Celestins Restaurant & Voodou Lounge

My husband and I decided to revisit Celestin's last night. As it was prime time for dinner, we didn't expect to wait so long for someone to attend to us. It appears that they were ""under staffed"" and we were subsequently waited on by the bus-boy. He had no idea how to take an order, didn't write anything down, and had to come back to our table several times to clarify our orders and tell us that he wasn't a waiter....Despite specifiying in detail that I was allergic to peppers and onions, our food arrived and my salad was covered in green onions. I ate my entree and promptly handed my salad to my husband. It wasn't until we were done that the bus boy came round to check on us. My husband showed him all of the onions from the salad, and he looked a little puzzled until my husband reminded him of my onion and pepper allergy. There was no offering of a new oinionless salad or anything, just an ""oh, I'm sorry about that"", and then he dashed off.\r After dinner, we left the restaurant unsure of whether we would ever return. Several hous later, both my husband and I battled one of the worst cases of food poisoning we'd ever had. Each of us spent at least 30-45 minutes in the bathroom. We will never be back... more

Break your neck getting to this place. I have never had a bad meal here and I've been coming here for five years. Strange someone from Cuba has no idea how Grio is spelled. The bartenders hands are as heavy as your tips. the Mojitos there are heavenly. without fail I order the sweet potato fries and a small order of GRIO for appetizers. first timers, i would suggest one of about 10 different types of gumbo ranging from chicken to rock shrimp. if youre adventurous, try the rum cake but be warned, i had to take a cab home. bring about 60 bucks and sample the best Cuban, Jamaican, or Carribean food the city has to offer. one star? This place is awesome. more

I went there last night for the 3rd time very disappointing,we order the plantain side dish with the crio and the chicken,got the plantain is a apetizer and 20minutes latter the dinner,rice not cook at all and the plantains where not ripe.Lest no said we wait at the table 15minutes for water and another 15minutes to get our order.I know how this food should be prepare i'm from cuba and our food is similar.Will not go back. more

The owners of this restaurant have no loyalty to there employees and treat them like garbage. It is proven by how many people they have let go recently. I would not recomend that anyone dine at their restaurant. more

Colorful, fun, clean and very friendly. It's different -It's new music I haven't heard elsewhere. I felt happy just being there. Pros: The empanadas are fantastic, Poached salmon salad was fresh more

The restaurant is festive and wonderfully decorated. I love the voodoo flags. The wine selection is great. The staff is very friendly and professional. Very clean. Great good. I love the plantains and gumbo. Very good desserts. Pros: It is so festive here!! more

This place has amazing house gumbo. I usually have them kick it up with habanero (they are only too happy to oblige). I think people may have the wrong idea about this gumbo- yes, it is expensive if you look at it as a bowl of soup, but it's more like an entire meal in a bowl. Start it off with some sweet potato fries and a mojito and you've got a spicy break from the usual humdrum downtown fare. more

I thought it was great! Great service to, I suggest you get Shanda or Sandra as your waiter she is fantastic! I love the Gumbo. more

I went to Celestin's today for a work lunch. There were nine of us and the service was great. The place had nice colors that were interesting to look at. We were there for a really long time with our lunch, just because we were talking so much. I ordered the house gumbo with sausage because I was told it was great. I didn't think it was that good and I would have been dissapointed if I had to pay for it because I thought it was expensive. Luckily my lunch was picked up by the boss. The bathroom was clean but I didn't like walking by all the prepared meals there from the kitchen on the way to it. I tried the chocolate ice cream, chocolate pie and rum cake and they were all delicious. I think I would try Celestin's again, but I would NOT get the gumbo again.....it is better in New Orleans! Pros: The colors are fun and bright Cons: The gumbo needs help more

We went to Celetin?s for the first time on a Wednesday for dinner and just about had the whole place to ourselves. I believe there may have been three other couples there at the time. The atmosphere was fine but the music was very loud ? not conducive to having an enjoyable and relaxing dinner. We tried the Gumbo which I thought was fairly good but the price was very high ($18) for a bowl. If you don?t have the bread and butter with it you?ll go away hungry. I would say there are many other restaurants in the Sacramento area where you?ll get plenty of good food at a much better price. Pros: Good service Cons: Music too loud and prices too high more

I like going to Celestine's during happy hour (4-7pm during the week) because of the choice of appetizers they have and their prices. A cup of chicken gumbo, the sweet fries, and the flatbread are the best! You can have all that and a glass of wine for about 11 bucks (if you're hungry). So, it works for me when I'm at the office which is very close by and I have to stay longer, but need a quick bite to eat. It's very relaxing to just sit at the bar and eat. Cool bartender too! Pros: Happy hour prices and choice of appetizers Cons: Pricey during normal hours more

