This is a tale of three visits. The first visit was about a decade ago. Sat in the outside area at the front of the restaurant. Menu looked good. Service was catastrophically bad. Food was meh. Didn't come back for a long time. Six weeks ago we tried again because friends suggested it. Sat outside in the back. Customer service was exactly what one would expect for a $50 a person meal. Awesome. Artichoke inspired menu was fantastic. We left happy. Now we go back last Friday. Sat in the same place in front as the original visit. Brought water. Ten minutes. Came back and asked our drink order, we responded "water" and before we could say "Can we have some bread." Or before we could, you know, order, the waiter split and didn't come back for ANOTHER ten minutes. This time when he came back we said "We are ready to order" and he started taking our order, then mid-ordering he saw a guest going in the door and started to leave us AGAIN! My wife said "Sir?" as he turned to walk away and he replied "Be right back." Then he disappeared and was gone for five more minutes before he came back and finished our order. The food came out and again was Meh. The final observation... as we were leaving a large table of people was with the same waiter and I heard "Waiter!" From one of the guests as the same guy abandoned them mid order. Unbelievable. Now, I don't know what's wrong with that waiter. But he's like a squirrel on crack. He needs to be managing or waiting tables, or whatever, but he needs to FOCUS. Maybe we will check back in another decade. read more

Food was good. Service was horrible. Staff were just chilling... waiting for you to wave them over. Just completely forgot to bring the wine and beers for the whole meal. Took 20 minutes to get check and pay. read more

Basing this review only on the panna cotta since that's all we had. My wife wanted desert which she never wants because she doesn't like sweets that much so it's super hard to find her something that she'll like. I figured panna cotta might do the trick and we just randomly stopped here on our way home. So we order and sit outside because it's a nice evening and it's freezing inside. They bring it to our table and it comes with some strawberries. Not really the nicest presentation but my wife has a bite while I'm looking at my phone and next thing I know she's asking me if we can order another one!!! She almost never finishes a full desert and I could never in a million years have imagined her ordering a second one! So I order and the second one gets to our table. I make sure to grab a bite this time before it disappears and it's really good. The consistency is perfect and it has a light vanilla flavor that blends perfectly with the semi tart strawberries. Maybe next time we come we will actually try the food! read more

Celestino Restaurant - Panna cotta! This is our second one it's so good! - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

I have been here for anniversary celebrations as well as hosting private dining events. The guy that I dealt with last time for private dining was Mario, who is super nice and very accommodating. The restaurant management and staff are always attentive and they really show sincere appreciation for my business. The food quality is good and the prices are reasonable. I highly recommend this restaurant for both personal dining and private dining. read more

I came here with my husband for our wedding anniversary. The staff was amazing, our waiter was awesome. He was very personable, he told us all the specials for the day (they all sounded AMAZING), and we ended up ordering our 2 dinners from his recommendation of 2 of the specials. The ravioli with filet mignon inside and a mushroom sauce was SOOOOOOO GOOD! The rack of veal was also insanely tasty. Our waiter even finished with the perfect touch. He brought us out a small little dessert that said "Happy Anniversary" on the rim in chocolate. We were super impressed with the service. I would highly recommend coming here for the amazing food and service. read more

What an amazing find! We made reservations for 7 pm and we were promptly seated and the hostess was friendly and sweet! The server had a lovely Italian accent...he told us the specials and made us feel right at home. Bread and oil and butter was brought to the table, such a nice touch. I ordered the ravioli stuffed with filet mignon and it had an amazing mushroom sauce on top. All the pastas are made everyday from scratch. My date ordered a vegetarian option pasta and he loved it! For dessert we had a flourless chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream and it was melt in your mouth divine!! I can't wait to go back and try more things! Great location and valet parking available... read more

I hosted a memorial event for my late husband at this restaurant. It was lovely. The wait staff was spot-on and took good care of my guests. The food was delicious. I worked with Mario who made everything perfect. I was VERY pleased. read more

