Absolutely wonderful! Words can't express how much I love this restaurant. Every time I go the waiters are very friendly and enthusiastic to serve you. The inside of the restaurant gives a cozy and welcoming vibe. And don't get me started on the food. I haven't had much at this restaurant but what I have had has amazing. I highly suggest getting the penne pasta with prosciutto and vodka sauce. Lovely restaurant 5 stars read more

My family and I, especially my daughter, love this restaurant. We always get a great meal and service here. We celebrated my daughter's 11th birthday here tonight. All of our 16 guests were raving about the food. Also, the restaurant plated the cakes that we brought very beautifully. read more

Celestino Restaurant - Cake. - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Absolute fire. I came with my parents. Great service and very pretty and classy interior without trying too hard. Really authentic vibe all around. And the food tastes like they put in a lot of effort. read more

Celestino Restaurant - Got the specials. Paperdelle pasta with mushroom sauce. - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Celestino has been a staple in Pasadena for over 20 years. Serving up authentic Italian cuisine with a Sicilian influence. The menu offers a variety of seasonal dishes prepared with organic ingredients. The pasta is made daily, Truffles are imported from Italy, and the Buffalo Mozzarella is as fresh as can be. When he's not in the kitchen, owner, Calogero Drago can be found greeting customers at their tables. I used to go to Drago Centro when I worked in DTLA. I've been to this location years ago for a special event. My Uncle wanted to go out for dinner and suggested we come here since he knows Calogero and the staff well. We were seated in the front patio and, as luck would have it, representatives from Victorioso were on site offering a tasting of their Artesanal Mezcal. I was impressed with how incredibly smooth it is. (Joseph A you would love this!) They also had drink samples made with the Mezcal - Negroni, Daiquiri, and Strawberry Mojito. They were so delicious! Every good meal begins with cocktails and the Ciao Bella was calling my name. (Absolute Citron, muddled strawberries, Triple Sec, & Lime Juice.) Carlo, our fantastic server, brought us a basket of fresh bread. It came with a decanter of olive oil & Balsamic vinegar. I loved how it separated both. You could pour olive oil from one side and vinegar from the other. The bread was warm and tasty. It was hard to limit myself to one slice. We started with Calamari Fritti ($18.95). It was fresh & tender. Perfectly fried with a crisp exterior. The marinara was particularly good. For entrées we ordered: Ossobucco Alla Milanese ($30.50), Risotto Al Frutti Di Mare (special), Linguini Al Fritti Di Mare ($32) & Insalata Di Lattuga Con Barbabietole E Formaggio ($18.50). The Risotto was fantastic! Obviously, it had been simmering on the stove all day. The Linguini was also scrumptious. You could tell the pasta was made that day. The sauce was light and the seafood was fresh and tender. My salad was a combination of so many tasty ingredients: Organic baby lettuces, apples, caramelized walnuts, goat cheese, red & gold beets. Each bite was bursting with flavor. The portion size of each dish was generous. We all needed boxes for the leftovers. Even though we were stuffed, uncle wanted dessert and another round of cocktails. This time I had the Hendricks Fresca (Hendrick's Gin, Lime Juice, Triple Sec, muddled mint & cucumber). We shared the sampler platter, which consisted of: Panna Cotta, Torta Chocolate, & Tort d' Arangia. This did not disappoint! Each one was delizioso. However, my favorite was the Panna Cotta. I never had it before and I was pleasantly surprised with how light, creamy, & yummy it was! It was a perfect ending to a wonderful meal. *Free parking in lot behind restaurant enter on Hudson. read more

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Waiters hard sell over priced specials, which are far from specials. These so-called specials are just slightly different versions of the regular menu at 20% higher or more. One special with shrimp and mushrooms had little of either on the plate. We were charged $8 for bread we didn't ask for or order. Since when is this a tradition? And the bread was noting out of the ordinary at that. DeCaf capuccino took 20 minutes at meal's end or so long that the server said he had to make it himself. Nowhere near the dining experience here as in year's passed. read more

