La Caravella in South Oxfordshire

Went out for dinner with my family on a Friday night, very busy but managed well. The pizza was delicious, all of the ingredients authentic Italian and definitely no microwaves involved. The service was lovely too, with attentive staff doing all the could to ensure a great evening. If you're ever in Thame I highly recommend this place and putting Parma ham on the pizza!

What can I say!! I booked a table online, on Sunday 31st March for lunch on Monday 1st April, at 1.30pm, this was a special occasion. I received 2 emails confirming my booking, but when we arrived at a completely empty restaurant the one person in the place approached us and asked if we wanted a table for 2, I explained that I had booked online for 5 people. I was told in no uncertain terms that I had not booked as there was no record of it! I had the emails to prove it. When we said that the rest of the party was on their way, he then said that they close at 2;30pm( bearing in mind there was no-one else in the restaurant anyway),so basically there wasn't much point in staying!! I couldn't believe it, how bizarre! Fortunately, the lovely Manager in Prezzo saved the day despite Prezzo being very busy, and found us a table, thus rescuing what could have been a very unhappy day for us. I certainly won't attempt to visit La Caravella again

Visited this restaurant twice. The first time we booked a table for 3 for a friends birthday. We were sat down and ignored. After 40 minutes no one came to our table with menus or to take drinks. We decided to leave as did a few other tables. Ended up having to go to prezzo as no where else was taking tables by that time. My friend and I decided to visit again as we heard the food was good if you can get served. Service was much improved this time but sadly the food below average. Carbonara was made with cream?? Portions were also way too big. Won’t be returning.

Staff were friendly but the cheese garlic bread was incredibly oily and bland. No garlic flavour. The mozzarella fritter was luke warm and had clearly been reheated. The lasagne was again oily and had no meat in at all and was a sad excuse of a main for £13. No ‘ragu’ or bechamel in sight. To top it off both me and my partner were sick and unwell for the entire evening which began almost immediately after leaving. Really would avoid

An excellent Italian restaurant in the centre of Thame. A nice food and drinks menu.

My wife and I came here for an eveniong meal and I have to say the the food was excellent and the owners and staff could not have been more friendly and helpful. Looking at some of the other reviews, it is true that the menu may have been limited but what they did they did extremelly well. We will defininately be back !!

My husband and I had a date night for the first time in about ten years. Decided to try La Caravella as we love Italian food - but as important for us is the experience we have with the staff. Love a bit of banter and to feel special. Alba & Vincenzo (sorry if I got that wrong 🥴) were amazing tonight. The food was delicious especially the Gamberoni Diavola. We’ve had such an amazing night. Thank you so much for spoiling us. We’ll definitely be back with the rest of the family. Carl & Lisa xx

Wonderful meal with good friends

I booked this restaurant for a family birthday celebration. I booked online for a Tuesday evening, received an email confirmation (and an email reminder of my booking the day before.) When we arrived, it was closed. On checking the website more carefully I discovered it doesn't open on a Tuesday - THEN WHY LET ME BOOK! No response to my email about this issue. We ended up at The Six Bells in Thame - lovely food and great service.

I first came here just over 2 years ago and at that time thought it was wonderful! I have travelled a lot and had rated this as one of the best restaurants I had ever been too. Beautifully decorated and a varied menu. As well as a la carte, they offered some excellently priced fixed price menus too. Since that time, I have made a number of visits. I went here recently and had told everyone how wonderful the place was. I was extremely disappointed! I found the waiter very abrupt and the new shrunken menu was dull and unimaginative. In addition the prices had all been raised quite considerably. This experience has put me off and I wont returning. There are plenty of other restaurants in Thame where you are greeted warmly and have a good choice of dishes.

Had a rissoto here- it was fine. So it should be as it's an ITALIAN restaurant. I would happily return.

