The food is very good. We had a charming waiter. The owner is a doufus. It really is true; you can order a bottle of wine, appetizers, main course, the works, but ask to have coffee served after desert and you're told "no, you have to have your coffee with desert and leave." Okay - so we didn't have desert or coffee and we left a restaurant with five empty tables and nobody waiting outside. Go figure! read more

If you like waiting in a long line for no good reason, eating perfectly average food, having rude staff hover around you, and being rushed out the door even though you've only been seated for 40 minutes, then by all means eat here! read more

It's worth noting that both I and two friends had separate bad experiences here (terrible service, mediocre food) and all of our reviews have been removed...I wonder how many others have been removed as well. Thanks a lot, Yelp. read more

Owner is a gorgeous Italian man, and the waiters exclusively speak Italian. The pizza menu is wonderful. The portions are very filling and the price sets this place over the top. Also the wine menu is very diverse but also dense. read more

We made a silly mistake and went again...just to give it the benefit of the doubt. Our waitress forgot all but one thing in our order and we were asked twice if we were done yet and given the bill....before we got our entrees. read more

My mother and Aunt were verbally abused by someone who is either a manager or owner of the restaurant on 11/15 between 5-6pm. After attempting to send back mussels that were cold inside, he yelled at my mother saying "YOU HAVE TO EAT IT!" Then, he said "I tried it it's hot!" What a disgusting bully! Someone should explain the essence of customer service to this guy! Also, cold mussels and other shellfish can be an indicator of undercooking which can cause SEVERE FOOD POISONING! They left the restaurant in shock that anyone could be so nasty to a paying customer. DO NOT GO TO CELESTE! read more

I really wanted to like this place. It's very cute and well-priced. Unfortunately, the service was sub-par and the food was just ok. I planned to go to Celeste for dinner with two old friends for a reunion of sorts. One friend and I showed up but we were still waiting on the third. The two of us decided to see if they would seat us anyway. A seemingly friendly man greeted us and sat us immediately, no questions asked. However, less than 5 min after we had been seated and given bread/olive oil, that same man came over and asked where our third person was. I said he was running late but would be there soon. The man than said "well that's why I asked if you were all here and you said yes. We usually don't seat incomplete parties. If a complete party arrives, you're going to have to stand up". I was taken aback because at NO point prior to this did he ask me if my full party was present. My friend confirmed that she also didn't hear him ask me whether our full party was there. Our third friend showed up minutes later and the same employee (who appeared to be the owner or someone in a leadership role) said to my male-identifying friend "you made it! They're the ones who are supposed to be late (referring to my female-identifying friend and I) not you!" It was just uncomfortable. Especially after he had threatened to make us get up from our seats minutes before!! And then my pasta was mediocre, the "homemade" tomato sauce tasted like it was from a can, and I had to ask three separate times for them to grated Parmesan on it to give it some flavor. read more

the owner of this restaurant has really turned into an egomaniac that cares nothing about the neighborhood community that got him the ability to take no reservations and no credit cards, a huge inconvenience. i tried to go in with my son this past weekend, with a third person about to arrive. he informed me he would never be able to seat us at a table for 4. he put us at a table for 2 near the door where it was freezing and drafty. i then noticed a 3 person party at a table for 4 and asked him why we couldn't get the same. i mentioned how many times i'd been there and he could have cared LESS. i said i'd be on my way and probably wouldn't be back and he essentially said "sure, whatever, i don't really care." well, you can be sure i will never be back - the service was always terrible anyway. read more

I was meeting two friends Unfortunately I was little late. They decided to sit at a table and have drinks. When I arrived we were not allow to change seats. The waitress said "he" doesn't allow that. By the way there were approx. 7 free tables available. The waitress asked me if I would like to sit at a separate table. You can see the obvious futility of this idea. The manager could not have been more rude, the waitress seemed intimidated by him as well. We asked the guy if we could sit at one of the empty tables. He said no. This is the first time I've not been allowed to move seats. We went to calle ocho, which was great all around. read more

