Aurora At The Celeste

This hidden gem is located @ the UCF campus inside of the Celeste Hotel.We've been here a few times and the food and service is always wonderful. The ambience is cozy and comfortable. We just love this restaurant.

My husband and I attended the Valentine's Day Prix Fixe special, so I want to start this off by saying I'm not sure if any of these items are regularly available.I ordered a drink special, the Pulsar, which was a very light and refreshing strawberry drink that I recommend for sipping throughout a meal.A bread service and charcuterie board were included to start us off, as well as a champagne toast. The bread rolls were almost like elevated Red Lobster biscuits without the cheddar - easy to pull apart, melt in your mouth delicious, and having the option of regular and herb butter was nice, although the amount of butter they provided for two people was honestly a mountain. I'm not normally a big charcuterie person since I'm not a fan of most cheeses, but the bread, fresh honeycomb, and manchego cheese were delicious. These starters were the highlight of my meal.I selected the lobster bisque as my starter, and while it was okay, I have never in my life had a lobster bisque that wasn't cream sherry based. This almost tasted like a tomato base for the bisque, like a much darker, not quite like a bisque flavor. I was pretty disappointed with that, and from now on, I'll know to ask if a lobster bisque is sherry based or not before ordering. I feel like it should have had a different name on the menu entirely to circumvent expectations.Our server refilled our drinks once, but other than that, we didn't see much of anyone despite people doing table touches around us regularly.For the entree, I ordered the surf and turf (6oz filet with lobster tail, yukon smashed potatoes, and brussel sprouts) medium rare, and there was even a little stake in the food that read medium rare. When I cut into the steak, it was inconsistently cooked, with some being charred to a medium well, and others coming closer to a medium rare. I think the mistake was that the filet was cut up into even smaller pieces to cook instead of remaining whole, so it cooked faster than normal. The lobster tail was the most OVERCOOKED, hard, rubbery lobster I have ever eaten in my life, with NO seasoning. The butter didn't even add any flavor, so there was honestly no redeeming it. I'm quite frankly embarrassed for them at the cook on the lobster. The potatoes were good, but the brussel sprouts again ran into the issue of being overcooked/charred at some parts, and not as done for others, almost like they tried to flambé or the pan caught on fire in a small section and they scraped it all together onto a plate.For dessert, I ordered the flourless chocolate cake. It came with raspberry ice cream and cream. The cream helped cut the overwhelmingly dark chocolate flavor to make it more palatable, but this was not a dessert I'll think about again.In all, the service was disappointing considering we were some of the first people to be seated, and the last couple to be served all of their food, as everyone had already received and finished their meals and cleared out by the time we got our desserts.The restaurant looks very nice and I love the space theme, it was relaxing and comfortable, but the food was lacking for the EXTREME price tag. We've received infinitely better service at a chain like Ruth's Chris, and can expect the food to be cooked consistently and quickly.

My Valentine's Dinner was a mixed bag at Aurora. The restaurant is beautiful, with loving seating and theming tying the ambiance together.Our evening was guided by a prix fixe menu, but we started with a rose and champagne before being led to our table, a very nice touch.My wife ordered a Pulsar, a strawberry vodka drink was quite tasty but also quite pricey at $18.Our Bread Service and Cheese Board was next and was both of our favorite part of the meal. The bread and herb butter was delicious and the honey with the cheese board was fresh and tasty!Our soups were next. I ordered the Charred tomato and enjoyed it, but wasn't blown away by the flavor.I sampled my wife's Lobster Bisque and we were both hoping it would be thicker and bit more flavorful. We only had a bite or two.For Entree, I had an Asiago stuffed Gnocchi with Chicken and my wife, the Filet and Lobster. The Gnocchi was expectedly heavy, alongside the mushroom sauce and accompanying vegetables that served to break up the plate in color and taste. The cheese did overwhelm the dish a bit for me, and I usually and all for cheese in my gnocchi or pasta/potato dishes. The Filet and Lobster was a bit worse. The Filet was unevenly cooked. Some pieces a medium well, and others closer to the desired medium rare, it was a bit odd to see on the same plate.The Lobster however was overcooked all around and tough to get through, both with a knife and chewing. Even drowning it in butter couldn't save it.The portions were massive so we had plenty to take home.For Dessert, we had one of each option off the prix fixe menu. The Flourless chocolate cake was served with a Rasberry ice cream and whipped cream and although delicious, definitely was richer than we expected. I gravitated much more to the ice cream than the cake.The coconut milk rice pudding was refreshing, with sweet boba like balls dotting the dessert, but again, nothing truly spectacular on terms of taste.With Tax and tip, our bill was just shy of $250. Our service was a bit lackluster for being one of only 7 seated tables at the time. It felt like the staff was more focused on the upcoming 7 o clock seating than actually seeing if we needed anything. Overall, for the price, service and food quality, I feel like I've had better meals and better holiday experiences elsewhere. I'd be willing to give their regular menu a try again one day.