I am giving this place a 5 star review to balance some things out. It's really 4.5 stars. However!! This is an extremely good classic Italian place on the middle of Pasadena. There are no places like this anymore. I have eaten here thrice now and have waited to leave a review because I had such a nice experience the first time I went. Service is amazing. The drinks are strong and delicious. Clientele is older, however this place is excellent for dinner. The place has an endearing feeling. The bar is great. And the food is excellent. Check it out! You will not be disappointed. read more

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Went here for a group dinner on a Sunday evening! Overall everyone enjoyed the experience. Bread they give at the start is egg free - nice and soft / fresh. I got the penne as that's the egg free option in Alfredo sauce (they were able to make it egg and allium free). The Cacio e pepe is also egg, onion, and garlic free w penne. Alfredo was pricier which I didn't realize as I didn't see it on the menu. Good service overall. read more

Celestino Restaurant - Penne in Alfredo sauce - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Excellent service. Food is so delicious great selection from the menu and specials. The short rib was tender and fell off the bone. The bourbon sauce with the vegetables really complimented this dish. Parking in the back, the north side of the restaurant or on the street. read more

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We celebrated my future son-in-law's birthday at his favorite restaurant. We had a wonderful family dinner, food and service was absolutely amazing. Excellent service by the whole staff that was very hardworking, friendly and very knowledgeable. Great teamwork read more

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Wonderful Italian restaurant with delicious food and pleasant, quiet atmosphere. I enjoyed our meal of fried calamari, soup and seafood linguini. They were able to make the tomato sauce non spicy for me. Dessert was panda cotta with strawberry sauce, which I found to be light and refreshing. The only part that I found disappointing was they charged me for a cup of hot water. My friend's iced water was free. read more

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First and foremost this place was so good we decided to have our wedding rehearsal dinner here. The overall environment gave me a classic feel at home vibe. Felt very comfortable there. I actually love ambiances like this because a lot of times the restaurant is built on the quality of food rather than the all the bells and whistles of distracting with fancy decor. The service was amazing from start to finish. Bob the general manager is such a professional and his leadership if evident the way his staff speak of him. Our server Oscar was on point and attentive. Really knew his stuff. The food, all of it, was so good. Literally after eating here my fiancée and I looked at each other and said yes we gotta do it here. So many things were delicious, whether it be the salad or the bruschetta. The penne pomodoro was heavenly, and that branzino was as cooked to perfection. Highly recommend this place. read more

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Great place! I really liked the menu and large selection of food. And what a list of specials! Started off with a Cesar salad was not listed on the menu but we asked, super good, linguine with clams was yummy and light and the paradelle w/ phesant is a must try servers recommendation. Finished with the housemade tiramisu. Easy street or garage parking. Also, not over priced and indoor/outdoor seating. Fresh park and cracked pepper. Must try the smoked swordfish carpaccio! Do not recommend the mushroom soup, I ended up sending it back: Also, be aware they charge for bread $3. It's not on the house. read more

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Excellent service, amazing meals. Never disappoint. The menu is vast and if what you want, as long as it's Italian, they will try to accommodate.. read more

Excellent lamb leg and some special dish and delicious dessert. Very tasty and I love coming here for lunch or dinner with my family and friends. read more

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had a great experience at Celestine! We ordered the filet mignon ravioli, which was absolutely delicious. It wasn't on the menu, but luckily, they still had it available. The ravioli was generously stuffed and had a perfect texture--none of that tough, chewy dough you sometimes get elsewhere. We also tried the wild boar ragu with mushrooms, which reminded me of Chinese dishes I've had with minced meat. It was decent, but not my favorite compared to the ravioli. Service was fantastic--our server was super attentive and even brought us extra bread, which was much appreciated. The balsamic vinegar and olive oil they serve with the bread is always a nice touch. Since it was my birthday, they surprised me with a complimentary panna cotta, which was a great way to end the meal. The price was reasonable for the quality of food and service. I'd definitely come back just for the filet mignon ravioli, and I'm excited to try more from their menu next time! read more

Best Italian food and wine! Every time I went the service always made me feel welcomed. We also loved the steak!

