Ceres Bistro

I’d definitely come back here. 5 stars for atmosphere, including live entertainment, 5 stars for service, 3.5 stars for food (but I’m a picky eater and my boyfriend is an excellent cook so take what you will from that…)
Atmosphere: Having recently moved from Boston to Worcester, I’m relatively unfamiliar with the restaurant scene that lays outside of Shrewsbury St. and was pleasantly surprised to find this hidden gem. I went here on a Thursday night with my boyfriend on an impromptu dinner date. It was a beautiful warm night and we wanted to find an outdoor patio in Worcester/​surrounding areas to have dinner. Out of all the places we checked out on Unilocal,this place seemed to have the largest outdoor seating area. Working close by, I was also familiar with its location and knew it was tucked away off the beaten path in a really nice, quiet, green space. The restaurant is huge and has a nice bar inside. The outdoor seating area is just as big and is on turf (for those wearing high heels or simply not wanting to get «ground» all over their feet/​clothing, this is very welcomed and appreciated!) There was also live entertainment (singer playing her acoustic) and people were slow dancing on the outdoor «dance floor» (nothing fancy, just a nice space to enjoy the live entertainment.) Very cheeky!
Service: We were seated right away and checked on by various wait staff to ensure we were being taken care of. Our waiter, Andrew, was absolutely fantastic. He was friendly, attentive and very generous with our drinks when we told him we were celebrating my boyfriend’s new job. After striking up some conversation with him, Andrew discovered that I had just moved to the area and wrote down a list of places for me that he suggested I should check out. Needless to say, he was great and we left him a 35% tip without even thinking twice about it.
Food: We shared an appetizer and an entrée. App: picked vegetables, pita and hummus. The hummus was homemade and was delicious (very garlicky but good.) I wasn’t crazy about the picked vegetables. The pita was good. Entrée: seabass with pasta, which was delicious. We did find it very buttery, however, but not intolerably buttery.
Cost: CHEAP. Aside from food, we had a total of 3 glasses of wine and a beer (that we paid for.) I actually thought there might be a mistake when we got the check because I was expecting it to be much more than it came out to be. I guess that’s what dining out in Boston will do to you.

Went for the Mother’s day brunch, booked it in November. It was rated one of the best paces to have Mother’s day brunch. I arrived with my mother and my sister to an almost empty restautrant, and still had to wait for our table. We sat down and were handed a prix fix menu for $ 45 a person with no brunch items. My sister has a very simple pallet and between the quail eggs and foie gras, there was nothing she would eat. To quote her «I’m not paying $ 45 for herbs and flowers». What a huge dissapointment. We left without ordering anything. Definately not the Mother’s day brunch we were anticipating for the last 2 years.

This place has tanked. Used to be awesome food and service now both are sub-​par. Went for a friends birthday Sat midday for lunch, wanted to relax and hang on the patio. Was literally embarrassed for the waitress how bad she was and the food was not good… not worth the money. Overcooked Filet, a scary (questionable) raw oyster, they took the meat/​cheese app off the menu. Took 40 mins to get the bottle of wine we ordered then (white) wine was served warm and in dirty glasses So many other good places locally won’t waste time or $ on Ceres anymore. Too bad. Used to really like this place…

We were regulars here for quite a while, but the quality started slipping steadily and we hadn’t been in over a year. After our experience on Saturday, we won’t be back. We were the ONLY people in the place for lunch and our order was wrong and took much longer than it should have. A Rueben without sauerkraut or thousand island dressing — just meat and cheese and a coffee that we were charged 3 bucks for that we never got. All the while listening to the hostess yell at the waitress to get the tables set, because apparently the owner was coming in and they had to get things right for him. Right for the owner but not the paying customers? Also of note — the lunch menu is now minuscule — no small plates anymore and nothing interesting to boot. Farm to table my ass — the menu hasn’t changed seasonally ever as far as I can tell. Don’t waste your money here — poor experience all around.

Perfect from start to finish. The food was outstanding and the service was equally good. Deanna, our waitress was friendly, attentive, and helpful without being fawning or hovering. She was so nice, but seemed sincere — a rare quality! My filet was «like buttah,» and I still had to restrain myself from stealing half of my sister’s short rib. The small details were even perfect: The bread we started with was delicious and came with this oil/​vinegar for dipping that was the best balsamic vinegar I’ve ever tasted. The only problem I had was that we were too full to even look at the dessert menu. A truly memorable meal, and the groupon made it a great value as well. I’ve been to Ceres before but not for years; I will definitely go back soon.

