a very special experience to have the seven course dinner here. the storytelling behind it all; your menu that day, the restaurant, and the community, is so wonderful. Chef Michael and his team were lovely, and completely accommodating to the vegan and vegetarian in our party. The food was beautifully presented and delicious, and the experience on a whole, a lot of fun.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eliza Woodfin
Best meal of my life!!!!! Such a cool experience. Couldn’t recommend it enough. Great way to celebrate any special occasion or just to appreciate delicious food made with quality local ingredients.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Benjamin Hammer
This was my fourth trip to Ceraldi, and it continues to set a very high bar on the Outer Cape. Tonight’s menu was the first time I only had seafood. The standouts were the tomato soup with a dayboat scallop, the oysters (as always), and the honeynut squash risotto with Parmesan foam. The entire evening is still so well run and the walkthrough of the menu at the beginning of the night is so special. The beverage pairing is sometimes hit or miss for me, but it was a knockout last night! My one qualm is that 10 years ago, the menu was $77 and now it’s $212. It makes it hard to come more than once a season. I’d love to see it closer to $150-$175 personally, but I also know that sourcing locally doesn’t always come cheap. It’s still such a special place, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ansel Barnum
There were fewer good tastes left in the mouth than bad, which included banal dishes served with pretension and a sprinkle of mysticism at an overseasoned price tag. The charade began upon arrival, where we witnessed an employee waving a burning sage brush in the air to 'cleanse the energy' we were told before the arrival of the second seating of customers. The occult vibe was further enhanced by burning candles scattered everywhere and the skull of a steer as the centerpiece of the room. Even the hostess perpetuated the mystery with her evasive answers to questions on the menu. When we inquired what was on the 'Convivum' (a gratuitously arcane name, of course, for what was a trivial tasting menu), she bluntly refused to tell us. "You need to trust us." I tried to press her on it, but she declared the chef's wims to be beyond the realm of knowability and reiterated the refrain that we would just need "to trust us." And so we did, and regretted it. A three-tier platter came out with about ten little dishes for sharing. We had hoped each would be a prism into the inscrutable genius of the enigmatic chef, but the problem with the dishes is that they were too knowable, devoid of creativity or culinary craftsmanship, and at times mundane. A fresh peach with goat cheese. A bowl of melon. A bunch of oysters (which would have made me avoid the order altogether if they had disclosed it included shellfish). Bread roll sandwiches deficient of filling. Another plate of bread roll sandwiches deficient of filling (as if one wasn't enough). It felt like scraps of a kitchen that didn't have time to cook--which is probably the translation of 'Convivum'. That's not to say there weren't flashes of brilliance amidst the mediocrity--ie, locally foraged mushroom arancini with romesco, velvety corn soup with poached lobster. These seemed lifted off of the restaurant's premier "experience" (their word for the $$$ tasting menu): a 7-courses at $212 per person. In contrast, our 'Convivum' weighed in at $110 shared between two, which might seem like the bargain except for the fact that there was little to get excited by. A couple impressive small plates do not compensate for a tower of ordinary tastes. Maybe that's why they refused to disclose the contents of the dishes a priori. Or maybe they were just being pretentious. Either way, the evasiveness was tasteless like much of what was served.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Paul J. Manning
Goodness gracious, what a phenomenal place to eat a fine dinner. Talk about farm/ocean to table dining done to perfection. I had the pleasure of dining here eight years ago and am happy to say that they have maintained their level of excellence. Every dish was simply amazing and we ordered the soft drink accompaniment and they were off the charts wonderful as well. The cost is fairly high, but well worth it for a unique and amazing experience.
Dietary restrictions: My fellow diner has a severe food sensitivity and they dealt with it extremely well. The chef speaks directly to everyone to be certain.
Truly a wonderful experience. I would call atmoshpere shabby shic/beachy and that was perfect for us just so guests know. The service was spot on and the food / presentation were terrific. This is an experience not your usual dining!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rusty Ambrose
Excellent food always. And a unique concept that really shows Michael’s skill. Definitely worth a trip to wellfleet for this restaurant
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elise Krentzel
While on a business trip in NYC a few weeks ago I ran into someone from the Cape. I told her I'd be vacationing there for 8 days and asked if she had any fine dining recommendations. I'm a foodie and food critic so keep in mind that while everyone may not agree with my reviews, I do have over 25 years of dining experience around the world, 20 of those in Europe where I reported on food and wine for several magazines and online news sources. OK with that said, I was stoked to go here and experience the "experience". How novel it would be to eat at such a remote location right on the harbor. How fresh would all the ingredients be from local farms and purveyors. Right on that count! It was all fresh and locally procured. However if you come from anywhere outside this area, naming all the little towns or farms when presented with each course (there were 7 and they were not paired correctly; portions were gigantic when they should have been 1/8 the size, but I'll get to that later) is meaningless unless in context. The sweet and entertaining servers should have been guided by the chef to present the dishes with a story behind each town to make it entertaining rather than ratt;ling off town names that again, had no meaning.