I loved Celestino! This was my first time going to this very popular Italian restaurant in Pasadena where I have lived my whole life. The food was absolutely phenomenal, as well as the service. Antonio was the best server I've ever had! The only thing that was a little overwhelming was checking in for my reservation and the amount of busyness in the restaurant. It was overwhelming and a little anxiety inducing, but once we got seated and got our food, I understood why. This is an authentic Italian establishment and they run it as such. It's loud, full of family, extremely busy, and exactly what you would expect from a true authentic Italian restaurant overseas. And for that, I wouldn't change my experience for the world. read more

The restaurant is own by an Italian family. The food is great I love repeating this restaurant and trying new things. The service is great as well every-time we go we feel special. The ambiance is good with or without kids is like a real Italian restaurant. read more

This would probably be my first and last time dining here. I had booked a reservation but I waited over 30 minutes to get seated because there was so much disorganization and chaos inside, and I saw people who had arrived after me get seated before me which felt unfair. There's no designated waiting area so there were people standing around blocking walkways. I had to find the host several times and ask when I was going to be seated. The food was good, but the service was certainly subpar. I only saw my server two times, and I had to ask someone else several times to grab the check. It's highly likely that I would not come here again due to the disorganization and poor service. The establishment needs to have a better system of waiting areas, checking guests in and ensuring they are seated in a timely manner. read more

First time coming here and definitely not our last. We finally found a delicious Italian restaurant. From the first bite to the last bite of our dessert. Everyone was so attentive. Our waiter Nicola I believe that might be his name was wonderful. read more

Food was really good, service was good as well. Sat on the patio was a nice evening, the swordfish and lamb shank were delicious. The bread is an add on and NOT complimentary. Which would have been nice to know ahead of time but it's a little up scale so understandable. The dessert was nice and light. The cocktails we had were good not overly strong or overly sweet. Would come again. Price point for our meal was about $60-75 a person depending on what you order. read more

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The food was amazing I had LINGUINI AI FRUTTI DI MARE, seafood Linguini it was so good. Our waiter was Antonio he really was great made our experience so enjoyable loved the ambience indoor and outdoor dining I give this a five star Italian restaurant. I really felt that it was amazing. The food was wonderful. The service was incredible when I say incredible Antonio was incredible.PS I got to use my Italian language and that was a plus. read more

Went for the first time. Calamari steak is hard to find and they had a delicious one. The service was excellent. the stuffed gnocchi was to die for and the branzino amazing. Will keep on going. read more

Great little Italian place in Old Town Pasadena. First time visiting this restaurant by recommendation. We made reservations for 5:30 pm but came early and they sat us right away. The food came out fast too but we were the second or third table to come in as they opened at 4:30 pm. The server was friendly by Muy overwhelmed me with a long list of specials and recommendations. I wanted to try the lobster ravioli but he suggested the seafood linguini. The recommendation was on point. The only thing was that it was not spicy as advertised, but did not mind that. The sauce had a very home made feel with plenty of flavor. My wife tried the beef ravioli with mushroom sauce, she said she loved the mushroom sauce but could not taste the cheese filling. The place was not too loud, the tables are fairy close to one another so you will over hear other people's conversations. The only interesting part was the parking, there is a self parking in the back but was not sure if free or $6. The signs says complimentary but others give you instructions to pay on your phone. Will def come back and try more items, they gave us a complimentary cheesecake (ricotta) for my bday, but wasn't the flavor I was looking for. It was a very nice gesture. I have heard the panicotta is amazing but will try on another occasion. read more