My absolute fav place for drinks and or dinner in Worcester
My husband and I have been coming here for 5+ years now
Menu is always changing, food is always terrific
We have not eaten outside but would like to sometime
I feel it’s my lucky day when I can nab a groupon!

Ceres is great for drinks and apps but not for dinner. The table did have a cloth, the placemats were sprayed with cleaner (we watched them clean the table next to ours while eating our dinner!), the service was slow, and the food very average for the price.
The ten minutes between pouring our water and getting our drink order while we observed empty tables was the first clue. Then our apps came out minutes after putting in that order even though we were half done with highballs. Not a night to remember.

Upgrading to a five. We have been back twice since my initial review, both times on Groupons. Great food. Get the halibut with spinach and potato cream. It’s rich but delicious with a bite of acid on the potato cream. The soup of the day has been excellent both times (a spicy sausage the first time and a comforting vegetable beef with kidney beans the second). The chocolate raspberry cake with white chocolate chips is so good. And the service is much, much better. Well paced and professional. We have been very happy.

Second time at Ceres. The first time, the restaurant worked to accommodate the allergies of members of our group. This time — it was clear that Andrew our server was not interested in accommodating in any manner. Basically the message was that if you wanted to order, you had to select from items on the menu, there would be no modifications or accommodations (even if very simple — steamed vegetables).
It was interesting, because another server who stopped by to bring a beverage indicated that she would check on meeting our needs; she then returned and outlined what they could do — the similar can do attitude from our first visit. She said she let Andrew know so he could take our order. Andrew’s response was basically to suggest that either his coworker was wrong or we were lying and to reiterate that we needed to order off the menu.
Clearly, not a place for anyone seeking a service oriented approach.
We looked for a manager — no such luck.

Brunch is amazing, from sweet or savory crepes, prime rib, lox to omellete while you wait. Not everything is fantastic, but many (and there are many) items are excellent.

We dined on Thanksgiving and were super disappointed in dry turkey breast (with no option to have dark meat), bland stuffing, and thin mashed potatoes. In fact if one ordered turkey, the whole plate was beige. So back it went for prime rib, only to be served undercooked brussel sprouts??? So I set my sights on dessert, and ordered Apple pie ala mode, but to my dismay, it wasn’t actually a piece of pie! It wa a tiny amount of apples and dine dry crumbs and a miniscule scoop of ice cream? It all felt well, uninspired and rather a rip off. Sad!

Like many others I really wanted to like this place, but I didn’t. For starters the restaurant smells like an airplane bathroom. Since it’s a high-​end restaurant I expected small portions, but $ 35 for a lamb chop smaller than my fist was a bit over the top! Likewise there were flies in the restaurant… And the corned beef sandwich I had was full of grizzle that got caught in my teeth. Would definitely need to see a major turnaround to return.

I really enjoy Ceres Bistro for lunch, dinner or brunch and haven’t been disappointed.
The meals are not cheap, but they are very good. This is a great place for special occasions or a fancy night out.
The atmosphere is also great. During the warmer months diners can eat on the large patio outside, which houses tens of tables. Sometimes there is even live music. This is a wonderful dining experience.
The lunch menu is great as well. It’s slightly cheaper than dinner, but still great food and variety.
I enjoy the indoor bar. It has under-​lit bar tables. Really quite trendy. There are also great bar deals 4 – 7 PM DAILY, which means you get great food (not your «typical» bar food) every day of the week, even weekends.

Convenient if you are staying at The Beechwood.
Thumbs up:
1. Food: I had their rib-​eye steak for dinner and oysters for appetizers. Both were good. The next morning, I returned for breakfast. I had cornbeef hash and coffe. Good food with large portion sizes. Can’t complain.
2. Service: Nice and friendly hostess/​servers. Prompt service. Very efficient.
3. Ambiance: Nice upscale restaurant with outdoor seating area and occasional live music.
Thumbs down:
1. Beer selection: only a few beers and the local brew was not available that day.