Also, farm to table is a concept that Alice Waters introduced in the 1980s which then became nouvelle cuisine, traveling to France and back again. So the idea is not new.
OK the first three courses were spot on. We began with oysters from Wellfleet topped with various tastes including mock (Black river) caviar (it should have been beluga), seabean and a hot sauce. The second course was a way too big salad of lettuce with an extracted beet sauce drizzled over the salad with feta cheese and toasted walnuts. The dish could have been shared amongst 4 adults. The third and best course of all 7 was a two-colored lobster tomato bisque (red and yellow) with fresh lobster meat drizzled with a spicy oil. The lobster was divine and young.
Granted the chef did explain that the menu changes daily. That's a feat in and of itself. But did he mean everything on the menu changes daily or just one or two items? If it is everything then it seems rather inefficient. The cost of the meal is pre-set at $200 per person, not including wine or mocktail pairings. In this small restaurant the dishwasher was dead center in back of the prep table which is located in front of the U shaped bar where we sat. We should NEVER see servers cleaning dishes, taking out or putting into a dishwasher if this is supposed to be a refined dining experience. That piece of metal belongs in the kitchen! Course 4 was a crab dish with squash blossom and ricotta which was rather bland. Then came course #5 which was a way too saturated generous piece of halibut (and not cooked to perfection) with a heavy sauce of vidalia soubise, totally unnecessary for such a rich fish alongside with a nest of red, white onion shreds and radish I believe. It was okay, The chef made me another piece which was hot upon plating and crispy on the outside! Terrific. The last course before dessert of ravioli bolognese with a foamed parmagiano should have been epic. Instead it was overcooked around the way too gigantic ravioli edges and so tough as to not be able to cut. The taste was divine but unfortunately these portions were humongeous defeating the idea of "next level dining" and paired incorrectly. The bottom heavy last three courses would have served as main dishes in and of themselves but not as a 7 course tasting menu. I made the reservation a month in advance prior to my Cape vacation and alerted the kitchen I can eat no salt or sugar. But what was I served for dessert? A panna cotta with peaches and rum, dowsed of course in sugary ingredients. I think he has tremendous talent and a bright future. This could have been an off night for sure. I think with tighter management, smaller courses, and a better explanati
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Gazpacho with Lobster
Tanya Augustine
An exceptional and unique dining experience. I’ve been numerous times and every time has been amazing. The thought into the menu, the balance of the courses, the pairings of beverages, the atmosphere and the staff. Most of all the food is delicious! I can’t wait to go back. It is pricey but worth it and given the cost of so much mediocre meals out, a bargain.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tyler Schube
Excellent dining experience. Fresh ingredients and everything was super tasty. Come hungry!
The food is exceptional! Everything has a connection to Cape Cod. The Chef and his staff, are extremely knowledgeable about what they are preparing and serving. Every dish and beverage had a story to it. They are obviously passionate about what they do. They are friendly, courteous, proffessional and attentive.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
PRONeil06
We have gone to Ceraldi multiple times, we usually just get iced coffee. Today we decided to try some baked goods and they were all very good. They had these huge egg squares on home made bread. Their croissants were also very good. My wife loved the cappuccino. You are expected to bring your own cup if you want to take out the coffee. They do sell mason jars you can take out with you, you can have coffee inside with their cups inside or outside on their patio. I would come here again the baked good were phenomenal although you could easily share any item with anyone person. The coffee is always outstanding.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Pizza, Cinnamon Roll
Shannon Koss
Overall super cool spot. Good coffee and great atmosphere. When we were there they didn’t have half and half for coffee. They did have milk but I found it a little odd? We ordered some food for breakfast and it took a wild amount of time. They offered us a muffin as an apology, which was nice! It appeared that they needed more help. Went back the following day and it was much better. It was early in the season, so it’s understandable. Prices of pastries is pretty steep as well. I will def be back in the future as these “issues” are not a deal breaker.
