We took some family out to celebrate a special occasion at Cello, and it was a great choice! We reserved a table for 6, and they sat us in the back right with a view of the kitchen. It was a spacious spot but cozy! Loved the atmosphere, and our waitress was welcoming and kind. My husband had the limoncello martini, and he enjoyed it. I had the bambino sorbetto and that was good too but next time I think I'll get the limoncello martini. I had the ravioli, and my husband got gnocchi and both were very good. Can't go wrong with Cello for a nice Italian cozy spot! read more

Cello Italian Restaurant - Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Howell, Michigan

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It's a small place, quite narrow. Over an hour wait for a table, inside or outside too. Not happening, I am hungry now. I could maybe wait a half hour but over an hour is too much to ask. Maybe we will try another time when I don't feel like like gnawing off my arm. read more

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The food was delicious and the service was great. Staff was friendly, patient with us and our infant and they were knowledgeable about their menu and offerings. We will definitely be back! read more

Cello Italian Restaurant - Mozzarella - Italian Near Me - Howell, Michigan

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We were there with a party of eight people to celebrate three birthdays. Emily was our waitress and she went above and beyond to make sure we had a great experience. We started off with some appetizers and the ones I like the best were the garlic toast and mozzarella sticks. I also ordered the house made limoncello which was delicious. I got the shrimp scampi as my entrée and felt there was too much sauce on the pasta but everyone else really enjoyed their entrées. Next time I think I will get the beef tenderloin or chicken Parmesan. The desserts were all very delicious as well. read more

Tried this place on a trip to the area on a Saturday Evening. Liked the atmosphere and food options. Family of four did the small plate option and enjoyed sharing and trying numerous dishes. Medallions, carbonara, and chic parm were great...probably pass again on the lemon chicken dish. Great Italian option to try! read more

Great meal family style we ordered 3 different dishes for the 5 of us and had plenty for everyone. All three were delish and Emily our server was fun and so enthusiastic about the food and made our experience memorable read more

The drinks were creative! I did not try the Limoncello. The ambiance was terrific. An old place that had some sweet charm. The service was great. The food ... hmm. I was not amazed. I had the scallops and I did not care for the Saffron Risotto with the gallon of white truffle oil. My dining companions had much better entrees. The Cello Salad was wonderful. The portions were a bit awkward. You really have to eat family style to make them work. But try the carrot cake! read more

Read in a social media site that this place has good tiramisu. The misses loves tiramisu so a road trip was in order. Went on a Saturday night and had reservations- was a couple empty spots but with it being a small place I would probably recommend. Here is what we liked: * The tiramisu- ordered it as our appetizer as we wanted to make sure we had room. As an appetizer it was delicious, seriously as a dessert it is one of the best I've had. Really good. * Our waiter Donavan was a solid good guy. Attentive, sense of humor and made the visit fun. * the Limoncello was absolutely like a lemon meringue pie in a shot glass. Have had many store bought versions that were eh, this is house made an a delight to the taste buds. * We shared a couple small plates that were plenty for serving size. * Chicken Parmesan had a good size chicken patty with a light coating and crisp however let's talk about the angel hair pasta and sauce that comes with it. We literally had to paper, rock, scissors to determine who got to lick the plate clean. * Mushroom Gnocchi small plate was perfect to sample and it had a good amount of mushroom pieces and it looked like it was pan fried. Super good. * Carrot cake also one of our favorites. This however is served warm and they add icing as you order. Game changer Here's what we thought could be better: * Just a little chilly when we arrived. Misses was reluctant to take her jacket off. Thermostat on the wall said 64. By the end of dinner it was fine. Overall this place is now our favorite Italian restaurant and we want to make the hour drive back to try most of the dishes. Good service and great food makes for a definite repeat visit. read more

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I've been here twice and it was beyond excellent each time. It is pricy for this area but I don't mind at all when the quality is so high. We took friends from out of state here and they loved it as well! read more

Went there for VDAY was not told when booking reservation they would have a different menu. They also told us they didn't have our reservation by having the wrong initial and a few wrong numbers they wrote down. When I told them we had called in January and we did have one they offered no solution. My bf called and they realized they had wrong info down. The service from our server was amazing she explained the menu very well she was super nice. The food came out fast and mostly everything was good. The salmon was so salty it was barely touched and the lemon pasta we went there for was also insanely salty and hardly touched. We found two pieces oh hair in the food as well we told our sever and the manger took the garlic bread and carrot cake off yet the hair was in the mains and also wasn't the greatest meal. Very disappointed. read more