Celestino Restaurant - Oil & Balsamic Container - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I haven't been to Celestino in over twenty (20) years, and, I have to admit, I really don't know why. . . Maybe it's because we don't live in Pasadena, but that shouldn't matter. My family and I go far and wide -- anywhere in Los Angeles, really -- for excellent food. We did make reservations for this particular occasion (my birthday) on a Tuesday evening, just in case Celestino was busy. Here's the rundown of what we ordered: a. Linguine with clams b. Chicken parmigiana c. Lobster tail with pasta/linguine (one of that night's special) d. Penne a la vodka I also ordered a Ciao Bella which is one of their signature mixed drinks. And I have to say, "WHAT A HIT! WE'RE COMING BACK TO CELESTINO!!!" Antonio was our waiter, and he was marvelous. He was knowledgeable of all the specials, and he was genuinely friendly and jokey -- if there is such a word. Overall, the restaurant's atmosphere was clean, moderately quiet, and classy. If you want to eat great Italian food where it's not "stuffy and staid", and the staff is wonderful, GO! to Celestino now. Don't wait another 20 years like we did. read more

This place is a traditional Italian restaurant with a large menu. Interior goes back in time with some blurry modern artwork. Most staff are friendly and when we went on a Thursday evening, the place was packed. The have several dining areas and some breakout rooms for larger parties. We started off with a bread basket, oil and vinegar. The bread came out hot and tasted great. Server was attentive and refilled our water glasses throughout the evening. We ordered the mussels and clams in tomato garlic broth for appetizers. My wife ordered the carbonara and added chicken. I had the special for that night which was the swordfish with vegetables. The appetizer was excellent. Seafood was cooked well and the broth was the star of the dish. The fresh garlic cloves with the tomato broth is a treat. We finished this quickly and regretted not saving more bread to dip into the broth at the end. I tasted my wife's dish and the sauce on the pasta was delicious. The piece of chicken I had seemed overcooked, but my wife says the rest of the chicken was fine. She loved her dish but couldn't finish it because it was a large serving. My grilled swordfish was well seasoned and cooked perfectly in my opinion. Tender, not dry, and a decent portion. We had the lemon merengue for dessert which was underwhelming. Perhaps we will try something else next time. Great local place for authentic Italian food. read more

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I never imagined that I will have a rabbit dish in a western restaurant in the United States. I'm not a rabbit fan, I mean eating rabbit. I like a rabbit, and I even had a rabbit as a pet his name was Caicai, which means vegetables. I am from a city in China that doesn't have a habit to eat rabbits, you even can't find any rabbits as food in Shanghai, but I can buy frozen rabbits in Hawaii Supermarket here, at San Gabriel Valley. I had a rabbit in an Italian restaurant called Celestino in Pasadena, Danny invited me there. He invited me several times to Red 99 at Temple City and I agreed, suddenly he changed to this one. We arrived at about 1100 am and parked the car at the back and walked through the corridor from the back to the very front of the outside lodge with a roof. The feeling was strange, it was an Italian restaurant, but it looked like high-level Mexican food, the style, and the waiters. I don't mind if it's Mexican or Italian, I love both, I love their gourmet. It's not a very sunny day, a little cloudy, or a normal day in Southern California. We sat outside the restaurant on the walkway even though it has a roof. The temperature is a little low but no heating around, I couldn't take my coat off. It was the COVID lockdown season in China, especially in Shanghai, the talking was disappointing, Danny didn't know when he can step back to China and I don't even want to. The service was good, with several Latino-like waiters, they were kind, and watered me several times. You know how dry is in SoCal, even on a cloudy day. We weren't in the mood for food, my parents in Shanghai were even starving because of the lockdown, Danny's sister was in a bad medical condition in China and he didn't how to get back. Our orders were good: Danny got INSALATA ai FRUTTI di MARE, a mixed seafood salad, and I got CONIGLIO ai FORNO, a roast rabbit with black olive sauce. The dishes looked elegant, especially a wedged lemon with the salad in a yellow-nested pocket. We share the food, the seafood salad was fresh, and seasoned just well. The rabbit was a little dry and a little too light in flavor. Yep, we all know that the rabbit was lean and less fat than normal meat, I bet it's still the best cooking way in Italian style but I am Chinese and I had better before. It was roasted at a low temperature for a too long time, just only for the looking, rabbit is too lean and easy to be burnt. Anyway, it's a good restaurant, I bet the chefs tried their best to cook the rabbit, even can't be better, I don't mean the Italian way, I mean my way. read more

