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Comfort casual food made from scratch. Famous for our brunch and now offering a great lunch and dinner menu.
Stopped by Central Bistro yesterday by default. My dining partner and I wanted to enjoy a nice brunch at another Denman location but it had too much of a wait line so we walked down Denman until we came upon
Central Bistro.
I was really in the mood for a good meal of waffles, french toast or something along those lines and after looking at the menu the Banana Bread French Toast really sounded like a hit. The description in the menu including the fresh raspberry compote whipped cream or yogurt had my mouth watering. After a reasonable wait our meals arrived. You talk about a let down.
My plain white plate contained three small "spam sized" slices of Banana Bread with a trickle of raspberry compote and the smallest dish of plain vanilla yogurt I have ever seen. This dish has sooo much potential but unfortunately the person putting this together fails it in every way. The banana bread was just fine, nothing remarkable about it whatsoever and you could barely tell it was fried like 'french toast'.
I am not sure what is going on with some Vancouver restaurants lately but portion size is ridiculous and quite frankly an absolute rip off. I am not looking for a massive plate of food that I absolutely could never finish but I want some value for what I am paying for. I want to walk away from a restaurant satisfied, not thinking to myself I'm going to need a snack in about an hour and a half and that is how I felt after this poor excuse of a breakfast. Are restaurants in Vancouver feeling the effects of the recession and therefore skimping on portion size? The Banana Bread french toast cost, check this out, thirteen dollars! Sorry Central folks but you ripped me off.
My dining partner enjoyed his Egg and Salmon Scramble but again the portion size was very questionable.
Service was solid. The server took care of us well and I had my coffee cup filled a few times. We have no complaints about the service.
Ambiance of the restaurant is mediocre if you are sitting at the back of the restaurant. It is very dark and you are an elbow length away from the next table, not really my cup of tea.
Not many reasons for me to head back to the Central Bistro. Not for the food and especially not for the prices. Two breakfasts with a coffee and tea cost us $40.00 including tip. Not good value at all. Next!!
I have walked pass Central Bistro many times, and decided to check it out. I was greeted by a warm & Friendly server. The place was busy, but I picked a good time, as a few tables became available.
I ordered their eggs, toast and hashbrowns with coffee, and my meal arrived quickly. I definately like their coffee, great blend and had a nice taste. My meal was good, filled me up and enjoyed the flavour and people watching. I will have to return for lunch one day and explore their menu.
I am sad! We have been going to Central since it first opened and now I doubt we will ever go again. We went so often that we formed friendships with all of the staff and keep in touch to this day! Buuuutttt we went there this morning and I just can't handle the disappointment anymore. This will be my last terrible meal at Central. The food was really good when it first opened! Never outstanding but for a local joint close to home it was great and the service made up for what the food might have lacked. Now all of the servers have left (which is a sign people!) and this morning we went in for breakfast and it was just terrible! I ordered the egg white omelette which comes with a side salad. The salad was just a pile of not so fresh lettuce with a few sparse blobs of unidentifiable dressing here and there and the egg white omelette was just a few chunks of blackened greasy egg whites. This dish was previously a nicely dressed salad with nuts and dried fruit and fluffy omelette with sauteed mushrooms, onions, spinach and cheese. They attempted to remake it but still was quite inedible. My husband ordered the organic turkey sausage benedict (which we must have had a hundred times) and it was a big greasy mess. Homemade tasty pan fries have transformed into deep fried potatoes from a bag. The yummy hollandaise was bright yellow and highly suspected to be made from a package but the eggs were cooked properly! But the table beside us, there eggs were not. Anyway I am tired of reliving the experience so I won't go on much more. Only one more thing, when we mentioned that the food just was not as good as it used to be we got a big shoulder shrug and 'sorry we try our best' and that's it! Our bill was $30 and I didn't even eat my food. They could have cared less. So after 4 years it is time to say good bye to Central! I hope they get shut down soon and something good opens up.
My husband and I are very avid foodies in Vancouver. We were at central bistro a few months back and were not overly impressed by the food, although the service was great. That being said we decided to give the food a second chance. We were in last night and enjoyed every bit of it. To start we shared the house made foccacia, which was very good, as far a breads go. We then ate the short ribs and trout dishes which were outstanding. The highest point of the meal was the dessert however. We shared the duo of chocolate mousse, which blew us away. It was beautifully creamy and the chipotle and yogurt flavours complimented each other perfectly. Our service was fabulous again, and we cannot wait to come back and try more.
This is a little over due, but I wanted to post this review.
After the May long weekend, my husband and I decided to try Central Bistro. We were told about their Monday Martini special through a friend who lives downtown. We thought it would be a nice way to
wind down our weekend.
Our first impression was pleasant. Our server (Ashley?) greeted us right away with a smile. The room had a gentle buzz, and the music was at a nice level. However, things started to go awry after our 1st drink.