Everybody should try this place because food is fantastic! My friend who has a restaurant of his own recommended we try it. All I have to say is that every dish we tried was better than the last. The filet mignon and portobello mushroom raviolis were to die for! The Langostino linguine looked divine and mouthwatering. Although we had two desserts the strawberry And the tiramisu, I was left wishing I could try all of the other desserts as well! LOL. Will definitely be returning to the classiest of Ristorantes-It's clear they have a very great team of people in the kitchen. The service and the delectable cuisine reflect it bite after mouthwatering bite. The chef was a very pleasant man and very experienced. The owner was courteous and kind, all his recommendations for a superb! Grazie sonno Sara read more

Wow! That's the only thing to say about thus old school restaurant. Their lasagne is a work of art and their waiters are fantastic. They will also improvise dishes for you. I had gnocchi with bolonese and I thought I was gonna die from how good it was. Great service, great staff, always friendly. Take someone here who loves good food. read more

A super outdated Italian restaurant with poor atmosphere and bland food. Service was fine. Will admit that it's a good place to bring your grandparents if they're over 100 years old. read more

We were a party of four and were there on a Saturday night, what can I say the dishes that we all ordered were so good. The carpaccio from the appetizers as well as Burrata caperse were melting in your mouth with a burst of taste and the host offered us a great selection of desserts which wrapped our night and appetite in absolute satisfaction. Will go back again:) read more

Just go here, ask for Antonio and let him take care of the rest. We had the most memorable meal since being in Italy this past summer. The charm is straight out of Venezia. read more

What a hidden gem! You won't be disappointed here! Everyone in our party of four had their favorite dishes and were thrilled with this venerable, yet somewhat unknown Pasadena ode to delicately perfect Italian cuisine served in a beautiful, welcoming space by a superb staff! A very tasty Eggplant Parmigiana, a wonderfully satisfying Lasagna with spinach pasta, a treasure-filled Fruta do Mare seafood salad and a delicate, perfectly cooked Veal Scallopine sautéed in a simplistically elegant Picatta sauce. A totally memorable experience, from the opening warm bread all the way through to the decadent "Bomba" dessert. Celestino presents true dining excellence from an obviously loving, hands-on family ownership at astoundingly reasonable pricing! Well worth the trip... and they have parking! read more

Food = 3 or 4. Good not great. Service = 3 plus. Trying but very rushed. Atmosphere =2. Like a banquet hall with little kids running around and screaming. read more

I'm afraid Celestino has seen it's best days. The meal was not so great from start to finish - poor service. The waiter was a little to much and kept disappearing then he forgot the appetizer. The main courses came warm, not hot and weren't very tasty. The fettuccine boar ragu with mushrooms had no mushrooms my wife discovered half way through. Too much to mention we cut it short and left. Doubt I'll be back. there. read more

Delicious food and excellent service!! Wait staff very friendly and offered good tips. Panna Cotta was delightful and pistachio cheesecake was too die for!! read more

Hoped for better. The waiter was super annoying. There were 4 of us dining before a show. We made sure we had plenty of time to dine so we were not rushed. Boy was that a mistake. I have never seen so many buss boys trying to take our plates even before we were finished. The waiter kept getting in my face to make sure I was okay and said he would do anything to make my experience good and there was no rush. He made a mistake with the salad order as he forgot it completely. Then he tried making up for it by bringing glasses of Prosecco that we told him we were not going to drink. Then he brought us dessert. Yes, that sounds all good but it was the manner in which he was doing it. He thought he was being kind and generous but he came over so many times to try and make the dinner nice. It's not like I complained or anything. It made me feel super uncomfortable and I seriously wanted to take him aside and tell him to just leave me alone. Then when the check came he charged us for bread and splitting a meal that I did not ask him to split. Did I say anything, no! read more

After reading the Yelp reviews (how many reviews start like that?), I was a little concerned at my brothers recommendation. I trust my bro so to Celestino we went. This is OLD SCHOOL Italian and I LOVED it! The menu is very large and they have many specials. There is truly something for everyone. The pasta was incredible. Fresh, melt in your mouth, pasta your nona would make! I had a special salad with arugula, buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto. It was light but filling and I could eat it every day! Our party had a mixture of seafood and pasta and everyone was truly happy. This is not The Olive Garden. If you're looking for that experience, look elsewhere. If you would like to eat true Italian food and experience old school dining - eat here. We will be back! read more

Good service Table setting was clean and crisp Bread was hot Parking was good Salad was average, the shrimp were overcooked Salad dressing was sparingly limited in quantity The lettuce was warm and blah Bathrooms are filthy read more

Been here twice these last few months and really enjoyed the food and the service is good as well. A nice restaurant for the area.

