06/14/09

Good food but a roll of dice if you like what comes along

by Menton

Restaurant has good food and prices are very reaonable.

Owner clearly take great pride in the offering and enjoys interaction with customers (or at least some customers)

The space is tiny and the owner has a big personality aod overall the service is sort of like Barney Greengrass meets Italy as some the charm could be wisecracking waiters and owner who serve and kibbutz amidst the clatter.

I really can not say if 70% of the guests love the guy or 90% or 10% but he defintely rubs me the wrong way as do many on his team.

He tried very hard to be charming and certainly believes himself to be but I found him just annoying and arrogant and while it seems strange to speak as much about the owner of a place as I have this place is imbued with him.

So give it a try and maybe you will like it/him but just do not be taken aback if they rush you out of there when it gets crowded or chide you for not having listened better to their specials the first time around etc.

More like eating over at someones house who is a great cook but if not someone you like spending time with then probably not a good fit

• Pros: Good food. Fresh and tasty and authentic
• Cons: BIG Personality and presence of owner and team

05/14/09

Love it, or hate it ?

by ray2

Being new to New York, we were looking for a small neighborhood restaurant that the locals love. The reviews seemed to be either outstanding or awful, with few ratings in between. We were prepared for either, but were pleased to receive outstanding service and great food.

Our server, Carlo, was attentive and friendly. Carmine, the owner/manager came over three times to check on us.

The meals were very tasty, rich but not overpowering.

We'll be back.

• Pros: Great food at great prices

07/31/08

best italian place in the UWS

by msk83

i LOVE celeste. it's such a unique place; the food is wonderful and i still can't believe the prices - the wine list is really quite good (splurging for the wines on the last page is always worth it - Carmine knows his stuff) and the place has so much personality! Service can be rushed for some - but if you are nice to the staff, they are nice to you - and by the way, Carmine (the owner) is such a great character, I trust his taste more than most. Order the cheese plate (which can come in sizes from a few cheeses to 40 cheeses, all of which he smuggled in his suitcase back from Italy) and let him explain to you how every cheese is made - he even makes the condimenti from scratch for each cheese. and go on Mondays to order the special Robiola/truffle pizza - it's amazing. if not on a monday, the homemade pastas like the ravioli are also incredible. if you don't like lots of people, as always, avoid going at rush hours on weekends. it's that easy.

• Pros: food, value, cheese, wine
• Cons: can be very busy and rushed

07/19/08

Great food at a great price.

by tzara17

I dined here about a week ago with a party of four. It's a small neighborhood place that requires your whole party to be present before being seated AND accepts cash only. My pasta was fresh and tasty, the wine was very nice, and the homemade ricotta gelato was amazing! Don't expect too much in terms of service, it's a bit slow in the beginning and hurried at the end. It also might help to dine with a regular.

• Pros: Great homemade food
• Cons: Service, Cash only, No reservations

02/01/08

Chef Boyardee on the UWS! Celeste Goes Downhill Fast

by jeanettebertolo

This used to be a charming stand-out. I have lived on the UWS for years and it was worth waiting for. No longer the case. Tonight 1) we sat at our table for at least 15 minutes totally ignored, without menus or any contact with our waiter..finally asked for the menus and he ran off again.....2) waited forever for COLD underdone pasta and red sauce that tasted like the can..3) not even offered parmesan cheese, etc. Just plain bad food. Overheard the owner ONCE AGAIN telling story "jI ust got back from Italy with the cheese in my suitcase" ...is italian cheese that hard to find in NYC? Do we want cheese that was in a suitcase? Stop lying about cheese and get your #### back into the kitchen. NOT WORTH IT - Bad food - Lazy Service...

• Cons: long wait, cold poorly prepared food, inattentive service

12/08/07

Don't bother; the food is not worth being insulted

by chandru99

Easily the worst service of my life. Food is passable but if I wanted fast food I would have gone to Sbarros.

Once they have your cash (oh and don't expect to get any change back), you will find yourself unceremoniously told to leave the place by the owner. And this, after ordering multiple entrees and a bottle of wine and dessert.

There are way to many options in New York to put up with this; I hope they go out of business.

• Pros: sadomasochists will love the abuse
• Cons: Rudest service from the owner on downwards

12/07/07

Kicking your customers to the curb

by 153

This resturant came highly recommended as a great place for delicious Italian food. While quarters are tight we were able to be seated immediately as there was an opening for 2. The meal and wine were really good. But not good enough to be asked by not only the server but also the owner to leave before we had finished our dessert and wine. WOW!!! They were in such a rush to get us out (only having been there a little over an hour) it left a bad taste in our mouth.

Very unfortunate as the meal was really good. We will let all our friends know this is NOT a place that touts itself as a friendly neighborhood restuaruant.

And....by they way...be sure to bring cash only as that's all they accept.

We only hope you are treated better. The owner must have so much business he doesn't want repeat customers!

• Pros: Great food
• Cons: Rushed service, tight seating, cash only

09/04/07

Great and Cheap Italian

by lisaj12

This restaurant has great food for cheap prices. It is true that the service is rushed and the place is crowded (it is very small) so I wouldn't recommend the restaurant for a romantic date or a first date. Yet, I don't understand people who get annoyed with the rushed service. The place is small with a constant waiting line, so it's expected that once you are finished your meal, then you move along (it is also curteous to other diners who are also waiting to be seated). I was rushed out of the restaurant while dining there last night, but it was expected. But I can overlook that flaw. For great food at a dirt-cheap price, it's a wonderful deal.

05/03/07

Great local (UWS) place.

by yellojak

the food is good & fresh, the place has a homemade feel and a good wine list. service is good and the owner is usually there to tell stories of how he hand carries cheeses in from italy. seating is tight, as is the rest of manhattan. drink lots of good red wine and be merry... at least thats how i've always left the place.

• Pros: food, wine
• Cons: tight seating

04/17/07

I'll never go there again.

by nycgirl42004

Celeste has been my favorite restaurant for years. I've been there many more times than I could possibly remember. However, after what happened to me there several weeks ago, I'll never set foot inside again. I brought a date to the restaurant -- I had raved to him ahead of time about what a fantastic place it was. Dinner was fine. But things went wrong towards the end of the meal. First, the server dropped off the check at the same time as he served dessert. I sensed that they were going to try to rush us out, so I purposely held off on paying the bill for a few minutes. As we were finishing dessert and our bottle of wine, our server started hovering over the table, grabbing whatever utensils or dishes he could the moment we finished. Finally, I guess he got sick of waiting. He blurted out: "Please! There are people waiting outside!" I was mortified. We had each just had a three-course meal AND shared a bottle of wine, and yet that wasn't enough for them to let us sit and chat for five minutes after dessert?? My date and I hurried out, and I decided that I'm going to take my business elsewhere from now on. Gennaro, just up the street, is my new destination of choice for great Italian on the Upper West Side.

• Pros: Low prices, good food
• Cons: Incredibly rude service