My friends and I had a terrible experience celebrating my birthday at Caravella. Despite the restaurant being practically empty, we waited at the door for 10 minutes. Once seated, it took the waiter 20 minutes to take our drink order. The starters took another 20 minutes to clear, long after we finished. My creamy chicken mushroom dish was anything but creamy and lacked flavor. We weren't asked about our meal, offered dessert, or given timely service. Other tables left mid-meal or after ordering drinks due to slow service. We had to go to the bar to pay, and considering the £100 bill for 3 people, it was a huge disappointment. We won't be returning or recommending this place. I suggest training your waiter customer service (be happy make conversation, serve the ladies wine first) for your waitress she must learn how to clear plates properly not just 1/2 at a time….

What do you expect when the place says Italian and owned by Romanians or Albanians … always closed when we tried to turn up at opening … managed to pop in over a week ago with friends … my Italian friend noticed the language was not authentic Italian and of course we should have expected that food is as tasteless as the owner or manager that served us … save yourself from this fake non Italian experience

Awful from beginning to end. Man who seated us was offhand and abrupt. Starters arrived over a period of 10 minutes. Everything was Luke warm at best. Sea food risotto was missing the seafood and presented like a pavement pizza, calzone was cheese in bread, meat totally missing. I could say lots more but it would start to sound like a rant which would be entirely justified. We will never go back here again. Overpriced and poorly executed

Awful from beginning to end. Man who seated us was offhand and abrupt. Starters arrived over a period of 10 minutes. Everything was Luke warm at best. Sea food risotto was missing the seafood and presented like a pavement pizza, calzone was cheese in bread, meat totally missing. I could say lots more but it would start to sound like a rant which would be entirely justified. We will never go back here again. Overpriced and poorly executed.

Been here quite a few times since it opened. I have to say I’m not a fan of the reduced menu . Garlic bread only veggie option for starters (and only 2/3 other options for non vegetarian) and for main only one (true) vegetarian pasta (the puttanesca w/out anchovies) and a couple of pizzas. You would hope that the reduction in options would mean excellent food for what is on it. We had the cheesy garlic bread to start and I have to say , it was excellent. My mum chose a risotto that could be adapted to being veggie , it was ok , not great. I had the puttanesca which I enjoyed. My son (who’s not veggie) had the salmon pasta and did not really enjoy it all, barely any salmon, and he said was like another pasta dish had been prepared and then adjusted to be the salmon dish as ingredients not mentioned on the menu were in . Wine was delicious and reasonably priced. Strange strange music choice for the first 45 mins, r Kelly lol , not ambient for an Italian restaurant. Almost like a staff member had had their music on and it had been overlooked upon opening. Manager/owner was very busy tending the bar , though he was friendly and attentive when he stopped by to check everything ok. Our waiter however was not helpful at all sadly. Not able to explain vegetarian options even seeming slightly pissed off at being asked. Not very interested or friendly. No deserts were had and again not many options. Will possibly be back in the future but will be checking reviews first next time.

We've been to la caravella many times & all the family loved it. This was our first visit since the new chef arrived & the changes are really negative for us. The only vegetarian options are 2 pizzas, no starters or other mains. I doubt we'll be back unless the menu changes.

Very disappointing service which is a shame as the pizza was actually really good. Went out for my sisters birthday, we have provided them with a cake a day before for them to serve and they simply forgot all about it and when questions they’ve said that they have run out of candles for the cake… the manager was not very useful or apologetic. Also the panna cotta dessert was described as being served with Berries and was served with chocolate sauce, found this unusual but once again when questioned they did not have a response to that. Lastly the espresso martini were not made properly and had very little amount of alcohol if any at all, wouldn’t recommend paying over £10 for what can be described as coffee in a fancy martini glass.. wouldn’t go back there in a hurry

Good food, but limited menu. Reasonable pricing. Worth a visit, especially compared to chain restaurants.

Since recent visits La Caravella has employed a new chef who has introduced a new and much reduced menu. The menu, apart from pizzas, was of more "up market" offerings which may be deliberate to differentiate with the likes of Prezzo. One of the effects was to not have available small items such as mozarella sticks and garlic bread which feature at most Italian restaurants. In addition the options for vegetarians who do not want fish were 2 types of pizza. Small children are catered for but those in those not wanting adult fine dining food have very few options. The restaurant was not busy at the time of our visit but the delivery of food to the table was such that some had finished eating a course before others were served. The food varied from good to very poor quality. It was noticeable that our experience was reflected at other tables and for some it was effectively a pizza restaurant. The one positive aspect was that the waiting staff were attentive and efficient. The advice would be to check out the menu to see if it suits before making a reservation or visiting.

