Cena Restaurant

I’ve been here multiple times in the past and it continues to be one of my favorite go to places. The food is always very good to great but the service can be a little iffy at times. They do seafood extremely well — I had some of the best scallops I’ve ever had here.

Really love this place. Whenever I travel to Appleton this is a must dine for me. The menu is unique (good unique, not odd unique), the service is excellent and the place has a vibe that is comforting. The bar tender (with the long beard, can’t recall his name) is excellent at his craft and brings the right amount of conversation. I’m a fan.

Amazing meal and environment. Mushroom soup was a delight. Seared sea scallops incredible all served with a wonderful Malbec. Enjoyed this date night beyond measure.

Cena was recommended to my boyfriend and I when we moved to Appleton from Chicago, and we immediately checked it out. The food was good but definitely not great. Also, for the prices Cena charges I expected great service. Our server wasn’t attentive and had a very poor understanding of the menu options. The worst part about our whole experience was the employees (mostly servers) smoking right outside the back door of the restaurant. Not only could we see them smoking but it also made the whole back room of the restaurant wreak of smoke — disgusting. If the staff was better trained and managed this place could easily go from 3 stars to 4.

Very much enjoyed our dinner at Cena prior to a show at the PAC. Staff was friendly and attentive and the food was really unique and tasty! Lots of grains incorporated into topping which was super delicious and something I hadn’t seen before. Was lacking on the local and WI beer selection with too much from the coasts, the cocktail was really good though. We will be back and hope to see more support for local products in the cooler!

This is by far the best eatery in Appleton. The staff treat you like an old friend. They have amazing craft cocktails and Ben always makes sure to sweep away your stir sticks and other bar clutter with the dexterity of a cheetah. The food is always top notch with a upper crust but non-​douchy atmosphere. Their live music is also of a wonderful caliber. Try a Caucasian! «There’s a beverage here, man!»

I had the lamb chops which were wonderful and my colleagues had the pork shank which they agreed was excellent. Finished dinner off with a bourbon old fashioned sour that was divine. In short great meal!

I attended a business dinner here with 12 people. As the local in the group, I like it when I can take guests from larger cities to a delicious, unique spot and this fit the bill. They had a larger table in the back for us — somewhat secluded. The drinks were excellent (I’m told the gin & tonic is epic). The menu is smaller, but the options are all prepared very well, with excellent flavors. I’m the only vegan in the group, and I enjoyed my acorn squash stuffed with quinoa, it was actually on the menu as a vegan item instead of requiring customization! Others in the group enjoyed their meaty dishes as well. Service was great and very attentive.

The gin and tonic was unbelievable. Best in Appleton! Service was fabulous. Very friendly and helpful!

Outstanding! Jon, my server, knows the menu and read me well. Had scallops per his recommendation. Friends had Mahi Mahi special with parsnips. Real treat.

I guess if you’re in the fox valley this is a great dinner spot. Pros: Food was great (taste and quality wise). Cons: Service was just awful. I waited over 15 minutes to get a drink and then another 10 – 15 minutes to put in my dinner order. Then when My BF and I actually put in our dinner order it took another 30 – 35 minutes to receive our food. Not to mention that it took FOREVER to get a refill on our drinks. IMO they missed out because drinks are yummy and we would have ordered more than two. I read reviews before going, about the restaurant being understaffed and I usually like to give the business the benefit of the doubt, but not this time. My only suggestion to the business would be to hire at least another server to help with busy weekends. We barely got any attention and you would think you would get at least attention from your server every 5 – 10 minutes if you’re paying $ 30 per plate and $ 10-​$ 15 per drink… Maybe just maybe I would give this another try if it wasn’t a weekend night. maybe I wont tho…

The food would have been amazing… Unfortunately I saw my dish sit ready for 5 minutes before it was delivered and it was a little cool.
This place would get a ⁵⁄₅ but they were understaffed and the service was awful. When I’m paying $ 30 a plate I expect to get asked if I want a drink within the first 10 minutes of sitting down. ⁰⁄₅ service, food was ⁴⁄₅ even though it was cool and would have easily been ⁵⁄₅ if delivered on time.

