Celilo Restaurant & Bar

We had dinner at this restaurant yesterday. We arrived at 8:00pm. It was busy for Wednesday night. The hostess was in the back so we had to wait a little to be seated. Our waitress with dark hair was friendly. I got their special: Spring Veggie Pasta. I didn't ask for the price, but later I looked at the receipt and did the math. It was about $35.00. ***They charge a 3% fee for credit card payment*** The veggies were fresh and the sauce was not overly strong compared to other restaurants in the states. It was good. My partner ordered the Cecili Burger. He wasn't able to finish it so I was going to for him. The burger was on the dry side and the fries tasted bitter like they were burned. I have a big appetite and hate wasting any food, but I wasn't able to finish it. Lastly, I found the hostess disrespectful. She said nothing to me or even didn't look at me when we walked in and out. Even my partner noticed it.

An excellent dining experience with Audi a quality waiter. First the staff immediately acknowledged our group was celebrating a birthday as was indicated on the reservation site Tock. That does not always happen. Second, the New York steak for one in our group was too salty. Audi our waiter offered to have another steak prepared without salt. Before bringing the steak Audi told us the waiter tasted the returned steak and confirmed it was too salty. The second steak was magnificent. Lastly, the quality and professionalism we experienced was as good as any you’d find in any high end restaurant in any Big City. Highly recommend Celilo.

Amazing restaurant in hood river city! We got semolina fried oysters. Super fresh oysters with crispy semolina coating. For entrées, we got the smoked Salmon Ravioli and Pork Osso Bucco. All the ingredients used in the smoked salmon Ravioli were just perfect! Pork Osso Bucco was delicious as well! The tender pork and cauliflower grits tasted really good! Perfect restaurant for date nights ♥️

Had a wonderful meal at Celilo. Just a simple beer and hamburger after a long day hiking. My top priority when choosing a restaurant is one that serves organic food or has a heavy farm to table influence. Locally sourced food from Farmers that care always tastes better. As you can tell by other reviews for Solo, the food is unquestionably very well prepared. In my case, it was no different. They have a few equals in Hood River when it comes to locally sourced food prepared to an elevated level.

Great elevated dining experience in Hood River! Service was amazing and we had a lovely time celebrating a bachelorette party! The duck was so flavorful and juicy, all the veggies were fresh and crisp. Great options for anyone, and very accommodating to dietary restrictions. Our food did take a very very long time to come out, but it was a Saturday night so I wasn’t expecting the speediest service.

Went for Happy Hour on a Tuesday. As usual we turned it into a meal after the HH treats were so tasty. I had the beet salad and the wife had the berry salad, then we shared the steak and frites. We arrived early so it was not that busy and sitting in the bar area we could have a conversation. Service and food was outstanding.

Visiting the area and celebrated our yearly birthday supper here this year. The pasta was amazing , everyone else had the New York Strip and raved about it. The carrot cake also a must along with the crème brûlée!

This is one of the best restaurants in The Columbia Gorge and one of our favorites. We came here to celebrate a birthday last Friday. Joshua was our server; he was very knowledgeable about the food and wine and made excellent recommendations on both. We had the house special mushroom ravioli, the chicken, this New York strip steak and the house special pork chop. We also had the curry soup, steamed clams, dips and spreads and house salad. Everything was marvelous and perfectly prepared. Overall it was a 10 star experience.

The Caprese salad with peaches & Burrata destroyed me in the best way possible. Absolute perfection. Additionally, I got the wild mushroom fettuccine which did not disappoint, so delicious. Do not, I repeat do not get the half portion unless you are a child. It would be perfect for my grandmother who eats like a bird and can't handle more than five bites of food, but I wish I had gotten the full portion Brownie dessert was so so. I will absolutely go back. Service was knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive.

We love Celilo and would eat here every night if we could! Tonight they were closed for a private event and we ended up having a less than stellar experience elsewhere. The service is top notch. Wine selection is top. We love everything they offer but our consistent favorite is the Steak and Frites. Just like France. Thank you!

Probably the fanciest restaurant in town. All the food was good and it has a great upscale vibe. Service was fair but nothing to write home about. Decent wine list and full bar. Perfect spot for date night.