I recently went to Celestin's on a Friday night with my hubby and two friends. We arrived during the Happy Hour around 6pm and headed to the bar area. There, we easily found a seat at the hi-top tables and had some delicious appetizers and drink specials. The prices are excellent ($2 - $5) and the service was quick. Try the Sangria or Red Stripe. Yum! The happy hour extends until 7pm, so there is no mad rush to shovel down snacks and drinks. \r \r Then on to the restaurant. Here's our synopsis:\r \r - Grio: 10/10! This was a delicious dish! Tender and flavorful pork on the inside, crisp and seasoned on the outside. Similar to really good carnitas. I have been craving this ever since. You've got to give this one a try! It was served with a tangy, vinegar sauce. Excellent! \r \r - Fried plantains: 6/10 I love plantains, so I had high expectations. The flavor was great, not too sweet, balanced nicely with the black bean sauce, but it was just overcooked or over ripe to begin with. Once a plantain hits that mushy stage, it can't be salvaged. I would give this another try though.\r \r - Crab tostada: 9/10 Great, fresh crab, thick slices of avocado, placed on a fried patty. It was not what I was expecting. It was even better! Definitely a good choice.\r \r - Tomato & Avocado Salad: 8/10 It is what it says it is; a bowl of tomato and avocado slices, drizzled in a vinegar dressing. Very fresh, tasty, and light. \r \r - Gumbo: 6/10 We tried the Tiger Gumbo, Chicken Gumbo, and Andouille Gumbo. It was good, but not great. It is offered in a ?Cup-of-Gumbo? option, so each person can get their own little serving, which was great. Next time we come for dinner though, I would probably not order this again. Just so-so for me. \r \r All in all, it was a great experience. The servers were very attentive and quick, especially in the bar area. For a party of four, our bill ended up being about $80, so definitely a great value with a lot of variety. We will be back for sure! Pros: Great food, Great Prices, Happy Hour, Live Music Cons: None! more

This is a restaurant where you find your favorites and enjoy them each time you visit. We always have two orders of well done sweet potatoe fries, a avacado/tomatoe salad with their orange dressing and whatever else looks good on that day. Those two simple items bring us back over and over. This is a special and romantic place for a couple to go for a simple meal. more

The chicken curry was delicious! It was my birthday and Second Saturday and they gave me a piece of coconut pie on the house. It was so good I would not share it with my friends. They had to get their own.\r It;s bright and colorful and was a great place to celebrate. Pros: Great place to celebrate my birthday Cons: Don't get to go as often as I want. more

Okay, bottom line is that this is a really fun place to eat!! We loved the funky colors, the music playing and the food (we tried the Gumbo)! We got right in and the service was great. We would recommend this place as an alternative to all the same old boring chain restaurants. more

I am Caribbean and I dont think their food taste caribbean it taste like cane caribbean food. The prices are rediculous RIDICULOUS ; you pay almost $8 for a platanos maduros ( there are not even platains there bananas) when in the grocery store a platain costs 25 cents.\r more

I don't want to diss the guy below about whether Celestine is totally authentic or not, because to me, that's not as important as tasty food served right in a nice environment. This is what Celestine's offers. Plus, the place is cheerful and colorful, loud but not too, has a cozy full bar and a decent wine list. And the price is right in my wheelhouse. I didn't care for the plantains either (although the ones I had were indeed plantains and not bananas), but trying new stuff is part of the adventure. I do like the food very much generally. Creative use of coconut and spices with a home-cooked style. I have enjoyed very good service there too. Pros: Nice Environment, Good Food , Full Bar Cons: Too cozy when busy more

Unlike the previous reviewer I do not have experience with ""true carribean food"" but I always enjoy Celestin's and everyone I know loves it as well. I go for the gumbo and Mojitos, the perfect complement to each other, spicy and sweet/refreshing. My favorite gumbo has tiger shrimp, chicken and kielbasa. The scallops and other fish aren't bad either. If you can make it here for Happy Hour you can make a whole meal out of the appetizers like the jerk chicken (make sure you wash your hands good or otherwise the first time you rub your eyes they will buuuurn!) and corn fries. The tomato-avacado salade is a nice cool-down for your palate. Pros: Gumbo, Mojitos, Happy Hour Cons: Can get crowded, Can get loud, A little pricey more

-I do not call Haitian beans authentic when using Mexican Friojles - beans; -The food was bland lacking real excitement; anyone that has been to the caribbean would know that the food is rich in spices; -Plantain (Fried Banannas) were over rated, regular banannas were used as compared to the true Platanos; -Staff members could not pronounce the exotic foods; -Service is rough; compared more to an expensive fast food restaraunt; -The dish it self left a peculiar after - taste; -The Jamaican chicken wasn't marinated but smothered barely cooked having a pinkish coloration inside; -The price was an insult not reflecting the time & expertise in cooking exotic foods. -The cooks taste was not accustomed to the authentic way... -I would recommend trying food where the cooks put their heart and soul into; -Anyone that call's this authentic has not experienced true caribbean food reflecting its culture and tradition. Pros: Scenery, Restrooms, Music Cons: , Customer Service, Food more