arènes
13200 Arles
In July and August, the restaurant is open Tuesday to Saturday nights.
Reservations are required.

Le Galoubet is a long-standing gourmet establishment in Arles. Located in the heart of the old city centre near the Fondation Van Gogh, this restaurant delivers a classic French bistro setting and menu to match. Operated by a husband-and-wife team, Chef Céline Arribart reinvents some of the Provencal classics to the delight of patrons. There is a covered terrace in warm weather and a fireplace inside for the colder times of the year.

Le Galoubet (no website)
18 Rue du Docteur Fanton
13200 Arles
Reservations are required
3-course prix fix menu, no à la carte
Telephone: +33 (0)4 90 93 18 11
Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Les Maisons Rabanel showcases Jean-Luc Rabanel’s gastronomic talents with two dining options: Greeniotage (bistro) and Greenstronome (a tasting menu of fine dining). The chef, a maître cuisinier de France, and his team prepare terrific food on both sides of this restaurant. Reservations are highly recommended.

Les Maisons Rabanel
Rue des Carmes
13200 Arles
Open Wednesday through Sunday.