How can a restaurant with such a well-known and well-regarded chef be so consistently mediocre and overpriced, and still be in business? How can service be so consistently inattentive? The risotto is mediocre and greasy. The portions of meat are stingy, and the quality is sub-par. The fish can be hit or miss - sometimes it's quite good, and other times it smells like it's been sitting around too long. The pasta is good, but let's face it - I can make that at home. The portions are far too small for the price. I think most people are pretty easy with dessert (fat + sugar = delicious!) and I have found their to be entirely uninspired, boring, and "meh" at best. read more

I've dined here at least 5 times but this time was truly so pleasant. Our party arrived and was immediately greeted by our server, Antonio, who did such a great job explaining their long specials menu and recommending a delicious bottle of limited red wine from Sicily. I love everything they serve from their bread, to their desserts and everything in between. Everything we ordered was superb this time. We got the smoked salmon carpaccio (specials item), cauliflower soup which doesn't have cream or butter (specials item), meatballs, pappardelle with pheasant and morel mushrooms (specials item), panna cotta with strawberries and limoncello. We left satisfied having an amazing meal, good laughs with Antonio who was absolutely incredible with his service and attentiveness. Parking lot entrance is on Hudson. read more

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On May 14, we celebrated my son's bday with a dinner at this restaurant, 4 of the people on group got food poisoning, from the lobster pasta, one so severe we need to call 911, the following day, I called the manager, whom was extremely dismissive about the incident I was explaining to him. If you choose this place just be sure to not get there lobster!!! read more

Food and service are great. We had a fantastic waiter! Will go back again! Had the swordfish and it was beautifully prepared.

Fantastic service by the staff. Ryan, the host, has always showed kindness and patience. Tonight, we were helped with finding a table that would be accessible for my boyfriend, who's currently in a cast and crutches. I also want to thank the staff again for the fast service and excellent reccomendations! read more

Celestino is a real, genuine Italian restaurant. Classic Italian fare, white tablecloths, bread baskets, reasonable prices, and middle-aged clientele that know where it's at. This is the food my parents always took me out to, growing up in Italian suburbs of New York. I seriously am realizing I have a huge problem w yelp. A place like this NEVER shows up when I search for restaurants. All I get are the posh overpriced inventive can't-book-a-month-out-reservation investor joints. For all my fellow mid/late twenties diners: you're not going to get food like this going to those places. I saw a picture of the filet mignon ravioli online (after seeing this place on Apple Maps next to the restaurant yelp WANTED me to book and looking it up) and even though it wasn't on the menu, I asked & they had it and my god it was one of the most delicious pastas I've ever had. Made in house and you can tell! Makes me happy to support a genuine restaurant like this and will be back :) read more

Celestino Restaurant - Filet mignon ravioli, lasagna - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

My friends and I came for dinner and waiters were all friendly and attentive. The waiter came by and asked if we wanted an appetizer and he shared a few options and we decided to try the burrata cheese. They brought a plate out for each of us with a slice of tomato with the cheese on top and some diced tomatoes (presentation and taste was good). The waiter then said, "let me bring out some bread for the table." When we got the bill, we were charged $60 for the appetizer (when one order of the appetizer was $16.50) and a $4 split fee! The restaurant also charged $2 per person for bread! These were surprises that we weren't anticipating and wished the waiters were up front about the cost of the bread as well as how many orders they were going to put in for us for the appetizer (we had 5 people in our party). We all probably won't be coming back to this restaurant again because of this experience. read more

Great food, great service, and great ambance. Extensive wine list of great wines. Had the cacio / pepe and was delightful. Will return when in area but now looking into the brother restaurants. read more

We had dinner there last night. The food the service everything was top notch. In addition the price was very reasonable compare to comparable dining. Two thumbs up. read more

Slow service, popped in for only desert, ordered the Panna cotta waited 20 min and it was extremely small and sad. Don't waste your time, when you have Marina around the corner and UOVO across the street, they have better service and pasta. read more

My husband and I have give this place many tries over the years. Sad to say, I have negative marks on food, service and ambiance. It's a no for us going forward- we've given it about four tries, and have had not had great service and have had very mediocre food. read more

Bartender was nice. Service was just okay. I tried the rabbit and it was extremely dry. And of course it tasted like chicken. Someone had the linguine with crab and lobster. A bit too salty. Everything was pretty unimpressive read more