The food was outstanding, would highly recommend. The service was great and the presentation was fabulous. I was really pleased with my overall experience and will definitely visit again.👍

Booked for lunch on the last Saturday before Christmas. Expected the place to be very busy but when we arrived at 1.00 we were the only people there. Last time we visited in the summer there was an extensive menu. Now it is greatly reduced. Two of our party are vegetarians and there are no vegetarian options on the menu. When we asked if they had any vegetarian options we were offered vegetarian spaghetti with no explanation of what that would be. We promptly left and are unlikely to return. If they have no customers two days before Christmas then it is difficult to imagine that they will survive.

Love this place, a good choice of food and excellent service. This is where you go if you want delicious, fresh food that's bursting with flavours. Very reasonably priced too. Excellent choice for your family.

Love this place, a good choice of food and excellent service. This is where you go if you want delicious, fresh food that's bursting with flavours. Very reasonably priced too. Excellent choice for your family.

Review updated below Absolutely delicious and well priced! We went for the lunch menu ( we chose the 2 courses for £14.95) which had a nice selection of options for starter, lunch and desserts. There is a great atmosphere and the staff are friendly. ----------------- Update: Since our last visit, the appear to have removed the lunch menu offer and have significantly increased their prices making it much less well priced. The menu was also significantly smaller than the last time we visited. I ordered the spaghetti carbonara for £17. When it arrived, I found the food cold in areas. This was also the case for the meals others in my party ordered.

When we have visited before it was very good. NOT on 9th December 2023. There was a new Chef and menu and a waiter who did not have much knowledge about the business. Two of us had the hot Salmon and the 'Seasonal Vegetable' were stone cold direct from the refrigerator, no potatoes even though they served them with my husband's beef. Such a disappointment. It seems they have got too big for their boots. We asked for the Manager to call us and have not heard a word! Customer care needs to be greatly improved, they are too arrogant to admit their mistakes. Needless to say they have lost four customers who generally spend a lot of money!

Visited today having spoken to restaurant who promised a wonderful new menu today. What a disappointment it was, our friends had been so looking forward to it as we have been before. The menu is very small and my friend and I had the Salmon, served with salad leaves and cooked onions. The 'Seasonal Vegetables' were a joke. brought to our table straight from an icy cold refrigerator, aubergine, roasted pepper, more cooked onions and some ribbons of courgette..... all served cold with hot salmon. We asked if we could have some potatoes and there were none. Even though my husband had potatoes with his beef. Apparently there is a fantastic new Chef. Well he has no idea how to serve food properly. Apart from the Salmon which was very nice the only other hot food was some french fries which we had to have due to the lack of anything else hot. What a disappointment, we have asked the Manager to call us!

Excellent service with delicious food to match! Makes for a wonderful spot for an evening date.

We have eaten here many times and have never been disappointed. Every dish is filled with flavour and all of the ingredients are fresh. The service is always friendly and attentive.

Very good food, we had a great time, lovely relaxed atmosphere, would definitely recommend it.

First time trying this place was really nice service friendly and very good food will be back again 5 stars is not enough.

Good food Good service good atmosphere Thank you

service was very slow, but otherwise great place

Food and dining experience delightful, service could be improved. Still a really good evening

Had a meal here prior to going to the Elvis tribute evening in the Thame Players theatre. Ideally situated by the car park. We were early as the show started at 7.45pm We were shown to a table, and given the menus. We ordered red wine, pork saltimbocca and lasagne. The pork had a lovely sauce, creamy so not strictly saltimbocca and came with mixed veg. The lasagne was very oily, and had not been baked in the oven dish it came in, obviously from a larger container. It was ok but I have had much better! We then had tiramisu, which again I have had better, not much evidence of liqueur! But, it was passable.

