"...One of the best restaurants in town. The food is outstanding! Staff is friendly and courteous. I love this place!" - Kevin S

 

"...We finally ate at Cena on College Avenue in Downtown Appleton. Very good. Not a huge menu but enough variety for most people. Not super expensive and the appetizers were excellent. We had a hard time choosing only two. Great atmosphere and later than evening they had a singer & guitar play near the bar. We will definitely go back there." - MusicMomof5

 

"...I was walking down the main drag of Appleton looking for a place to have dinner by myself, since I was in town on business. I saw the window of Cena from across the street and it looked like a nice space, but I had no idea of what to expect. A 3 piece combo was playing and I thought, 'Well, at the very least I'll get to hear some music.'

But as soon as I walked in I knew it was a great place: the layout, the decor and it's vibe was very cool. But most of all, the smell from the kitchen was heavenly!

I sat at at the bar and the bartender, who had devised the wine list, suggested a Cabernet that was great. I ordered the Caprese Salad, and the seared tomatoes were a wonderful surprise. Then I ordered Filet Mignon as my main course.

Oh ... my ... god!

It was perfect! Tender and delicious and mouth-melting. On top of that, the bacon and gorganzola rustic potatoes made me go into culinary nirvana. All at about half the price I'd pay in NYC! Plus wonderful jazz with a harpist as one of the trio!

And the staff was very friendly and I ended up chatting with them all: the bartender, waitress, owner and even a very knowledgeable cinephile of a dishwasher.

Seriously, I had a fabulous meal here with great service. An evening meal alone I was dreading ended up being a great night out and I can't wait to return to Appleton to go again!" - William P

 

"...Delicious! The best stuffed pork tenderloin I've ever tasted. Beautiful bar and dining area with knowledgeable servers." - J Dogg.

 

"...This was another one of my stops during my recent trip to Appleton and another great experience. I started with a nice refreshing glass of white sangria. After sipping my drink and chatting with the extremely friendly staff for a while I ordered the tomato basil bisque. It was fantastic - creamy, rich and full of tomato flavor with just the right touch of basil.

There were about 7 entrees that I wanted to try but I decided on the seared sea scallops sautéed with spinach over lemon risotto and topped with a roasted red-pepper coulis.

This was a great combination of flavors and paired very nicely with a glass of Les Jamelles Viogner. The scallops were lightly seared, sweet and tender and the risotto was perfectly prepared with a bright lemon note. The spinach had just a touch of garlic and the coulis added yet another layer of flavor.

I was going to skip dessert, but when my waiter said 'bananas foster split' I couldn't resist. A kids favorite brought to an adult level! As if that wasn't enough... the chef offered me a sample of tiramisu. I never turn down free food so I gladly accepted! Not only was it free but it was so good that next time I will pay for it!

Cena is great place in a great space and they are wheelchair accessible!" - Richard S.