We went to Celestine for my birthday dinner the Saturday after Valentine's Day. We had a reservation and got to the restaurant about 10 minutes early. It was VERY busy, tables were full and people waiting to check in for their reservation or the wait list. We checked in and waited. We were seated by the time of our reservation. Service was very good! Also extra recognition to our server because the women at the table next to us were VERY unkind to him. We promptly got water glasses and bread with olive oil and vinegar while we waited for our drinks. Bread was delicious! Served warm and a perfect crunch to the crust without leaving you chewing forever. For dinner, I ordered the Quattro formaggio. I would give it a 3.5/5. Average, not great, but still good enough to be satisfied with my meal. Fiancé got finance the carbonara and he also ranks his 3.5/5. (Note: we are quite particular with our pastas and are always searching for something as good as the food we have had in Italy, so it is not at all that these pastas were not good!) Say someone with the spaghetti and meatballs and it looked delicious and I would definitely try it next time we visit. Not a 5 on food, but 100% a 5+ on service and atmosphere, plus the price is great! We will definitely go again! read more

Celestino is a very nice place to have a dinner date or a casual night out with friends. Had the chance to sit at their entry patio during the week and before the dinner rush would begin. Tried a very nice Cabernet that tasted delicious. As for my appetizer, a friend and I shared their calamari with a side of arugula salad, very tasty and light. I went with Linguini del mare, came with plenty of shrimp, clams and scallops. The dish was simply amazing, I have had pasta and this dish was on point. For dessert, my friend and I shared the Panna Cotta, the waiter mentioned it was like flan, and let me tell you it was way better, and I Love Flan, same consistency but way better in my opinion. Would enjoy to head back and try a few of their other dishes soon, so will see when I am back in Pasadena. read more

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Food was fantastic. Service was great. The ambiance is always very pleasant and welcoming. We were seated within 5 minutes. Were we just lucky?! In any case, we had a wonderful time there. Thank you! read more

they had authentic cuisine which came out warm and fresh. It was a packed house on a friday night but we were lucky to get seated right away without any reservations. Our waiter's attitude was satisfactory at best and seemed as if the larger parties of older guests received more gracious service. I was confused that they didn't have a wine list upon asking and we were only given a cocktail menu, very odd. read more

Celestino Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

A gem in Pasadena. The restaurant has a nice cozy atmosphere and everyone is very friendly. They often have a long list of specials which change frequently. The mozzarella buffalo with heirloom tomatoes is a delicious appetizer but not a shareable size. The calamari appetizer is great and definitely shareable. read more

My bf and I went to celebrate Valentine's Day at this restaurant, and feel really uncomfortable. The front desk takes us to the very corner table near restroom while there were a lot of empty seat at the front and outside. Let us feel really racist, cause we didn't see any Asian at front table, and 1 white couple is behind us, front desk let them choose where to seat, later on, 2 Asian guy come in, they lead them to our next table while there are a lot empty seat in the front. The server was really hurry to introduce special menu as zucchini and shrimp risotto, which is taste like nothing special, food were not taste like fresh cook, like just warm up the food type. Saw yelp said the pasta is good, but my bf and I have diarrhea after we back home. 1 star review on yelp cause I was really disappointed about this restaurant. Thanks for ruined my Valentine's Day. Oh, and their cocktails taste gross, also they charge bread 1.5 per person without telling customers, first time get charged by bread in the restaurant. read more

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Classic Italian cuisine. Exceptional old school service. For a casual lunch, a family dinner or a date night, Celestino is the perfect spot for authentic Italian food Always fresh and consistent in quality. They will make you feel like one of the family . Enjoy read more

My first time here, parking was directly behind the restaurant off of Hudson. They have two outdoor areas and a good menu. Dinner with shared appetizers and dessert. Was 110.00 for two people. We started with a calamari steak served with arugula. We shared also a bite of crab cakes. The lamb cops were tender and served with a reduction of balsamic vinegar. The flavor was ok. Dessert was a lemon meringue tart covered withy way to much powdered sugar. They have a good wine list or a corkage fee of 20 read more

Something has changed - the food was plopped on our plate. It was a mess, not lasagne but a slop of too soft pasta and filing that was nothing but a soupy coating of pasta bits and burnt black topping. Meat sauce was just OK but no flavors at all.. So disappointing. Also, charging for bread w/out asking. There goes another good resto...and even the waiters looked depressed when we asked about the food. Does anyone know if they changed owners/managers/chefs? read more