I went for dinner last night with friends and I can only describe it as chaotic! One portion of bruscetta and bowl of olives took 1 hr 15 mins to arrive and only after two reminders to Staff. In all fairness the Waitress was run off her feet as it appeared there was only her and one other member of Staff waiting on tables in a packed Restaurant. I would suggest they employ more Staff or take less bookings. When the main courses eventually arrived the food was excellent, as always.

Highly recommended by family members, so whilst visiting booked a table. Orders taken quickly, but after that service was terrible. I had to chase food and wine. We think staff were overwhelmed and couldn't cope and were unable to communicate well with customers. Dinners arriving later were standing waiting for tables to free up. I paid at the bar to speed up our departure. Will not be returning

We visited La Caravella with our 8 year old daughter for Sunday lunch and to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We've sampled most restaurants in Thame over the years, and this one is definitely a cut above. Delicious food (not your standard "Italian" with bored teenage staff serving tasteless pasta-n-pizza), good portion sizes, fair prices, attentive but unobtrusive service, and nicely decorated. The clincher was that our daughter, normally a very fussy eater, absolutely loved her spaghetti bolognese and generous three balls of gelato. She was less keen on her bread and dips starter - the crust was too hard and there were "herby bits" - but we figured two out of three was a great result. My only constructive suggestion would be for the restaurant to try and offer something to keep the kids amused, if the server spots that the parents' efforts aren't working. It doesn't have to be fancy or costly: perhaps just a simple Italian-themed memory game or a drawing to colour in, or if the staff are not too busy, most children would appreciate something a bit different, like a tour of the kitchen with one of the parents to say hello and see how their food is made. Family life and general cost-of-living pressures mean we can't go out to eat as often as we'd like, but we will definitely be returning to La Caravella.

We have just had the most delicious three-course lunch in a great environment and with superb attentive service. The food was of great quality, in very good quantities and incredibly tasty. All for absolute top value too. Would highly recommend.

The staff were really friendly and the food was out of this world delicious.

Went with my daughter. Great atmosphere and food.

It was impressed with food 🍱 quality and very good service and very welcome people recommended to anyone who want a very good service and good place.

Family of five all underwhelmed. Food was pretty bland with little flavour in anything. Bowl of mussels with thin sauce tasting of not much. Seafood pizza with no hint of garlic or chilli. Woke up next morning to realise my anchovies had been missed off. Risotto very bland and a spag bol that could be better made at home. Won’t be going back. Shame as nice ambiance.

Staff are not friendly and when we had to send mussels back as they were very cold, the staff looked at us like we were crazy. Very expensive for what we received. Didn’t stay for desert. We won’t be visiting again as there is a much nicer Italian restaurant in Thame.

My wife took me here for my birthday. Food excellent. One of the best Italian restaurants I have been to if not the best. Ambience nice and staff polite. Would definitely recommend.

Nice, basic Italian restaurant at a decent price. Pasta great, duck not pink enough, risotto great. Chianti did the rest!

Great food,spotless establishment, friendly staff

My wife and I had an impromptu dinner last night and I must say it was delightful; well cooked and delicious . Thank you so much. 🐻

Very attentive staff, good flavoursome food, if not quite as described, but a lovely evening.

I had a lovely meal from an excellent menu, nice ambience and good service. I will definitely return.

It was a bit slow on service, seemed to have been short on staff.this time. Previous visits no problem. Food good, short on Gluten Free starters.

Decent food with friendly service in the centre of Thame.

The service was lovely and very friendly. Definitely recommend the seafood especially the mussels and the portions were a good size.

Visited on a Saturday night, as a party of two. Orders were taken very quickly & both drinks & starter came out within ten or so minutes. The main on the other hand, took about an hour, for a pizza. We chased it twice &...

Such a great place! We celebrated a birthday here. Service was 5 star food was fabulous. Highly recommend.

I loved coming here with my friends. It’s such an authentic Italian restaurant with brilliant food. The tiramisu is incredible! The servers are also so lovely, and the barman is the best barman in Thame!

Went with family and had an amazing night out and had carbonara and was very authentic and lovely. The service was great with lovely staff.

The restaurant is so nice, with a great atmosphere and even better food. The service are so helpful and cheerful. I would definitely recommend.

The Best Expresso Martini Ever What a find lovely food service five star wish we lived closer to use it more often.