This is the second time we dined here, selecting Ceres because of the large al fresco dining area. On this beautiful Saturday night in August, Cere’s seriously disappointed us, from their poor service, to mediocre food, to the lack of a manager to discuss these issues with upon our departure.
We arrived around 6:20 for a 6:30 reservation and were seated promptly. Ten minutes later, the waiter had yet to arrive at our table. Another four minutes passed when we finally flagged down a waitress, and we ordered two waters and a glass of wine. The waters arrived promptly, and the wine arrived a few minutes later with a recently assigned waitress who apologized for the confusion.
She took our order, and about ten minutes later, bread was finally brought to the table. We’d estimate about 35 minutes before the bread arrived. That said, we still maintained cautious optimism about our meal. We ordered a few oysters, and found them small and underwhelming. The bouillabaisse was bland, and a surprisingly small portion for the $ 34 price. Two small scallops, two small shrimp and two tiny pieces of white fish, surrounded by a bland and uninteresting stock. There were tiny bits of lobster in the broth, edible but tough. The scallop plate was more substantial, but the scallops were cool, perhaps waiting for the fried potato dumplings to be plated which were piping hot. The dumplings were very good, the only satisfying edibles of the entire dinner.
I stopped to ask for the manager as we departed the restaurant, but neither a hostess nor a manager could be found, the desk was deserted. This restaurant seems like it’s on the downward death spiral, as they should be on their game for a Saturday night, with the restaurant only half full. Our advice to diners, avoid this place and try instead the 111 Chop House, Alicante, Bacados or Sole Proprietor. We will not return.

I wish there was a negative star! We came here for my moms surprise 60^th birthday and I have NEVER had such horrible service and sub par food! We had a table reserved, wasn’t ready so we waited. Then we waited 45 min to just get our meal, no one came to talk to us, offer more water or drinks or bread. Food was sub par lobster roll was frozen then thawed, risotto was gross, salmon was the smallest portion I’ve ever seen. But yet it took 15 – 20 min to cook… They never came to ask how our meal was and when we finished we just sat there waiting for them to clear our plates atleast 15 – 20 min. No mention of coffee or tea after dinner. We had to ask… The waitress was very aloof and uncaring and should find another job.

Nice, upscale casual atmosphere bar inside of the Beechwood Hotel
Nice selection of wines by the glass, fully stocked bar. Service decent
Clean, efficient
Nice outdoor seating area

There’s no denying that Ceres Bistro’s patio and ambience is one of the better options in Worcester. I have held birthday parties and a bridal shower there and everything was pretty good, including the food. But I must say the past few visits have made me question if I want to return. I came on ⁴⁄₁₂ for an afternoon snack and drink. The mojito I ordered tasted like just soda water and rum, it was clearly not muddled correctly like it should be. The shrimp (at $ 3 a shrimp) were smaller than average, and the fried calamari was nothing to really brag about. What was most surprising was the truffle fries came out soggy! That was a huge disappointment!
With the nice weather approaching I hope to visit again soon and sit on the patio. Hopefully by then the food will be better.

Love the atmosphere here ! Great bar area. The hummus appetizer plate is very good and great for sharing. Love the blood Cosmo here. One of the best drinks in the city in my opinion. We had dinner too which was above average. I would recommend this place for couples or a group. Relaxed atmosphere.

Let’s just say I so wanted to like this place. It was recommended to me and I love a nice dinner in a nice outdoor setting.
Started out with bartender not knowing how to make a flirtini and they didn’t even ask how to make it, just googled something that was not at all what I have ever had.

Great outdoor seating, menu had some nice sounding options and wine menu look fab.
We started out w a seared tuna app; the seaweed salad was the best thing on the plate. The tuna truly was tasteless and I love tuna! The sarachia honey sauce on side was sooooo sweet and not good for tuna.
My husband had. The rib eye and asked for a med rare cook, that came out med well. It still tasted good (tho the butter on top I thought was too salty) he enjoyed it but wanted a rarer cook.
I got the rack of lamb asked for rare, well I got not even a pink center. Also the rack was a rack of lolly pop chops not a full chop size. (Trust me if I can finish a rack of lamb the men that order this will be ordering a second entrée) Still a good taste but not cooked anywhere near my liking.
Our waitress seemed new, didn’t offer any advice and we had to ask if there were specials for salt and pepper, but whatever.
Our wine was good. Atmosphere good. Good could have been way better.
Just imagine the «taste good» is there, now cook the meat the temp people want it in and it could be an amazing restaurant.
I really hate writing bad reviews but I had high hopes for this one but the paying $ 35 bucks for lollipop well done lamb and $ 30 for and over done ny strip and $ 10 for tasteless tuna… Not what I want to spend my money on.
All in all we won’t be going there again for food but I could possibly go there and hang out outside and drink… I will just have to keep my drink order to an easy standard… Like wine!