Great food although the menu doesn't change often. Cocktails are yummy and good wine selection. For apps, I recommend the frito misto, octopus and crab cakes. Try the capellati, short rib, branzino, and filet mignon. The whole branzino was even better when they grilled it whole and brought the whole thing to the table. Now they fillet it. We used to order one ribeye and one branzino to split between me and my SO. Small selection of dessert, all good. read more

Came for an event and the venue was very new, with high ceilings and lots of open space. The service was attentive, but the food was just OK. - Mushroom flatbread: my favorite, though inconsistent on the cheese. Enjoyed how the mushrooms were marinated - Kale salad: decent, but tasted came in shredded form, which I didn't like very much since it took forever to eat. Otherwise, dressed pretty well and came with asian pears. - Swordfish: was a little dry, and had too much lemon zest for me - Chocolate dessert: a bit too sweet for me and too rich Overall, seems like a pretty nice/fancy place for an event - but I would probably go with other items for the food. read more

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Wow. Simply wow. Even though they had a large bday party; I didn't feel left out. Order was served fast. Food was delish and wine pours were generous. Overall amazing experience! Rose with pana-cota was just amazing. And spicy lamb sausages with crispy fries were perfection. read more

Cetrella - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Los Altos, California

Awful service. Don't go, and don't waste your time. We came back from the restaurant. I ordered fillet minion, and I forgot to mention I'm pregnant and want it to be well done, and they didn't ask me either. After 15 minutes, I remembered that, and I mentioned, please make it well done. After 1 hour and 45 minutes, they didn't bring my order, and they said it would take a few minutes. Are you serious? And nobody apologized to me. They are the worst restaurant ever. I wish I could give them 0 stars. read more

3.5 stars. We liked the service a lot. Called last minute and was able to get a reservation only 30 mins away. Then we were seated at a corner round sofa, perfect for family! The waitress was very knowledgeable and made very good recommendations, from dishes to wine. We tried foie gras (ok, it's more of a moose, love the sweet paste that goes with it), grilled shrimp (the night's special, perfect crunchy texture of the shrimp and yummy and creamy sauce for the veggie underneath), linguine (disappointing, the pasta felt a bit undercooked, the sauce didn't bring out all the flavor of seafood), a side of brussel sprouts (good balance of vinegar and garlicky) and beef capaccio (ok, but nothing special). Overall we felt the food's ok, nothing to be wowed, but the service made all the difference! read more

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I love this restaurant. Spacious for an intimate conversational dinner with friends. Service impeccable and food delicious each course served with unrushed pacing. Absolutely worth going to! Owner remembers us even it has been awhile. Very fresh ingredients including they make their own pasta! read more

Great ambience and service! Food was average. We tried 1. garden vegetables pizza : average pizza, too sour 2. Mary chicken: didn't have any flavor. Potatoes that came with it were tasteless too. 3.fries : this is the only item I liked from our order. They were crispy and made fresh. read more

By far ..best food in the area!!! We had crab cakes, paella and steak. The ingredients are fresh, the plates full of flavor and the service is awesome. The manager is excellent. The ambience is sophisticated and the wine options are incredible. read more

Cetrella is a hidden gem in slightly sleep downtown Los Altos. Unlike the adjacent Palo Alto (downtown and Cal Ave) , Los Altos is a very quiet town. It looks a bit like a ghost town after 8pm. However, the quality of restaurants is up to par with PA. My date reserved a very nice table next to the floor to ceiling windows in a corner. We shared the artichokes and the kale salad. The salad was very tasty and the waiter did a fabulous job of splitting plates. (Although a 1/3 2/3 split would have been more in line with our weights.) For main courses we had the filet Mignon and whole branzino. The fish was perfect cooked. For dessert we had the vanilla panna cotta. It was lovely! We never felt rushed and the service was impeccable, but not intrusive. It was overall a perfect evening. read more

