TLDR: Come for tasty food; do not expect Peruvian food. Food: We got the ceviche, sudado de pescado, and veggie causa. Ordered lomo saltado, but it never arrived. The ceviche fish was weirdly chewy and all wrong. The sudado was flavorful, but definitely not Peruvian. Lastly, the causa was the best dish we got, but def way overpriced for size and ingredient quality. Sorely disappointed. Service: don't come if you want good service. Place wasn't packed and it took forever to flag anyone down. About the lomo saltado -- it hadn't arrived by the time we were done eating the other dishes, so we canceled it. The waiter seemed so happy about us canceling that we're pretty sure it was never made... Other: make sure to make a reservation. Even though there were a lot of empty tables, without a reservation we got seated in the weird crook of the door. V uncomfortable. Bottom line: if you must eat here, I promise the food will be tasty. Expect no more. (PS. Real life Peruvian here, on the hunt for decent Peruvian food in the area.) read more

Small tucked away Peruvian restaurant in union square. 16 seats plus 6 bar seats. Plus a staff of 7. Kitchen is open to view so bar seats are ideal for the curious mind. Food is good. We got the mixed seafood ceviche which had good flavor; I liked the addition of the nuts for some textural balance. There was a lot of white fish with some calamari and one piece of shrimp. We also got the causa de tuna tartare which is tuna with mashed potato terrine, similar to polenta. I thought it paired very well except I thought it was over sauced on top; could use some texture in the dish. We also got the scallops with squid ink fettuccine which was like a creamy scampi sauce. Very flavorful but heavy dish. Scallops could use a little bit more sear but all in all, good. read more

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(takeout order) Excellent squid ink pasta with scallops! The whole dish cooked to perfection, the fresh scallops seared -just- right, and the absolutely yummy sauce with a nice unexpected little kick of heat. I like that they gave a good amount of sauce to completely coat the pasta. Just SCRUMPTIOUS. Five stars for this dish alone! Ceviche mixto, also delicious. Love the sour and salty sauce. Nice play of flavors and textures. Tacu tacu with seafood was pretty good, but my least favorite of what we ordered. The mussels were ridiculously puny--nothing like the nice plump ones shown in other yelpers' photos. Just got unlucky with the batch there, I guess. Nice experience overall, though. Will return! read more

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This place is such a gem. The inside is small and intimate, seating maybe 4 parties. But they also have a patio, which should be nice now that it's finally warming up. The cocktails are strong and tasty. I got the Maracuya sour, and loved it! Perfectly sweet and tangy. In terms of food, everything was delicious. The shrimp/mango ceviche was really fresh, and not too tart. I got the seafood risotto (Tacu Tacu) -- SOO good. The sauce was perfect for being absorbed by the rice. Definitely get the fried fish for $6, it's worth it! My boyfriend got the Peruvian style shrimp, and the garlic rice was very flavorful. This was honestly one of the best meals in recent memory. We already have another reservation booked lol read more

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I'm sorry--just a bit overrated and overpriced for me. Made a reservation for two for late Friday night and was seated indoors. Service was alright, they got food on the table quickly. I was not a huge fan of the blue light inside, although that's a tiny nitpick. Ordered the chicha morada to drink, and it was delicious albeit a tiny bit sweet. I've never had the drink before, but I really enjoyed it. Ordered the blue cod ceviche and tuna tartare causa for appetizer. The ceviche was okay, I thought that they could've done more to highlight the flavor of the fish though (there were a lot of accoutrement and the sauce was quite strong). I also didn't find the fish that fresh--it had a bit of a fishy taste and the texture wasn't as smooth. The causa I enjoyed more, though it was just a bit salty and I wouldn't have known that it was tuna tartare if I hadn't been told. The sauce didn't add a lot, and I thought it was odd to have half of a hardboiled egg on the side--I wish it had been cut up for us and maybe incorporated into the dish more. Note that entrees here are good to share. We ordered the cilantro lamb stew and it was the best dish. The lamb was cooked well and it was tender. The stew was again a bit too salty, but it was flavorful and well-spiced, good with rice. The beans were a highlight--they were super creamy and had a more neutral presence paired with the stew. We also ordered the lomo saltado and we didn't like it that much. The beef could've been more tender. The sauce had really good flavor, but again, a bit too salty. It was tasty as a stir fry with rice, but at the same time, it was quite expensive for the price--which was the main crux of Celeste. read more