I ate here with my family and we ordered a cheeseboard, steak frites, New York Strip, Shrimp Fettuccine, and Lamb. The food was decent for its price, however both steaks were slightly over seasoned. We all really enjoyed the shrimp fettuccine, which featured a thick onion broth (soubise) rather than a cream sauce. The star of the dinner were definitely the cocktails and dirty martinis. I would definitely recommend to go here for a drink before or after dinner! It did take some time to receive our food and drinks after we ordered. Service was very relaxed.

I'm very glad a lot of locals like this spot. I'm neither local... nor like this spot. First time here, just passing through. Look, this is a nice place. But it's absurd to pay $19.00 for a BLT and have it come out and, if anything, it's HALF of an appetizer. I included two pictures herre to show how small it is. The darned thing looks like a dinner roll. A day later, I ate at the Oswego Grill in Lake Oswego, Oregon. It had the same vibe to it, in terms of how nice it was. My meal was four times bigger and the cost was two dollars cheaper. This was just insulting. BUT... 01. This was one of those "fancy" places where the light is left dim and the tables are all right on top of each other (at least ours were). 02. You can't really complain without it coming across like you're an a-hole or some Karen because everyone around you hears the whole conversation with the staff. 03. I tried to let our server know, in a good-natured way, when the item was brought out. I **did** say, "oh... how cute!!! That's pretty small." And the server laughed. I'm sorry she wasn't trained well enough to take a step back and read the signs. Or when she came back after I had the little fennel salad and asked how everything was and I said "I'll start on this in a bit, it's just so small I want to make sure I savor every bite." Nothing. 04. That means the only recourse left is to go from good-natured to more assertive. This puts the customer in an awkward, uncomfortable position, especially in 2023, when people are labeled as Karens and things are always recorded. On another review site, the owner responded and said: "It seems unfair to publish such a negative review about an issue we could have corrected had you brought it to our attention." Except, I DID bring it to my server's attention, but she had no ability read the signs... read the clues... As "unfair" as the owner may think about "such a negative review," it pales in comparison to the unfair nature of putting a customer in the position where they are forced to go from good natured to more assertive. Again, the area we were sitting had no space between us and the other three tables. Why would that have been right? The reaction to the review is everything I need to know to also know that, no, it probably wouldn't have been handled well at that time and would have created a worse experience. Also everything you need to know? Look at the pictures! If you feel worse about the review than you do about sending this $20 BLT out to a full-grown man, then that's all I feel anybody needs to know about the restaurant. End of story.

I have lived in Oregon for 4 years and travel all over the state for work. With no exaggeration, this is the single best meal I have had since moving here. The service was amazing, every question answered, and I felt well taken care of. The open doors on a perfect summer night set the mood and made the place feel welcoming and comfortable. Such amazing use of fresh and vibrant ingredients made every single bite as good as the last. 10/10 why have I not been here before?

Best dinner I have had in a while! Our waitress was fabulous and help us pick out food and drink. I had a ruby slipper mocktail, delicious. We had the carprese salad to start, died and gone to heaven! Then our entrees were amazing. The inside is very cute. Everyone was super attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. I cannot wait to go back!

As good as it gets! Suggest this is must chow down memorable time for delectable cuisine, superb service with convivial ambiance. We loved it! The plated fare is eye-poopin - looks fresh and delish. The taste of flavors on the plate is jaw-dropping - tastes even better than it looks. Way to go Chef's in the kitchen. Check out the pics. It's so mouthwatering lookin! Here's what we thought was just out-of-this world delish delish delish dishes we recommend: Fall vegetables - Saur Farm grilled bok choi, glazed turnips, and green beans over ginger-carrot puree, Raisin Hill Farm fig, and frisee. Finished will fig vinaigrette and tarragon aioli. Never have I tasted a plate of vegetables cooked and blended all together so good. The fig and aioli dressing made this vegetable pop on my taste buds. Pan seared Pacific Coho salmon served over flageolet beans, smoked bay shrimp, Steppingstone Farm confit tomato, scallion, and Calabrian chili aioli. Finished with summer squash slaw. Amazingly scrumptious! For desert fig cake and sour cream ice cream with strawberries was lip smackin light and right on tasty too! It was a perfect meal! Divine dining! We arrived at 5PM to grab one of the few first good first serve tables so we had time to get to know our server with some rapid fire tete-a-tete chit chat while the crowds flowed in. Thursday through Saturday you will need a reservation. Make it advance!

