Celeste 502 Amsterdam Avenue, Manhattan, New York,

"Very authentic local Italian restaurant on the UWS. The food was okay, but the vegetarian-only options we ordered weren’t great. Since it’s cash-only it turns out to be quite reasonably priced for a Manhattan restaurant."

"This place is really lovely !! To start the bread was airy and I loved the hint of rosemary. Fried artichokes with parsley was amazing, I was a bit thrown off with fried parsley but it tastes really good , especially with a squeeze of lemon. Eggplant lasagna has so much flavor and is not soggy !! I had the margarita pizza with prosciutto which was great as well. Crispy crust! Service was great & attentive as well :) Will be coming back here and surely recommending to others. Cash only but they do have an atm"

"Celeste is the restaurant where my partner and I had our first date. It’s also the restaurant where, nearly three years later, we held our wedding reception. On both occasions, Celeste proved ideal — we were treated like we were returning to a dear friend’s home and we feasted to our hearts’ content. Carmine Mitroni, the owner, is an exceptional host. He is warm and genuine. When it came to our wedding reception, we trusted Carmine with all the details — from the wine selection to everything that made it onto the final menu. By the end of the night, our 60+ guests were delighted with the food, service, and ambiance at Celeste. Without exception, we were all amazed by the amount of delicious platters that Carmine and Celeste’s servers placed in front of us. Our guests with special dietary restrictions were taken care of in precisely the ways we requested. Those who asked for a non-alcoholic beverage, such as a Diet Coke, coffee, cappuccino, or double espresso got exactly what they wanted — plus a friendly smile from one of the servers. Then, when it came time to paying the bill, the price was right and there were no surprises. All told, my partner and I could not have found a better place for both our first date and our wedding reception. We have every reason to feel grateful. To Carmine and his team at Celeste we say, thank you."

"Chill and down to earth place with great food, friendly staff, and timely service. I especially recommend the clam vermicelli, aromatic with seafood flavors and fresh ingredients without overpowering butter flavor like many other clam vermicelli. The apple pie dessert was also wonderful in flavor and texture. Bouncy, sweet and soft apple with yogurt glaze that compliments it perfectly. Loved the Quattro stagioni pizza as well!"