Excellent food, !! 4 of us had steaks cooked to perfection. Comfortable relaxing atmosphere, very good service, 8 of us really enjoyed every starter, main and dessert, lovely coffee with cream . Very impressed ! definitely will go again. Highly recommended, they even played Andreo boccelli song by request.

All the food we had was delcious, good portions and attentive waitors. We all had an excellent experience and look forward to coming back.

Food was ok, nothing to compliment nor complain about. Service was shoddy, nobody scanning the room, felt like there was some other place they'd rather be. All in all I think a visit to Prezzo would have satisfied as well and been less expensive too.

Lovely independent Italian restaurant, fantastic food and great menu

Not much atmosphere, doesn’t seem very Italian.. Food not great, didn’t pay for one main meal (spaghetti carbonara) due to big bits of greasy bacon in it.

After being seated if we hadn’t asked for a drinks order to be taken we might still be waiting! Prawn starter only had one complete prawn in it, the rest were regular king prawns. The main course came about 5 minutes after the starter plates...

Our first visit to this restaurant and we were not disappointed,lovely food and great service🥰. All the staff was friendly and helpful. The atmosphere was very festive. I will strongly reccomend. Definitely will be going back to this wonderful place.

We booked a large family birthday dinner at la caravella. 25 of us. The food was excellent, the service was good and the restaurant welcoming. We had a fantastic time and would recommend this restaurant as a lovely little place to eat. The staff made...

I was with my family. Beautiful restaurant and Best italian food ever tried,great service, was very friendly..Delicious food, waiters are very attentive, and super nice atmosphere. Plus it’s all at an affordable price. Can totally recommend it and will definitely come back again.

Excellent food, friendly staff and an incredible atmosphere not to be missed obviously an Italian chef

Superb food but it was a bit quiet not much atmosphere. Service was a bit slow at the end for a quiet restaurant. But over all the food was very good

We tried this place for the first time and was disappointed. The staff appeared like they didn’t want to be there. They seemed to get frustrated that we weren’t ready to order when they approached the table. We just had bread and olives to start which was nice. I then had the mushroom linguine which just had a very small amount of button mushrooms on the top. I think I could have easily made this dish at home. My friend who is vegan went for the VEGAN option pasta. Only to realise it had ANCHOVIES in it!!! I will follow this review with a call to the restaurant and I can only hope they correct this. I followed this up with some pistachio ice cream which tasted of nothing. I won’t be going back!!!

Cold food had to be sent back . We wanted to order more drinks but no one came as they were sat eating at the higher level. Really dreadful service

Lovely little restaurant, great atmosphere, food and friendly staff. Also excellent value for money. Have come a couple of times with family and friends. Thoroughly recommend. Will be coming again.

The food was nice but the service was not great and the restaurant was far too cold. Both my mother and I had to keep our coats on

great place to eat great staff nice table we were table number 1 I had the duck breast others had pasta love the house Rose

Superb restaurant, had lunch here with friends and food was exceptional. Our waiter Vincenzio was fantastic, very warm and welcoming.

Poor and unfriendly service, emailed to express our disappointment and no one even bothered to reply. Food was nice but there unfriendly service really let it down.

Our first visit., definitely not the last. We experienced a warm welcome, great service and wonderful food. Lovely atmosphere in the restaurant, catered for families, groups as well at more intimate tables. All four of us had different things from menu and all were well...

Lovely atmosphere, food and great service 😀 👍

Very average food, expensive for what is served. My food arrived cold and was disappointing.... Sorry but would not recommend

This is a real gem, never heard of the place but our lunch plans fell through. Walked in greeted by friendly waitors and nothing was too much trouble. Would highly recommend this restaurant.

The portions are absolutely ridiculous… £25.00 for a fish stew that consisted of 1 larger prawn, 4 mussels, 3 smaller prawns, and 3 squid. I think it’s insulting to serve such rubbish. I’m glad I ordered garlic bread it or I may have had to...

