Cello’s

Happy Hour at Cello’s doesn’t get better than this. We had Paella which was the best we have ever had, a glass of wine, and great atmosphere. Tom and Bonnie know how to make their customers happy!

Really good food. We went on a Monday night and it was lovely and quiet. The server said it was impossible to predict – some nights they are packed.
Started with complimentary appetizer – it was ok but not spectacular. The had a prix fixe menu which was an excellent value: $ 19.95 for salad or soup, entrée, and dessert.
Our favorites (in order) were: beef stroganoff, chicken parmesan (on prix fixe menu), short ribs, cassoulet (prix fixe). The beef stroganoff is magic! I had a wedge salad which was good; husband had the house salad which he loved-​lots of olives, etc. Very Mediterranean.
Carrot cake was good; blueberry sorbet was lovely – but very floral :)
We had good service.
We will be back.
10% off for checking in on Unilocal. (I forgot to use it but it is there nonetheless!)

The ambiance is warm and cozy and the service was very good. My wife and I had the lamb shank from the pri-​fix menu. Our Salata and Beet salads were excellent. My lamb shank served with vegetables and Israeli couscous was ok, but the sauce was boring. My wife’s lamb shank had little edible tender meat on it. The banana-​caramel gelato desert was tasty, but the serving was stingy. The house Cabernet we chose was $ 10 a glass– overpriced for the quality. At $ 19.95 each, this meal is not a bargain at all.

WHY do I torment myself and not read my own prior reviews of this place? I was lured by their e-​mail Prix Fix $ 19.95 3 course special of the week.
–I had to ask for bread which turned out to be ONE brown roll for each of us.
–«Black Mussels in a white wine garlic broth, tomatoes and Spanish Chorizo with crusty bread.» A bowl of maybe 15 SMALL black mussels with innards the size of your thumbnail in an unbearably salty broth. Crusty bread? Not here. And I wouldn’t dip it in that horrid excuse for a broth anyway. Portion wise, the mussel dish might have passed as an appetizer.
–the Salata Salad was colorful and the house dressing, a sort of vinaigrette was passable. –The other half had the mushroom soup, eh.
–my companion had the Lamb Shank. First go-​around it got returned as too dry. Second attempt dealt with the «dry» but still left it bland.
–I had the Carrot Cake… ok, it was carrot cake. Need I say more?
–the other served dessert was a melon-​ball-​sized glop of vanilla gelato.
—this is another example of a local restaurant that succeeds in spite of itself and due, mostly, to it’s location and comfort factor. Ah, but, up the street, Sammy’s opened. A MUCH BETTER choice!

Cello’s remains our «go to» restaurant for our annual arrival night in Palm Springs. We arrived a day or so just before last Thanksgiving holiday. It’s like an old friend, something you can rely upon for consistently great food and good service. Wife and I also like that we can arrive at 5pm (we like to eat dinner early) without a reservation. We prefer to sit on the Bistro side of the restaurant as opposed to the more formal side. The Bistro presents more dining options. Yes, you can order off the full dinner menu but additionally there is a Bistro menu that has smaller portions of the same high quality food at reduced prices. I’m still a big fan of Cello’s and therefore give 4-​stars. In my opinion, a slight difference compared to prior reviews is service. Don’t get me wrong, service is good and I will continue visiting every year. Yet our first few years Cello’s had some servers who provided remarkable personality and service that elevated our dining experience. Our first couple of years we looked forward to Matt before he moved from the area. The following year Anthony provided similar memorable service. Our last two visits have had the same great food with good service, yet without memorable service. We didn’t seem to get a personal connection with the staff. In retrospect that may be a reflection of my wife and I, and not Cello’s staff. I do remain a strong fan of Cello’s and look forward to returning!

Used to love this place but everytime I go something changes and not for the better. Still a desert jewel for sure with nice owners, good food and friendly staff, there’s now definitely room to improve. The Gorgonzola & fig pizza is unreal IF they have it!

Great atmosphere, service and the food was awesome. I ordered the wedge salad (huge!) and the Caprese Chicken which was outstanding. A delicious and very filling dinner with extras to take home. I would definitely come back here again

On a été diné, l’entrée est très bon (salade de crabe et moules)
En revanche, les plats principaux sont moyens
Je pense qu’il faut essayer les autres plats pour mieux juger
Donc rendez vous l’année prochaine

I had a wonderful meal at a fair price and was made to feel ‘included’ by Tom and his staff even though I was a transient amongst what seemed to be mostly regulars. Dean took care of all my drink needs and was happy to keep bar open past standard hours merely because I wanted another. Very friendly people here. You can’t go wrong. To the few quirky negative reviewers I would simply ask «did you bother to ask Cello staff to remedy the situation?». I’m sure they would have.

We decided to come in after we met Tom. And Bonnie at The Palm Desert Food and Wine Event. The restaurant is tucked away in a strip mall a little north off 111 on Date Palm dr in Cathedral City. We were greeted by a friendly girl at the host stand and she proceeded to seat us. The restaurant is on the smaller side but intimate. We were seated in the back corner of the place quite comfortable. Our server came and introduced herself and took our drink orders. After he drinks she’s explained the 3 course pre fixe menu which was inexpensive at $ 19.95 3 of is ordered that I had the wedge salad and the Orecchiette pasta dish with sausage the wedge was nice crisp lettuce with bacon and tomatoes and my pasta dish was good the sausage was crumbled in a red sauce and it had a rich flavor.
The other dishes were the chicken caprese and the short rib pasta All nice size entrees for the price The chicken was delicious crispy thin batter very Milanese with a tomato and mozzarella salad atop the short rib pasta was also good with nice pieces of short rib with pasta. The vote fixe had a choice of desert a brownie or carrot cake both were excellent All in all reasonable prices and very good food. They also have a special reduced menu if you sit in the bar. You should definitely try this place

The food here is excellent. Tom the owner and Tommy the waiter (no relation) were exceptional. I had the best liver and onions that ever was even better than my Mothers. Great my friend had the chicken caper se and it too was outstanding. all together place we rate it very high 5 isn’t enough. We will be back on a regular basis

My husband and i went here for our date night. I had their special sea bass on top of veggies. I have to say the sea bass tasted very sweet. My husband ordered the filet mignon. It was good. We also has an appetizer tomotoes beef with goat cheese. It was delicious!!!

