Celadon--CLOSED

I went to Celadon around 11:00pm on a Saturday night with my girlfriend for drinks and was pretty disappointed with the service, overall. There were, at most, 5 other people in the bar but it took forever to get a drink because the bartender was too busy flirting with a girl at the end of the bar to be bothered to take our order. When the time came to pay for our tab it took another 15 minutes to pry him away from her again before we could get out of the place. I might go back again to try the food but there are other places in town that provide far better service if you're looking to have a drink. Pros: Great ambience Cons: Lousy service more

It's a wonderful restaurant, the staff is friendly. I have never had a bad mean or service. Everything we ordered was delicious. A must try is the hummus, it's different, but delicious. The Apple Doughnut were not my favorite desert, but that's just a taste thing. My friend ordered a second helping. Just give it a try and try the Orange Margarita. On this last trip we had a meal of Tapas. DEELISH!!!! Pros: Food, Drinks, Service, Ambiance, Desert Cons: I don't live next door! more

We felt as though we were lucky enough to be judges for an ""Iron Chef"" episode during which everything prepared was absolutely amazing. The tapas-style dishes feature combinations as unique as Chef Danny Elmaleh's heritage. What is produced is consistent perfection. We have been fortunate enough to order from various seasonal menus, and, while the ingredients change, our satisfaction does not. Tip: Do not leave without trying the scallops! more

The food here is awesome! Every dish that was brought our looked beautiful and tasted great. Try the tuna tartar lolipops and for sure ask for one of the fresh squeezed juice cocktails. Perfect for a girls night or date. more

After reading many great reviews of Celadon, my boyfriend and I decided to try it out last night. We found it a bit suspicious that the restaurant was not crowded on a Friday night but we sat down anyway. We ordered miso soup to start and five other dishes and we waited... and waited... 40 minutes later, our food had still not arrived (not even the miso!) and our waiter was nowhere to be found... finally we motioned him over and asked him to check on our food... he came back and said that there was a back-up in the kitchen (although everyone around us, seated after us, had already received their food)... we asked to speak to the manager. 10 minutes later the manager showed up and assured us that this ""never happens""... we waited for him to offer us another round of drinks or dessert on the house and nothing! after his multiple assurances that the kitchen is not usually this slow, he just walked away! When the food finally arrived, it was mediocre (I've had better walnut shrimp at Wokcano on 3rd) and quite overpriced ($9 for miso soup?). Needless to say, we will not be returning to Celadon and I'll be surprised if its still open in 6 months. more

I'm a regular LA foodie (not in any way affiliated with the restaurant) and I have to say that Celadon is one of the ""hidden gems"" of this city. I have always found the place to have friendly and pleasant service and absolutely exceptional small plate cuisine. The cocktails, although priced in a more high-end range ($10-12) are very delicious and feature unusual ingredients such as prickly pear, ginger, and elderflower. The small plates are some of the most creative dishes you will find in the city--highlights being the Middle-East inspired hamachi spoons, the leeked potato with snapper, and the tuna tartar lollipops (a spicy tempura-battered refreshing ahi concoction). On my multiple visits to Celadon, I have had no less than 14 of the dishes, and while some are of course better than others, they are all across the board above average because the chef is creative and bold in mixing styles of cuisine with fantastic results. Pros: exceptionally creative dishes, delicious cocktails Cons: parking can be challenging...use the valet more

I am not much on words, my wife and several friends have been to Celadon several times in the past month and a half. I must say that despite the couple of reviews that are here that someone keeps knocking the place, I, my wife nor my friends have seen any problems. We love the restaurant, we adore the food, but with the staff that is here, this is why we keep going back. Maybe Brian took heed to what was said and decided to turn things around or it was just someone that had a bad experience one night. I have to say we didn't see this problem. We even made the reservation for my wife's birthday and she got a call from someone at the restaurant wishing her a ""Happy Birthday"" and they made it extra special for her that night. We are fans of the restaurant and will keep going back time and again. I hope this one stays in business! Pros: Awesome food, Attentive Staff, Beautiful Atmosphere Cons: Get there while you can more

We just checked to see if the management gave as rude a retort to verbal987 as he posted to makosmommy on 10/5. The owners must have come to their sences, as it has been removed. We realize the customer is not always right, but for a manager to have posted, what he did, is unbelievable. We definately believe the revue from 8/27--Rico Suave saying, ""its only $4.00"". It's just more proof of the lack of respect and service,that is now standard at Celadon. All of the fellow customersthat we have spoken to agree-""We are just numbers to the management, and though that may be true, WE DO PAY HIS SALARY!' Maybe the staff feels that way to, as the hostess staff, has had a complete turnover. We debated putting our feelings on the web, but if it was our business, we would want to know, so to the owners ""do something."" Their has never been a question about Chef Dannys food-the best in this city! As to the comment about Michael-I'll say no more than unbelievable! more