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Excellent option for peruvian food, reasonably priced given the quality of food as well as the ambience. Fun location! The ceviche and the dessert were the real stars but the lomo saltado was also excellent! read more

Celeste - Ceviche Mixed Seafood* - Peruvian Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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Beautiful vegan dinner with friends! I enjoyed the markers on the menu indicating options that are vegan or vegetarian. Please note that one of the vegan options has an egg, so make sure to ask in advance that there is no egg or dairy. The labels are not totally accurate. However, the food was delicious and staff were friendly. read more

Celeste - Peruvian Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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We tried to call to reserve a spot but no one answered the phone so we ordered on line. We ordered two dishes of mixed ceviche and one of the tuna. We liked the mixed ceviche a lot. We ordered the risotto with mixed seafood. The seafood and the sauce were good. The rice was over cooked, mooshy and we did not like it. The pasta with ink and scallops was soooo delicious! Overall we liked the food. read more

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Celeste was amazing! It's a small place, but it gets really busy and we made a reservation. We got the mixed seafood ceviche, the seared scallops fettucine, and the peruvian chinese style steamed fish. The ceviche was really good, but the blue cod was the best part. I'd just get the blue cod ceviche next time instead. I liked the steamed fish more than the fettucine, because it goes really great with the rice it came with. The sauce from the fish on top of the rice was amazing! The scallops were cooked really well, and the fettucine was cheesier than I expected. read more

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Celeste was fun! The restaurant is set in a small room with lots of light and a tiny little bar. The service is friendly and helpful. Seating is very limited due to the small space so it is better to make a reservation or to go during early bird hours. We visited Celeste on a Friday during early bird hours. We ordered from the Early Bird menu and the regular menu: From early bird menu 1.) chicken taco 2.) lamb taco 3.) bean taco From the regular menu 1.) Mussels with fried yuka 2.) Potato a la huancaina (spicy cream sauce) The only dishes I really loved were the lamb taco and the mussels with yuka. Both dishes had the same green sauce which was delicious. The potato dish was literally boiled fingerling potatoes served cold with yellow, white and green mayo sauces on top- tasted like a play on cold potato salad. I wish I hadn't ordered this dish- waste of $8. The lamb and bean tacos were pretty decent. I ordered two margaritas which were absolutely delicious. I wish the prices on this menu were more affordable. I would come back here but only for drinks and appetizers. read more

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Fantastic. Delicious, fresh courses. Unique flavors. Energetic and personal vibes. Can't recommend enough

Celeste is a treasure. The back patio felt safe during COVID times, and the staff was accommodating and pleasant. I'm a huge fan of Peruvian food, so I had to see how the ceviche mixto and lomo saltado measured up. The ceviche was delicious and satisfying, tastefully acidic and a perfect accompaniment for the summer heat. The lomo saltado was also fantastic, well portioned and in a marinade to die for. The meat was much more tender than I'm used to for this dish, and cooked to a perfect medium rare for each piece. I would personally vastly prefer the potatoes to be fried as traditional, instead of boiled here, but it did end up as a lighter dish. Still, this is a must-order. Some nice touches included ice-cold individual plates to share the ceviche, and being given two bowls of rice to share without having to ask. I also highly recommend the bottle of chicha ($10) to share, which you can taste before ordering to see if it's to your liking. Overall it was a lovely meal! read more

Celeste - Lomo Saltado - Peruvian Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Unassuming at first, this Peruvian gem is a no-frills, intimate restaurant that allows the flavors to speak for themselves. My friend and I shared an appetizer and two entrees; portions were hefty and more than enough. I highly recommend the ceviche and the carapulcra, in that order. You could pass on the scallops. Loved the ambience and service, but it is the taste itself that makes this place a hit in Boston. Will definitely be retuning! read more