Was turned on to this hidden gem by a friend and the :3 of us had a delightful dinner! I had the special (monkfish) while friends had liver and lamb chops. Shrimp cocktail appetizer was fresh and all entrees were delicious! Very relaxing atmosphere and a very attentive server who explained the 3 specials in detail and served everything with precision. I’ll be back!

I am making an exception. I almost never write a bad review. I went to Cello two weeks ago and I tried to forget the experience; but the more I tried to forget the more it haunted me.
Their signature lemon cocktail is a tourist trap rip off and they don’t even cater to the tourist crowd. A cocktail in a martini glass is supposed to be strong. Martini glasses contain only a small amount of liquid. They are made wide at the top to make it appear that more liquid is in the glass.
When Cello served me their signature lemon coctail in a martini glass they violated all the rules. The fill level was way too short. Take out the lemon slice and the ice and it’s even shorter. I could not taste the alcohol. I paid $ 12 for 3 small sips of something that tasted like Mikes spiked lemonade. This is thr ripoff of the century. I was so disappointed. I really wanted to like this place. Even if the food is good I can’t eat there because of this unethical practice.

Three of us went early tonight to take advantage of their 3 course meal deal for $ 20. EXCELLENT value but it ends at 5:30 so get there before then and you to can enjoy a great meal at a more than fair price.
The only reason I took one star away was I had the muscles and as other’s have pointed out here they are uninspired to jus plain boring. Sure they were okay, but that’s it a bucket of mussels and nuttin else. A little juice at the bottom was a help for the last few I ate.
The beet salad is to die for and the brownie dessert was excellent.
Would I go again YES
Would I recommend the place YES
Would I order mussels again. pass
Like I said try the 3 course dinner but be seated before 5:30 for 3 options of appy or salad, 3 entrees and 3 desserts for $ 20. house wine, and well drinks off this early menu are only $ 4 each for the WIN

Food was great. Rack of Lamb and beet salad were great. My buddy had the Filet which was very good. Very attentive service.
A little gem in Palm Springs.

I waited to have gone here and eaten almost everything before writing a review. I wish I could give it 4.5 stars because I don’t round up.
Although not necessary it’s a good idea to make a reservation if going after 6pm. You can always try the Bistro next door for seating. If you choose the restaurant side, you will enjoy an amuse bouche to start. If it’s your birthday, everyone gets a flute of champagne to celebrate. If you are staying in a nearby hotel, see if they are offering a discount.
The service is great. The first time I went, they forgot to bring out the bread. That never happened again. The water is almost always filled, but sometimes, it tastes kind of nasty. California water, I guess.
Parking was never an issue for me. They have a private lot.
Everything is really delicious, but here are my favorites.
Ask for pesto with the bread.
Duck — nicely proportioned, great with the light but sweet sauce. Very tender and juicy.
Crab-​stuffed branzino. Beautifully done.
Stroganoff — like mom used to make.
Filet mignon — done perfectly. Charred on the outside. Soft and rare in the middle.
New Zealand lamb chops — perfectly crusted and cooked to perfection.
Want to try the mussels, pork chop and braised beef.

I had an excellent dinner here. Started with a Caesar Salad made with kale instead of romaine lettuce.
Dining companions warned me that kale is «tough and chewy» but I wanted to try it anyway. The kale was quite good, and I’d order that salad again.
My main course, salmon, was cooked perfectly as I’d ordered it.
Service was cordial and efficient.
Cello’s easily rates 5 stars – a neighborhood gem for people living in Cathedral City or Rancho Mirage.

Our server Shannon was superb and our meal was fantastic. Don’t mind the location of this restaurant, it is off the beaten track, but definitely worth the drive. The crab stuffed fish was awesome as was the rack of lamb. I would highly recommend this romantic eatery.

Ok, so I say to myself what’s the story with all these five star ratings for a supposedly fine dining restaurant situated in a strip mall in Cathedral City of all places?!
Well, now I know! CELLO’s is simply terrific!
Other than a slight glitch with our table location choices — actually we had one foot out the door after the young hostess informed our group of four that we had no choice but to sit right in front of the entranceway because all of the more preferred locations were already assigned to others despite the fact that we were about the only one’s there at 6:00 (fortunately a more experienced staff member stepped in and sorted things out), our dining experience was equal to or better than those in similar restaurants in more upscale environs.
Recommendations: Short ribs, Veggie Lasagna and Grouper (fish special tonight) were all heroes, not only the mains but the accompaniments as well, especially the terrific risotto and asparagus, truly delicious and served piping hot, not always the case when trying to time up the plating. Wine list was nicely blended by category and price.
Desserts (lemoncello tiramisu, brownie/​gelato) were decadent, in the best sense of the word.
Service was perfect and the owner (Tom) took the time to stop by everyone’s table to ask if everything was up to par. I understand that he’s a chef himself and you could tell he took sincere pride in the food and the establishment.
Just a solid overall dining experience — -we’ll certainly be back OFTEN!!!

My wife and enjoyed our meal very much and would recommend this Resturant very highly the service was also great We will be back
Thank you