I must say, I went with a group of friends last night for dinner, and had the best time of my life. Friday night was crazy, all of the tables were full, even the room on the side was full, and people were being sent to the bar to wait for a table. The music is upbeat, the lighting was a bit bright but the manager, Brian, took care of the problem promptly. The food, there are just not enough words to describe or should I say the right words to describe it. Danny is truly an artist like none other. Brian was right when he told us the textures and flavors that Danny the chef put together were carefully thought over and prepared with passion. Our server, bus boy, food runners were all so friendly and helpful, this is the first restaurant I have been in that a busboy can do a great job recommending something on the menu much less describing the item as well!! Our food came out like clockwork and the items we ordered were paired together perfectly. As I see in other reviews the ?Lollipops? are great, but there is a new item that beats them all, the Truffled Tuna Tartar with Quail Eggs, I am a fan of Hummus, but this chef has an ingredient in there that will knock your socks off. Brian made a bet with us that he would buy our dinner if there was something we didn?t like; needless to say my friend has a large charge on her credit card. The drinks that were on the specialty drink menu are amazing as well, if you like pumpkin pie, then you need to get in and try Li?s, Bar Manager, Pumpkin Pie Martini, just like pumpkin pie. I have to agree with the last review here, all of you can have the other restaurants, my friends and I will keep this one for ourselves. Kudos to Brian, Danny and Li, you guys are doing a great job, people in Los Angeles don?t know what they are missing out on. FYI...My friend witnessed Michael the old manager yelling at the waitstaff in front of the guests, she wouldn't go back, she saw the review that he was gone, she's a regular again. Pros: Atmosphere, service, food Cons: Everyone is gonna find this place more

OMG, could I have found the most delicious, most fun, best dining spot in LA?! You can have your Koi and Katsuya's because Celadon is all mine! Where do I begin? The Lollipops are such a tasty mixture of textures and flavors, the Hummus Parfait is hummus on steroids-the freshest, most original presentation and combination of flavors, yes, in the hummus. And then there was the drinks, wow, good thing I got to be the passenger because I was rocked after 2 signature cocktails: the Bloody Pear Margarita quenched my parched throat and then the Fire on Third blew me away, to actually be able to drink thai chilli is ingenious.\r I had a little bit of room left for the desserts, who am I kidding? I ALWAYS have room for dessert and the Celadon desserts reminded me why...fresh apple doughnuts, we're talking rings of fresh apple lightly breaded and fried in donut batter with caramel and creme anglaise on the side, AMAZING and then the Roast Mission FIgs with Vanilla gelato, hmm, those were both fruit so that doesn't count as dessert ;) I have to go back to try the chocolate stuff and all the other goodies...this place is worth a try and we had no problems with service, charming and available. \r Also note that this is a great place for large parties and they told me you can work with the bartender to make up your own signature cocktail! how cool is that! Pros: Cocktails & Food more

My wife and I were regulars at Celadon since it's opening. We had enjoyed the food and service. The main reason for our returning was the mgr.-Michael. He seemed to be everywhere at once, giving a hand to the waiters bussers, or customers. Michael always remembered the guests and their preferences! Since this last June,when we were told he was on vacation, we had returned 5 times-but never again. The last visit, we asked the hostess for a different table, and then asked for Michael, the new mgr. came over and said, he doesn't work here anymore, and that HE, BRIAN,WAS THE MANAGER! and that he had a seating schedule, and that waiter needed to be sat. We had guests with us, and never have we been so insulted. We would have left, but my wife said,""no,at least the food is always fantastic. The rest. was not busy and never got busy, in fact the table we wanted-never got sat. The waiter was rude and didn't seem to care. We should have left, AOC is just down the block. We have spoken to several friends, who were reg.'s and the have all said the same thing-service is horrible and the manager is rude, and doesn't care. It,s so sad, because Chef Danny is so talented! But his food can't make up for the rest. We just donot believe the ownersmade such a poor call, in letting Michael leave. If they can get Michael back, they better do it, while they have some business left. If anyone knows where Michael is, tellhim to contact us, we will patronize any where he is. Now as to the revue on10/5 and the managers responce. How could they tell, at the time of dining? He is never in the room, & if he is, he is rude & non-caring. Hope they will return, & he will [TRY?] and fix the problem. To the food, I donot agree, but HE says,"" IT WAS THEIR TASTE.""--CRASS! To itemize their check, again ,""CRASS>"" Evidently,BRIAN doesn't realize, that we as patrons, pay his wages, by going to Celadon. With all the feedback, we have heard, from friends and the last 2 reviews--THE OWNERS BETTER WAKE UP! Pros: Fantastic Food! Cons: Manager Brian, the service, & no more Michael! more