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We were here for a corporate dinner. The drinks were excellent. Best straight Martini I have had in a while. The fillet mignon was on point and fork tender. The deserts were perfect and not overly sweet. The capriccio was absolutely amazing. read more

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Came here for a work lunch with my colleagues. The ambiance was nice and the customer service was great. You can tell that the waiters and people working at the restaurant enjoy it. The resturant itself has an older clientele it seemed like. We had lunch at noon on a Friday and it seemed like we were the youngest ones there. However, it seems to be very family friendly with many repeated customers. Waiters would know customers as they came in, would hug them, etc. You can tell that the customers were regulars. The food itself was great quality. It is on a smaller portion that what I am used to for fast food Italian, but Celestino is more about the quality rather than the quantity. The pasta was delicious and they did a great job at bringing out fresh warm bread. I will definitely be back when I am in need of a nice table service dinner. There is parking in the back and they even have a back patio if guests would like to enjoy fresh air. read more

Celestino Restaurant - SPAGHETTI CARBONARA ALLA ROMANA - Italian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Great food , good service , very close to Italian restaurants in Rome , nice ambiance .

I love this place. Service is amazing. The branzino was delicious. The wine was spectacular. I will definitely be coming back again.

We used to go to Celestino's regularly, and the food is very good. But the last time we were there, we went with another gay couple and the waiter was blatantly homophobic. And he gave us the worst service in any restaurant ever. We reached out to the restaurant but got no response. We won't be going back. read more

The food so consistent. I appreciate that as a returning customer I can count on authentic style Italian cuisine. I enjoy classic style cuisine. I had Osso bucco, which is hard to find and was delicious. The different pastas are also interesting and tasty. I recommend highly. read more

I dined there this week. The only thing worse than the food was the service. Getting a waiter's attention took too much time and energy, especially since the restaurant was not busy. So many things we were served had been frozen and then not defrosted properly, like the mozzarella and the tiramisu to name two. Needless to say, we won't be back. read more

Good spot for a date although tables are very close together so maybe not the best if you want any privacy. Food was great overall but seemed a bit pricey for the portion sizes. Caprese burrata was delicious but needed A LOT more tomatoes Chicken Parm was great Risotto was good but needed a little salt and could have used more marscapone Service was good- had to keep asking for drinks and then for Parmesan when the food came Will be back read more

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Ok, I gave it a "maybe" because it may be a good spot for some and for others it's not. I myself would not eat here again. Pricing is reasonable but portions are on the smaller size, so you can consider that for yourselves, service was for me a bit too rough(not sure I have a better description ), i am probably a bit spoiled so again consider that , ambiance was way too noisy. Open table did a good job of presenting the restaurant as classy high-end but it was inaccurate, it's a old time local restaurant that's old and set in its ways which sometimes is prefect or just not right for the occasion read more

I like that Celestino is an old school type restaurant in Pasadena because Pasadena is losing all of its old school restaurants. What I didn't like was our waiter who was hurried with his demeanor. This is a white table cloth restaurant and he would divert his eyes from our table when he passed us. Bit once did he refill our water glasses or ask how is your meal and ask us if we would like dessert afterwards. He seemed an older Italian waiter who was clearly not happy being a waiter. The food was just ok. read more

Good quality food combined with old school attentive service, provides for a fabulous Italian dinner. The bread is amazing!!

The pasta was good. Highly recommended the pesto if you're looking for something really special.

I went to this restaurant after I visited Caltech campus tour. It was in Monday early evening so not very clouded, which I was lucky. Inside of the restaurant looks like very traditional Italian style and very elegant. I regret with my jeans style but the staffs welcome me and my family. The wait persons are very friendly and has great knowledge about foods and wines. All of my family ordered pastas. These all tasted very good. If I lived in Pasadena, I would come here often. If I have a chance to go back to Pasadena, I will be back! read more