Celeste - Ceviche Mixed Seafood*, blue corn drink - Peruvian Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

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Put Celeste on your shortlist. There's not a lot of ~30 seat exceptional restaurants in Boston putting out great food with solid service that aren't (understandably) opportunistically trying to gouge you. Shortlist: mixed seafood ceviche and tacu & tacu are top notch. Scallops + Squid ink fettuccine is heavy but worth trying if you're splitting it. read more

The food is just ok, not the best. The lomo saltado with no fríes? Really? The service was good, but the place is small. read more

Neat spot- a great place for a date! The outdoor dining tables are nicely spread out! We came here after a day of eating, so we didn't have too much of an appetite, but wanted to try it. For cocktails we got the negroni and chilcano. My negroni was stiff but flavorful. My girlfriend wasn't a big fan of the chilcano, because the ginger beer was a little overpowering, however, I enjoyed it. Appetizers- can't go wrong with the ceviche mixed seafood! They ask you for what level of spice you want- we got mild. Mild would probably be a little less than siracha. Our favorite part of the ceviche was the squid, it was juicy and fresh. For our entree, we shared the scallops con pasta a la huancaina! The scallops were seared to perfection, but juicy inside! My only wish was that they gave more scallops because they were so good! The ink pasta had a slight spicy after-taste kick, but no more than the mild ceviche we had earlier. I would love to come back here again and try out the rest of their menu! And lastly, they gave tequila shots for me and my gf when they gave us the check! read more

Celeste - Ceviche Mixed Seafood* - Peruvian Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Food was above average, but service was awful. However, I won't be back because the food was not outstanding enough for me to be willing to deal w subpar service like this again. read more

Celeste - Peruvian Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Celeste, Celeste, oh my god you are amazing. My friend and I were so sad once the meal was over because we didn't want it to end! After a long day of walking around Somerville, she and I were in search of a tasty meal. With this place being around the corner from us, we were even more enticed to check it out. We made a reservation for 5:30 and it was packed! The host sat us at the bar -- it was a little cramped, but we had a great view of the kitchen and bar area. We also had some great conversations with the bartender. We started off with several appetizers: the ceviche with mixed seafood (blue cod, shrimp, squid), and 2 special apps: the octopus with black mayo, and the yuca croqueta. If you had to pick just 1 app to start, definitely go for the mixed seafood ceviche. After we finished, we were both drooling and ready for our next meal! For our entrees, my friend got the arroz con mariscos and I got the tacu tacu. The bartender made sure my pisco sour was always filled while our entrees were being made. I cannot emphasize the view of our food being made in front of us in the open kitchen enough, it was so fun! When the food was out, we were impressed! First of all, the presentation of both dishes was very nice, especially for the arroz con mariscos. The smell that radiated from our plates was amazing too. Most importantly however, they tasted even better than they looked! I literally wanted a bottle of the sauce used for the tacu tacu because it was so flavorful and spicy (Celeste - please seriously consider bottling this sauce. I'll be first in line to buy) At this point we were full, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to try their desserts. Naturally, we got both options: the dulce de leche custard with merengue and the lucuma mousse. Both were delicious as with everything else, but I actually preferred the mousse. The mousse was light and slightly fruity -- perfect for all the delicious food we ate. This place and atmosphere is outstanding. 10/10 would recommend to anyone looking for a phenomenal restaurant in Somerville. After having tasty food in Lima, this is the closest I can get to original Peruvian cuisine in the states. Only downside to this restaurant is that it is a bit small. However, I will make due with that so long as they can continue making this food. Keep up the awesome work and see you soon!!! read more

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Great place for a date night! The ambiance is really cool and cozy, the drinks delicious and potent, and the ceviche is tasty and large! The portions were way larger than expected- we could've been just fine with two apps (which were the same size as the entrees). The sangrias were amazing, and my favorite dish was the ceviche mixto, followed by the lamb stew entree, followed by the avocado tomato causa (really more of a potato salad, which was only okay). It's in the pricier side, but I would come back again! read more