Food is incredibly overpriced, and devoid of flavor. Waiter was nice enough to kill a fly buzzing around as he spent 10 minutes explaining the specials. Plenty of parking though. read more

Went with my 2 year old son for an early dinner date. Their staff are so nice and professional. Love their lasagna and mushroom soup. If I'm hungry enough I would still try their other food. read more

Beware of their hidden "Split" fees. It's $4 per plate, and the dishonest waiter offered to split the food we ordered, but he NEVER mentioned the $4 split fees per dish. 5 dishes for 2 people, including an appetizer and a dessert. The split fees were $20. It left a bad taste in my mouth. read more

Yes it is Old school Northern Italian and some of the dishes are there simply because people expect them to be there , but we had a terrific dinner. Swordfish carpacio, mussels and clams in a terrific broth, fresh paperedele with pheasant and models ( the pasta was great- the sauce was less successful) , pork tenderloin in rosemary sauce, Osso buco were very enjoyable. As in the case of most Italian restaurants dessert was not memorable but was adequate. A bit pricey but not crazy prices. They were packed with pre Christmas celebrations and even though we were there early we were given a less than nice table which was the only downside to the service. read more

Wonderful birthday dinner for two on May 4, 2021. We were given a choice and elected to sit on the Celestino back garden patio. As a first course, we selected the Spaghetti Carbonara, which was made in the perfect Roman style. Our "secondi" was the Veal Osso Bucco, served over Saffron risotto, which was meltingly tender and came with an unctuous tomato sauce. We appreciated their willingness to split each entree Into two plates, each a lovely presentation. As the portions were generous, and the Cabonara deliciously filling, we each took home quite a bit of the Osso Bucco. To top this dinner off they allowed me to order any dessert I wanted from the menu and it was a gift from them. Plus it came with a lit candle, LOL. The price for the two very special entrées was very reasonable - around $55. All in all a perfect evening. I'm looking forward to a return trip and not waiting for another birthday to go there! read more

Celestino started with great service from the waiter, however I asked the busser for no ice in the water and instead gave me extra and kept pouring it until finally I said explicitly no ice. He then promptly changed it so that was okay. The food portion is tiny for what you pay for. For example, the chicken Milanese which I ordered only came with a side of arugula. my friend got the pasta and when the same busser came to pick it up we asked for a box, which he never brought! By the time the check came still no box of food and then the waiter had to explain that the busser didn't understood and could make us another side. However, it was over at this point and had to go back to work. It's too bad, this place has a great location with some quality food. 4 stars for waiter, and prompt delivery, also chicken Milanese was super yum! 1 star less because busser could not speak English, which in turn led to poor results, and for small portions for price read more

Cold unapologetic service, rock hard bread, and our waiter couldn't be bothered to tell us the specials cause he didn't know what was still available. We made 8PM reservations for a Saturday dinner over one and a half months in advance to celebrate Valentine's Day. Instead of a warm romantic evening, we were seated in the back of the restaurant by the loud kitchen and next to an ever opening back door that blew a chilly gust of wind every 30sec. When we explained the situation to the hostess and the manager, we were told that they're very busy and "everyone has reservations" but they'll see what they can do. 30min later, they moved us to another table, but honestly the horrible atmosphere had tainted this evening like the rock hard bread seemed to forecast the rest of the lackluster evening. Food wise, we were told they had run out of many of specials even though it was only 8PM. So instead, we had the rabbit dish and pheasant pasta. Both had good flavor but not extraordinary. The pheasant in the pasta was so small that you had to search to know it was there and the sauce had congealed when it got to us. This restaurant seems to be one that may have been once great but forgotten that they must grow and improve with the times. They can't just rest on their laurels and focus only in their established clients and alienate new ones. With all the dining options available in the area, why would anyone choose one that shows complete disregard for customer experience? (...and really, the rock hard bread alone is a crime for any restaurant, much less a decent Italian restaurant.) read more

