Cellini Restaurant

Really good Italian food and great service! The tomato, burrata, avocado, and arugula salad with pine nuts and balsamic was so flavorful and tasty. Our waiter recommended the homemade gnocchi in cream sauce with spinach and I’m so glad I ordered that as well. The gnocchi was fluffy, light and tender. I’m often afraid to order gnocchi because it can tend to be gummy and dense but this gnocchi was delicious. I split both of those dishes and with the bread they give you plus a glass of Prosecco, it was just the right amount.

Amazing food, I was surprised that most of ingredients like fish, burrata, olive oil are imported from Italy or home made like basil pesto and desserts. Extremely nice service including hostesses.

We booked a table through open table for 6:30. Upon arrival we were escorted to the 2^nd floor. Lacked any ambiance and asked if we could return to 1 st floor. This seemed to annoy the hostess who then offered us a table that was again inferior. The restaurant was almost empty. We decided not to stay and went to a lovely place across the street.

For some reason since this was right across the street from my hotel I thought it wouldn’t be good. Everyone recommended it from my hotel and I was hesitant.
The food and service was SO good I would come back again. And usually when I try new places I go once to keep trying new things. I had the Borrata salad and Gnocchi with LOTS of bread. I felt like I had my own waiter the whole time.
Totally recommend it!

I adored our meal at Cellini’s! We had a big party of 30+ people and they beautifully took care of us! We had the upstairs for us and it’s with passed hors d’oeuvres that we started our delicious evening! The thin pizzas and crispy crostinis were fabulous and it set the tone for a promising meal!
We had a delicious salad to wet our appetite with arugula, pears, Parmesan and spiced walnuts. Then we had penne with tomato sauce, eggplants, mozzarella and basil. I am not a fan of pasta in red sauce, but this was something else! It was really tasty with dancing flavors in your mouth! We then had the fresh broiled salmon with the honey Dijon sauce and to conclude the walk down yummy lane, we had a ricotta cheesecake!
Overall, the meal was a great success, the food was beyond delicious, our party was happy, the service was professional and our bellies full!

Food: ⁹⁄₁₀ — really good
Room: ⁵⁄₁₀ — dated and a bit worn — like maybe they are running out the lease?.
Service: ⁵⁄₁₀ — mechanical and not particularly welcoming — indifferent
Took a party of 10 to Cellini the other night — internal business dinner. I’ve been there several times in the past, although not for a few years.
On the plus side, round tables (key for large groups) upstairs and quiet enough that you can have a good conversation. Food was good (branzino, risotto — no complaints from anyone), reasonable prices, good wine list.
On the negative side, the place has gotten shabby. Downstairs is a bit cramped and tired. Upstairs is not cramped but still tired.
Service-​wise, i have no huge problem with adding on an automatic 20% tip for a large party, but you should at least pretend to earn it. I don’t need much, but I want to feel a little welcomed and I would like the waiter to be at least a little attentive — our guy was at best mailing it in.
So…
Would i take a new client? no
Would i take a date? not unless we had been dating for a long time
Would i take a group of old friends for good food and hopefully good conversation? probably.
Will i return in the near future? meh

This is my favorite Italian in Manhattan. The service is out of this world. Small & intimate. I have had larger parties upstairs for the holidays and everyone was beyond pleased. Everything is so fresh and I always recommend getting seafood. Cellini can do no wrong in my eyes. Dino is the man to know. My office changed locations but he treats me like a regular, still!

One of the best dining experiences I’ve had. Delicious food, i had a special, vodka cream tomato sauce with butterflied shrimp. Fiancée had a cheesy risotto with veal. Her brother just had a mound of different and wonderfully prepared fish. Antipasto platter was great, beans, mushrooms, shrimp, stuffed clams, roasted red peppers, mozzarella.
Definitely a more formal place. A family walked in with kids with sweatshirts and shorts and I found myself thinking they should have turned them away. Dress shirt and nice jeans at a minimum. A suit jacket would not look out of place.
Also, my fiancées brother spilled red wine on my fiancée and the wait staff immediately swarmed her to help clean up. Rather amazing how fast they reacted.
Cellini is real NY Italian. If the Godfather himself had walked in, I would not have been surprised.
A+ service and food.

Awesome dinner and ambiance. Enjoyed dinner with 4 ladies, great service at our pace! Everyone’s food was fabulous!