Rating 4 out of 5. The good- food was amazing. Seriously so good The bad- service. Waited forever for someone to even take our drinks. Then watched the staff argue for 15 minutes over who was serving each table. Honestly it was ridiculous. They were so loud about it and made a scene. read more

our favorite date night spot! super affordable for the quality of food, love the drinks! the homemade limoncello is always to die for. read more

Cello Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Howell, Michigan

I am the last person to every write a review, but this place is that amazing that I felt I needed to. This place is small with a warm ambience. By far one of the best places to eat in Howell. My fiance and i have tried many Italian places, but this one is by far the best. Food is amazing, drinks and cocktails are always 10/10 and we have never had an issue with service. I recommend this place to everyone local!! You can tell how much love is put into the drinks and food here and it makes the experience 10 times better. I have yet to try anything on the menu that i thought was "mid" - every single thing from the cocktail to the chefs special to just the pesto on the mozzarella, everything was 10/10. read more

This is a small town restaurant masquerading as fine dining. It may be according to Howell standards, but nowhere else. Who has ever gone to a high-class food establishment and eaten off the menu that serves as a placemat too? Our water carafe was a milk bottle. We were promptly seated without reservations. The hostess said out waitress would be with us shortly. Some time later she showed up and was friendly and polite. We told her it was out first time to visit. She explained all the pasta was made "in house" and pointed to the window where the pasta was made. The pasta maker was not working that night. She explained that they served food "family style" and that the larger portions would serve two people and we would get two plates. After some time, she returned and took our order for the large portions of Carbonara and caesar salad. We waited a considerable length of time until the hostess delivered our salads on two small plates. I said, "Is this the large salad"? She explained that it was. They had just placed it on two plates. Very small portions. No croutons, just sprinkled with bread crumbs. The dressing was good. After waiting another considerable length of time, the hostess brought a platter of carbonara. This, again, was ordered as the larger portion for two people. It was very small and looked like a one-person portion. She said, "Oh, I need to get you some plates". She left and we began another wait for the plates. Meanwhile we stirred in the two egg yolks sitting on top of the pasta. There were 6 tiny cubes of pancetta and a few peas mixed in with the pasta. The waitress arrived with two dinner plates. She offered parmesan cheese and left to get some. It never came. I got up and went to the serving station and explained that we needed cheese. Many apologies ensued. My dining companion began eating her portion without cheese. I waited, and waited. Finally, the cheese arrived, but my pasta dish was cold! The cheese was in a gem-sized plastic cup. The waitress left after I complained and the hostess showed up. She apologized and offered to re-prepare my dish or provide something else. I said I wasn't willing to wait another exhausting length of time to get a replacement dinner. I asked her to microwave my plate. She said the health code did not allow her to reheat the dish. She offered dessert. I explained I did not want dessert, I came for dinner. She said she would not charge us for the dinner and that we could leave whenever we were ready. With a sarcastic tone, she said, "Have a nice evening". I stopped at the greeting podium on out way out to be sure we had heard her right and that we would not have to pay. The hostess came up and said, "Get out of my restaurant". I attempted to explain all that had happened. She didn't want to hear it. Again, she said, "Get out of my restaurant". I replied, "FUCK YOU". It appeared to me that our server must have been inexperienced. Why else does a hostess get involved in delivering food. $34 for a small platter of pasta? $10 for garlic bread that is normally served with a meal at any other Italian restaurant? Overpriced. Update your menu prices on your website to reflect current prices. read more

Tried to set up a family dinner in Cello's private dining area for 14. Phoned and was told we had to go online. Online form was glitchy, but we were told we would be contacted "shortly." Three days passed. We phoned and asked when we would hear back ... "two to five days." Never had a callback at all. Had a delicious dinner elsewhere (Cleary's Pub). We heard the same story from good friends trying to arrange a rehearsal dinner for a large group. Filled out the form; no callback. read more

Small Italian restaurant right downtown. Was Mother's Day and didn't have a reservation but they had room at the bar. Small issue with daughter's food but was rectified and we LOVED the food! Service was excellent and we'd go back next time we are in the area. read more

Cello Italian Restaurant - Small order of fettuccine alfredo with chicken. - Italian Near Me - Howell, Michigan

Everything was great! We had an excellent server named Ella who took good care of us. Food was delicious.