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Truly amazing experience. Every single thing we had was amazing. I'd particularly recommend the pisco sours, ceviche, and tacu tacu. The staff was also very nice and fun. read more

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The ceviche here is out of this world. Such a genius idea to do the vegan one with artichokes and hearts of palm cocktails are tasty and the lucuma dessert was my first exposure to the fruit and absolutely delightful!! read more

I really liked this place and particularly the lamb stew. I'll preface by saying I've eaten here 4-5x now and really enjoyed the food. However, I received takeout/delivery of the lamb stew Wednesday, Aug 16 and had severe symptoms of food poisoning for a few days after. Be careful. read more

First time try the Peru Cuisine. Surprisingly delicious! The place is really small. However, the service is good. Dish is delicious. Highly recommend. read more

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This restaurant has been rated as one of the best in Boston and I can confirm this. The atmosphere here is so welcoming and overall, I had a positive experience. The service and food were excellent. All of the food items were flavorful -- there wasn't a single dish that I wasn't impressed with. We ordered the casua de tuna, seco de cordero, shrimp ceviche, and then finished it dinner with the dulce de leche and it was perfect. Definitely make a reservation! It's a small business with few seats. I went on a Tuesday evening (made a resy) and even then the restaurant was pretty packed! read more

So great! Small, cozy restaurant with outstanding food and drinks. Mixed seafood ceviche: very fresh, refreshing and great flavors. Seafood risotto: cooked to perfection with amazing flavors Scallop pasta: very cheesy, flavorful. The huancaina sauce gives it a very unique flavor. Chicha margarita: best of ALL worlds The staff is also really nice, friendly and really took care of us. We loved our experience @ Celeste. Thank you!! read more

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Super impressed by this place. The ceviche was a real highlight - big, juicy hunks of fish that were the perfect temperature and not at all fishy. Also got the lamb stew, which was hearty and tender, and the tacu tacu, which was similarly luscious. Down to the rice, everything was just perfect. read more

Celeste - Ceviche Mixed Seafood - Peruvian Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

My boyfriend and I were looking for a cute place for a nice date night amidst moving to Boston. We found Celeste on Google, and saw it on the list of must go-tos in Boston. During COVID, they separate tables with dividers indoors, which helps a lot. Reservations fill up pretty quickly on the weekends, and the venue is quite small so I'd take that into account. The food was SO good - it was my first time having Peruvian food and I was not disappointed at all. Don't be fooled by the plating; the portions are actually decent. I enjoyed the squid ink pasta the most. The sauce tasted rich, but not too overwhelming. The stew gave me homemade vibes. The service was stellar as well. The waiters consistently check up on you to see how you're doing and how the food's tasting. I definitely agree that this is a good go-to spot in Boston. read more

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Wife and I looking for something different; Read good things about Celeste and made a reservation. We were NOT disappointed!! For drinks, I had a glass of Amaro as an aperitif. My wife tried to order a Sprite, but THANKFULLY they don't serve soft drinks, because it forced her out of her comfort zone and into a Chicha Morada, which she loved! We had the Cod Ceviche for an appetizer. It was beautifully done--the creamy sauce had just the right balance of flavors. Thinking about it now, I wish we would have ordered the mixed seafood ceviche, just to experience it. For entrees, my wife had the seared scallops with squid ink pasta while I had the cilantro stew with lamb. My stew was awesome!--the lamb was subtle, not overpowering and the way the ingredients were arranged in the bowl let me decide on the perfect ratio of stew, rice and frijoles with every bite. My wife loved the Scallops and pasta; She insisted that I try it and WOW!...what flavor! By the end of the meal, we were stuffed, which is regrettable because we really wanted to try one of the desserts. One very notable thing about our visit to Celeste was the staff--they all seemed...well, happy to be there, happy to be working together, happy to help; It had more of a "family gathering" feel than a restaurant feel. Nice to see that. Just to top off an already-incredible meal, as we were packing up to leave, our server brought over an 'extra' Dulce de Leche dessert they had, in a to-go container. Later that night, at home, my wife and I shared the custard treat and were completely blown away by how good it was! I wish we didn't live 53 miles away from Celeste. read more

