Self-Taught Vegan Chef :: Food Network Champion :: TV Host
About 2 weeks ago I went to the temporary restaurant in Bryant Park- Celsius. It was for my friend’ birthday, so I decided to wear a cute wool mini skirt and sweater. Little did I know we would be dining outside. If you’re like me, then you get cold every 2 minutes, and wear a cardigan over sweater which is over a shirt because you’re always generally cold and are prepared. That wasn’t me this time. I thought, we’re going to be a big group of girls INSIDE a restaurant- how cold could it be?
I arrived at Bryant Park around 6pm and walked my way through to Celsius. I found my friends sitting, but to my surprise- outside! I was thinking in my head “please tell me this is the waiting area to get seated INSIDE!” But, it wasn’t. I sat down on a big white sofa and in front of me was a square table with a bucket full of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne. There were maybe 2 heat lamps over our table of ten girls and an icy draft from the ice rink. Basically, it was cold and definitely not cozy enough for a wool mini skirt and sweater. They needed some more heat lamps.
Quick Rates: (out of 10)
- Food: 5
- Beverages: 8
- Service: 9
- Ambiance: 8
- Price: 5
Now on to the more important stuff- FOOD. As a vegetarian my options are already limited, yes obvious but I had to state it. The main attraction of Celsius are these Kahlua infused Hot Chocolates. They’re really good! I ordered a Chocolate Storm with Peppermint Kahlua. It was hot chocolate topped with marshmallows, whipped cream, chocolate curls and of course a shot of Kahlua. The warmth of the hot chocolate meshed well with the strong coffee flavor of the Kahlua and warmed me up! I am a HUGE fan of these hot chocolates. Plus, the price isn’t so bad!
- Regular Hot Chocolate $3
- Chocolate Storm $5
- Shot of Kahlua $3
- Total Choc Storm + Kahlua = $8
Plus, these drinks are great to share amongst a group or even with just one other person on a date! I definitely approved of the drink, the price and especially the Kahlua! And at $8, how can you go wrong? Great for a weekend treat pre or post ice skating (or for me butt skating since I’m always falling!)
On to the appetizers. Ok, quick breakdown- portions small, prices high. Yah, not so good. Vegetarian options- minimal. For appetizer, we wanted to share a few since we were a relatively big group of girls (about 10). We ordered Pierogis, Margharita Pizza and Calamari Fritta. So of the 3, I could obviously only eat 2. The portions were small and not very “shareable” except for the calamari, which wasn’t very helpful to me. And for the prices (about $10-14 per dish) the portions were small and the taste was mediocre.
Of the entrees, the only options were Skillet Mac n’Cheese or 4 cheese Ravioli. Now let’s think about this for a second. I can either die of an instant heart attack by eating the mac n’cheese or live morbidly obese by eating the 4 cheese ravioli. It really frustrates me that when people think of vegetarian food, they jump to cheese and pasta! Anyways, being the healthy and nutrition conscious person that I am, I decided to order the Beet & Goat Cheese Salad from the appetizer. It was about $14 (so once again, a lot) and the taste and presentation were. Definitely not worth $14 (I’m just being honest). It was also not a very good choice since I was sitting outside and already freezing my tushy off. I just stuck to drinking my warm hot chocolate spiked with kahlua.
Our group!
Service was excellent! We had one very patient and friendly waiter tend to 10+ girls demands. He was nice and brought everything out promptly and hot. He also was patient when I was dividing up the payment and credit card information at the end (it can get very complicated and he handled it well!). I can’t complain about the service- maybe that’s why the prices are kinda steep?
In conclusion, it was a fun experience since I was in good company and it was a clear night. But, the outdoor portion definitely could use some more heaters, more food and less prices. I do reccomend going for a day of ice skating and topping it off with some spiked hot chocolate! That’ll make your experience fun and cozy!
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Thanks for you all your feedback. This only helps us make us better to our future patrons. We would love to have you girls back again and we’ll definitely look into getting more heat lamps!!
Hey, I’m so glad to see you took time out of your busy schedule to read my review! I really loved the atmosphere of Celsius and definitely plan to return, but just for some light snacks and drinks this time 🙂 Thanks for the comment!