The food is delicious. I am sure that is what brings rave reviews, and they are well-​deserved in that regard. However, there were a few aspects to our dining experience that were less than perfect. We were seated along the side, toward the front, near the kitchen. It was SO noisy, also dark, and my view was of the women’s room every time someone went in to use the facilities. When we were leaving out the back door, we realized that the back part of the restaurant was much more pleasant — quiet and appropriately lit. I would only sit back there if I returned. Also, the restaurant seemed under-​staffed. Our server was working hard but was only moderately attentive because he was working so many tables. Our margaritas were the worst we have ever had, and when we asked for them to be fixed, perhaps by adding some simple syrup because they were bitter, the waiter didn’t seem to think that was possible. We waited a long time for our meal — it must have been close to 45 minutes — and I was so hungry, I was feeling light-​headed. For the prices charged, they could cough up some bread for diners to eat during the long wait.

Cena, Spanish for Dinner, is a great place — equal to great meals in Chicago or Minneapolis
Fairly limited menu, but outstanding multi layered dishes combining great flavors and textures. The kind of cooking that requires great skill and most places just are not willing to take the risk, rather instead just passing off decent food which in the end just doesn’t take the same time or skill to make
I also really appreciated the wine list also — a small list, but with nice options (not the same old same old) at excellent prices. Plenty of bottles at 28 to 35 each, and not your typical wine selections. Same with beer — how many places can you get Anchor Steam at in Wisconsin?
The trend continues with desert — not many choices, but they make them themselves. And Acoca coffee, so a great way to finish a meal.
While others have complained about service, we had exemplary service
Overall, an unequaled dinner experience.

Cena has THE BEST OLD FASHIONEDS in the Fox Valley. Maybe anywhere. We usually come here for drinks. I get the whiskey old fashioned sour and my fiancé always gets the brandy old fashioned sour. They both rule the roost. In addition to these drinks, they have a great variety of other cocktail concoctions, and Brian is usually behind the bar and can make something to suit your taste, whatever it may be.
Beyond the drinks, the food here will blow your mind. I’ve only had it once or twice but it is truly phenomenal and worth every penny. Not an every day treat but definitely a go to for a delicious night out.

Great food, presentation, and service. The salmon special was delicious. A really unique place in the Fox Valley.

The food was delicious, wonderful, great! At our table we had the shrimp, scallops and the tenderloin. All three were great! Our service was poor, our waitress was not very attentive, we did a lot of waiting and had to ask another waitress to fill our waters. Atmosphere was also mediocre, it felt like the «trendy» mark was bordering on a lil trashy. This place could be beautiful and very on trend with just a little help! We’ll probably go back because the food was so good and just pray were seated in a different persons section.
Update: we’ve been back many times now and our service has been good ever since and we’ve had the same waitress as our first time when we had the poor experience– so she has definitely improved. Their food is second to none in the Fox Valley. Highly recommended.

Fantastic food & service! From the meatloaf cupcake appetizers, to the mint chocolate chip cheesecake, and everything in between. This place was fantastic.

Even better than last time.
Just stopped in for drinks this time but was blown away by the selection of spirits on the back bar. Not sure how many places in Appleton can make a great Negroni by call, yet alone top it off with Carpano Antica, and the price is so right. No idea why my first review was only four stars. This place is in a class of its own for Appleton, and a leg up on some of my favorite spots in my neck of the woods.
Incredible bartenders, great food, unreal prices.

Just had a wonderful meal at Cena. We went after the show at the PAC. Walked over to the restaurant, where we were greeted by a friendly host. We were seated immediately. Our waitress recommended the Maide Malbec, which was sublime! I then had the tomato basil bisque, hubby had the pork belly miso soup. Both were delicious. Hubby had the grilled shrimp and andouille sausage jambalaya, a little spicy but he loved it. My entrée was a grilled pork chop served over white beans and sauteed kale. The dish was topped with Memphis coleslaw. It was a visual and flavorful treat! Our waitress, who is a treasure, brought out a complimentary cup of their homemade bananas foster ice cream. It was delicious! Overall a fantastic meal, we will definitely be back.