Celeste came highly recommended from multiple Boston area natives and it exceeded my sky high expectations! I loved the food and the cheerful, passionate, and down to earth people who work here - they really put their heart and souls in their work and it made my experience great! The food is 5/5 great. Here are the dishes we got: 1/ Mixed seafood ceviche ($21) - super delicious - the best ceviche I've ever had even compared to highly rated restaurants at a much higher price point (e.g. La Mar in San Francisco) and spots closer to the source in Miami. This portion is enough to share for two as an appetizer. 2/ Avocado and tomato causa ($16) - this was really good and unique - I've never seen it anywhere else. It's a smaller appetizer and was 4/5 stars. I would have preferred the tuna tartare if it weren't for an allergy. 3/ Lomo saltado (~$25) - best lomo saltado I've ever had! The meat is tender and cooked really well. The portion isn't huge though, but it is very high quality and wonderfully executed. 4/ Tacu tacu (~$27) - this was flavorful and delicious, but I did like the lomo saltado more. This dish comes with rice in the middle, mussels surrounding it, some octopus and is drizzled in generous amount of delicious tasting sauce that gives it all the flavor. It felt more carb to protein, so if you like rice and carbs - this or one of the pasta dishes is great! 5/ Dulce de leche custard dessert (~$10) - very unique, delicious, and beautifully plated. It's definitely on the sweeter side (but not too sweet). Last but not least, the outdoor patio ambiance is great when it's raining. Super romantic, lovely for a date! read more

We absolutely loved it here! Incredibly special Peruvian restaurant and it captures that cuisine beautifully. Excellent Pisco and Pisco cocktails, as well as a variety of other cocktail options. Also loved the menu included Chinese-Peruvian (chifa) items. I've been to a variety of Peruvian restaurants (Limon in SF, Ceviche House in Puerto Rico) and Celeste is among the best Peruvian restaurants I've ever visited. We ordered the mixed ceviche - best ceviche we have ever had in our entire lives, even better than when I traveled through Peru! The causa (mashed potatoes with lime) and shrimp were excellent as well. For entrees, the tacu tacu was fantastic - plenty of calamari, mussels, shrimp and lovely broth. We also ordered one of the stews and it had been cooked perfectly. Fantastic ambience and the staff was incredibly kind and gave us excellent recommendations on the food and cocktails. Initially, price point had seemed on higher end, but the quality was exceptional and portions aren't skimpy so it's actually pretty reasonable and less expensive than comparable fine dining restaurants. It will be definitely be the best ceviche of your life. We can't wait to go back! read more

Delicious food with great service and ambiance. Came here for dinner with my partner. I did make a reservation beforehand on their website, so we were seated immediately. We elected to sit on the patio. It did drizzle a little but there were expansive umbrellas that people scooted under. The service was very good--prompt and friendly. We originally ordered four dishes but the causas all have cilantro pre-mixed in so we didn't get that one. Someone from kitchen (I assume) came out to personally break the news to us. Oh well. The other dishes we managed to get without cilantro. They were all so good. The fried yucca I especially enjoyed: it was delicately crispy on the outside and flavorful on the inside. We also got the mixed seafood ceviche, which was excellent. The flavors were great and the fish wasn't over-cooked. It was my partner's first time trying ceviche and he really liked it. Finally, we got the aji de gallina, which was a creamy chicken stew with rice. I thought it was a little salty, but my partner loved it so maybe it was just me. The chicken was a great texture--soft and shredded--and you could definitely taste the Parmesan mixed in the stew. The rice was perfectly cooked. Not too hard, not too soft. The little things really make a difference. The portions on all the dishes were on the smaller end, so probably order a few. I definitely want to come back to try the rest of the menu! read more