Our wedding guests loved this place. We had a rehearsal dinner for 35 people and both the food and service were excellent! People couldn't stop talking about the short rib. A great wine list with a range of selections. M'Hamed and his team were attentive and responsive. Highly recommend for a group event or just dinner. read more

We tried their new location at the State street market. The food was really good. The lamb shank was particularly good. The service was good. But the lighting of the place needs to improve it's too bright. I know they are trying to make it modern, but table clothes would go a long way, even paper ones. Some art on the walls would be nice. The servers station in the middle of the room could use some creativity. The menus covered in plastic do not help. It's a nice restaurant and not cheap so I'd expect a bit more of a sophisticated space. read more

My wife and I had our first meal at Cetrella in the new location. Both food and service were stand outs. My wife had 3 appetizer including their kale salad. I had the tomato soup and the salmon as the main course. Every dish was truly great. The soup had the richness and sophistication beyond its $12 price. Salmon served with orzo was extremely tasty, fresh. And, the preparation was a standout. This chef definitely knows what he is doing. My wife was very happy with her choices of French Onion soup, salmon appetizer and the kale salad. Food portions were on the smallish side, which is fine with us but may not be satiating for people with big appetite. No bread was served unless you asked for it, and then 3 quarter-inch thick slices were served, "of course". The ambiance is not formal (no white table cloth) but definitely exudes warmth. When you add things up, the balance is definitely a 4.5 *s, which means the place has some room for improvement, especially given that Los Altos has some great restaurants competing for the patrons with definite sophisticated palate. But my wife and I will definitely return read more

Terrible place! Do not go here. We reserved well over a week in advance for a special celebration and they just canceled because they decided to sell the whole place out for an event. They should not have accepted a party booking if they already had committed to people. read more

I love cetrella. Everyone is friendly and the food, specially the paella is delicious. Drinks not so good, but wine offerings and food are always good. I liked it a lot when there was music at the door.. special ambiance... read more

Very nice dinner. My filet mignon was a little on the small side but very well prepared. Great music.

Great food and service. Tender octopus and.flavorful watermelon salad With the ribeye we had Liquid Sky (cab) which was amazing and reasonably priced. We will be back. read more

Came here for dinner with friends and was blown away by the incredible service, the cleanliness of the restaurant and most importantly the quality of the food. Did a sampling of appetizers including beets, kale salad, tuna carpaccio. Entrees included branzino, salmon, lumache con funghi, the mushroom risotto, and lamb meatballs. Dessert included panna cotta, bombolini, and chocolate cake. All the food was expertly prepared and you could absolutely tell the ingredients were fresh. I like that you can see the kitchen! All staff were masked and there was both indoor and outdoor seating. We will be back to Cetrella - our new favorite spot! read more

The food is always incredible, warm service, and such a lovely setting. We are very picky and definitely foodies (other favorites are The Village Pub, Evvia, Chez Panisse). Cetrella never disappoints. read more

The place is good location at downtown and easy to spot. The food and service is awesome, as our server is attentive of our need. The food we order is great and meet the expectation as the menu described. Seafood paella is a bit smaller than what was imagine. The mussel is sofand not chewy. read more

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The food was disappointing, and the prices high. My $16 Beet & Burrata salad was good, but everything else was not. I had the paella, which had an overly pungent seafood smell as soon as it was placed under my nose - you know the smell, like it was just not right; it was missing the socarrat (the crispy rice bottom), even though it was served in a pan of some sort, and it was mushy. I know, paella can be hard. But don't serve it as a special if you get it so wrong. My husband had their risotto, which was way too mushy...it was almost like the paella rice. We've had good risotto and this was not it. They had live jazz on a Saturday night way in the back with curtains surrounding the group, so we could hear the music but not see the players. It was odd. Probably won't go back. read more

Very considerate of special dietary and culinary requests. Professional and attentive service. Pleasant and welcoming atmosphere. Enjoy!