We had a family dinner here celebrating an anniversary during the holidays. The pasta was very good. Everything else was disappointing. The arugula/pear salad had such paper-thin slices that you could not taste pear. We thought the salads would be the size most restaurants serve these days so we asked that it be split. Unfortunately, when it came to the table, we saw that it was much too small to have been split. They also charged us for splitting the salad. We asked for glasses of red wine---another mistake. The waiter said that the red wine by the glass was only chianti and he never told us anything about it, not even showing us the bottle. The wine was mediocre, but cost $18 a glass. After the charges for bread mentioned by other reviewers, it turned out to be an expensive but disappointing dinner. read more

I happened to be around the area, and I saw this place. It looked very authentic. So, I went in, and as soon as I walked in, I felt like I was back in NY; in Little Italy. So, I knew it was going to be good. I had the Cacio e Pepe, and I added chicken, along with a Pinot Grigio. Everything was up to par. The food was great, the servers were very attentive and professional, and the prices were really good for the level of service you get. I've been to places where it's more expensive, and the service is sub-par. I highly recommend this place and will definitely be going back. read more

Came here for date night with the SO. The service was great, food came out quickly and was fresh. We started off with 2 glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon. The waiter recommended a speciality appetizer, a filet calamari dish with a mixed arugula salad topped with some lemon vinaigrette that was DELISH. The calamari filet was tender and not chewy at all (how I normally experience it even at the best of restaurants - but that's just me). My partner got the Maccheroncini con pesto alla genovese- he at the entire thing and from the bite I got was also superb. I ordered the Tagiolini bianchi e Neri con vongole, rucola e pomodori, I loved it. We like finishing date nights off with cups of coffee and a dessert so we share the tiramisu - which was good but I felt it was missing a little something, either way I was impressed with the texture and sweetness so it was ok. Oh and we sat on the back patio, very nice ambiance. I did notice the crowd was a little older- but honestly didn't bother me like other reviews here. Photos for reference! read more

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Authentic, well cooked and fresh Italian dishes. The servers know the menu well and give excellent recommendations!

Everything we ordered was Delicious! The special pappardelle pasta with ragu was out of this world! My friend loved the ravioli special! Service was outstanding and the atmosphere was as if we were eating at a quaint restaurant in Italy Tbe only negative is that I was on a business trip and it's too far to be one of my regular go to spots. Cheers & Love Celestino read more

Walked or have driven past this restaurant 100's of times and finally had dinner here recently. Quaint and intimate. Has a European feel to it with the tables fairly close together. Great servers. But the cuisine did not match up. Everything from Old Fashions to start, broccoli soup, Filet Mignon ravioli were fairly tasteless. The Filet Mignon in each ravioli was about as big as my little pinky finger nail. Dessert was good but I don't know if it convinced me to come back to this very historic neighborhood eatery. read more

First time going tonight and restaurant was wonderful as well as the best service! Thank you Jesus and team for making my night :) read more

Celestino Restaurant - Canoli - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Great ambiance, service and environment at Celestino. Unfortunately, thats where the positives end. Complementary bread which was terrific and baked in-house. The calamari felt soggy, cocktails (Negroni) was excellent while Moscow mule was a miss. Spaghetti with meatballs arrived at our table which were much colder than anticipated, and would not recommend. Unfortunately, remainder of the entrees weren't served warm, either, and lacked the freshness we were expecting. read more

Negroni excellent ... just perfect. Branzino wow and tiramisu delicious. Very kind and friendly service.

Yeah, not great. Nothing was great, barely good. The waiter accidentally brought a very expensive bottle of wine to the table rather than the one I ordered. Thank god I caught it. No real apology. The mushroom soup was actually super foul - not only did it look disgusting, but it tasted about as badly as it looked - tepid to boot. We returned it. Food was fine - risotto, walnut salad (walnuts were burned), fish, salmon carpaccio. No parmesan cheese was offered with entrees. The waiter rapid-fire presented the 10 or so specials in no special order - we all looked at one another in confusion when it was over. What we had understood to be entrees were soups and/or appetizers and also the reverse. Panna cotta for dessert - kind a bland gelatinous goo - the worst I've ever had. I had told the host we were celebrating a birthday and she said she'd communicate that. Nope. Busboy came to pick up our check for payment even though it had just been dropped and no credit card was in the slot. Super lame, clearly being rushed out despite our $300+ bill. Overcharged for bread to add insult to injury. Kind of a fail. Food not great, service not great, decor not great (ceiling is super disgusting). I love authentic Italian food and have been here several times. It always comes up short. Never again. read more