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Such a cute place and it's great to find some Peruvian food that's different from the typical Americanized versions you see elsewhere (ex: Peruvian chicken with yucca fries, etc) this place exposes u to the other types of dishes which I really appreciate. Their aji de gallina was my fav mmm the chicken is shredded so nicely. The cause also wasn't too heavy for a potato and avocado dish. Although I will say it wasn't spicy at all and if I rmbr correctly I think the menu noted that it was supposed to be spicy. Nevertheless the dish itself was surprisingly refreshing. read more

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First Yelp review I've ever left and for good reason. Came in with no expectations and was blown away. The mixed seafood ceviche was fresh, had a great mix of spicy and savory. The squid ink fettuccine was buttery but not too oily like most other Italian restaurants. Scallops melt in your mouth. The seafood risotto was beautifully plated and tasted even better than it looked. The cocktails were incredible as well, sweet but not too sweet with a nice punch of Pisco. Highly recommend this hidden gem. A little pricey but worth every dime. Will definitely be coming back! read more

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tl dr; Reasonably priced, generous portions, come if you like seafood and/or Peruvian food! Celeste is a small restaurant in Somerville with around 20 seats. The restaurant stays true to its Peruvian roots, serving Pisco cocktails and other seafood focused dishes. It's impressive that the kitchen can have such variety despite its size. Peruvian is not something I typically have, so I was able to enjoy something new. The restaurant is quite small, so a group of four is about the largest size I would recommend. For four, we had a ceviche, causa, and three entrees and it was the perfect amount of food. The kitchen is quite generous with the portions and everything was a bit larger than what I expected from this type of restaurant. Our waiter had some excellent recommendations and was patient in explaining what the dishes were since many of us had not had Peruvian in the past. Ceviche with mixed seafood with blue cod, shrimp, squid (19): In the past when I've had ceviche from other restaurants, I've always been a bit disappointed, but this time I was thoroughly impressed. First of all, they are very generous with the amount of seafood they served. The plate was packed with seafood, which is the opposite of what I typically find. The acid in the ceviche helps tenderize the fish but not overpower it. The texture of the cod and squid were very soft, but you could still taste its natural favor. Great starter! Causa de avocado and tomato (14): The best way to describe this is a Peruvian potato salad. Potato is layered between avocado and tomato. The dish is creamy from both the potato and the avocado and a sauce over the top, and the tomato helps cut through some of the richness. Not my favorite, but not bad, I would have preferred some other textures maybe. Scallops con pasta a la huancania (27): Squid ink fettuccine and huancania, topped with seared scallops. A close tie for my favorite dish of the night. The pasta sauce is really creamy without being too thick and the scallops were perfectly cooked - seared but still tender in the middle. Tacu tacu a lo macho (27): Rice and beans with mussels, clams, shrimp & squid in panca sauce. The rice and beans combined to form something along the lines of a risotto, creamy and delicious. The shellfish was excellent as well! Carapulcra (25): Incan stew with potato, chicken, pork, peanuts, and Port wine. This is a hearty meat stew served with a side of wine. The stew itself was very flavorful and all of the meat was very tender, just a bit too salty for my taste otherwise it would have been great. Without any drinks or desserts, we ended up paying 35 per person after tip and tax. What a great value for the amount of food and high quality ingredients we had. I would love to come back and try more things! read more

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I wish Yelp had more stars. WOW. I stopped in today after a friend said it was a must try. I was in a rush so i ordered a pisco sour and the blue cod ceviche. I'm Cuban and grew up eating incredible ceviches all over South America... this was simply the most amazing ceviche I have ever had. I actually drank the remaining juice with my spoon. I'm so sad I didn't have more time to spend here, but the staff were so friendly and everything was amazing. read more

Celeste - Ceviche de Blue Cod* - Peruvian Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Ready to transform your tastebuds to another land? Try out Celeste. I almost want to keep it a hidden gem but they deserve the hype. So delicious, so unique, pretty twinkly lights, nice staff. It's a vibe that you'll absolutely love. read more

