My wife and I were celebrating a weekend away after a long busy period. We had many great experiences with the hotel and other restaurants, however our experience with Cetrella was less than exceptional. The food was exceptional however the service was beyond substandard. Considering that Half Moon Bay is limited on quality restaurants, I still would not return to the restaurant.

My wife and I were looking for a romantic weekend get away in Half Moon Bay and we found a quaint place to stay and some great restaurants. Cetrella was supposed to be top notch from ambience to service. We arrived 10 minutes before our reservation and waited another 20 in bar, but were thoroughly entertained with some fantastic jazz. After we were seated the wine manager visited our table and made a great suggestion from the wine list. Our waiter did not acknowledge us for another 10 – 15 minutes and was unable to provide us with any definitive suggestions for our meal. The food we did order was fantastic, but the overall service from our absent and uninterested waiter was simply ridiculous. Price aside, just based on the service it is not a restaurant I would recommend without a stiff warning about the ineptitude of the waiter serving us.

My husband and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary at Cetrella and were pleased from the first course to the last. To our surprise the hostess placed us at a reserved table by the fireplace, without a previous request from us. We endulged in their fine wine selection and took advantage of the four course menu. We each started with the polenta crusted sand dabs and followed with their red and green romaine salad. Both were excellent! I choose the stuffed quail for my main course. The portion size was perfect and the meat was tender. My husband enjoyed the whole fish, petrale sole. Make sure you leave room for dessert - to die for! Our server was attentive throughout the evening, recommend wine parings for our meal, and added a special touch with a dish of ice cream and candle wishing us a happy anniversary. We capped off our evening by returning to the bar to listen to fabulous live jazz music! We are already planning our return!