Michael Speck
3rd time here for the 7 course dinner with wine pairing. Expectations exceeded every time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oyster with Wild Seabean and Finger Lime, Course Dining Experience, Lucky Lips Loagy Bay Oyster Dave's Green Tomatoes Ice
marisa denn
Did a 7 course tasting with wine pairing. Poor presentation and sub par food. Paid over 1200 dollars for 4 people and honestly felt like I was getting pranked. Loved the idea of local farm to table style but chef really just couldn't cut the mustard. So very unhappy. Good oysters, good salad , good gazpacho. 3 good things out of 7. Also it was 3.5 hours long. With no presentation or discussion in-between courses. All was explained at the beginning.
a very special experience to have the seven course dinner here. the storytelling behind it all; your menu that day, the restaurant, and the community, is so wonderful. Chef Michael and his team were lovely, and completely accommodating to the vegan and vegetarian in our party. The food was beautifully presented and delicious, and the experience on a whole, a lot of fun.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best meal of my life!!!!! Such a cool experience. Couldn’t recommend it enough. Great way to celebrate any special occasion or just to appreciate delicious food made with quality local ingredients.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This was my fourth trip to Ceraldi, and it continues to set a very high bar on the Outer Cape. Tonight’s menu was the first time I only had seafood. The standouts were the tomato soup with a dayboat scallop, the oysters (as always), and the honeynut squash risotto with Parmesan foam. The entire evening is still so well run and the walkthrough of the menu at the beginning of the night is so special. The beverage pairing is sometimes hit or miss for me, but it was a knockout last night! My one qualm is that 10 years ago, the menu was $77 and now it’s $212. It makes it hard to come more than once a season. I’d love to see it closer to $150-$175 personally, but I also know that sourcing locally doesn’t always come cheap. It’s still such a special place, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
There were fewer good tastes left in the mouth than bad, which included banal dishes served with pretension and a sprinkle of mysticism at an overseasoned price tag. The charade began upon arrival, where we witnessed an employee waving a burning sage brush in the air to 'cleanse the energy' we were told before the arrival of the second seating of customers. The occult vibe was further enhanced by burning candles scattered everywhere and the skull of a steer as the centerpiece of the room. Even the hostess perpetuated the mystery with her evasive answers to questions on the menu. When we inquired what was on the 'Convivum' (a gratuitously arcane name, of course, for what was a trivial tasting menu), she bluntly refused to tell us. "You need to trust us." I tried to press her on it, but she declared the chef's wims to be beyond the realm of knowability and reiterated the refrain that we would just need "to trust us." And so we did, and regretted it. A three-tier platter came out with about ten little dishes for sharing. We had hoped each would be a prism into the inscrutable genius of the enigmatic chef, but the problem with the dishes is that they were too knowable, devoid of creativity or culinary craftsmanship, and at times mundane. A fresh peach with goat cheese. A bowl of melon. A bunch of oysters (which would have made me avoid the order altogether if they had disclosed it included shellfish). Bread roll sandwiches deficient of filling. Another plate of bread roll sandwiches deficient of filling (as if one wasn't enough). It felt like scraps of a kitchen that didn't have time to cook--which is probably the translation of 'Convivum'. That's not to say there weren't flashes of brilliance amidst the mediocrity--ie, locally foraged mushroom arancini with romesco, velvety corn soup with poached lobster. These seemed lifted off of the restaurant's premier "experience" (their word for the $$$ tasting menu): a 7-courses at $212 per person. In contrast, our 'Convivum' weighed in at $110 shared between two, which might seem like the bargain except for the fact that there was little to get excited by. A couple impressive small plates do not compensate for a tower of ordinary tastes. Maybe that's why they refused to disclose the contents of the dishes a priori. Or maybe they were just being pretentious. Either way, the evasiveness was tasteless like much of what was served.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Goodness gracious, what a phenomenal place to eat a fine dinner. Talk about farm/ocean to table dining done to perfection. I had the pleasure of dining here eight years ago and am happy to say that they have maintained their level of excellence. Every dish was simply amazing and we ordered the soft drink accompaniment and they were off the charts wonderful as well. The cost is fairly high, but well worth it for a unique and amazing experience.
Dietary restrictions: My fellow diner has a severe food sensitivity and they dealt with it extremely well. The chef speaks directly to everyone to be certain.
Parking: Plenty of easily found parking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cucumber H20, Chocolate Mousse, Green Goddess Salad, Oyster Caviar, Sformatino Langwater Farm Corn Packard Lobster Hillside Farm Romesco
Truly a wonderful experience. I would call atmoshpere shabby shic/beachy and that was perfect for us just so guests know. The service was spot on and the food / presentation were terrific. This is an experience not your usual dining!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent food always. And a unique concept that really shows Michael’s skill. Definitely worth a trip to wellfleet for this restaurant
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
While on a business trip in NYC a few weeks ago I ran into someone from the Cape. I told her I'd be vacationing there for 8 days and asked if she had any fine dining recommendations. I'm a foodie and food critic so keep in mind that while everyone may not agree with my reviews, I do have over 25 years of dining experience around the world, 20 of those in Europe where I reported on food and wine for several magazines and online news sources.
OK with that said, I was stoked to go here and experience the "experience". How novel it would be to eat at such a remote location right on the harbor. How fresh would all the ingredients be from local farms and purveyors. Right on that count! It was all fresh and locally procured.