This is my first 5 star review. The service was quick and efficient. She was attentive and removed empty plates in a timely fashion. We did not have to search to get a drink refill. We started with the Arancini and it was spectacular! I had the shrimp and scallop arrabbiata! Scallop cooked perfectly and a nice hint of heat in the sauce. We also shared the Carbonara and Eggplant Parmesan; both were very good! I will definitely return again! read more

This was my second time here and both times I've been extremely satisfied. They do a great job following COVID-19 guidelines. All staff were wearing masks and gloves. Social distancing both inside and out was taking place. I felt really comfortable. We started off with drinks. I had a Bambino Sorbetto. It was limoncello, Prosecco, and raspberry sorbet. The sorbet was solid and slowly melted. Super yum! My husband had the Sorrento Margarita. He liked it a lot, I didn't care for it because it had a bitterness similar to grapefruit. My guess is that it was the Campari in it because nothing else would have made that flavor. And I've never had Campari before. Once we ordered, they brought us some bread and a little risotto ball sample. Both are very good. For dinner I had the egg plant Parmesan. It was so good that I forgot a pic. I had the small portion which is two slices of egg plant that were about 3/4 inch thick, covered with cheese, and drizzled with olive oil and pesto. It is paired with angel hair pasta with red sauce. The red sauce is so good. I'm not a huge pasta fan, I can take it or leave it, but theirs is so good. You can see the tomatoes and onion in it. They have the perfect amount of seasoning and it's not too salty. My dish was cooked to perfection. Portion size was plenty for me. I almost forgot, we split a side of brussel sprouts. I love them! They are fried so have that crisp to them. They are flavored with balsamic glaze giving them a little sweetness, but not over powering. Loooove! To end this, our waiter was great. Naturally, I forgot his name. Very friendly and efficient. Checked on us just enough. Made good recommendations. Very pleasant young man! read more

Cello Italian Restaurant - Bambino Sorbetto - Italian Near Me - Howell, Michigan

We just found our favorite server. Emily is a treasure! Service like that is why we go to Cello. read more

They could do better, but choose not to. Ordered tenderloin medallions for my husband and I to the tune of 95.00. Got them home and they were RAW. I had ordered MR, I immediately called the manager, who defended their process and sent me a 25.00 gift certificate. Taking responsibility for a mistake and correcting it the right way would have been a start. Another lost customer! read more

We've been a few times and food has declined a but each time. Fist, service is always pretty good. That's never an issue. This time the food was mediocre. The pastas were over cooked. It was evident mine had been done first as the sauce had started to congeal slightly. The chicken parm and crispy chicken on our second dish was way overdone. Chicken was slightly dried out and nearly burned on the outside. Espresso machine was broken. Will probably give one more shot, hoping it was just a bad night. Service: 4 Atmosphere: 3 (it was 65° outside and very very cold inside) Food: 2.5-3 read more

Amazing service and a comfortable dining environment. The food was delicious, we had a few different plates to share and loved all of them.

Cellos is A Fabulously Delicious Place to Dine; with Family, Friends or even self; if wanting a delicious meal. Reservations are recommended. But sometimes you get lucky depending on the time to just walk in and ask if they have a table. The staff is helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly. The Location is wonderful in the Summer months, to Sit outside and Watch the Howell Happenings; various festivals, and you hear the concerts across the street in the park that's each Friday during the summer months. The food is amazing, everything is fresh to order and in abundance. You pretty much always have something to take home unless you just can't help yourself in have to lick the played at the end. Lol. read more

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My favorite restaurant in Howell, typically save this pricey experience for special occasions. Drinks are always fantastic, food is spectacular, the service is quick, And the small restaurant makes you feel like it's a secret! The gnocchi is what brings us back every time! Mmmmmmmmm read more

Food was great Service was a 10 sitting was nice and will love to go back and try something more read more

Amazing, my husband and I love this place and we've been finding ourselves here a lot. Again, we got the roasted garlic starter, delicious. My husband got the chicken limoncello and loved it. I ordered the shrimp and scallop arrabiata , it was amazing. I think overall we love that the pasta is fresh and you can tell it us, the spaghetti sauce is fresh and everything we've ever had from here comes out piping hot. read more

Cello Italian Restaurant - Chicken Limoncello - Italian Near Me - Howell, Michigan