Went to Celadon last night. I am torn as to whether or not I should even bother writing a review since I predict this place will be closed in a few months. There was ample seating at 8pm on a Thursday night - it was dead, and for good reason. Let me start with the two positives: the drinks from the bar were good and the desert was good, although the portion was very small. The negatives - where do I begin? The waitress, although friendly, was nowhere to be seen. This particular restaurant space has been through at least 3 reincarnations that I recall. In past lives, the interior was exceptional. Now, the dining room is a box configured in such that it is impossible for the waitstaff to be present and checking on the patrons, thus the missing waitress. The food was HORRIBLE. We started with an oyster shooter - disgusting. Next, a watermelon and tuna dish - inedible. There were some potstickers and a duck brest that were decent, but nothing exceptional. Here's the other thing I noticed - it's meant to be tapas style dining, but everything that came out was in odd numbered portions - 5 of something or 3 of something. Sushi is always cut in 6 pieces by design - so two people can equally share a dish. Well, it didn't matter anyway since we certainly were not fighting over anything! And, yes, it was over $100 for each of us to have that horrible dining experience. Pros: decent coctails Cons: everything, especially the food more

I can?t recall the last time I experienced such horrible service, not even in Paris! We first went to the bar and this friendly bartender made us delicious mojitos. All was well until Rico Suave, the other bartender, brought us the bill which was wrong by about $70!! The second bill was wrong by about $30. Then Rico?s bill was $4 over (the happy hour difference). At this point we asked for the bill at our table. The food was drenched in too many sauces and didn?t resemble anything edible. Rico returned and instead of apologizing for the erroneous bills, he said ?it was only $4, no big deal.? There was a reason the bar was empty and we left our plates untouched. Pros: Welcoming ambience with respect to design (from the previous owner). Cons: Staff is not trained to deliver respectable service. more

I have been wanting to go to Celadon for months and the food is incredible. I suggest getting a group of friends together so you can try many of the dishes. My friend and I started with the humus that is served with grilled flat bread and it was so good. We ordered the flat iron steak and spare ribs both were good but the spare ribs were the best. For desert we got the chocolate souffle served with vanilla gelato yummy! Pros: Great food, Friendly & Attentive Staff, Selection Cons: Parking more

I have been here twice in one week, and an email invite from the G.M. Brian was the one that got my interest. I don't know how I ended up on a email list but I am glad I did. (Give them your email, great way to keep up on the place) I went for a CD release on Monday (they are not currently open on Mondays). The appetizers were, all I can say were ""INSANE"", chef Danny has the flavors, taste and the smells down to an art. I was sitting amongst a group of friends and all I could here was ""Oh, My..."" \r \r Second visit, Saturday night, six of us for dinner, the place is packed, all of the table full, and a cute crowd in the lounge. The music and the energy in this place had everyone dancing in their seats. The staff is smiling, laughing and having a good time. \r \r Li (bar manager) and Kim both so friendly we couldn't decide to eat in the bar or in the dining room. Li has made a drink list that goes along with the food of Chef Danny, ""Insane"", We all had a different drink so we could try them all. Hands down the Cavalli Spa was the best, we observed almost every table with a Cavalli spa. Saturday, Happy Hour goes from 6pm till 2 am with different drink ideas every hour, this idea, we were told, was the GM Brian. Way to go!!!\r \r Brian came and took us to our table himself and introduced us to our server. Cat was one of the best servers that I have ever had. She suggested just the right foods and just the right amount so we were not sitting like ""stuffed pigs"". The waitstaff, bus staff, and food runners do everything like clockwork but in a personal way. All of them talked with the people at all of the tables. Jeffrey, Daniel, Denise and Ioana, all made sure we were doing fine. Brian has got a staff to be proud of.\r \r All I can do is make suggestions at this point, Ahi pizza, Oyster shooters, pork saltimbocca, flat iron steak, halibut, shortribs, Oh My!!!! My suggestion....get there as fast as you can, there is soon to be a line out the door. Pros: Looking for a good time, good food and good drinks Cons: Can get a bit loud, not a romantic place on the weekends more

