The Cellar Bistro

I want so much to write a good review of this place. We have been there on many occasions and I guess it just depends on if you are there on the right day at the right time. Service is usually quite good, but the food is quite variable. We had a modest lunch there today, a wrap and a salad and they were ok. The bill came to $ 44.00 including $ 4.00 for a glass of ice tea. Seems pricey for what we received. Pretty disappointed today.

Nice downtown neighborhood place to have great wine and dinner. The waiter was awesome and gave us a taste of a few wines before selecting. Great recommendation for a Sauvignon Blanc which I will be looking for at Binnys. My friend and I ordered a few appetizers and a salad to share and with a glass of wine each, the tab was $ 60. Not bad at all. The food was plenty enough for dinner. The only complaint I have is that I was charged twice and my friend 3 times when we checked out bank accounts so beware! We called them and they apologized and reversed the charges immediately.

Nice little spot with good vegetarian options (hard to find in the ‘burbs).

Can talk quiet Resturant. With good food and wine. Would order the swordfish again my wife enjoyed the pork roast also.

Nice, intimate, date night atmosphere. Decently priced food (delicious spinach and artichoke dip at $ 10 and wild salmon at low $ 20s). Server was professional, attentive without being overbearing. Right by parking garage which makes it convenient. Would definitely return.

Came in to grab a drink and checked out the menu. I was shocked they had vegan options!!! It was such a relief to go out on a whim and see vegan options on a menu. We ordered the Portobello pâté and beet burgers and were not disappointed! The service was wonderful. I really appreciated the clean, calm atmosphere. We’ll be dining at the cellar bistro again very soon.

I came here to meet a friend for drinks & dinner. We had a great experience! The wine was a fabulous selection, reasonably priced and very good. We shared a few appetizers for dinner and I am glad we did because everything was excellent! We stayed a little long chatting but never once did we feel rushed to leave or forced from our table. This place was fantastic and I hope to return.

Stopped in for a glass of wine with a friend and was pleasantly surprised. The ambiance was very appealing — upscale, clean & inviting. The staff was all very friendly and greeted us with smiles upon walking in. The manager had a very good knowledge of the wine list and recommended certain wines to us based off of what we liked.
We ordered the Baked Brie appetizer and it was absolutely delicious! It came with an amazing fruit spread, some candied pecans and some pears and raisin toast. It was phenomenal. Highly recommended!
I wish we would have had a chance to try more of the food here — everything we saw being served looked amazing. They told us that all of the soups were even made from scratch — and the Mushroom Brie soup sounded incredible. (I’ll make sure to try that on my next visit in!)
They also have a very nice outdoor dining section if you’re looking to enjoy the summer weather.
It’s a great Gem in the heart of downtown Wheaton. Definitely stop in if you’re looking for a great wine bar with superb food & and a friendly waitstaff.

Underwhelming at best. I try to give places the benefit of the doubt as I don’t mind paying big money for good food. That was not the case at The Cellar. $ 10 for chips and guac? $ 12 for a pizza that had old pancetta on it and $ 22 for pork tenderloin that was bland… salt and pepper weren’t enough to save it. The bill came to $ 168 including tip… Ivy would have been a much better spot for that kinda cash. 2 stars given for the hostess and guitarist Jim Perona who is one of the best on the area. Happy they brought him in. Will not come back though.