Amazing authentic Italian food. Yes, waits are long, cash only, but I wouldn't mind all that. The problem I have is the owner abusing his staff and cursing them out in front of the whole restaurant. So although I loved the food, I will never go back. read more

Great service and great neighborhood atmosphere. Definitely try the specials. I had a delicious white bean, carrot, and pasta soup most recently, and it was wonderful. Other things I've liked are the pizza and gnocchi. Big portions, definitely enough for leftovers. Cash only, and get there early in order to avoid having to wait, as it's a small space! read more

Fresh homemade pastas + cheap prices = Worth the CASH only policy. Yes the space is cramped, similar to gennaro where it is almost a fire hazard. The noise level wasnt too bad. Staff for the most part was friendly. The main dude looked pissed off. On to the food. we ordered the chicken liver appetizer which was served on top of toast in a balsalmic sauce. Wow it was huge, couldve fed like 4 people. Livers were good, just wish there was less of it. I ordered the pasta special which was a homemade tagliatelle with fresh ricotta, tomato, eggplant in a red sauce with fresh basil. The pasta was very good, and priced at a reasonable $15. My wifes pasta was with clams and it was $12. For the quality of the dishes they could have easily charged 5-10 more per entree. It was good. The dessert we tried was a lemon sorbet with a cake crust, very refreshing and not too overpowering. I would definitely come back, and would recommend anyone who likes italian to come here. Their menu is not vast, but they have daily specials and their prices are reasonable. read more

I've been going to Celeste for years. We have since moved away from the city but always make it point to have dinner here when in town. Service and food are always great! read more

Gem of the UWS. Delicious fresh food, amazing staff and owner. Highly recommend. It is worth the wait. Good wine selection as well.

This was my second time at Celeste. I was pleasantly surprised to be seated immediately at prime dinner time on a Thursday night. The place is small and cozy, with a nice atmosphere of being busy but not terribly loud. The service was also very attentive and friendly. Unfortunately, the Pacccheri Ricotta Pomodoro left something to be desired. The pasta itself was thick and delicious, but the sauce was incredibly bland and seemed to lack the Ricotta promised by the name. My boyfriend's Rigatoni Bolognese was significantly more flavorful. But when I asked for a side of the Bolognese sauce to liven up my own dish (which I was happy to pay extra for) the chef denied my request. Sad. I ended up loading on extra salt and cheese to my plate to make it a little more palatable. Overall, the food is reasonably priced (and remember: CASH ONLY!) and the place is cute, but the food seems to be nothing special (my last experience here was equally "meh"). Next time, I'll walk over to nearby Osteria Cotta for a more exciting meal. read more

W head an excellent margherita here. The restaurant has a nice southern Italian atmosphere. The prices are reasonable. The downsides for us were that the tables were very small and too close to each other, and that it is a cash-only restaurant. read more

Had just indulged in sweets and was trying to eat as much as I could in my short amount of time I had left in NY. My friend suggested two local joints and I decided on Celeste since I wanted to finally try Italian food in New York and since there was a wait, I took it as a good sign. Luckily, turnover is quick (it was just two of us). Cash only though. Since I was curious what their artisanal pasta was all about I got their spaghetti with clams (sorry forgot the name but I believe Spaghetti Alle Vongole), which took awhile, they dish probably would have been better if they cooked it properly, sadly my pasta was before al dente and parts were hard and not cooked all the way through and some of the clams were a bit gritty. So I left a bit unfulfilled. Service was fine but not sure why our meal took so long especially since it wasn't cooked properly. The complimentary bread was decent but I liked the olive oil that came with. read more

Very small hole in the wall place with authentic Italian food. There isn't even a sign at the door (or at least I didn't see one)--only a nondescript black awning that looks into the restaurant. The restaurant is cozy and candlelit so it is a good place for a date. I got the veal medallions which was good albeit the small portion size. My friend got the special pasta, which looked delicious. In a city with a million options for Italian food, Celeste is great in serving great flavor affordably without the frills. read more

Great restaurant! Good service, good staff, and amazing food! If you are ever on the upper west go and check it out!