My wife and I eat at Cetrella at least four times a month. The owner is always very welcoming. They sometimes have live music on Saturday evenings which we have done twice with friends and really enjoyed. We tend to eat the same thing as they are always excellent and we are creatures of habit. They are the following: 1) Salmon off the "simply grilled" menu 2) New York Steak off the "simply grilled" menu 3) At lunch the Cheeseburger and fries. 4) The Kale and Peach salad. 5) For appetizers we like the Frito Misto. They have a nice bar and good wine, and a stable staff that are very skilled and experienced. We have brought friends and family back many times and they always enjoy the food and the quiet atmosphere (except it's not as quiet when the live music is there, but that's in a separate area of the restaurant. We highly recommend trying it. read more

Having another wonderful dinner here in the South Bay at Lis Altos with friends. I truly love the Bay Area ambiance! I'm having the Nevada ribeye (on the left) organic steak and my friend is having the organic New York Strip. We had a side of Fingering dumpling organic Potatoes and the organic Green String beans. for dessert, I am having the incredible tasting Vanilla Ana cotta and my friends is having the Creme Brûlée! OMG, I am IN heaven!! Totally an incredible experience and the food is beyond words!. read more

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Stopped by for a cocktail... Excellent service, great atmosphere, perfect environment for after work...

Great food, nice plating, and top notch service.. what do you want more from a restaurant?

Great service, food and ambience. Enjoyed it very much. Definitely be back. Grilled octopus and the mussels were very yummy read more

Cetrella - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Los Altos, California

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Executive Assistant here. This place was great to work with. I had a party of 10 Executives that wanted to go to dinner in Los Altos. This one came up on my search, and they all loved it. Very accommodating and wonderful communication. My Executives all raved about the level of service they received and the food was fantastic. Our CEO said he would be taking his family over the weekend. read more

The new Los Altos location is fabulous! I'm a little sad now because Mhamed, my restaurant boyfriend, is rarely at our local (HMB) one so I don't get to see him as often anymore! ;D The food continues to be excellent. Brunch is the best here!! Make a reservation so you're sure to get a table, as its popular. Everything is repaired so fresh and tasty, and with impeccable service every time. The décor is rustic yet classy, spacious and airy, but also a bit on the romantical side. Cocktails and wine list will give you a lot to choose from, but be sure to ask for a recommendation of you're not sure. read more

We came here, as a family, after the holiday parade. The decor was nice, but the food was just ok. My husband and I split the mussels and mushroom risotto. The mussels we're fine, nothing extraordinary. The risotto said it had truffle oil, but I couldn't taste any of it. It usually has a pretty strong smell and taste too. The kids had pizza and pasta. The place looked great and trendy. I think I was expecting the food to taste as refined as the restaurant looked. read more

Cetrella was a solid four-star experience for my family the other night. The service was 5 stars; friendly and food came out fast. Portion sizes were good on most things (save the beet appetizer which was on the small size for the price). The flourless chocolate cake, while being tasty, was very crumbly, and didn't come with candied figs as the menu advertised. Another slight miss was that the pesto pasta was not very flavorful. We did enjoy the short ribs, agnolotti, and panna cotta. Final tip: the patio is dog-friendly but it's not listed on Yelp. read more

This is a lovely and refined restaurant. The only thing I have heard from my friends, "It's so expensive." Well, yes, it is very very expensive. I had a nice lunch with my friend today. We each had a salad and cup of coffee. They didn't put any bread on the table. Nor do they have salt and pepper. I asked for lemon for the fish on my salad. It was okay but really could have used some sauce. My friend had a tomato cut in wedges and ball of cheese. He enjoyed it but it was awfully small. The service was impeccable and its is a beautiful space. Maybe they should offer a special lunch for shoppers in town. Perhaps some small plates. This isn't going to a be a frequent meeting place for lunch because it is astonishingly expensive. Two salads, two cups of delicious coffee...$65.00. It's too much. That said, we could sit and visit and no one rushed us out. I like that and I loved the servers. Also, the coffee was strong and excellent. This is a beautiful corner and it's fun to watch people walk by. There are just so many places to get a salad in town. read more

Fabulous food and service. Have been going for years. Highly recommend. Friendly staff.