This restaurant doesn't even deserve ONE star. We were very disappointed with the food and service last evening at Celestino restaurant. Either they over booked the tables or they don't have enough servers. The waiter only took our orders and disappeared for the entire evening serving other tables. They placed us at the entrance way and every time someone opened the door, chilled gusting wind blew through. We order the mushroom soup and it came in just warm. The halibut was over cooked after I had remain the waiter medium only. The customers were gathered around our table waiting to be led to their table. People were crowing around us for the entire duration of my dinner. Some coughing and some talking loud. Their services does not even worth for ONE little star. We were 101% disappointed with Celestino. read more

This was the first time we came to this restaurant. We were there for my cousin's 50th Wedding Anniversary. Upon entering this lovely place, we felt very comfortable and cozy. All the waiters and assistant waiters came up to us and very happily asked if they can help us. We were waiting for the rest of the party, but they let us sit at the ready table until the rest arrived. Everyone was very nice and attentive and professional. They each came regularly to ask if we needed anything. Our amazing waiter was Oscar. He was incredible. He had memorized the entire list of the specials. After he was done, I could only remember one or two items. The appetizers were wonderful and the dinner was excellent. I had the pumpkin tortellini dish and was very very good, so creamy and satisfying. Everyone loved their dishes as well. Thank you to all of you at Celestino Restaurant for making tonight very memorable. I always say, keep the quality and customer service high, and customers will keep coming and coming back. read more

Me and my friend showed up here lookin for a nice Italian dinner, and I ordered a custom risotto with wine sauce and seafood and it didn't disappoint. My homie got a carbonara. My meal was flavorful with subtle undertones from spice and sauce. A little lacking in the size department though. Overall would recommend this for most occasions. read more

Me and my boy were HUUUNGRY. Decided to hit up this joint. Got the carbonara. It was very good, creamy, and savory. A little too much salt and it was a bit overbearing at the end of my meal. Overall fantastic experience and would highly recommend. read more

Celestino Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

The pasta is really amazing. In a time of COVID, you sit where you can and we were sat next to an open door and it was cold. Had to leave my jacket on the entire meal. But the pasta was really amazing. read more

We were invited here for dinner by some friends who wanted to share some joy of the Christmas season. They are longtime LA residents, lovers of good food and we welcomed what we were certain would be a fine dining experience. Naturally, like a good Yelper, I checked the reviews and was a bit surprised to find the recent reviews were a very mixed bag, from 5 stars all the way down to 1. Most of the problems found by my Yelp colleagues seemed to be with the service, versus the cuisine. Our hosts were seated when we arrived after valeting the car right out front for $5.00. Our table was front and center in the cozy front dining room, well decorated for the holidays. We exchanged pleasantries...and then we waited...and waited and waited. No water...no looks...no greetings. We couldn't believe it. This went on for a seeming eternity. Then a basket of bread...and another long wait. Finally a waiter came and took our water and drink order then dashed away even though our hosts proclaimed, "I THINK WE'RE READY TO ORDER!" A little while later, we ordered...then there was another extended wait for our food. In the end, the previous reviews were spot on...the food... OUTSTANDING! I had the T-bone steak Florentine style, and my companions had a variety of pasta and seafood dishes. Everything was delicious and properly prepared. BUT...the service continued to be disjointed and irregular...very much spurts and fits...vs. the smooth presentation that would have made this a home run. It felt like there was a shortage of staff, and that they were doing their best to help each other. I was told that this was the original restaurant of the DRAGO group, which has several successful Italian eateries in the LA area. Maybe they need to revisit their roots and streamline things a bit. I won't say I wouldn't come back...but Celestino's didn't make the top of my "must do again" list. read more

Love this place. The staff is amazing and the did big experience was great. The food was great. We had and unforgettable night.

