The Cafe at Central Market

Great spot for a quick date lunch and a Capp with my far better half. Whoops. Unilocal really should let you check in twice. Had lunch, had my Capp, left, went elsewhere, yet had a yearning in my soul, an aching desire for which there was only one remedy. So I came back again. Must… have. Kamikaze Roll… and California Roll… and Fission Spring Roll… and Chef Special #7 (whatever that is)… and the Free Miso Soup for falling victim to the upsell.

Need to open earlier.

I love coming to this Central Market location with the kids on the weekends to get our weekly treats. Which are Gelatos for the kids, and wife and coffee for me!
Note: I do love shopping here too… they do have the better, and wider selection of products compared to the Plano location off of Coit.

Sadly, this concept has gone from okay to awful over the course of the last few years. When it first opened, it was a great place to grab a quick meal either after work or before grocery shopping. They had a varied menu of salads and sandwiches and interesting daily specials. Today, it is a sandwich and pre-​cooked pasta bar. Everything (including fries) are served in disposable plastic bowls, and nothing is good. Such a shame.

I really like that they have fresh made products. Store made sushi (made right in front of you).
All the gelato is also made in store. I just had the gingerbread and caramel apple. Oddly tasty.
When you check out they ask if it’s for here or to go and then ask if you would like flatware. They have fountain drinks or a large selection of cold (teas and juices) beverages. There is also a microwave so you can heat up anything you get.
I also like the store made hamburgers. You can order one (and pay) they give you a pager so you can go shopping and come back when it buzzes.
Don’t forget to check out the beer section. You can buy just one bottle if you want too!

Wife and I went here for dinner before a movie one night because we didn’t want to spend a lot and wanted something good.
Each got a sandwich, and it was sub par… which was weird considering the central market café in other locations is so awesome… expected great food, got average…
We noticed a lot of people eating from the salad bar, so maybe that’s the way to go here… don’t get anything from the café, its not good.

The best thing about this?
Wifey and I eat here, before buying groceries. Trust me, shopping at CM hungry is dangerous. Shopping at CM on a full stomach SAVES YOU MONEY. Literally DOZENS of dollars!
You like dozens of dollars.
Try it. Eat here first next time you have to hit CM.

So, I really USED TO love this place… Was convenient, with great food, nice clean café in the middle of arguably the absolute BEST grocery store in Dallas… But, alas, things certainly have changed… Have eaten her a lot, and I’ve been there a couple more times since the latest menu change, but I will not eat there again until they make some major changes… The place has turned into a filthy little corner of the grocery store that food should not be served at. The tables have now all turned into a disgusting sticky mess. I dare you to find one that’s NOT sticky… Trust me, I checked every open table on my last visit and begrudgingly sat at one because I’d already order my food… I just put a lot of napkins down. It was kinda gross peeling my elbows and hands up when they did actually touch the «wood» surface. I also stopped going to the bathrooms adjacent to the café a long time ago— if you need to use the rest room in this store, take the stairs up to the cooking school— they actually clean the bathrooms up there and they don’t smell like sewage. The service has changed now, too. They used to bring your food to the table after you ordered it. Now you get your little buzzer disk and have to go get your food… At Least they dont make you bus your own table… yet.
And no more silverware, it’s all plastic now. Finally, they’ve just destroyed the menu. The food is disgusting. The last burger I ordered was awful. It was barely cooked, and would probably have been better if they just put ground beef on the bun. The way they served it was just enough to make a disgusting puddle in my plate and the bun became a soggy crumbly mess. Now, I like my burgers on the rare side, but this was a disgusting mess. All my favorite menu items are now gone off the menu, too… ESPECIALLY the very European style french fries from when they first opened. So, please CM, close this café for a couple weeks… GIve it a good washing, refinish the tables, and fix your menu… I really want to eat at my favorite grocery store again!!!

Their salad bar is on point for lunch. Everything is always very fresh and gets replenished quickly. I always get field greens, spinach, zuchinni (which they julienne very nicely), mushrooms, cherry tomatoes & mozzarella balls. They always have a decent cold pasta and I like their hummus too.
Don’t get the sushi.