upgrading my review after eating at other italian places. i am not an uptown girl but celeste and their sister restaurants are really as good as it gets. read more

came here with my bf the other nite - i had the spinach ravioli w/ 4-cheese sauce (initially the fettacini w/ fried eggplant but they were out) & he had the chicken parm dessert saw the tiramisu but was kindda filled so next time - overall good service only con is that space is tight & small & CASH only but pretty inexpensive round $15 read more

this place is a gem. really good food for the price, staff was fantastic. kind of neighborhood place you dream of finding. is it the best italian on the UWS, no. but you cant beat $10 per course for very fresh, authentic, tasty plates and a large selection of wines for less than $30/bottle. read more

We went here for dinner and waited or 15 minutes for a table. Daughter had the grilled seabass with mushrooms on top and with a side of escarole. She liked it. Husband had the egg noodles. It was ok. I had the homemade gocchi. It was fantastic! Service was friendly. Would definitely return. read more

great family style restaurant. home-made pasta. staff is nice, but tries to rush you as it's inexpensive and they try to turn tables to make money. overall good experience. read more

I really enjoyed the food here but what's up with the B health & hygiene rating and the no cash policy. Hence, why I subtracted one star.

Went there for dinner. I tried the gnocchi which was pretty good but not the best I ever had. My friend had the veal special (veal cooked in prosciutto) and it came with veggies and potatoes on the side. It looked really good and I was told it was scrumptious. I could eat all the gnocchi (solid serving) but the veal looked like much more food - I wouldn't have been able to finish that. I'm going back for brunch this weekend so hoping for greatness. read more

I thought I was being punk'd bc the reviews online were pretty high, but no camera men ever came out. When we walked in we were greeted by a disheveled appearing man I genuinely thought was drunk and had wandered into the restaurant, disturbing patrons. Turns out he was the host! Maybe he was having a bad day, bc he was very rude. For appetizers we ordered the fried calamari and squid. It was so chewy and hard to breakdown that I almost choked on a piece! Looking back it was actually pretty dangerous. The frying was also not fresh - it tasted like it had been fried the day before, put in the fridge and then warmed up in the microwave. My friend ordered the pasta bolognese and could barely eat half because it was so oily. I ordered a simple margherita pizza. It was very soggy. The kicker was that when I asked for a little Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top, which I always do, the waiter said he wouldn't give it to me bc there was "already a lot of cheese on the pizza." Haha you can't make this stuff up! He said he wanted me to wait and try the pizza before I asked for Parmesan. I had a full slice to be polite and then said that if possible, I'd still love a little to sprinkle on. The waiter scowled and said "that'll be $5 extra." At this point, I really thought I was being punk'd. Lastly, we ordered the cheesecake. I'm a big cheesecake fan and have been known to enjoy almost any cheese cake - from standard to fancy, from the U.S. to Italy. All I can say was that this was not cheese cake. It tasted like they put a bunch of stale doughnuts in a food processor, added some sugar syrup and ricotta, and then sculpted it on a plate to look like cheese cake. It was extremely dry, had a bizarre taste, and was unpleasantly sweet. We were sharing between the two of us, and literally could not eat more than one bite. To top it all off, both of our stomachs started to hurt about half an hour after we left the restaurant. Maybe they were having an off night, but I have to go by what I experienced. I was originally not going to post, but I decided to in case this review helps give people a more balanced view of the type of experience they might have. read more

This is one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants on the upper West side. The food is delicious and it is a very pleasant and cozy place. If you like cheese, you must try the cheese plate. I like to get the plate that has 10 different cheeses, coupled with special homemade compotes. The owner is very friendly and charming... And he is very happy to tell you the story of each particular cheese! (He gets them from cheesemakers that he has met in Italy!) Everything on the menu is delicious. Some of my favorites are the salmon with roasted potatoes... And the amazing homemade pasta with shrimp and cabbage. It's a small place, so be prepared for a possible feeling of being crowded... And it's sometimes a bit loud when the place is full. That being said, I like to come early -Before the crowds. Sometimes, there is a bit of a wait to get in during the evening. Well worth it. Plus, the staff is wonderful! read more

