Restaurant

Celeste

Name: Celeste
Address: 21 Bow St, Somerville, MA, 02143, US
Price range: $$

Celeste is one of the best peruvian restaurants in Boston for date night, especially if you want a strong option in Somerville.

Celeste is what happens when a filmmaker and an architect decide to open a Peruvian restaurant in Union Square and refuse to treat it like a restaurant business.

Editorial review•Nov 6, 2025

Celeste is what happens when a filmmaker and an architect decide to open a Peruvian restaurant in Union Square and refuse to treat it like a restaurant business. Chef JuanMa Calderón and co-owner Maria Rondeau — one behind the lens, one behind blueprints — translated those sensibilities into a 600-square-foot room with 24 seats, white walls hung with art, an aqua neon glow, and an open kitchen where Calderón cooks recipes passed down from his mother and grandmother. The result landed Celeste a James Beard Best New Restaurant semifinalist nomination, a slot at No. 5 on Esquire's Best New Restaurants in America list, a New York Times Boston recommendation, and Eater Boston's restaurant of the year when it opened. That's a genuinely unusual trajectory for a tiny room in Somerville with price-point 2 pricing — and it tells you something real about the ambition behind the cooking. The menu is rooted in classic Peruvian home cooking, not the Lima tasting-menu circuit. The blue cod ceviche is the anchor — fish cured in Peruvian-style leche de tigre, the citrus-and-chile marinade that defines the dish across the country. The lomo saltado, the stir-fried beef that is arguably Peru's most beloved weeknight staple, is noted for steak that arrives properly cooked beneath a tangle of onion. But the dish that tells you most about Calderón's kitchen is the aji de gallina: shredded poached chicken pulled into a sauce of garlic, aji amarillo, ground walnuts, and Parmesan, finished with hard-boiled egg and black olives — a preparation that reads as intensely specific and maternal in the best sense, which tracks for a chef whose recipes come from family rather than culinary school. The room is genuinely small, and reservations are not optional — book ahead, full stop. If the weather cooperates, the side patio is the move: quieter than the sidewalk tables, more intimate than the dining room. Given the accolades and the seat count, walk-ins are a gamble you'll likely lose on a weekend. Come with someone you actually want to talk to — the format, the size, and the cooking all push in that direction.

Carlos Mendez, Food & Drink Editor

Methodology•Boston guides•Editorial team

date night

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Taste ID

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Rating (Google) 9.2

883 reviews

Boston

At a glance

The fastest read on whether this place fits tonight.

9.2

Rating

Based on 883 reviews

Best for

date night

Price and pace

Moderate spend

Neighborhood

Somerville · 21 Bow St, Somerville, MA 02143, USA

Price

Moderate spend

Google rating

9.2 from 883 reviews

Address

Somerville | 21 Bow St, Somerville, MA 02143, USA

Inside the restaurant

Photos of Celeste

1 photo

Watch

Celeste on video

Video: LatayzhaJahnae (third-party feature) · plays on YouTube

Video: Daxon Creed (third-party feature) · plays on YouTube

What to order

Signature dishes at Celeste

Blue Cod Ceviche

Lomo Saltado

Aji de Gallina

Why go

What makes Celeste worth the move

Celeste works for date night in Somerville because the room and the food both help the evening land. Blue Cod Ceviche and Lomo Saltado also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.2 rating across 883 Google reviews.

What to know fast

Public rating

9.2 from 883 Google reviews

Best for

date night

Style

Peruvian in Somerville

Spend

Moderate spend

Best for

date night

Know before you go

Google rating: 9.2 from 883 reviews

Price point: $$

Popular dishes: Blue Cod Ceviche, Lomo Saltado, Aji de Gallina

Website linked on this page

TastyPals Reviews

What diners are saying

0 diner reviews · reviewed by Carlos Mendez for Celeste

Google snapshot

9.2 from 883 reviews

TastyPals notes

Editorial review by Carlos Mendez

No diner notes for Celeste yet.

Every note in this section is written by a diner who actually ate here, so we leave it empty until there's a genuine one to share.

For now, Celeste holds a 9.2 rating across 883 Google reviews.

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Plan the visit

Quick details

Visit Website Menu Directions

Address: 21 Bow St, Somerville, MA 02143, USA
Price: $$
TastyPals score: Coming soon
Google rating: 9.2 (883 reviews)
Cuisine: Peruvian
Neighborhood: Somerville

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Restaurants in Somerville

Frequently asked questions

What cuisine does Celeste serve?

Celeste is a Peruvian restaurant located in Somerville, Boston. Celeste is what happens when a filmmaker and an architect decide to open a Peruvian restaurant in Union Square and refuse to treat it like a restaurant business.

What is Celeste best for?

Celeste is best for date night. Celeste works for date night in Somerville because the room and the food both help the evening land. Blue Cod Ceviche and Lomo Saltado also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.2 rating across 883 Google reviews.

How much does it cost to eat at Celeste?

Celeste is in the Moderate spend price range ($$). Google rating: 9.2 from 883 reviews

What should I order at Celeste?

Start with Blue Cod Ceviche, Lomo Saltado and Aji de Gallina. These dishes are shown from TastyPals notes or restaurant data on this page.

Is Celeste worth visiting?

Celeste holds a 9.2 Google rating from 883 reviews. Celeste works for date night in Somerville because the room and the food both help the evening land. Blue Cod Ceviche and Lomo Saltado also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.2 rating across 883 Google reviews.

Where is Celeste located?

Celeste is located at 21 Bow St, Somerville, MA 02143, USA. Directions are available via Google Maps.

Is Celeste good for a date night?

Yes — Celeste is tagged for date night dining. Celeste works for date night in Somerville because the room and the food both help the evening land. Blue Cod Ceviche and Lomo Saltado also give you a decent sense of the menu. It also holds a 9.2 rating across 883 Google reviews.

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