Came here today looking for a great place to eat while I study. It was right around the lunching hour and the place was pretty packed.
I ordered the caesar salad with chicken. By the time I sat down and got settled my buzzer was going off signaling my food was ready so it was ready pretty fast.
Meh.
Everything about the salad was pretty drab. Dressing was sort of sweet. Which was weird for caesar dressing. Croutons were flavorless and just provided crunch. Chicken was seasoned but still needed salt.
Add a drink and I’ve spent almost $ 12.
I’ll find another place close to campus to suck up their wifi while I stuff my face.

My client is right across the street from this place and we have gone to lunch here everyday. Wide selection of salads, soups, deli items and sandwiches.
Unless you buy something from the buffet It’s not fast, so don’t expect a quick meal. Overall taste was fine and we went several times for reason.

Want something… yet, you are not sure what it is? Central Market Café or Café on the Run will help you decide!
I absolutely love to have lunch, dinner, or even a snack at this fabulous Gourmet Grocer.
I tend to have cravings that don’t always go together. Sometimes I want a gorgeous salad and a nice chocolate chip cookie. Only, I don’t want to drive to two places to have it.
This place gives you something special: OPTIONS.
Want a great piece of seafood and mac and cheese? Just do it!
Feel like sliced meats and cheese with a nice wine and baguette? There is nothing stopping you except a bad parking space.
Want to have sushi and then some Italian Gelato? Grab them close to one another in about 5 minutes… unless you need to taste a few flavors before deciding.
I love the made to order hot food option. Order it… and they bring it to you while you linger and loiter in the café area surrounded by Dallas elite, kids, and people with a phenomenal palette such as yourself. Drink a nice wine or beer… they have a license.
Grab your reusable bag and take a drive. Grab some fresh flowers on the way out or pick up a coffee. This place is a fun place to be, be seen, and enjoy gourmet/​healthy food.
–Natalee

Excellent, creative, restaurant-​quality food at value prices. The salmon «burger» is really a piece of filet on a wheat bun with a wasabi-​seaweed spread that is awesome. Paired with fries — sweet or regular potato — for $ 9. My girlfriend loves it, too. How about a veggie burger, similarly served, for $ 7? Both were terrific. I’ve had some of the specials, too, like lamb rib chops at $ 13 with horseradish mashed potatoes and grilled baby vegetables. A $ 4 Mediterranean salad is terrific. Note — it closes at 9 PM even though the store closes at 10 PM. Nikki and Drew — try it again!!!

As a foodie-​wanna-​be, I love shopping at Central Market, the grocery store. It really has the variety any chef needs (although I ultimately prefer WF for daily needs). So when I decided to go ahead and eat lunch at the café, I was looking forward to something truly yummy.
Alas, it was a bit of a disappointment. Maybe over priced for what you get. And just standard fare as far as taste. Granted, compared to most grocery store deli/​restaurant areas, it is decent. But I will take the WholeFoods in-​dining experience over Central Market’s.
Nevertheless, I will continue to shop at the grocery store. It’s always fun to come across new «finds» for the foodie wanna-​be in me.

You know those days when you’re on the run from the time you wake up until the time you finally call it quits and go to bed? Yeah, it was one of those days and all I needed was a quick, satisfying, somewhat healthy lunch.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t that impressed. I stared at the menu blankly before choosing the half veggie panini and caesar salad. Being in a hurry, I ordered it to go and assumed it would only take a few minutes to prepare.
Ten minutes later, everyone around me waiting for to-​go orders had already left (including those who had ordered after me) and I was alone, hungry and hurried. I noticed my half sandwich pop out of the window, but no salad. It sat alone on the counter for a few minutes before someone noticed it, asked for the salad and bagged it up. So much for a quick lunch.
As for the caesar salad — delicious. I loved the dressing.
The sandwich wasn’t so awesome. The veggies were too thick and covered in an oily marinade; combined it led to everything squishing out the sides and I ended up deconstructing the whole thing to eat with a fork and knife.
I think there’s room for improvement in several hours. Fortunately, they offer plenty of ready items to grab from the refrigerated deli area — next time I’ll just grab a pre-​made lunch.