Mon-Thu, 5pm-11pm; Fri, 5pm-11:30pm; Sat, noon-3pm and 5pm-11:30pm; Sun, noon-3pm and 5pm-10:30pm
Nearby Subway Stops
1 at 86th St.
Prices
$14-$16
Payment Methods
Cash Only
Special Features
Brunch - Weekend
Alcohol
Beer and Wine Only
Reservations
Not Accepted
Profile
Proudly Neapolitan in heritage are all sorts of impeccable fritti, as well as classic free-form pizzas out of the wood-fired oven, at Celeste. A flower-decked terrace leads into country-cottage quaint with sky-blue plates and exactly what you'd eat in Naples: deep-fried buffalo-ricotta balls (soft and creamy). Savory seafood fritto misto. And the day's riff on zucchini blossoms. Quite a trick for Teodora's Giancarlo Quadalti, staunch partisan of Emilia-Romagna and chef-partner here. He's mastered the mantra of Upper West Side eats, too: big portions, small prices—antipasti and salads (anchovy crostini, sautéed mussels, stuffed eggplant rolls, thin-sliced artichokes with pecorino), artisanal pastas and their gelato dessert. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld
I normally don't write reviews but after reading the bad reviews here I had to say something. I live around the corner from Celeste and go there quite often (most recently last night), and I have NEVER had a bad experience. Sure, the place is small and cramped, but the food is simple and fantastic, and the staff is always pleasant and often entertaining. Yes, your whole party has to be there before they will seat you. I can never understand why people have to get into arguments over this very simple policy. I grew up in Italy, and I think the food at Celeste is great. They keep their menu simple but always have great specials, their pasta is al dente and the pizza is delicious. Celeste's crowded wooden tables are my favorite place to enjoy a simple, casual, and delicious meal.
Terrible service - arrogant owner and personality-less waiters
It is very sad that such a cozy restaurant has such TERRIBLE service. The owner/manager is a very arrogant person who thinks he can mistreat people. Today we went and we were two people, but a friend called and said she´d join us so when the waiter came we told him we were not ready to order. His immediate reaction was to tell the manager, who came back to us and told us we had two minutes for our friend to arrive or else we should leave (notice that there were 4 empty tables in the place). After that we order bread and they just said no. DO NOT GO THERE if you think you deserve respect.