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This little spot took me back to the restaurants in Florence or Brescia! The sausage appetizer is amazing and would be a dish by itself if served over a pasta (made fresh in house by the way) the gnocchi w mushroom crazy good! This is a small place make a reservation! One criticism; no PANACOTA! Italian restaurants should never have crème brûlée (a French dessert) on the menu Panacota is the Italian version read more

All of their pastas are made in house, and you definitely can tell. I love how they have the small or large options, so you can order a few different entrees to try since I couldn't choose. It's also perfect for a group of friends! The service was excellent, our waitress was knowledgeable and answered all of our questions since it was our first time there. It definitely won't be our last though! read more

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Really great food. I moved to Michigan 7 months ago and this food is next level. Definitely a top three favorite Italian places! In addition to the food, the service was outstanding! read more

Shoot! I forgot to take a picture but... we had the arancini for an appetizer, fettuccine Alfredo and Lemon Spaghetti. Arancini was good, light and cheesy, though I have had it with a piece of sausage inside and this version didn't have it. The fettuccine was very good, not overly weighed down in cream. The lemon spaghetti was very good. They use mascarpone cheese and capers for the salt and it was tasty- though I couldn't finish. We ordered the large sizes but truthfully they were smaller than I expected for "large" but definitely the right size for a dinner plate. The star? The star of the show was the Salted Caramel Limoncello! Holy hell get this. It's so so good. It's a small pour but worth every cent. read more

Very enjoyable anniversary dinner. We have come here to celebrate several special occasions. It's our favorite restaurant when we are in the the area. The shrimp scampi, arugula salad and eggplant parmesan were so delicious. Brooke provided excellent service. Just wish we didn't live so far away. Thanks for a wonderful evening. read more

Cello Italian Restaurant - Shrimp scampi and eggplant Parmesan in the background - Italian Near Me - Howell, Michigan

I've only been here once but the past I got was excellent and the service left nothing to be desired, great all around. The atmosphere is okay, but the food is the real star. read more

When you order a Caesar Salad, and the menu says romaine lettuce, but you get only the white cruddy bits-like iceberg?!!! Give me the dark tasty leafy parts please! I'm shocked this went out the door for of Cello's. Totally bummed! read more

Cello Italian Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Howell, Michigan

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Came here with a friend of mine tonight on a whim. The food was great! We shared the meatballs as an appetizer and a tomato salad. The meatballs were very good, especially the red sauce. I probably wouldn't order the tomato salad again as it lacked flavor. I ordered a tortellini with vodka sauce and she had a gnocchi with mushrooms, both of which were exceptional. I ordered the chicken Parmesan as carry out for my husband, and that was also fantastic. The atmosphere was a little dated, the tables were close together given the pandemic, and lacked much outdoor seating. The service was prompt and helpful. Just things to keep in mind if you go. Overall, the food blew me away so I would definitely recommend. read more

This was are first visit thinking that we could just walk-in and get a table booked until 8:30 it was 4:45 We did get two seats at the bar! Wow the staff is super friendly and amazing such a great team effort Bar tenders was was so fun and funny guy he made the visit memorable Now t let's talk food we did the roasted garlic appetizer amazing! The cello salad was properly chill and so refreshing it cleansed our pallet The chicken parm with Angel hair was so fresh and piping HOT! You can tell they take lots of pride in the freshly prepared food! The carrot cake was the best I have ever had this restaurant is amazing they are superior in quality and service They get 10 gold stars Thanks for the best meal I had in 2021 read more

Unless you have a big party & know the owners or staff than I wouldn't suggest going. It was very hot & the parties that were getting the VIP treatment sitting w fans directed at their tables were very well taken care of. We waited awhile & ended up in the middle of this small place being bumped into constantly because it was so cramped & tight between tables The food was just ok Nothing great about this place read more

This is hands down the BEST meal I have had in a VERY long time. We came back a second day in a row, since we were visiting from out of town to show our other son who wasn't with us the first visit. It was THAT good. You will NOT regret eating here! Also, Sherry C was our server both times, and she was AMAZING! read more

Sadly, I've never had more horrible food in my entire life. I will not be returning unfortunately

Crazy that if you walk in they tell you the wait is 1 1/2 -2 hours, with 3/4s of the restaurant empty. Then you pull up their reservation system and seating is available in 45 minutes. 2nd time this has happened. read more

Cello Italian Restaurant - Available reservations versus telling us we would wait 1.5 hours for a table. - Italian Near Me - Howell, Michigan