The Privee Nomad Restaurant Review: La Table at Les Airelles in Gordes, Provence

Hot Take: Nothing to write home about.

Provençal flavors are remixed into modern presentations of pan-European classics with uneven execution. Considering the high price point and comparing it to its fabulous predecessor, L’Orangerie, La Table falls short.

The terrace at La Table in Les Airelles Gordes

Sitting atop one famously picturesque hilltop is the three Michelin-keyed hotel Les Airelles Gordes, La Bastide. Built on terraces cut into the hillside, the hotel and its restaurants have expansive, stunning views of the Luberon Valley. For this feature alone, it’s recommended to claim a seat at the terrace bar and enjoy an aperitif in the evening sun.

To preface this restaurant review, I should mention that I was a big fan of La Table’s predecessor, L’ Orangerie. For years, it was a ritual to visit the hotel bar first for apertif, followed by a gorgeous dining event at L’Orangerie. (It had this particular ambience that was both decadent and comfortable; like if your favorite aunt was also a grand duchess who loved spoiling you.)

As of 2025, Les Airelles underwent a renovation and for whatever reason, they believed the restaurant needed a renovation, too. New name, new chef, and a new quality standard.

I will skip out on the boring details and get to what matters most—what went wrong:

The transition from aperitif to first glass of wine was not seamless; we had a lot of time to get thirsty and drink water. This might have happened because:

• We ordered two bottles of wine together, as the second bottle was old and heavy, needing the extra time to decant. We ordered with a woman I will call the “Wine General.”

• The first bottle of wine was wrong; it was a red when we ordered white. The General didn’t love being wrong.

• While the first bottle is getting corrected, the second bottle arrived; also wrong. We ordered a 2008 Chateuneuf du Papes, but a 2019 vintage was brought out.

• The wine general flared her nostrils when I asked for the correct year and we didn’t see her again until we had paid, left the restaurant, and saw her standing there by the staircase.  

Eventually, our server corrected all things and managed the table perfectly. But!

In the wine kerfuffle, the appetizers were held back and the 54 euro plate of lemon taglioni was sitting under a heat lamp for a time. How could I know that? Because when the plates were served, the outer strands of pasta had oxidized and become a firm shell around a congealed interior of acidic, lukewarm taglioni.

La Table management was quick and kind to prepare a fresh plate and then gifted us two desserts to make up for that.

Congealed lemon taglioni

On to the main courses: Two orders of lamb, two orders of beef tartare. The new La Table now serves a beef tartare for dinner, and as we found out, they prepare it table side. Normally, this is a fun moment for restaurant guests; you get to choose the ingredients and watch quick hands mix it all together.

Instead, this was an exercise in patience because the hot lamb dishes were served first—and as we are a group that waits for everyone to have their dish, we waited for the tableside tartar preparation. We waited for two independent tartars to be mixed and plated and served.

The last little hiccup: We had to wait some more for new red wine glasses to arrive, making this the second time we were forced to drink water.

Happily, once all components made it to their rightful glasses and dishes, we enjoyed every drop and bite. These incidents really were hiccups and too small to ruin the night, but at this level and price, the restaurant should deliver near perfection.

In Sum

It seems that the restaurant at Les Airelles Gordes was changed for the sake of change. They hired a chef who worked in Michelin-starred restaurants who isn't upholding the high standards of L'Orangerie: to present consistent, delicious Provencal dishes by a flawless, white-gloved service.

La Table is now an expensive restaurant tailored for high-earning tourists who are so distracted by the view, they don’t realize they're getting sub-par, fine dining.

As Ariana says, thank you, next.