Number One: The menu is quite confusing. Is it tapas? Italian? West Coast fine dining? The prices clearly are. $18 for Polenta Cakes? Absurd, seeing as how polenta is commonly referred to as peasant food. Their menu seems to be thrown together with little or no format ( for example, items like hemp tofu next to Italian style calamari). My husband has had a substantial amount of experience in the restaurant industry, for years he worked along side an amazing chef @ Le Bernardin in NYC. We also dine in every genre of restaurant, 'hole in the wall' diners to well rated fine dining establishments. It is always unfortunate to see a restaurant like Central, that has so much potential, stray down the wrong path.
Number Two: For the cost of a meal at Central one would think that this establishment would not attract the obnoxious and drunk, but alas, it does.
There was a man seated at the bar (I will abstain from using the word 'gentle'man as he was far from it) who seemed to be quite intoxicated. He yelling and making what we thought sounded like continuous 'horse noises'?! Even more appalling was the fact that he was also yelling obscenities and insulting the wait staff, yet he was not asked to leave.? The 'horse noises' and crude comments continued on for what seemed like an hour. He not only interrupted our evening (along with those around us) but we felt sorry for the poor wait staff as it became apparent that this ignorant individual was an employee there.
I am surprised they did not call him a cab home or that he was not reprimanded by the manager on duty.
It is unfortunate that we were witness to this, as our drinks were fabulous as was the service.
I don't think we will be returning. The unprofessional representation of this bistro paired with the confusing menu, unfortunately overpowered the positive efforts of the staff that served us. It really is a shame.
I came here a little hungover looking for some breakfast to get me through the day. I ended up having one of the best eggs bendicts in memory. Eggs were cooked perfectly and the hollandaise was very good. I also had a caesar and again, it was excellent. The service was friendly and prompt. I will definitely return next time I need my weekend breakfast fix.
Central is a great place to sit, relax and chill with some friends over drinks. They have a great drink list and good wines at a good value. Try the wine flight which changes daily. 3 glasses of 2oz wine (choice of white or red) for only $11. Couple of those, and you'll be set for the night!
Service was good - attentive and kind, not pushy at all. I felt very comfortable being there.
I did find it funny how they used tealight candles to light up the fireplace - first time I've seen such a thing!
Went here after a day at the beach.
Ordered the sharing platters - the satay and the pita with dip...and spicy fries.
The satays were nothing special. Didn't have any flavour...just normal ones you can probably make or buy. The mushroom ones were the best out of all. The tzaziki dip was the most decent.
The pita was alright...the dips were good too, but not memorable.
Spicy fries did not taste spicy....and the dips were just ketchup and mayo. normal mayo.....weird.
It filled up 4 girls, but I think the platters aren't worth their price at all. The entrees seem pretty pricey, and looking at the quality from the ordered plates, I don't expect much. I came here since Banana Leaf wasn't open and Raincity Grill seemed to changing up their menus.....but yeah. maybe the Lunch menu is better? I'm not sure if I would return.
Pleasantly surprised by lunch. Fresh and flavorful soup, fantastic charcuterie plate - much more interesting than the plate we had at Delilah's the previous night. Wine selection was pretty bland and a bit overprised for a glass. The local beer on tap was good according to my husband. Service was very friendly but a bit slow. A bit dirty looking and messy bathroom.
We've visited this restaurant several times since ownership changed hands. We have had only great meals and great service. We are greeted at the door as returning friends and seated and served promptly. The menu has one or two two new items each time we come, but our favourite standbys are also there.
The food at the Central is real - fresh and flavourful - and the portions are sized reasonably. Desserts are fabulous. The servers at the Central are cheerful, friendly and knowledgeable. They represent the restaurant well. I have eaten in many restaurants in Vancouver; at prices ranging from the cheap to the ridiculous. The Central has the best food - regardless of price. Why go anywhere else?
With the myriad of restaurants on Denman, one tends to look for something out of the ordinary. Over the freezing cold holidays, we decided to give The Central a try on a Sat night before Xmas.
The atmosphere was inviting enough and we were dining early, so the place was not busy. Srervice therefore was quite attentative and our waiter friendly.
Portions were ample, although I though a bit pricey at $9 for an order of Yam fries . Martinis were the same price. Food generally tasty but nothing special..
Unfortunately the restaurant was quite cold with the coming and going of patrons & the outside winter conditions.
We decided to try this place for Sunday brunch, owing to the fact that it's always busy, and the menu is enticing.
Our service was a tad lackluster, but the server was also incredibly busy, so no offense taken. The ambiance was alright, once we switched from a dark seat by the smelly bathroom to one on the lovely patio instead. The coffee, however, wasn't terribly good - which is unfortunate, given that even Joe's serves an organic roast. As for the food, the portions were large, but the quality simply wasn't there. I ordered the "spicy" steak hash, which came with hollandaise and "salsa." The former was quite tasty, though there wasn't enough of it. The latter tasted like canned tomatoes (which would belie their claim that they make their food "from scratch," and with "fresh ingredients"), with little or no flavor apart from a vague saltiness and canned tomato taste. Needless to say, there was no "spice" to speak of. My partner ordered a goat cheese and pesto scramble, which featured an apparently tasteless "pesto," and she was more than halfway through before she could spot the first hint of goat cheese. One upside for both dishes was the free range eggs.