Literally shook (as the kids say) that this restaurant doesn't have better ratings. Call us basic (as the kids say) because we usually go to Los Altos Grill when in Los Altos because damn do they make a consistent dinner! But I digress - we decided to try a new place in Los Altos for a date night. We were more than pleasantly surprised. Everything was delish. Surprisingly delish! I find that more and more I'm finding the overall Yelp rating at a restaurant totally inaccurate. So this is my attempt to be one person to make a difference! read more

I cannot understand why this is so highly rated. The food was ok or a big miss and the service was deplorable. The waiter was pushy (would recommend something unprompted, if we showed interest in something else, he would act offended and reiterate his recommendation - he was shocked we weren't blindly taking his reco). He did not answer questions about dishes properly and I'm 100% certain he brought out the wrong cocktail and the wrong dish, but had 0% interest in hearing it and maintained we had misunderstood what we were ordering. The reason for the 2 stars: they were gracious to let us know when last call was and a couple of cocktails we ordered were tasty and fresh. The ambience is pleasant as well. read more

I don't get the yelp ratings; have always enjoyed eating here. I usually sit in the bar and grab a salad and a light entree. Fresh ingredients, attentive service, an outstanding wine list and good cocktails. Prices are similar to other restaurants in the area. read more

Ambiance and service are excellent. Food is good. My wife and I ate there a few weeks ago and enjoyed the whole experience.

I recently visited Cetrella a couple weeks ago and there were definitely some high and low notes of the meal. First off, we ordered a cheese plate, however the only reason I knew there was a cheese plate option was because of the online menu, otherwise the server did not have any information. The server did grab another waitress to provide us with some information about the cheeses we could taste, and they were definitely delicious, I definitely appreciated her recommendations. The drinks were also pretty tasty, 4 of us in our party had some drinks, a gimlet which was done well, lemon drops that were good and an old fashioned. My boyfriend did note that the old fashioned was definitely small, a little to small for the price. The meal took quite some time to come, and it was okay since we got another appetizer, however if we had not we definitely would have been starving! When the main entrees came out the men in our party who got the lamb were a bit saddened by how small, yet again, the portions were, they were done rather quickly. I on the other hand loved my scallops with wagyu and the filets came out great. Lastly, I think the waiters and staff are just new, so they kind of hover a bit waiting for you to finish, eager to take your plate away. All in all t was a good meal, I may visit again but possibly at another time. I'd recommend getting an appetizer or salad to pair with your meal because of small portions. If you are looking for a bigger meal, head over to Los Altos grill. read more

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This steak was amazing! The texture, the taste, and especially the shape :). It hit the spot and was pure ecstasy. We will definitely come again! read more

Cetrella - A very satisfying piece of meat. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Los Altos, California

I went to Cetrella for brunch on a Saturday morning around 11:30 am. The food was good, the service was satisfactory, and the ambiance elegant - but there was no "wow factor." I enjoyed my summer vegetable omelette and coffee - it was good, but not amazing. The place was big and largely empty, which made us feel like we had picked the "wrong" spot for brunch. I appreciated the fact that Cetrella took reservations on Open Table. Overall - no complaints, but I wasn't blown away either! read more

I guess I am the nah sayer here, but no way this go more than a 3 from me. I have been the the place in HMB but not for many years as the place seems to be closed half the time. I had a mixed salad to start that had very odd dressing on it, overall I didn't like that very much. Then I remember I always had steak at this place but at a corporate dinner everyone ordered Salmon so I did too. Not my fav place, it was okay but nothing to blog about. The table ordered a pizza which they reported was very good, but i am off carbs this week so I didn't try it. i plan to go back again and try the NY Steak or a Filet and see if my review goes up, I should report that I am fish snob being from HMB and while they warned you this was farmed, it just didn't wow me at all. read more