Came here a few months ago for magical dining. The interior ambiance is beautiful -- though sadly we didn't really get to enjoy it because we were seated towards the entrance of the restaurant, where it felt more like a hallway to the restaurant instead of already being inside. Nevertheless, the people who were sitting under the pretty lights looked like they were enjoying their dinner! Service was friendly, though slow at times. More than once, we wondered if the kitchen lost our food order. However, when the food did come out, it was delicious. I got the ahi tuna bites (magical dining menu) and the grilled filet medallions. No notes on either! They were both delightful and well-portioned. Overall, I'm not sure if I would return, but I would recommend it to anyone who finds themself in this area!

Went to Aurora for dinner! It is located inside The Celeste Hotel. We didn't have a reservation but we were promptly seated.We started off with bread and it was fresh and delicious! It came with an herb butter and a sweet cream butter. We also ordered the mussels that were served Rockefeller style. Delicious. I had the Caesar salad as my main course and it was a large portion and tasty. The chicken sandwich and seafood chowder were also ordered. The comment about the chicken sandwich was it was a bit salty. The staff and our server were all really nice. I'd dine here again when in Orlando!

Excellent food and service always. Ambience is romantic in the evenings. Fine dining vibes. Happy hour from 5pm-7pm. Select appetizers included and happy hour prices are available at bar and dining tables. Valet parking available or self parking in far end of parking lot.

Came here for magical dining and tried multiple items. The oxtail empanadas are amazing, the filet medallions were cooked perfectly and very tender. The supernova desert was a top tier desert so good and the chocolate caramel drizzle is so amazing. Loved the space theme of the reastaurant. The service was good we did wait a little longer than anticipated for our food but it was not too bad.

If there was a MUST visit place for me, it was @auroraattheceleste . It's been on my list for years and something always came up. So it being magical dining made me prioritize it as my first choice! It was a wise choice. Everything was amazing and the service, atmosphere, parking, food, literally I loved it all. Appetizers : Duck Confit Arancini & Oxtail EmpanadasMain Course : Fried Chicken & Crispy BaramundiDessert : Coconut Milk Rice Pudding & Chocolate Mousse Cake

I can't believe more people don't know about Aurora, especially with their incredible $16 bottomless mimosa deal! The service was quick, and the employees were extremely friendly. They even adjusted the temperature in the restaurant to my liking, which was a nice touch. The food was fantastic. I started with the oxtail quiche, which was delicious, though I wish there was a bit more oxtail. The shrimp and grits were so, so good. My friend had the banana French toast, which she found surprisingly great, despite not usually having a sweet tooth. The portions were amazing too.One quick note: if you decide to move to the bar, your bottomless mimosa doesn't transfer over. Overall, an excellent brunch experience at Aurora!

Just FYI, parking signs say "parking pass required, please see valet". I went to valet and was just directed to park farther away from the entrance (where the same sign is found) without needing a parking pass anyway.Food here is PHENOMENAL. Came for Magical Dining 2024 with 2 other peeps. They were also offering Happy Hour until 7pm (instead of the 6pm written on the menu). For the appetizer, I ordered Duck Confit Arancini off of MD as well as Ahi Tuna Bites off of HH for the table. I was also able to try Oxtail Empanada and Fried Cheese. Fried Cheese was pretty much what you would expect from mini mozzarella sticks-- but omg THE SAUCES! I ended up using some of the sauces on the empanada and aranchini as well. Aranchini was my fave, but the Empanada wasn't far behind making it to fave. Ahi Tuna Bites is what you would expect-- I wouldn't mind an extra oompf for the flavoring for that one.We all ordered the grilled filet medallions. Medium rare. The star of the show. Melts in your mouth goodness. You're full already but it's so delicious that you eat it all anyway. The sauce. The portion. Everything about this was perfect.For dessert, I had the chocolate mousse cake. Got to try the croissant dough beignet bites and coconut milk rice pudding. Chocolate mousse was my fave. Our server Coco frequently checked on us, was friendly, prompt, and gave recommendations.An amazing experience.