Cello Mediterranean grill & lounge — Restaurant in Garden Grove

We have been excitedly waiting for Cello to open up and they're ready to serve!

Apps: Cheese Sambosa - very cheesy, fresh herb flavor and good cheese pull. Perfectly fried. Really refreshing and savory cheese flavor.

Beef kibbeh - best kibbeh I have had than other places, not gritty and has good flavor, would love if it also came with a sauce.

Batata harra - STAR OF OUR MEAL. These potatoes were tender, flavorful, smokey spicy and had such a great flavor. I wish I had a bigger bowl. Definitely coming back for these potatoes! We couldn't stop talking about it. Slow heat and definitely good for spice lovers!

Pita bread and Hummus

Entree: Chicken Tawook -chicken was juicy, tender and had great flavor. Could really taste the marinating without it being too much. Realy really good spices and flavor. The RICE was also really good, moist, fluffy and good flavor.

Dessert: Dubai Crepe - must have with the vanilla ice cream. The knaffeh inside with the sauces were great! Love the crunch and flavor.

Drinks: hazelnut latte and passion fruit sweet tea, loved the tea especially! Not sure if refills were free but if they are I'd be so excited!

Great service and atmosphere, they have really put a lot of thought and design into the restaurant inside and out! The patio is coming together, although I don't do hookah I would love to just eat outside under the patio.

The owners are super friendly and welcoming. I really appreciate the customer service, recommendations and really look forward to coming back. There is so much more to try!

Glad we came and can't wait til everything...

This is apparently a brand-new restaurant, as Google still thinks it's called "Taco Mi Pueblo" (it's not) and that it's a taco shop (it's not). It does have a VERY limited Mexican menu (just two items: beef taco and chicken taco), but most of the food here is Mediterranean. I was in here tonight (Jan 3, 2021) and ordered hummus, beef taco, and chicken taco.

The Hummus was very smooth and tasty, if a bit bland.

The pita bread that came with it was tough and leathery (I threw it away), but then so is nearly all pita bread; it's a bad product to begin with (as is any product made from wheat).

The tacos were very tasty, though the selection of salsas available was limited (salsa verde only), and I was served no lime wedges, and there was no cilantro or onion on the tacos, just corn tortillas and meat. But in spite of that, with a little of their green salsa on top, the tacos were delicious. They just need to add carnitas and al-pastor to their taco line up, use onion and cilantro and lime, and offer several more salsas, and they'd have a much more complete "Mexican" half of their "Med-Mex" line-up.

It's clearly a start-up, so I'll cut it some slack and give it 4 stars out of 5, because everything I ordered was tasty. If you only knew how RARE that is! Usually when I go into brand-new restaurants, the food is terrible, and a few weeks later they're out of business. This place, on the other hand, seems to be starting out on the right foot, and I think they'll survive. I look forward to coming back and ordering more of their...

I don't usually write bad reviews, but this experience was unbelievable. I always take my family and friends to Chello, but what happened with one of their staff members, Obaida, was just unacceptable. The first time, I ordered pancakes for my niece -- they were raw and impossible to eat. Everyone at the table saw it. When we called Obaida to show him, he just took the plate without even saying sorry. His attitude was rude and disrespectful, but we decided to let it go and didn't make a big deal out of it. The next time we visited, unfortunately he was the only one working. I asked for a dessert, and he raised his voice at me saying he wouldn't make it because "last time you returned your order." I couldn't believe how he spoke to a paying customer -- as if he was doing me a favor instead of doing his job! Honestly, "rude" is an understatement. This was pure arrogance and disrespect. The service is below zero. I even regret ever posting about this restaurant and recommending it to others. To everyone I told about this place -- I'm sorry I ever did. I'll definitely be sharing this experience on social media so people know how terrible the...