I have read all the reviews regarding the staff and the owner. I do not believe he is racist but I can see how the waiters and owners can come off as abrasive to people. Ex. Waiter says "no starters?" I say "we are going to get cheese plate later, so trying to save room." He replies "that has nothing to do with getting starters, you can bring the main courses home if you want and eat it later," I laugh and say its ok. Then I ask how large is one pizza to which he sarcastically says "10 inches, you can finish or no finish no matter." Then he says do you want tap water or bottle and I say "im sorry can you repeat that bc its loud in here." He says "in a loud and a little bit over the top tone, TAP OR BOTTLE." I laugh and say "tap is fine my friend." Honestly, this did not bother me one bit however i am aware that I am an extremely relaxed person and I tend to find the humor in everything. I understand other people would not have such patience with this type of service. The fact is that this place is very small and cramped, thus the wait staff and owner have to move fast in everything they do. I wouldnt characterize the staff as being abrasive on purpose, rather they are just a lil bit impatient. Ok enough with the techinal stuff, the point here is the FOOD. The food here is very good, pizza is fresh is perfectly cooked and the ingredients are very fresh. I had the white pizza with prosciuto basil and mushroom with parmesean on top. It was very good and I wouldnt scarfed it all down except I didnt want to seem like a pig. My friend had the ravioli with brocoli rabe, it was delicious as well. My only critique is portion size. Some of the pasta portions are very large and intimidating, however the ravioli dish was pretty small. If my friend had been starving she could have easily devoured the ravioli and had another entree. THe cheese plate was very very good, I recommend the 20$ cheese plate which comes with 10 cheeses to taste. The owner makes all his cheese fresh and according to him "depends on how much time and motivation i have." Last, place is cramped no doubt about that, not really suitable for large parties but for dates or small family dinners it is wonderful. No reservations accepted here so I reccomend either an early 5:30 is dinner or late dinner after 9pm. CHEESE PLATE IS A MUST!! read more

The calamari and shrimp were light and crispy. The pasta was perfect. The atmosphere was authentic. And the service was super. I don't think I could have found a better place for our last night in NYC. Highly reccommend! read more

Our party of six, plus an infant, had dinner at Celeste tonight. We showed up at around 9:00pm. The place was full but there was no line. Which was awesome. The owner, which by the way is very friendly and awkwardly funny, asked how many people were in our party and quickly proceeded to find us a table. We waited out on the street for about 10 minutes. He came to find us and kindly stored the baby's stroller in his car. Very thoughtful move , as we were debating where we were going to place it due to the fact that the restaurant is small and tight on space. With that issue resolved, we were led to our table, which as I said before was extremely close to the tables around it. This makes it very difficult for people to move around. So once you sit, you are basically stuck there till the end of the meal. I didn't really mind because it actually makes the restaurant feel cozy. A high chair was provided for the infant. Our table was set while we were seated at the table which we found annoying.The bus boy could not reach the far end of the table and we had to pass down water glasses, plates , napkins and utensils. It reminded me of lunchtime during my elementary school years. Very unprofessional. We were greeted by our waited , who handed us menus and gave us a rundown, in a very indecipherable italian accent, of the specials. We later heard him speak Spanish. We were given enough time to look at the menu. Our party ordered: the Penne Mo Mo,the Paccheri Vesuviana , the Ravioli Con Burro E Salvia and the pasta and sausage special. We were served one basket of a hard crust, soft center bread along with olive oil.We ate it right away. We had been walking in Central park all day and were very hungry. We asked for more bread and the waiter said he would bring more with our food. That's a first. Again I felt like an elementary school kid. Usually when I ask for extra bread the waiter simply brings out more. Used the restrooms and they seemed ok. Could use some better upkeep. Our food arrived about 20 minutes later along with the promised basket of bread. We were missing one dish though. Which got lost in translation, but was brought out about 10 minutes after. Now about the food. The pasta was hot and al dente. The sauces light, and not salty. The portions good size to satisfy your appetite without feeling stuffed. We cleaned out our plates. Our party ordered the tiramisu for dessert. A good size portion with light layers of mascarpone, coffee soaked lady fingers,and chocolate chunks and decorated with sliced strawberries and mint leaves. It had the right amount of sweetness, but not enough of the coffee. The waiters did seem in a rush to clean off the tables. We were offered our check before finishing our desserts. We did not try the wines nor the appetizers. We would return to this restaurant, but the staff needs training on customer service. The food is good and the prices are great. All our entrees were under 15 dollars. read more

