Le Central

I enjoyed my evening here. We were able to get a reservation during restaurant week the day of. Our waiter was very accommodating and the food came out in a timely manner. The food for the restaurant week menu was quite good and there was a lot of variety. I must say my favorite part was dessert. Their tiramisu was amazing. I would come back to try the rack of lamb sometime.

We went here for date night. Service was ok. Food was good. Large portions. Classic French fare but reasonably priced. Dessert is the reason this got four stars. The meals were nothing to call home about, but the dessert was spectacular. If it’s a cold night and you want some French onion soup and some steak frites, this is where I would go. Don’t sit in the bar, sit in the dining room, it’s much nicer.

SF DINE OUT WEEK! We had the prix fixe. Everything was perfect, from the seating to the service to the food. We will be back. Parking is easy, Stockton parking Bush exit/​entrance ½ a block away!
Had read recent bad reviews about slow service, cold food, etc. Tonight was perfect.

Oh my gosh –just checked out some of these reviews and I’m incredulous –what a fantastic place in that the staff are the most attentive –the food is fantastic and there is nothing amiss —
This place is a «go-​to» place –totally consistent — great spot whether it’s a quiet meal or a celebration
Do ask what’s NOT on the menu –they ALWAYS try to accommodate their guests –it’s the French way of doing things!

Of course, Le Central’s kitchen is fine.
Unfortunately, there is more to dining that just the food.
To put this as simply as possible, I booked at table for eight for New Year’s Eve. The reservation was made a full four days in advance. When I arrived with my out-​of-​town guests, all of whom were of a sylphlike slenderness, the restaurant attempted to seat us at a makeshift table set in the middle of the dining room that was best suited for six adults at best. When we asked to be moved to a reasonably sized table, the staff kept us waiting for more than 20 minutes.
Now, normally, we are willing to cut our home town restaurants a large amount of slack during the holidays. HOWEVER, in the dining room there were many tables on the banquette that could have been moved together immediately to accommodate us. Why were they not? Because the staff was more worried about a party of seven that had not arrived — and several other parties of two that had not arrived — than they were with the party of eight standing directly in front of them.
Finally, after three reminders that we were still waiting, the staff did, indeed, move the banquette tables together to accommodate us. And they did not do it cheerfully, nor even politely.
And guess what? The party of seven never showed, nor did many of the other parties the staff were expecting. During the entire meal, there was no line at the door. Un tien vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras, Le Central.
By the way, our tab came to $ 1,200 for the party of eight, so its not like we were a poor risk.
As regular customers, we expected that Le Central would be a solid place to bring out-​of-​town guests in terms of both food and service. It was an incredibly irritating and embarrassing experience. I won’t be back, and considering how often I have eaten at Le Central over the years, this is a strong statement.
As an aside, the wine list, in terms of the selection of French wines by the bottle, is poor given Le Central’s focus.

A taste of real french food! I have never been to France but my girlfriends father is french who has been teaching me about great french meals. I love french deserts! I am a meat person so I tried the Pot Pie which was amazing. All the dishes on the table looked delicious and yum! The atmosphere of the place really complimented the food. It’s petit! I enjoyed trying new restaurant in the city and I most def recommend you try it too!

My husband and I were fortunate enough to travel to Toulouse last year., home to the Cassoulet. Therefore it may be unfair to compare but what this restaurant serves is not a real French Cassoulet. Le Central’s version of this dish is really more of a stew. It was ok, like the rest of their food. It was not impressive to me at all by any measure. There are other places in the Bay Area to eat good quality French food.

Checked out Le Central on Bush St near Grant Ave in SF. It’s pretty old and not much buzz so I really shouldn’t have gone. I’m not a huge fan of French anyways.
They brought out butter and then cold, hard baguettes — boo. Nobody especially me wants cold, hard bread!
Escargot only 6 in a big puddle of garlic & butter $ 12.50. Tasted ok, nothing special. I dipped my cold, hard bread into the butter/​garlic so it was a tiny bit better.
special soup of the day was Carrot Butternut Squash Soup in a bowl $ 9.5 — tasted ok. It does get cold pretty fast though.
Lamb dinner $ 36.50 was pretty good & too expensive. some seriously small lamb chops, some scoop of potato gratin, tiny amount of eggplant, 3 broccoli spears.
Crème Brulee $ 8.5 — not as crackly as it should be, just ok.
B. got some booze — glass of Sazerac $ 12 and glass of Cotes du Rhone $ 10 — don’t know if he liked it but drank it all up.
Charged it. Meh overpriced dinner.