This place is great. From the unusual and fantastic cocktail menu to the unique twists on tasting plates, everything is perfect. They were a little late opening that night (10 minutes or so) and the host appeared to be a bit irritated about something, so I was anticipating a less than stellar experience. The charming waitress, ""Cat,"" put our fears to rest. She was pleasant, knowledgeable, and very helpful. She explained the restaurant's tapas approach and the order and speed of service so we wouldn't be surprised or misinterpret the rapidity of food delivery. While everything came with little space between each item, we never felt rushed. Service was attentive (if occasionally a little amateurish). The food was among the best we've ever had. Each item was 3-5 obvious ingredients which combined into a delightful taste sensation. Layers of flavor, beautiful presentations, and unusual combinations of ingredients were present in every dish. We added a hummus dish to our order when we realized we still had a little room left and expected it to be less unusual than the other offerings. It wasn't. We split five orders plus dessert and were full without being stuffed. We'll be back often. more

My husband and I have been to every tapas restaurant in LA.After reading the reviews for this place I made a res.Saturday night 8pm, we were the only people in the place under the age of 40.Every table around us was filled with elderly groups around 60 to 70 years old.We are in our early 30's and the only other people our age were the wait staff.The food was average, I would give it an above average except every single thing we ordered from beginning to end was served with a large combination garnish of parsley,flowers?,and cilantro and other green things I could not identify,and it was always right on top of all of the food,very strange.There was also an abundance of bus boys constantly prowling the restaurant looking over our shoulders at our table to immediately clear plates,etc. It made you feel a little rushed.Overall this is not the place to go if you're looking for a cool,hip crowd,maybe a crowd that all has hip replacements.A surprising clientele considering the location.All in all not a horrible experience just strange.Besides the garnish on all the food, I can't really remember what we ate.Our waitress was pretty and could get better tips somewhere else,felt sorry for her, she had 4 tables of senior citizens on Saturday night. My husband thought there must have been a WWII convention nearby or something.If you want great tapas with younger more attractive scenery stick with AOC.\r Pros: attractive waitress,good drinks Cons: cpr card required,waterfall outside leaking on your head as you enter/exit more

I called ahead on a Friday to make sure I get there before kitchen closes. I was told they serve dinner till 11pm. I then specifically asked if I walk in at 11, will I get dinner. The girl on the phone told me to get there by 10:50pm to still get served. We showed up at 10:40pm and (presumably the same girl, as I just called a few hours ago), tells us that the kitchen is already closed. Excuse me? You guys just told me you serve us till 10:50 but now the kitchen is closed? ""I'm sorrrry"" said the girl, not very convincing either. We walked up the street and ended up eating at AOC, where the 11:30pm kitchen shut down actually meant 11:30pm. Won't come back to Celadon, not interested. AOC was great, btw. more

I am a major foodie and have been totally disappointed by most L.A restaurants. I walked into Celadon and was totally turned off by the decor --fake flickering candles lined the entire restaurant and were distracting and tacky. Thank god the food was fantastic --My husband and I split four dishes (even though the server reccomended at least five) and were totally stuffed and happy. We tried the tuna ""lolipops"", the chicken salad, the creamy shrimp salad, and the sizzling seafood noodles. The portions were generous and the flavors were incredible!! It's a little pricy but well worth it for the unique flavors and pleasant service. Pros: Great food, unique menu Cons: ambience, decor more

I live a block down the street from Celadon and everytime I drive past it, I see crowds of people outside on a friday night so I wanted to see what the fuss was about. So...for a friends engagement party, we decided to make a reservation at Celadon for a party of 10. But as always, there were last minute guests who decided to trickle in to join the fun, which was bad on our part, so we had to add on two extra guests last minute. Little did we know, as the guests started showing up (some were late due to traffic from driving all the way from orange county to celebrate this engagement) the manager comes to our table and asks for the host of the party. He then, in a VERY RUDE manner, tells us that we must be finished by 9:00 pm since we added on two extra guests. I have eaten at many, many resteraunts in los angeles and I had NEVER heard such remarks especially from the manager kicking us out by a certain time. He then says ""Do you know what time it is and your guests have not even started ordering yet? You need to be finished by 9:00pm"" At that point, all the guests for the party had bad tastes in their mouths. We were no celebrities, but we did NOT deserve such treatment! This party was supposed to celebrate the new chapter of an engaged couple and Celadon ruined everyones dinner and especially the soon to be bride and groom's appetite!! On top of that, the portions of the food were so tiny they were meant to feed an ant! I must admit the food was good and the deserts were excellent, but the portions were way too small!!! My scallops entree literally came with six pieces of small scallops. The manager ended up feeling a bit apologetic for his actions at the end of our QUICK dinner (we swallowed our food quite quickly), but we still got kicked out as soon as the clock turned 9. RUDE, RUDE, UNACCEPTABLE SERVICE! Pros: Great deserts, Nice Ambience Cons: TINY portions, Rude Service more