The food was so good. It was a bit cramped, but I loved the fact that it was a small operation. The service was as good as I could of hoped for a small space and big crowd. read more

Definitely taken notice of Celeste due to what always seems like a large crowd waiting for a table here almost every Friday and Saturday night. This is rare in an area with so much competition...which only leads me to wonder "What are they serving in there?!?!" Never had a chance to eat there until this past Friday...and in short, I think I have found my new go to place for Italian food. We were lucky when we got there as there was no wait for 2 people (however there were larger groups waiting). Like other reviewers have mentioned, the place is cramped and you can basically hear everyone's convo (so word to the wise, keep your secret-sharing for elsewhere and definitely no break-ups here). I didn't mind the small space however and in some ways, it added to the experience. The crowd was mixed; families, couples, Italians, and non-Italians alike. Our waiter was true Italiano (complete with an accent) which was cool and reminded my wife and I of being in Italy again. I ordered the Spaghetti Alla Vongole and in order to try the fresh made pasta, my wife had the Ravioli Con Burro e Salvia. Both are great dishes; the Spaghetti was maybe a tad on the oily side but had a little bit of a kick which we liked. Portions are good for the Spaghetti. As for the Ravioli, they only give you four pieces. Next time we will try the pizza (they have a wood-fired oven in the back corner). Overall, molto buono and buon appetito. read more

Cash only and a bit pricey. The pizza was fine, but in a city with so much amazing pizza, I don't think this would be a repeat. It's crowded and sort of small, which is sort of part of the ambiance. The crowd seemed directly out of a woody Allen movie. read more

Confession: I just started my weekend and was craving some good food. So, upon coworkers' recommendations, I aimed for Jacob's Pickle. I was surprised to find that even on a Sunday, they were packed. So I headed across the street to Celeste; I'm so glad the other place was busy. Long story short: I had one of the two best Italian meals AND best meals I've had in my life. I immediately ordered their mixed seafood pasta upon hearing it as amongst their daily specials. Then I actually looked at the menu and ordered a glass of Barbera (red) and their fried artichoke salad. Wow! The salad was crispy but light, with baked crisp greens! And the seafood was delicious! All for $48 before tip. My new favorite Italian restaurant. I definitely will be back! read more

The food is pretty good here. I usually order the linguine with clams or pizza. The pasta dish comes with a lot clams. This place can feel a little cramped when all the seats are filled. read more

This place is loud, cramped and busy. It feels more like a cafeteria than a place where you'd want to enjoy your friends company and unwind. The food is just ok, your typical red sauce italian. read more

My husband and I came form California and recommended this restaurant by friends. We had a special appetizer not on the menu that seemed like mozzarella but was softer with some tomatoe and basil. This Margarita pizza and pasta bolongese were really good. Gelato and tiramisu were good too. Excellent service and the manager was very friendly and checked on us a couple times. The Italian food was good, but I have had better that's the only reason it's not 5 stars. read more

This is an amazing place. I came here once with a super dorky lame guy and the best thing about my interaction with him is that I was introduced to Celeste. This place is worth the journey above midtown from a downtowner, for sure! read more

One of my favorite nyc restaurants. The space has a cozy neighborhood feel but the food is legitimately great. All of the pizzas are fantastic but I typically go with the daily special which are always inventive and delicious. The fresh Italian cheese is a real difference maker. The pasta is homemade and comes in big portions. The linguine with clams reminds me of meals I've had in Italy. The wine list is also reasonably priced with many options by the glass. Cash only but worth the wait. read more