Yesterday we had a very lovely lunch !! The place is small, old world and
loaded with business people, 95% of whom were men. It was exceptionally
noisy when we arrived about 1 P. M. but got reasonably quiet a half hour
or so later when the businessmen left and the place began to empty out.
All of our food was exceptionally fresh and beautifully prepared. The
service was fast and efficient. We each received two different kinds of
bread on our bread and butter plates; both of high quality and flavor.
Our main dishes arrived soon thereafter. My husband had his favorite
dish: capellini frutti di mare and it did not disappoint– a nice size, flavorful
portion with a nice portion of seafood;; very satisfying. I had the pounded
swordfish dish with nice fresh sweet potato and vegetables. The swordfish
was topped with fresh arugula and fresh tomatoes– a beautiful
presentation and very tasty dish.
The third member of our party had the pounded salmon which was also a
size portion. She was very pleased with the flavor and size of
the dish: additionally the broccoli di rape which was ordered a la carte
was very good and more than ample in size.
We concluded with coffee, tea and I had a very good cappuccino served
with their gratis biscotti. Very good and satisfying lunch– especially
when the noisier clientele have departed.

Cozy Italian restaurant in a great location serving standard Italian dishes. Service is a little chaotic but prices are reasonable. Not a memorable experience by any stretch of imagination.

Nice lunch spot.
Salad was the house salad and all ingredients were super fresh. The entrees were fish
The branzino was filleted and was accompanied by vegetables. Simple but very tasty. Pounded salmon was also nicely cooked and the thick balsamic on top really contrasted nicely with the meaty taste of the fish (it was cooked a little more because it was pounded).
Will be back.

Awesome food, awesome service! Need I say more!!! Excellent, Excellent, Excellent! Yum. Thank you for everything!

Food was amazing — I got the gnocchi and my boyfriend got the spaghetti. Very fresh and delicious, all the waiters spoke Italian which is always a good sign. Also service was very quick!
Definitely recommend this place!

The first weekend after moving to New York from Chicago, my wife and I had dinner at Cellini. We chose it because we were both in a pasta mood, and it is the only midtown restaurant I could remember visiting before. We were not disappointed.
Shirley had a special swordfish with arugula salad and said it was simply one of the best dishes she had ever enjoyed. I had a fantastic spaghetti carbonara. The wine list was filled with good choices — many at reasonable prices. You can’t beat a Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva.
This is a neighborhood place for nearby Park Ave. residents. But it was homey and welcoming. The service could not have been better. Truly a Five Star experience. At a reasonable price for New York or anywhere.

This placed was recommended by a friend. This is an authentic Italian place that represents the typical good New York Italian cuisine. I went with a party of 8 and pretty much tasted every dish, food was really good. Risotto was cooked to perfection, veal Milanese was delicious, rigatoni was very good. Desserts were just as good

How this place only has 3.5 stars is beyond me. My guess is that it’s a hidden gem that a lot of people haven’t discovered yet. The Captain and I stopped in here last night for dinner — our first and only meal of the day so we were starving. The ambiance is warm and welcoming — dimly lit, romantic, and intimate.
After being seated and handed menus, our drink order was taken and bread was brought to our table (focaccia and a crusty sliced Italian bread). I ordered the beef carpaccio which was served with arugula, lemon, shaved Parmesan, hearts of palm, and white truffle oil. It was so fresh and delicious that I could have ordered 3 plates for my meal. For my entrée I got seafood risotto which was phenomenal. It was loaded with squid, shrimp, and lobster and had a light seafood and tomato flavor. Complimentary biscotti follows your meal, which was a nice little touch. And the best part of this restaurant? The prices!!! All entrees are under $ 30 which, in my opinion, is a bargain considering the quality of the food.

I’ve had exceptional food and great service at this restaurant in the past. I used to come here for business lunches quite often.
Recently, I came with three colleagues around 2pm. Maybe 3 of the tables on the first floor were occupied. All was well until the hostess told us we weren’t welcome to just have coffee tea and snacks… and told us to go to Pret a Manger instead. I said «there seems to be plenty of room,» and she told me it wasn’t about room… but didn’t explain what the problem was. I guess our orders weren’t worth the hassle?
Pretty embarrassing. Won’t come here again.

We had a great dinner!
Carbonara, linguini w clam sauce, excellent!
We would come here again when in the city!

Setting: Smallish restaurant that is best suited for 2 – 4 people per table. Not great for large groups as the tables are very close to one another. In the heart of midtown.
Food: I enjoyed the grilled calamari and the seafood risotto. You can get a small risotto as a side if you don’t want the whole risotto. Just ask the waiter.
Service: However, I didn’t enjoy the timing of how the food comes out. I had to wait for my drink when everyone else at the table got theirs and the entrees didn’t come out all at once.
Verdict: Recommended for an enjoyable meal.
Pluses: there is a coat check and a small bar.