City Cellar is a phenomenal American restaurant in Westbury. It is very NYC-style, and the place itself looks beautiful and classy. The decor of the entire restaurant is very tasteful, with attention to detail and dim lighting. The size of the restaurant is quite big, but it gets packed quickly for dinner. The prices can also get hefty, with most entrees somewhere around $30-40. It is a great place for a fine dinner with family, friends, or a date. The bar itself looks like a great time.

The menu is not overwhelming, but offers a variety of options that are sure to please all palates. There are flatbreads and pastas, as well as a number of seafood and meat dishes. We decided to share four dishes — the calamari, the crab cake, the Ricotta Gnocchi, and the Kobe Beef sliders.

To start, the Kobe Beef sliders were EXCELLENT. They were super attractive and aesthetic, which is a big plus for me. On top of that, the actual taste and tenderness was right on point. The bun looks firm and noteworthy in pictures, but is soft and fluffy to the bite. The beef itself was cooked perfectly tender. There was a bit of some spicy sauce on it to give the slider some character and kick. I would definitely order them again, and they’re perfect for sharing with 3 people.

The calamari was very good, but not necessarily remarkable. It is standard calamari, but it did come with a nice aioli on the side, as well as fried poblano peppers. The crab cake was presented very well. It was rather thick, almost resembling a bread biscuit. The quality was very good, and I would likely get it again. The calamari is classic order that’s easy to share.

We ordered the Ricotta Gnocchi to share, which came with shrimps. This dish too was excellent. The gnocchi were a bit smaller than I’m typically used to, but they were very tasty and the shrimp were well-cooked. The sauce itself was the winning characteristic — savory with depth. Overall, the dish also deserves applause and I would order it again. They could have potentially added something to boost the color variety on the plate, as that would boost its presentation.

Finally, for dessert we shared a giant cinnamon bun with a scoop of ice cream. It was okay, but definitely not special. The combination was not remarkable or noteworthy, and I likely would NOT order it again. There are surely better things on the dessert menu. However, it did make for a great picture.

All in all, perhaps I was just starving, but I generally had a really great experience at City Cellar. I am a big fan of the decor, the food, and overall service. Our waiter, Kenny, was outstanding and very fun. He surely helped make the experience very memorable. I will definitely be returning to this restaurant, and I recommend it to anyone. I hope my next experience at City Cellar will be just as good as my first.