Cella Restaurant & Bar

I go to a lot of restaurants for work and, Cella is easily one of the best restaurants I have ever been to. Never have I looked at a menu where I wanted to order every single dish - until now. Had duck confit leg and braised beef cheeks and they were absolutely incredible. Their chef Cal is extremely talented and their waitstaff was equally as great!

A friend and I dined at Cella on a Tuesday evening and it was a wonderful, relaxed, high end experience. The atmosphere is clean, cozy, and refined. The service was excellent, thank you Maddie R!! Top notch service from all staff who touched our table, it was so well done without feeling fussy or intrusive. The food was absolutely delicious, every last bite was enjoyed. Manager came to check how our wine was and felt genuine & loved the touch of our to-go persimmon cake waiting for us at the bar on the way out (bartender even went out of her way to get us to-go utensils!) all around fantastic experience and can’t wait to return next time I’m in town!

I visit the area every once in a while, and I’ve had my eye on this place for a few years! Really happy to say I finally made it in and it exceeded my hopes! Really beautifully done space, incredibly friendly and helpful staff and food that lets the quality ingredients shine through in just the most perfectly prepared way. Simple and quality, but by no means ordinary. I can’t wait to come back! Thank you!

Very unique tastes! Some of the ingredients in the drinks and food seemed a little weird on the menu but completely made sense after tasting it. Like....Mezcal with corn and coffee?? Totally great experience!

Quintessential California coast kind of vibe. Beautiful courtyard although we ate inside along the mahogany banquette. Drank Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire even though we were in Monterey bc life’s too short. The Normandy butter and in-house baked bread will change your life. The baby lettuce salad and the beef cheeks were divine. Beef cheeks came with a side of horseradish cream which made the dish sing. Some of the best mashed potatoes I’ve had lately (I’m an expert in the field of mashed potatoes). The vanilla crème brûlée with chocolate mousse is a little stroke of genius.

Oh my word is this place good. The atmosphere is very romantic with lovely pops of color. We got married right next to this restaurant at the Barns at Cooper Molera, and for our one year anniversary we decided to dine here. We got the steak and scallops, along with bread and burrata apps. The scallops were by far the star of the show, in a wonderful cream sauce cooked to perfection. The steak was good, not our favorite but still amazing. The service was wonderful and they brought us 2 glasses of champagne to celebrate. We made a reservation, and they seated us at a nice corner table that was very romantic and private for us. Definitely on the pricier side but you get what you pay for, which is delicious food! We will definitely return for future anniversaries celebrated in Monterey!

My wife and I are Monterey locals but hadn't yet dined at Cella. We had a very special occasion to celebrate: our 15th wedding anniversary. We made easy reservations online for July 17, 2025. We both had a great time and enjoyed the staff as well as the food. We had a great server who took great care of us. And food itself was just amazing! We started with appetizers (Italian Burrata and Warm Bing Cherries) they were outstanding. Then we had our entrees: Rack of Labm and Red Wine Braised Beef Cheek. Absolute culinary works of art that tasted incredible! All the food just melted in our mouths and we never felt "full", like we could keep on eating. We both paired our meals with a Rhone red wine. Perhaps this is simply the best quality foods and the way they are prepared. Our compliments to the chef and his staff. Dessert was an Olive Oil Cake and a special cake that had almonds...both, again, delicious! We thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience there and will go again. We highly recommend Cella Restaurant Bar.