Celeste is a Peruvian restaurant in Somerville's Union Square, led by chef Juanma Calderón and general director Maria Rondeau. Calderón, also a filmmaker, learned his cooking methods from his mother and grandmother in Peru. The two previously ran Kriollo Real, a closed-door restaurant out of their home starting in 2013, before opening Celeste to the public in 2018.
The kitchen is small enough that diners seated at the bar can feel heat off the stove, and it turns out a steady run of Peruvian staples: ceviche marinated in leche de tigre, causas, slow-cooked stews, daily salads, and a lomo saltado of steak under onions. Desserts run to mousse de lucuma when available. The day moves from late-afternoon aperitivos into dinner with daily specials and a late-night menu, with a full bar focused on pisco, mezcal, and local craft beer, and a menu that shifts daily with what's fresh.
Celeste was originally planned to run for five years when it opened in 2018; it kept going and has become a neighborhood institution in Union Square.
The kitchen is small enough that diners seated at the bar can feel heat off the stove, and it turns out a steady run of Peruvian staples: ceviche marinated in leche de tigre, causas, slow-cooked stews, daily salads, and a lomo saltado of steak under onions. Desserts run to mousse de lucuma when available. The day moves from late-afternoon aperitivos into dinner with daily specials and a late-night menu, with a full bar focused on pisco, mezcal, and local craft beer, and a menu that shifts daily with what's fresh.
Celeste was originally planned to run for five years when it opened in 2018; it kept going and has become a neighborhood institution in Union Square.