We had an appallingly bad meal tonight. The food quality has collapsed. The kitchen has lost its culinary skills. Instead of french bread we were served supermarket rolls - the kind that come all stuck together in a cellophane package. The asparagus soup was simply pureed asparagus with no detectable seasoning. The pastas had no prepared base. We had a 3-digit bill for flavorless food. We have been to this restaurant at least half a dozen times before and always had superb meals. This was a completely different experience. We were cheated. Do not go to this restaurant until you evidence that their kitchen is being managed by a competent chef. read more

I'm actually pretty upset I didn't check this place out sooner. Both the food and service was absolutely phenomenal. Every dish we ordered was better than the next. The "Pappa al pompdoro" soup is a must try! read more

See all

This place has great food and great service! You must go there if you want a delicious Italian meal. It's not cheap but it's so worth it. You will have fresh tasting food that is unbelievably delicious! read more

I'd not recommend purely on the food. And very over priced! Excellent waiters but If there had been an Olive Garden near by we'd be more satisfied for sure. read more

Have been a semi regular customer here for since 2008. Went recently. They were busy but a sloppiness has come into the restaurant. We ordered all things same time. App arrived fine. They took gf's silverware w App. Entrees arrived a bit later. My GF's was not accurate , mine was. I completed my meal. They brought her another entre. Wrong again. Her other one showed up 3 -4 minutes after second wrong. Noticing her silverware was missing they grabbed from a table that had been sat at w other couple who decided patio dining didn't work but had touch silverware. So a number of things wrong. All of this reflects newer, less trained, or stretched staff. Basic processes are breaking down. Ironically, the owner was entertaining someone in the corner booth near us. They were busy but breakdowns like this are how a good business goes out of business. Saw servers wandering taking food to other tables and asking when they arrived at tables. Servers used to account good to make sure it was right. Gf was not happy and felt food wasn't as good on top of it. Sadly, it's hard to get a loyal following but easy to lose your loyal fans when screw up's like this occur. Will be a while before we go back to drop $150 on a disaster like that, if ever. They were busy so losing 2 loyals won't hurt them. But if I see & feel it, others may too. Worse yet, I hate torch you given I have been coming for 14+ years. Better get back to basic management. read more

Celestino is a fallen star. )-; We paid over $85 for dinner for 2 this week including tip, and were served cold, tasteless pasta, fishy sea bass sitting on a purple mystery mush, and a glass of wine with unsettling sediment stuck to the inside of my glass!! Our experience this weekend convinced us that Celestino no longer has the same kitchen staff which impressed us on our first visit over a year ago. We both ordered the Timballo di Pasta for $14.50 per person. It is supposed to be a gourmet pasta with vegetables in an artichoke sauce. We were each given a serving of pasta which was warm on the outside, but cold in the middle! We sent them back, and the second time they were warm all the way through. However, the pasta wasn't tasty at all, and had very little sauce. We were extremely disappointed, as the artichoke sauce on this pasta entree had been exquisitely tasty when we had first tried it over a year ago. WHERE did the chef go who knows how to make this dish?! The pasta we were served at Celestino this weekend was LESS tasty than some pastas I've had in frozen dinners. )-: We hoped our next course would improve. We chose to share the sea bass, which was a fish of the day. The waiter said it would come over spinach, and he recommended it. However, it didn't come over spinach. It came on top of a purple mystery mush which we couldn't even identify. They charged us $30 for this entree (which we split.) The sea bass had poor texture and poor flavor. It tasted like frozen fish which had been defrosted for a few days and then over-cooked. None of our dishes were worthy of being served at Celestino! I also had a glass of red wine, and as I finished the wine, I found unsettling amounts of sediment clinging to my glass. The waiter did offer me a complimentary second glass of wine to try to make up for this situation. Another odd thing is that our menus were old and appeared to be water-stained, and needed replacing. This isn't a good sign in a restaurant that is charging gourmet prices. Something has changed drastically at Celestino. If you click on my name on Yelp, you will note that I don't usually write 1-star reviews. This dinner has the distinction of being the worst dinner I've had this year. read more

See all