Nice food. Slow service. Mandatory service charge on all drinks and food, despite getting the drinks at the bar yourself. Large groups avoid - no space to move in back room

Well what A Lovely Italian Restuaurant, Seven of Us went for Lunch to Celebrate Our Grandsons 30th Birthday. 2 Menus to choose from & absolutely great value, nice bit of banter with the staff who were not in your face but always there when you wanted something, very attentative. Give this Place a Try You Will NOT be dissapointed.

Had a lovely meal with my Family,

We tried La Caravella with friends for the first time a week ago and had a very nice meal. We liked it so much we went back last night and the experience was consistent. We like the food, there’s an extensive menu of starters, mains...

We booked a valentines meal which had a set valentines menu. The food was amazing and had great choices. The restaurant was relaxing and comfortable seating. Staff were friendly and welcoming. Great place to eat. Highly recommend

Since it opened, my husband and I have LOVED La Cravella. Every time we have had family and friends come to town, we’ve taken them there. We go for celebrations and birthdays whenever we can! We booked a table for Valentine’s Day about 10 days...

La Caravella served up great food, superb service and a beautiful setting once again, this time for a family birthday lunch for 11. Would highly recommend!

Since it opened, my husband and I have LOVED La Caravella. Every time we have had family and friends come to town, we’ve taken them there. We go for celebrations and birthdays whenever we can! We booked a table for Valentine’s Day about 10 days ago using the online booking on their website and I called today (13/02) to confirm if I’d booked for 7 or 7:30 and was told the manager would call me back. When he called, he sounded entirely disinterested like he was doing something while speaking to me, told me my booking hadn’t gone through and they’re fully booked. When I was speaking to him to try and understand the situation and how this had happened, he repeatedly spoke over me just saying they were fully booked and “see you another time” while trying to rush me off the phone. I questioned why have the feature on the website if it’s not working and explained how disappointing this was as I’d not get a table elsewhere this late - he offered me 5pm, which I said I was still working and he just sighed and said “see you another time” ending the call. The frustration of the booking was one thing, but the abysmal customer service and lack of sincerity in any apology was entirely unneeded and sadly has ruined what was, one of our favourite restaurants. Incredible infuriating and disappointing and with La Caravella being one of three competitive Italian restaurants in Thame, the customer service and respect for loyalty could be improved upon.

Sorry, but I have to be honest, and was unable to complain on the day as my mother didn’t want me to. It wasn’t cheap either. I was recommended the restaurant by a neighbour , so thought I would take my mother for lunch. We...

It was very good and we had a great time. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because we have an Italian restaurant we like even more.

We will definitely be back!! Service was brilliant, even the recommendations on the food to have was great. The food- garlic bread with cheese was so garlicky and yummy. the monkfish was cooked perfectly and the carbonara was the best iv ever had. Thank you

Amazing pizza! Best i have had in a long time. Third time there and will go again, nice atmosphere and food is always excellent. Prices are competitive. Slow to take order but drinks and food came quickly once ordered.

Was disappointed considering the local rep & recent reviews. After being seated we were given menus to browse whilst the staff were having a good natter amongst themselves. Was maybe 10 mins before they came and asked for drink choices. Should have been paying more...

This was another impromptu lunchtime stop whilst returning home from our trip to Kent. My wife is currently recovering from hip surgery, she is having to use a walker when out and this also makes her exhausted quickly. La Carravella does not have disabled facilities on the ground floor, you have to go up 5 steps to the upper level of the restaurant and the toilets are located at the far end of the seating area. No help was offered to assist my wife with the steps until one of the owners chided her husband. The service and atmosphere were proficient but impersonal, almost sterile. The food was tasty and a zero % beer was available.

visited with friends as we know that the service is normally reliable and we were not disappointed, we had 3 prawn and 1 mixed salad starters followed by 2 duck a pizza and lasagna plus a kids bolognase Great food and wine service was spot...

Visited Friday evening, restaurant not busy and lacked atmosphere, food was mediocre, nothing special and drinks were overpriced. Have eaten here before and food was much better.

I booked La Caravella by accident on Xmas Eve (it has similar name to restaurant I was meaning to book where we live). I realised after turning up at the restaurant i thought i had booked who said they had no booking so I called...

Came for lunch, sat close to the door, was cold as the outside door was left open