Normally I don’t review a place with this many reviews, but since the only vegetarian mention is from someone who eats fish, yes, the Cellar Bistro has several vegetarian (not fish!) options for each course, including appetizers, entrée salads, entrees, and pizzas. I suspect they have vegan options, as the beet burger comes with Vegenaise and is obviously not bound with eggs.
We were here for lunch and ate outside. The interior looks nice but was extremely over air conditioned. Prices are what I’d usually expect for dinner entrees; we were also handed a beer and wine menu (I suspect the wine menu is the same as for dinner; multiple bottles in the up-​to-​$ 50 range and one $ 100 champagne). 7 of the 8 appetizers are vegetarian; 4 of the 8 pizzas are as well; 2 of the salads; 5 of the «favorites» and 3 sandwiches; both named soups appeared veg (didn’t ask).
Appetizers and salads are fairly standard without a lot of culinary adventuring, at least for the veg options (hummus; spinach/​artichoke dip; bruschetta; pear/​walnut salad; beet and goat cheese).
We had the baked brie appetizer; the brie was fairly bland; we liked the quince paste and sugared pecans. The walnut bread with it was walnut, raisin, and citron — nice, but the citron fought a bit with the quince paste and meant every bite was fruity. I suppose the brie needed the help. I had the warm farro salad with kale and chevre, which came with little slices of bread. There was a lot of chevre, and the salad worked fairly well as a topping for the bread. The beet burger took an extremely long time to prepare (a warning in the menu would be nice); lunch took us an hour and a half and we really rushed through our main courses due to a 2pm appointment. The beet burger pleased my companion, who doesn’t usually like beets. It wasn’t a patty, more like a chopped beet salad (if it was «rolled in walnuts» we missed it). I thought it was nice enough. The roasted rosemary potatoes with it were perfection.
I don’t usually pay this much for lunch, and while the food was well-​executed, it didn’t truly shine. I’d come here again when I felt like a splurge staying local with lots of vegetarian options; otherwise I can either really splurge on fancy dining in the City, or eat new American for significantly less nearby, albeit with fewer choices.

I took a date here last Saturday night. I was looking for a quite place being that the Hawks game was on. This place was definitely good. It’s a nice, quite, intimate place with good service, great wine selection and decent pricing.
They have a nice bar area if your looking for a few quite cocktails and good conversation. Friendly staff and nicely located in DT Wheaton. 4 stars seems like a good rating for this place.

My boyfriend & I were directed here by a rave review from his dentist. We were initially thrilled to go, because the area was so nice and the outside was adorable. We could not have been more wrong.
Upon our arrival, we got seated the farthest table in the very back. There was minimal lighting and nobody around us. Every other guest was up in the front by the windows on nice tables. One waiter & one busboy was running the whole restaurant. They were friendly, but very incompetent. We had a artichoke dip for an appetizer, it was okay. And then came our main meals. I had the salmon which was extremely undercooked, to the point where I was concerned I’d be ill after. My boyfriend had the gnocchis and they tasted like nothing. There was no flavor of any sort to them what so ever.
We asked for the check and nearly fainted at the 60 dollar total when we only had 2 meals and an appetizer… we had water for our drinks! We waited for 20 MINUTES for the waiter to pick Up the check and left as fast as we could. Extremely overpriced bad food, slow service and a terrible ambiance. I’m very disappointed.

Lovely little place with deliciously fresh fare. Staff is amazing. First time here; will not be my last.

Definitely plan to go back. Enjoyed the smaller, intimate atmosphere, and of course the food. Generous glasses of wine and warm, friendly service. I think it can be a bit pricier than reflected on Unilocal,so that’s my only reason for 4 vs 5 stars. The manager came over to make sure everything was alright. Not just a fly by visit, but seemed sincerely interested. That’s always a nice touch. Got there around 5:45 on a Friday night, had made reservation. Was fairly quiet at that time, but was full up by the time we left. Mushroom Brie soup recommended by my friend was excellent. I had a Dover Sole special which was very good, but on the pricier side. Parking garage close by, but you may find street parking depending on the time.

Came here with a group for lunch. Our server (woman with a pixie cut) was so flighty-​it took an hour to get our entrees and no one was left in the restaurant. They came and took the flowers off our table WHILE we were eating because «we have to start prepping for dinner.» Seriously? The food was average at best, and we left annoyed and disappointed.
First and last time at this place. There are much better places in Wheaton.

Will never return here again!
I went here to catch up with two close girlfriends who I haven’t seen in a while. We decided to try a new place and chose Cellar Bistro due mainly to our love of wine. While the wine was good, as well as our dinner, the service was extremely disappointing.
Our server was very nice and gave great recommendations when asked for her advice on wine and entrees. However, once our meal was complete and we were given the bill, we had someone come up to our table multiple times within minutes of setting down the bill to see if we had taken care of it. Once we paid, a couple minutes later a gentleman, who I can only assume was the manager, asked if we were finished and would move so some people at the bar could have our table. We were enjoying our conversation and thought he was joking. What restaurant asks if you are finished so they can seat other people?
At first we just kind of laughed it off but when the manger returned yet again and said «I have three nice seats at the bar for you» we were so annoyed that we got up and left.
It’s unfortunate as the food and wine were good, but I have NEVER had a manager or anyone else at a restaurant ask if we could leave our table so others could use it. We are paying customers and should be able to sit there as long as we please. That is bad customer service and you can guarantee we will NEVER return here again!