Going downhill. Where do I begin. This is my 4th time coming to this restaurant. My third time was a few years back. Was looking forward to celebrating my son's 20th birthday. We made a reservation in advance for a party of 6. Requested a table away from any bus station or kitchen. Was not happy that contrary to my request they put us right next to a bus station and some machine that looked like an industrial dough mixer. And it's not like the restaurant was packed. They had seating for 6 everywhere, much nicer tables towards the front of the restaurant. Now the food. For appetizers we had the mushroom souffle, eggplant parmesan, and 2 mushroom soups. They were not good. The plating resembled what you would see from a poorly catered wedding- thrown on a plate a rushed out to the guests. No quality here. The food was bland and tasteless. Totally forgettable. The entrees were not good either. I ordered the roasted rabbit. It was dry. Nothing succulent about it. Not seasoned properly and also plated poorly. My wife ordered the veal. It was not tender at all. It was more like a thinly sliced select quality steak. No quality here. And to boot our server did not tend to us very well at all. He was not nice and seemed inconvenienced. Unacceptable. These guys work for tips? My experience was nothing like the Celestino's I remember from years back. We would've been better dining at Olive Garden, and I hate Olive Garden. What's sad is they know fully well that they are not the same restaurant they used to be. It's clear. For that reason I will never, ever go back- ever again. Nor will I recommend it to anyone. read more

Celestino was just okay. The food was pretty good. The service was terrible. When we first arrived the host tried to seat us in this florescent lit outdoor hallway with no heat that was between the inside and outside seating. It looked dismal. A fold out table and fold out chairs.... We were surprised to be sat here when there was plenty of seating available where there was appropriate outdoor eating and heat lamps. We moved. We started with the eggplant parmesan appetizer which was delicious but pretty small for the price. It had a good flavor and the presentation was very good. We then got the spaghetti and meatballs and the gluten free penne. I appreciate that this restaurant has GF options given a mild allergy. The food was pretty good but nothing spectacular. Portion sizes for the main entry were just OK. Something you could probably make at home for a similar taste. The waiter was no where to be found our entire experience. He never checked in and we had to ask for more water and also for cheese on our pasta entree. Definitely very crowded inside. If you have Covid concerns this is probably not the place for you to dine on the weekend. read more

This is a very nice restaurant with good food. We liked the mushroom soufflé and the ravioli. The vegetarian dishes are yummy and we appreciated the ambiance as well. The restaurant has good parking in the back and they were very prompt with reservations. The only hiccup is that this place is really pricy for what you get. Quality definitely matters but this place seems a bit too expensive for the portions. read more

The service was impeccable. The food scrumptious and the ambiance perfect. There was 6 of us and we all enjoyed our entrees. "Delectable" comes to mind when describing the salmon, the shrimp and lobster ravioli, the calamari, and the halibut dishes. A big shout out to Mario (waiter) and his assistant. They were the PERFECT hosts. read more

Wonderful food, good ambience, excellent service. Really enjoyed our first visit there. We will definitely be back!

Went on a weekday night. Restaurant was busy but not too busy. We had an attentive waiter who gave good recommendations. Food was tasty. Would come back again. read more

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Food was excellent. Ambience was great. Our server was funny, quick, well-versed in their menu and offered suggestions which was appreciated. Overall, we had a great time and would definitely go back. read more

Last night my wife and our friends had dinner at Celestino. It was an amazing experience. The restaurant has a very interesting menu and the food was delicious but what really made it memorable was our waiter Antonio, who is a true Italian from Venice. He was courteous, funny, very attentive and professional! It was impressive how he listed countless specials without missing a beat. I had the Osso Bucco which was so tender that all that was needed was a fork. My wife loved her risotto and our friends very much liked their dishes as well. We definitely will be back. A big thank you to the staff at Celestino's but a very special one to Antonio! Grazie!! read more

Let me start off saying thank you to the fine folks who give this restaurant all the praise I can muster. I have a pet peeve about older establishments who seem to rest on their laurels, we'll this IS NOT one of them. That old school vibe generously mixed with modern tastes are what's on the menu here. The service is excellent and I've never felt more welcomed. The food was a taste of heaven especially the osso buco (this dish is what brought me in). Our waiter even prepared a special anniversary after dinner drinks coupled with desert. read more

Celestino Restaurant - Center piece - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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