We so wanted to have a great meal here - a favorite place since 2008 or 2009. And it is still! First - great martinis, followed by semi-light/shared dinner. Steak frites for me and a gem salad and pork tourine and house made coppa for Wayne. Host, service and bartender were great. Wine - local red blends that worked really well w/the food. Frankly, the only time we have dessert is if they have a crème brûlée- oops, they did! And it was sooo amazing!!! And Mike, our server was so good.

Excellent friendly service, nice ambiance, delicious food that was fresh and flavorful

I had such an amazing experience here ! We had a male server who was great and quick and efficient. We ordered our kids meal ASAP which they had a cheeseburger and fries . And it came out quickly . For us adults we ordered the bread which was to die for ! Then had two glasses of wine each they were both riesling , ordered two rare steaks which had so much flavor ! They were cooked perfectly ! and delish creme brûlée for dessert . Best service amazing food ! Everything was farm to table and it was phenomenal. The atmosphere is calm and chic ! Kid friendly . I brought three kids with me and my husband. I had a great time here ! Will definitely be back

Incredible fare, great cocktails, nice chill environment. A welcomed change of pace from pub and brewery food that dominates the area. My husband's steak was perfectly seasoned, my shiitake pasta dish was fresh and delicious. Absolutely recommend to anyone visiting or who lives in the area and wants to take guests out for a nice dinner.

After 10+ years of steady reliance on Celilo's Happy Hour menu based on their mushroom pasta, steak friets, shrimp skewers, cornmeal oysters & green salad we were stunned to see a complete change in the menu tonight. Gone is the pasta, the steak friets, shrimp skewers & salad. Whyyyyyyyyh....??? The blood orange drops were perfect, & the oysters fine. But this new menu... not so much. Bring back the staples... please.l

Here's the thing. Good food doesn't outweigh very slow service. It ruined the experience. Our dinner took 2 hours from appetizer to dessert- and there were only two of us. Each course was so painfully slow. I like taking my time to dine- but, let's move it along... Our appetizer took a little more than a 1/2 hour to get to the table- it was only a variety of dips and room temperature bread slices. Thankfully the food , kale caesar salad, pasta, steak frites were all delicious. We ordered dessert- but almost canceled it since, again, our waitress was elsewhere? Yes, the restaurant was busy. As we waited, noticed no rhyme or reason who how the servers were working the tables- everyone was scattered. They were pretty steady on getting our water to us but not our meal.Nonetheless,we've been in many busy restaurants as we enjoy eating out, it seemed this restaurant was disorganized and it showed in their service. Plus did not like the 3% fee to use credit cards. Just absorb in your cost of doing business or tack in somewhere seamlessly. Prices for the food seemed high enough. Never saw this fee in any other restaurant. New trend? With all that, it's at a great location and nice decor. Will we visit again? Not so sure.

Love Celilo and stand in line for the 5:00 pm opening (7 my dinner time at home) for their Happy Hour and dinner. I have dined here every time I visit Hood River to check in and say hello to their amazing staff....Joshua, John, Lindsey, Tina, Rachel and a new person, Charlotte. They are so warm and welcoming. Hope I didn't miss anyone. I recommend highly!

Great dinner spot in Hood River. Went here with a coworker earlier this week. Really cool spot in the heart of town. Good atmosphere and great service. Quality local beer selection with a good wine list as well. I had the NY Strip with a local red wine suggested by our server. Everything was great, an overall awesome experience. I highly recommend for dinner.

What a wonderful meal and beautiful restaurant in this lovely town! The service was excellent, the server recommended the baked clams, which we loved. I asked to delete the red pepper flakes, which they did. We split the pork shoulder and they plated it beautifully individually for each of us. And the fruit tart was scrumptious. Definitely on my list of to go restaurants while visiting Hood Ri

My food was initially not at all hot enough so I sent it back. In about 5 min a hot meal came back that was very good. The service was good as well.

This place was fantastic ! I highly suggest making reservations . But the scallops and steak were fantastic and. So we're the salmon cakes! The service And staff was also great! I would come back to this place next time I am in town! This is place is so delicious!

