Celele

World Traveler★★★★★★★★★★5.0a week ago

We did the set menu, which I tend to avoid, but this meal was phenomenal from start to finish. Of course, some dishes stood out more than others. A few were truly incredible, while the rest were still excellent. The setting is beautiful, the service was amazing, and it made for a very enjoyable evening. I know this type of dining can feel a bit over the top for some people, and I usually do not gravitate toward these "foo foo" places myself, but this was an outstanding meal. I absolutely loved it. Pro tip: Check out the chef's other restaurant, Ahíto, in the Getsemaní neighborhood. It's fantastic for either lunch or dinner.

Soft Light★★★★★★★★★★2.04 months ago

The experience started well. The staff was accommodating and explained the menu and concept clearly. Unfortunately, the food itself was underwhelming. Most dishes ranged from mid to disappointing, with only a few standouts. The flower salad, burrata appetizer, and gallina criolla confitada were good—though gallina criolla is hard to mess up. The atún encebollado was fine but lacked depth and memorable flavor, and the cerdo Celele did not elevate the palate; overall, many of the dishes ordered felt homogeneous rather than distinct. The biggest letdown was the calamar pota y mejillones, which was overwhelmingly acidic to the point that it overtook the entire dish. What ruined the experience was the end. We were charged for filtered water served by the glass, with no bottle left at the table, which made it seem like regular water. When I politely asked for clarification, the waitress responded in an aggressive tone instead of explaining. Overall, this felt like a restaurant aimed mainly at tourists. Based on the food and how a simple question was handled, I wouldn’t recommend it. Cartagena has better options that offer stronger execution, hospitality, and value.

MaKaya Saulsberry★★★★★★★★★★5.05 months ago

I had some truly great meals at fine dining restaurants while in Cartagena, but Celele stood out as something really special. I ordered the crab, the flower salad, and the flan. The crab was unbelievably good. Without question, it was the best thing I ate in Cartagena. It didn’t even taste like a typical crab dish; it was so deeply flavorful that it almost reminded me of a refined brisket in the way the richness and savoriness developed. The flower salad was one of the most unique dishes I’ve ever had. I wasn’t sure how a dish centered around flowers would come together, but it absolutely worked - beautifully balanced, surprising, and memorable. The flan was interesting as well, though the crab was undeniably the star of the show. Excellent service from start to finish made this meal one of the highlights of my trip. I’ll genuinely be dreaming about that crab for days (and nights) to come.

Kyle Zofinski★★★★★★★★★★3.03 weeks ago

Please read further for a honest and realistic review. Overall, I thought the food was very thoughtful and the service was up to par but this experience is highly over priced for the quality delivered. Another note is that our experience took place across from the clock tower at their temporary location. Our waiter explained that they are expanding their original blue house location and they are closed while doing so. The Bad: The most notable disappointment was that we were celebrating our honeymoon and it was not recognized. I made notes on our reservation in advance and it was not mentioned at all. Instead, they were trying to upsell additional drink package or bottles of wine. A birthday was celebrated across the room but they missed someone’s honeymoon? For this price, I expected better recognition for such a special occasion. There were a few dishes that didn’t quite meet our expectations. One of the desserts and one of the appetizers. The appetizer was meant to be two bites. The one had flowers wrapped all around it. When I picked this one up with my fingers(as suggested by our waiter) it broke and fell onto the table. Little embarrassing as I noticed the staff giggling but that was my mistake. I was also surprised at the end when the bill included 3 waters(only drank 2). My mistake for expecting the waters to be included but we were surprised by the extra bill at the end after spending so much. The Good: The atmosphere was quite and relaxed. Meal was paced well but slow at the beginning. The best part of the whole meal was the flower salad and fish ceviche. These two dishes stood out as the most unique and special. The flower salad was by far my favorite. One thing to note is that the flowers add no special flavor. The sauce is what makes it taste so good and that was a little surprising. Our server Brian was excellent!! He was kind, thoughtful and attentive throughout our entire meal. He really made our meal special and did an amazing job to explain every dish in detail. At the end of our meal, he also invited us to sit outside on the balcony. We loved people watching and overlooking the buzzling nightlife of the city. Overall, it was a nice experience. I felt this restaurant lacks compared to other restaurants within this same caliber. For being nominated as a top 50 restaurant, we expected a bit more. There are SO many amazing restaurants in the city. Don’t feel trapped to book this one like we did.

Young Chef★★★★★★★★★★5.02 months ago

Incredible dinner. This is by far my favorite meal I’ve ever had. We chose the 10 course tasting menu and it was perfect for us. We got a taste of everything with explanations of the dishes. Our server only served one other table making the experience more intimate and tailored to us. The food came at good times and with the perfect amount of space in between dishes. The tasting lasted exactly 2 hours but it felt like a lot less as the spacing was perfect. The food was so special and had a mixture of local flavors which blended together perfectly. The tasting menu without alcohol costs just under 100 USD per person but it is well worth it. I will attach photos of the food along with the menu.