As the other reviews have said the place is very inviting and cozy. The ladies will love the way it’s decorated. (guys they don’t have any tv’s so don’t expect to see any sports while you wait at the bar, although it’s not meant to be that kind of place)
We went for dinner Friday night and it wasn’t very crowded so we were sat right away. We had a waiter who was very friendly and helpful. Service was fine. We started with the crab cakes as others here said they were so good and they were.
She had the pear salad and I had couple of bites and it was also excellent. For my entrée I had the chicken saltombocca (I know I murdered the spelling on that) and it was so so. I wouldn’t recommend the dish.
The wine list is decent and prices are what you’d expect of a place like this, entrees $ 20 — $ 30.
All in all though it was a very nice experience, would go again when in Wheaton!

Because Unilocal won’t let you vote zero stars. Our group of 7 arrived at 11:30 AM for Sunday Brunch and were seated immediately, because there was only one other table occupied.
We ordered our drinks and they came out quickly, except the server failed to open the bottle of wine. We let that go and ordered starters and appetizers quickly because of the time schedule we were on. The starters came out and were good. Since my wife, daughter and I had eaten at Cellar Bistro a few times since moving to Wheaton a few weeks ago, we were excited to showcase this spot to our friends sending their kid to Wheaton College.
After our starters the wheels fell off fast. Our 5 year old daughter’s pasta never came out with the appetizers. We let that go, but our entrees didn’t follow either. So we waited until 12:30 to ask about our food. Other tables were coming in and being served, but not us. They said it will be out shortly.
At 12:50 we asked again and they said it will be right out. No other explanation, just that it will be right out. Nope.
At 1:05 the food finally came out. The burger was well done and clearly had been under the warmer for some time. The quiche my wife ordered was runny and flavorless. My banana stuffed fresh toast was dry — also clearly under the warmer too long.
We needed to ask for the check immediately and they took 50% off the bill. Woo Hoo, 50% off bad food and having to wait an hour and a half. NO THANK YOU. While we didn’t short the server on her tip (tipped 20+% on what the check should have been), we wondered why she wasn’t supporting us, her clients, since we supported her.
This is sadly disappointing. We love Wheaton and encourage others to find this great town as their hometown too, but unfortunately, unless this situation is corrected to our satisfaction we will spend our money elsewhere and wait for a new spot to takeover this failing location… which won’t be too long at this rate.

What is even better than a visit to a historical museum? A great place to have lunch beforehand!
This is a solid restaurant with great atmosphere and food. The service was perfect and ther server pointed out some dishes to try. I began with the tomato basil soup; I love soup because of soups like this. Then I had two small burgers with garlic and other seasonings. It was the best of both worlds — got to go to the kind of foodie place my wife likes and I still got burgers and they were outstanding. Finished up with dessert and went to visit Cantigny.
Historical outing preceded by burgers and accompanied by my wife. Life is damn good.

I really loved this place but full disclosure, it’s not in a cellar! It is a cheerful cute spot where my husband and I had a tummy filling yum experience.
I had bookmarked a couple of restaurants in Wheaton and after we parked the car we set off to explore them. This was the first one we encountered and I just really liked the look of it. Most people were eating outside the day we went there so we had glorious privacy indoors. I ordered a raspberry Italian soda and the mushroom/​brie soup and both were fantastic! I thought, wow, this is enough goodness to merit the trip here.
Then we both had hamburgers, my husband had two of the garlic burgers and I had one of the wimpy ones and it was just perfect. Great meat, delicious bun and crispy lettuce, tomato and onion on top with a homemade mayo/​mustard spread. I adored it. I had wanted to explore more and maybe get dessert at another spot but I was on a roll. Could this be the Holy Grail of lunch where I like every single course?
Monty Python has nothing on me so I plunged on ordering a Cappuccino and splitting a cake with my husband. Not just any cake, no sireee. This was Kathleen’s Chocolate Cake, I am not lying, it was named after me! And moist, chocolately perfection that was masterful with my cappuccino.
I liked every single thing I ordered, that is very rare. I can’t wait to go back. I just wonder what food they will name after me next!