In a time when my expectations for excellence in dining is reduced Celilo shocked me with knowledgeable friendly staff, perfect timeliness, and precision.

Happy hour food menu was amazing, beautiful, and really affordable. The seasonal pickles were delicious. The leek spread was the star of the show.

Wow! Great service, and the most delicious meal I've eaten in a long time. I had the chicken with the chicken tamale, which came with Swiss chard and a mole sauce. I paired it with the their hard cider that was on tap. So good.

Bland is an understatement. $32 pappardelle was over-cooked, paper thin and as flavorful as flour. The meat was sparse, had almost no flavor and was poorly ratio'ed to the dish. Overall, I'd place Stofers frozen lasagna a few clicks above. Two stars because the service was good. For those of you taking local recommendations. Or reading Eater or Yelp reviews. They are biased, bought, and paid for. Hit Walmarts frozen aisle before you spend money at this place.

Increadible service staff, with a very inviting atmosphere. We had their fries, pickle plate, seafood risotto, and their morel mushroom pasta special. The seafood risotto was absolutely abundant with and fresh seafood, and the morel pasta was so simple and delicious. Also, a hidden gem was the pickle plate. Each vegetable had a different flavor profiled paired well with everything else. We also ordered drinks which we also loved.

We were so excited to come to this restaurant after a chef friend highly recommended it. At first it was great - beautiful restaurant and very attentive staff , sat right on time with reservation, all good. When we reserved we did put note in it was for a birthday... We were greeted nicely with waitstaff and new one shadowing, and placed opening drink order& appetizer, ok waiter came back to get dinner order and we asked for wines, with that. Kept trying to have a conversation to say things like " we're ready for the wine anytime! But somehow he had just deducted that since we didn't order 2nd cocktail we must not want anything for 20 minutes later until entree ...received salad and then another staff member brought one of the wines, and we finally asked another about other wine and finally received entrees. Food was great but server had just kind of either got busy somewhere else or idk but eventually came back and asked us if we needed anything adjusted ... let's see, my husband was completely finished and I was pecking away ... ordered another glass.... Finally, we asked about desert since it was a Birthday celebration... received and done and paid... so, we Love eating out at restaurants, tip very well, are basically happy but when a waiter is just difficult to connect with or is so much in his own head he forgets to be sincere and genuine with service and conversation, and is obviously not not interested in customers it makes what could have been epic just meh

Celilo catered my daughters wedding this weekend. They built out a lot of high expectations with months of very positive, friendly support with the event preparations and several tasting experiences for us. They exceeded all expectations on the evening of the wedding. Food was hot, fresh and really well prepared. Food for 110 is rarely great just due to the volume cooking. Our food did not taste mass produced... beef, salmon, salads etc, all superb. We couldn't have asked for more or better

Tasty mushroom pasta on the 1/2 pride happy hour menu was very good. Nice place for finer dinning in Hood River. Friendly service right downtown. Street parking only. A few tables outside during summer hours. It's Oregon so casual dress with the luxury of a beautiful atmosphere.

A must try for people in town or from out of town. Food maybe smaller in portions, and great date atmosphere with cool drinks and low noise.

Great little spot with amazing food and great service. I had the clams and a caprese salad. Outstanding. especially the caprese. Who would have put peaches in caprese --but it worked amazingly

My daughter made reservations here for my birthday and it was wonderful. The staff was incredibly attentive and our drinks were always full! We had the salmon, chanterelle mushroom pasta, and sirloin. Everything was delicious and the sirloin was cooked to perfection.

Yummy. Super yummy. Love that they incorporate fresh greens in all entrees. Eclectic menu. Pork belly w mole, New York Steak w red wine Demi glacé , springtime ravioli w ricotta- everyone enjoyed their meal for sure. My son might be a little tipsy from the Tiramisu (I'm still high on the French press (decaf of course) - I absolutely love resto's w French press! Celilo is right in the heart of downtown - next to Hood River Hotel - wine list is decent and service is swift n friendly- a wonderful welcome for a foodie looking to explore new jaunts. Order a bottle (or two to take back w you to your hotel) - I've just arrived in #hoodriver and am totally #crushin on you! #celilo you are so my jam! I'll definitively be back!