However if you come from anywhere outside this area, naming all the little towns or farms when presented with each course (there were 7 and they were not paired correctly; portions were gigantic when they should have been 1/8 the size, but I'll get to that later) is meaningless unless in context. The sweet and entertaining servers should have been guided by the chef to present the dishes with a story behind each town to make it entertaining rather than ratt;ling off town names that again, had no meaning.
Also, farm to table is a concept that Alice Waters introduced in the 1980s which then became nouvelle cuisine, traveling to France and back again. So the idea is not new.
OK the first three courses were spot on. We began with oysters from Wellfleet topped with various tastes including mock (Black river) caviar (it should have been beluga), seabean and a hot sauce. The second course was a way too big salad of lettuce with an extracted beet sauce drizzled over the salad with feta cheese and toasted walnuts. The dish could have been shared amongst 4 adults. The third and best course of all 7 was a two-colored lobster tomato bisque (red and yellow) with fresh lobster meat drizzled with a spicy oil. The lobster was divine and young.
Granted the chef did explain that the menu changes daily. That's a feat in and of itself. But did he mean everything on the menu changes daily or just one or two items? If it is everything then it seems rather inefficient. The cost of the meal is pre-set at $200 per person, not including wine or mocktail pairings.
In this small restaurant the dishwasher was dead center in back of the prep table which is located in front of the U shaped bar where we sat. We should NEVER see servers cleaning dishes, taking out or putting into a dishwasher if this is supposed to be a refined dining experience. That piece of metal belongs in the kitchen!
Course 4 was a crab dish with squash blossom and ricotta which was rather bland. Then came course #5 which was a way too saturated generous piece of halibut (and not cooked to perfection) with a heavy sauce of vidalia soubise, totally unnecessary for such a rich fish alongside with a nest of red, white onion shreds and radish I believe. It was okay, The chef made me another piece which was hot upon plating and crispy on the outside! Terrific.
The last course before dessert of ravioli bolognese with a foamed parmagiano should have been epic. Instead it was overcooked around the way too gigantic ravioli edges and so tough as to not be able to cut. The taste was divine but unfortunately these portions were humongeous defeating the idea of "next level dining" and paired incorrectly. The bottom heavy last three courses would have served as main dishes in and of themselves but not as a 7 course tasting menu.
I made the reservation a month in advance prior to my Cape vacation and alerted the kitchen I can eat no salt or sugar. But what was I served for dessert? A panna cotta with peaches and rum, dowsed of course in sugary ingredients.
I think he has tremendous talent and a bright future. This could have been an off night for sure. I think with tighter management, smaller courses, and a better explanati
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Gazpacho with Lobster
An exceptional and unique dining experience. I’ve been numerous times and every time has been amazing.
The thought into the menu, the balance of the courses, the pairings of beverages, the atmosphere and the staff. Most of all the food is delicious!
I can’t wait to go back.
It is pricey but worth it and given the cost of so much mediocre meals out, a bargain.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent dining experience. Fresh ingredients and everything was super tasty. Come hungry!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
The food is exceptional! Everything has a connection to Cape Cod. The Chef and his staff, are extremely knowledgeable about what they are preparing and serving. Every dish and beverage had a story to it. They are obviously passionate about what they do. They are friendly, courteous, proffessional and attentive.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
We have gone to Ceraldi multiple times, we usually just get iced coffee. Today we decided to try some baked goods and they were all very good. They had these huge egg squares on home made bread. Their croissants were also very good. My wife loved the cappuccino. You are expected to bring your own cup if you want to take out the coffee. They do sell mason jars you can take out with you, you can have coffee inside with their cups inside or outside on their patio. I would come here again the baked good were phenomenal although you could easily share any item with anyone person. The coffee is always outstanding.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Pizza, Cinnamon Roll
Overall super cool spot. Good coffee and great atmosphere. When we were there they didn’t have half and half for coffee. They did have milk but I found it a little odd? We ordered some food for breakfast and it took a wild amount of time. They offered us a muffin as an apology, which was nice! It appeared that they needed more help. Went back the following day and it was much better. It was early in the season, so it’s understandable. Prices of pastries is pretty steep as well. I will def be back in the future as these “issues” are not a deal breaker.
3rd time here for the 7 course dinner with wine pairing. Expectations exceeded every time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Oyster with Wild Seabean and Finger Lime, Course Dining Experience, Lucky Lips Loagy Bay Oyster Dave's Green Tomatoes Ice
Did a 7 course tasting with wine pairing. Poor presentation and sub par food. Paid over 1200 dollars for 4 people and honestly felt like I was getting pranked. Loved the idea of local farm to table style but chef really just couldn't cut the mustard. So very unhappy. Good oysters, good salad , good gazpacho. 3 good things out of 7. Also it was 3.5 hours long. With no presentation or discussion in-between courses. All was explained at the beginning.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Gazpacho with Lobster
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