Never a bad meal. Far too much emphasis by Unilocal reviewers on who eats there, not enough on superb French bistro fare. Had cassoulet this week, perfect for cold weather. As always, my server was a gem, she always is

I was treated to a special Christmas luncheon by my financial advisor on ¹²⁄₁₀ and La Central was amazing! How often do you walk into a restaurant and shake hands with the ex SF Mayor Willie Brown? He was very friendly and obviously treats La Central like a second home. The waitstaff was very welcoming and Scott our server was on point! He was very helpful and took care of our group with ease.
My first course was the escargot and it was the BEST I’ve ever had! Very tender, garlicky, and perfectly buttery little delights! My second course was the blood sausage and frites. The blood sausage was smooth and seasoned amazingly. It was very rich, but I couldn’t stop eating them with the flavorful apples. Lastly, I enjoyed the crème brûlée and it was by far one of the best I’ve ever had!
I can’t wait until the next time I get treated to come to lunch here. It’s like family here and the food is incredible. Great San Francisco institution!

Ideal restaurant for group and friends of course couple too. This French restaurant’s service is great and food is nice too. Not too formal, and definitely good restaurant and worth to try.

Third visit for lunch — prior lunch and dinner occasions. This is a classic in San Francisco, has been around I think over 30 years, and it is as old style class as you get, from the décor to the pretty classic French dishes — no nouvelle cuisine here — to Willie Brown sitting at a table for lunch today (I kid you not). The service is very good, they shake good martinis (from my dinner) and today I had the Bordeoux Blanc by the glass, $ 8. The food is solid, but not the best. Today I had the pork chops, and it was good, but not well bonded with the sauce, they were probably cooked separately, then the sauce poured on top. So, 3 stars for food, 4 stars for ambiance, service, décor, and character, makes it a 4 star in my mind

We were in the City celebrating a friends birthday and stumbled onto Le Central. What a great find — no reservations so we sat at the bar. The bartender Kirsten took very good care of us. We ordered several appetizers and split them — oysters, crab cakes and the baked brie — all were excellent! And the vodka martini’s with a twist were Perfection in a glass!
We will definitely be returning!

Only rating the drink menu and bar as I’m not eating. I stopped in for a glass of wine and was surprised by the limited offerings at this French café. My by the glass choice ended up being a CA Zin! Attentive bartender and it looks like the food would be good. I may have to come back for food!

Very French, great food and cozy atmosphere. I eat at the bar and at a table. Always great service and delish food.

So, my fiancé and I just ate here and I have to say that we were nothing short of impressed by both the meal and the service. The presentation was excellent, the portions exactly as they should be for a French restaurant. We ordered the Grilled Salmon with Asparagus and the Fillet Mignon with the pomme purée (mashed potatoes). Cooked to perfection! To conclude the meal, we had the Crème Brulee that was once again, prepared to perfection that would most certainly give many restaurants in Paris a run for their money. Bön Appétit!

Proper, near perfect escargot. Nothing unusual or innovative; just right. It was just an escargot-​kind-​of-​night and I went grazing from one French place to the next.
Nice background jazz, good service, laid back… Nice!
Critique: turn down the lights a bit for a sexier setting.
I will definitely return to sample more froggy fare from Central.

Charming little French place with a good location. I have now been here several times and the food is always great. I almost always get the filet. It has a black peppercorn sauce and it is probably one of the best in the city. The crème brûlée is a nice way to finish a decadent evening! Definitely will be returning.
They are on open table which is a plus!

Good service, food is nothing to write home about. It’s just ok. My husband ordered the cassoulet over which, there is much hype, according to fellow Unilocalers and the countdown in the restaurant over how many days they’ll been serving it. Here is something to consider: the traditional REAL French cassoulet never, EVER has lamb. I asked the server if it tasted «gamey», he kindly offered me a taste, which to me was quite gamey. I had the salmon, again nothing special.
Service was good for the most part and we were able to sit there 30 minutes earlier.
I much rather skip the drive to SF and go to the Girl and the Fig in Sonoma. Now THAT place a really good French food :-)

I wandered in here the other night, surprised that the reviews on Unilocal,were so lukewarm as I had a really good experience, from the people that I met to the the food to the friendliness of the bartender.
I sat at the bar as I had no reservation but that didn’t matter as I was warmly greeted and shown the specials of the day along with the happy hour specials.
I ordered 6 oysters off the happy hour menu and then the chicken and pomme frites off the regular menu. A nice pour of the house Cab and I was a happy girl.
The food came up quickly and was quite good– simple in its approach but very tasty. And with the old school feel of this place, I almost felt like I was at a small bistro on the back streets of Paris.
Le Central is not a fancy place but rather a small neighborhood place where people seemingly know each other and are warmly greeted upon entering. I could have stayed at the bar all night talking to the locals and enjoying the various wines that lined the bar.
But an early morning beckoned me so it was back to my hotel I went, but my tummy was full and step a little lighter from a nice evening out.

Un pur cassoulet ! Ok à SF c’est peut être pas la ville pour disserter sur le cassoulet ! Le personnel est très très sympa. Une bonne petite bouffe au bar, très convivial. Dîner en solitaire mais jamais seul tout au long de la soirée entre les voisins de bar et les serveurs et barmaid qui sont très cool. Le must des cocktails au shaker, mais des vrais !! Réalises avec maestria et comme on en voit que trop rarement