So money can't buy happiness right? Maybe, but it can buy you something pretty close at this establishment you'll just need lots of it. If you can afford the place you can't miss everything is top notch. Food, service, drink, atmosphere... You literally get what you pay for here. Even on an engineer and social workers combined salaries well reserve this place for very special occasions it's so expensive, but yeah it's really really good. The entree prices may seem only reasonably expensive but after some wine, appetizers, tip, etc... I believe our bill for two approached $150-200 it's been a while so I can't remember. It's the service they provide not faulting them for it.

Not always are do things meet your expectations especially when expectations are super high. My Hood River friends had been singing the praises of dining here and I was pumped because their advice is almost always spot on. So one can assume that perhaps the kitchen was not having a good day. The ambiance is a little bit on the formal side for me. It is a quiet place and well furnished. So what went wrong. My dining companions ordered the salmon and I went for the ravioli with porcini. The ravioli was delicious served in a bowl with a tasty broth. However, the serving size was quite small. Looked like a half order to me. The salmon was totally over cooked. That's almost a rookie mistake and one that is sacrilegious to commit in a place like Cecilo. Had a chance prior to our meal to chat with the owner-chef Ben. Nice guy! Certainly will give it another shot on my next visit.

My husband and I stopped in for Valentine's Day; we were able to get a pretty last minute reservation which was nice. We were seated towards the back and ordered a bottle of wine- Poggerino Chianti Classico 2015. It was very good. We weren't very impressed with the menu, but figured what it lacked in creativity would be made up in the actual preparation. We both ordered a hanger steak- he would normally have ordered fish but the only option was fried. The steak was very good, along with the cocottes, although one of my cocottes was somehow hollow. Where we felt let down was in the service and the dessert. Our wine glasses were never refilled, which is a pretty basic element of service in a nice restaurant. We ordered the creme brûlée and were served a burnt and runny dessert. It was very disappointing, especially since we usually don't opt for dessert. The ambiance was fine, but there were strings of lights taped up next to our table, battery packs exposed and all. Overall a very average dining experience.

Our waitstaff was friendly and attentive and the ambiance inside the restaurant was great. The way the food was presented was also lovely, unfortunately few of the dishes I ordered tasted particularly good. :/

Pros: Great cocktail and alcohol options! Cons: - Food was pretty bland. I got the pork chops and my wife got the gnocchi. Both were pretty boring, not much flavor, because the food description on the menu seemed great! - Service seemed a little off. Sous-chef visited the "high end" tables, skipped a few others. Our severs weren't the most polite. For the "fancy restaurant" of hood river, I don't thin this one hits. Great spot for cocktails and apps, but dinner? Not the spot

Although my husband said the salmon dish was good, I felt like I could have ordered the New York steak dish from Denny's. Neither of us like our wine.

Nice spot to have a drink and grab a bite to eat. We had the burgers. The burger had good flavor. The Frys were very good as well. The thing I was not impressed with was the 7 dollar salad I ordered it was only lettuces and radishes tossed in a very delicious vinaigrette. Over priced the salad looked like something you would expect to get on a airplane flying coach. It was very small portion if your going to charge so much but enough lettuce and radishes in there to at least fill the bowl. I will be back but definitely not getting the salad. They should be ashamed of them selfs for charging people so much. Maybe 3 bucks.

Very nicely decorated and the staff was very good. They were very attentive and knew the food well. Seating was a little complicated but that's to be expected with Covid. Our meals were delicious and the drinks were great. Only issue was with the mashed potatoes, they were cold ‍

If you want a finer dining experience, Celilo is your best option. The farm-to-table offerings are always fresh and local, and are the closest you'll come to a gourmet culinary adventure in the gorge. Cocktails are some of the best in town. The whole staff is delightful, but special shoutouts to John and Rachel for always treating us like royalty.

This is my type of place: great wine, slightly fancy but not too fancy, delicious food, bar to sit at, and overall nice vibe. I love getting cheese/meat boards and dessert with good wine, and this place delivered. The only real complaint I had was our service. We sat at the bar and our bartender was too busy cleaning to bother to refill our glasses. Because of the level of quality and prices here, I would have expected better. She was very pleasant, but otherwise ignored us repeatedly. :( Would certainly return - and hope not to get the same bartender. :)

I cannot recommend Celilo enough! It is absolutely delicious and the staff is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. All of the food is locally sourced and seasonally influenced. The menu changes often and I have never seen the same exact menu twice. I live locally and Celilo is my favorite restaurant. Every dish at Celilo has absolutely blown me away.