Whenever I visit the Boston area, which is usually each summer, the friends I visit make sure to take me to some new spot they've discovered for a meal. This year, Celeste won the nod, so we made the rather long drive from the South Shore to Somerville during Boston's hellish rush hour, for an early dinner (the only slot available) at 5:30pm. On my way there I am sure I was thinking "is this really going to be worth the long drive and the retiree-friendly dinner time" and wondering if we would not have been better off staying closer to home, but as soon as we entered the place, and the dishes started to arrive, any doubts I might have had evaporated. First off, the place is minuscule. I did not count, but I would be surprised if they had more than 10 tables, plus about 7 seats at the bar. Second, the welcome you receive is as warm as the breeze coming off the Pacific in Lima. (I am not actually sure that the sea breeze in Lima is warm, but you get what I'm trying to say.) The menu is not too big, but it has a nice range of Peruvian specialties, from the famed ceviche (several varieties) to causas, Chinese-influenced dishes and stews. Everything we ordered was excellent, served with care and presented nicely. As we entered the restaurant I noticed that their liquor shelf includes a number of obscure-ish items, which led me to expect that their cocktails would be well crafted. This indeed turned out to be the case, and the pisco sour that I enjoyed was as good as any I have had. They offer the option of having the cocktails served with a bit of added spice for an extra $1, so for my second drink I availed myself of the option. It was an interesting twist on the drink, but I think I preferred the non-spicy version--your mileage may vary. We left here very content, and I'm sure my friends will be back. If you are anywhere in the Somerville area, or indeed the Boston area, this would be a worthwhile place to try out. read more

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Incredible "trendy" Peruvian experience in Somerville. Celeste has been on our list for a while, and it certainly did not disappoint! The service was impeccable, and the food even better. The mixed seafood ceviche is a MUST. We also got the fried yuca which was huge- while it spoiled our appetite a bit for the mains bc of how big it was, no regrets bc it was delicious. The scallop pasta and aji de gallina were delicious, although in my opinion the aji was less creamy and rich than more traditional Peruvian aji de gallina is. Chill vibe with complimentary pisco shots to round out the meal- couldn't ask for much more! read more

Celeste - Ceviche Mixed Seafood* - Peruvian Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

What an adorable spot! Celeste has a wonderful ambiance - I loved the music and the art on the walls. The space itself is a lot smaller than I expected, but that made the dining experience feel extra intimate. We ordered the ceviche, two different causas, and the lamb stew to share, in an attempt to depart from my usual lomo saltado. I particularly loved how flavorful and fresh the ceviche tasted! Our server was also very attentive and patient - definitely looking forward to coming back! read more

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Great place in bustling union square. Wonderful food, but one of the best new restaurants in the country 2018, according Esquire? Methinks not quite that excellent. A wonderful ceviche mixto is piled high and served with soft boiled sweet potato. Fresh shrimp, squid, scallops and sea bass doused in a Chili lime dressing with thin sliced red onion atop is a picture worthy dish. Chili's are ground up and drizzled atop the citrusy mountain of fish. It is refreshing and has exactly the right amount of heat (can be ordered spicy or not) so as to not take away from the delicate flesh. The creamy, shredded chicken stew is a an excellent rendition of a very traditional dish often made with condensed milk in the absence of fresh cream. Here it is served with rice and a hard boiled egg. Lomo Saltado is a flamboyant display of color. Bright red pepper, red onion, and white potatoes in a deep brown soy sauté provides a wonderful example, along with the chicken of the dishes for which Peru is most known. The beef is perfectly med-rare. Service is polite and attentive. However, the seating is less than ideal as hosts attempt to squeeze parties of 3 or more at tables intended for 2 next to other diners in far too close proximity. It is also frigid - each time a new party enters, blasts of artic air endear most guests to continue their meals wearing their outerwear. Drinks are creative and measured precisely. Little creativity is evident beyond the good choices of liquors. Celeste is good. Very good. But It doesn't rise to the level of best new restaurant. Celeste produces traditional Peruvian dishes very well, with fresh ingredients and with care. read more