This was one of the best dining out experiences we've had in years. We started with the bread//crackers and the olives/nuts plate. The crackers are house made, calling them a cracker seems almost insulting to them. The bread was good, the nuts were good, and the olives were perfection. Next was the cheese plate and the salad special. The cheese plate was good (not my favorite but solid) and the salad was bright and delicious. Finally the main entrees were the mushroom pasta and the pork dish. The pasta was perfectly sauced to enhance the flavor of the mushrooms and pasta rather than overwhelming it. The pork... it was nothing short of beautiful. The meat was tender and juicy, the mole is not traditional but was the perfect accompaniment to the meat and vegetables. This is one of those dishes I'll be thinking about and judging other pork dishes against for years to come. The food was so exceptional that it would have made the of worst service tolerable but we received service that was commensurate with the food . Rachel S. flawlessly managed that balance between helpful and attentive without being intrusive. The rest of the team was also quite pleasant to deal with and after watching their process for cleaning and resetting a table you can be reassured that they are taking the health and safety of their customers very seriously. This exceeds my expectations in the best of circumstances. Their ability to do this in a pandemic is incredible

We were just one night in Hood River, we are new to YELP, so decided on Celilo Restaurant based on recommendation. This place is most EXCELLENT! The atmosphere was perfect , dim lights comfortable seating. The food was magnificent! And the service was over the top. If I lived in Hood River this would be my go to when I wanted a nice dinner out. Next time I pass through I will be staying a night just so I can go to the Celilo .

My wife and I received assorted rolls and butter that were largely ignored. We decided to share an arugula salad topped with smoked salmon belly that was delicious. My wife's entree was also very good - wild salmon with greens with a vinaigrette and romesco sauce. I was not so fortunate, the paella proved to be mediocre - not a hint of saffron, little in the way of seafood other than several small clams, a solitary piece of chicken confit and no chorizo. I was surprised, read disappointed, that we were assessed a fee for splitting the salad though we had specifically requested it be served on a single plate in order to avoid such a silly charge. Our server's gratuity was adjusted downward to offset the charge.

I'm not one to leave negative reviews but this I had to. We put in our name at 7:00 p.m. and got a call at 7:30 saying our table is ready. As we were walking there 2 blocks away they called saying somehow they gave our table away. I'm like no worries because I understand there's a staffing issue. He said he would call me back when the next table is ready. After an hour we decided to go back there and as we were waiting at the door they seated someone else with no reservations. When asking about the situation they said that they marked us off as seating us at 7:30, as Wilson is such a popular name. Really made the trip here to Hood River terrible as now we have no dining options. Hopefully McDonald's is open after waiting over 1 and 1/2 hours or perhaps cup-o-noodle at the hotel? Cheers...

I can't believe it that there is such a great restaurant here at Hood River. You have to come to this place! I ordered a draft IPA beer, their special tomato and cottage cheese salad, and lamb. They were simply PERFECT!

Wasn't sure what to expect since Hood River is a tourist town. This restaurant exceeded all of our expectations! Food was excellent, wine was priced fairly and service was excellent.

Came here this past weekend based on all the positive yelp reviews and left hungry and disappointed. ARGULA SALAD with smoked salmon, strawberries, and pickled red onions- This was mediocre and very disjointed, especially given how few ingredients were in it. It took 40 minutes for our entrees to arrive. FLAT IRON STEAK with potatoes, collard greens, and lentils- Pretty good. The steak was well-seasoned and the apricot chutney provided a nice sweetness to counterbalance the savoriness of the steak and bitterness of the collard greens. SEAFOOD PASTA- avoid at all costs. Aside from the overpowering taste of parsley, this dish was extremely bland. The clams were small and the shrimp were the tiniest shrimp I've ever seen in my life (I literally had to forage through the pile of pasta to find the shrimp-- see accompanying picture). I only ended up eating 1/4 of it. We didn't even order dessert because I didn't want to be disappointed by yet another item.