What is truly disappointing is that, for the prices we paid ($15 and $10.50 respectively), we could have eaten at the Raincity Grill across the street instead, which serves excellent coffee and some of the best brunch food I've ever tasted. The difference? One markets itself as a white tablecloth restaurant, while the other touts a more "casual" ambiance. Better value and taste can also be had across the street at the Acacia Fillo Cafe, at the Elbow Room Cafe on Davie (if you can put up with the service), Joe's on Davie and Denman, and the Score and Melriches on Davie. There's no reason in this city to pay a premium for mediocre food.
Headed out onto Denman St. this past Saturday with some girlfriends. All of us having past Central before decided it was time to give it a try. Upon arrival the place was packed, the doors were wide open with great tunes playing. There were five of us, and we managed to score a seat right by the front window.
They have a great martini list, it was a disappointment that is wasn't Monday as we were informed that most of the martinis are on special for $5. I guess we will try them out during the week. However we still had a great time. The service was prompt, very friendly and informative. We had a few bottles of wine (the server kept topping up our glasses which was a nice touch for this casual restaurant) and some appys. We shared a bunch of small stuff, the yam fries were great, the mussels were tasty and the wild mushroom bruschetta was towering with its toppings. Everything was wonderful ,tasty and came out in a timely fashion. We stayed for a few hours and enjoyed our evening. We are going to pay Central a visit again, maybe for some cheap martinis!
Oh so friendly and charming staff, mellow vibe and low lighting, and fabulous food, especially since it was the $18 menu for DOV.
Service was seamless, and struck the perfect balance of being friendly but not intrusive. Every bite of the food was delicious, the wine pairings were perfect.
Five of us tried every one of the options available and noone was disappointed. We'll definitely be back again and again, even though it's a long drive for us.
Went here on a weekday evening, so the restaurant wasn't too busy. Had a group table reserved, but when we got there, another group had taken our spot at the banquette seats, so the staff pushed a few other tables together for us. It was kind of annoying since we had made reservations but didn't get the original spot. The waiters were apologetic and accommodating, though.
Service was pretty slow, though. Food came at intervals of 30-45 minutes each, and I noticed some of my friends were getting impatient (and hungry). The starter salad was quite nice; ingredients were fresh and there was a right amount of dressing. The short rib on cheese spaetzle was beautifully cooked, being tender and flaky; however, both the short rib and spaetzle lacked bold flavours, though.
I'm unsure as to whether I'd come here again - if I were to, I might eat something before going so the wait for food won't be so distressing to my stomach.
Went there for the Dineout event. The place is small and all the tables are packed so close to each other. The music was just right not to soft and not to loud. The server was quite friendly and didn't push you for anything. We picked the lamb pocket and red snapper. I went for the wind flight for add $10. Everything was fine and tastey except the snapper itself. It was a bit hard and as if it had been frozen for a while. That was a disappointment. Other than that, it was not a bad place to hang out.
This is a tough one, the food was good, actually really good on some accounts. I had the Risotto and yum yum, but I now have heard they've taken off the menu.......... :( The drink list without a doubt is great, love to see a place with a nice huge list of mixtures to make your head wobble! Here's where its gets a little negative........our service was so/so, not horrible in anyway, but not great. It took essentially 45 minutes for each plate to come out, and I'm not exagerating. We arrived, and sure I like to have a couple drinks, and relax, but we were there to eat dinner not sit around wondering when our next plate will come out. Litterally took 45 minutes to bring out a couple of salads and soup from the moment we arrived. Same problem with the entrees and by the time we had ordered the desert we had to ask twice to please bring out the desert so we could be on our way. So the end all is this, nice place, the food was good, but dont try and stall on the food to make a table drink or wait.
We decided to pop in for an impromptu late supper one weeknight, and had a good experience overall. We were seated on the patio, and our server brought us cozy fleece blankets in case we got cold, which was a nice touch. The drinks were fine and the food - mussels and fries - were fresh and tasty. The bill seemed appropriate for the quality of the food and the location. Our server was polite and friendly. The only minor complaint we had was that she didn't come back to check on us after our meals were served, and we had to flag her down for the bill. Overall, a nice little spot for a casual laid-back meal.
My last review for Central was over three years ago, it's too bad.....apparently I should have waited another three years, it may that long to get it right. I always give places a second chance depending on the situation, and I always give the benefit of the doubt (how busy they are at the time).
Tuesday night I was meeting friends from out of town (Chef/Owners) of a very successful restaurant themselves. They called from Central, I thought this will be the second chance. I arrived and was asked if I wanted a drink in an appropriate amount of time, got my drink and that's when it ended. We never got asked if we wanted menu's, other drinks nothing, we didn't even get the extra lime we asked for. We decided we might be better off elsewhere so we asked for the bill, sometime later one of us decided to go inside to pay the bill. I took a look around, 4 people on the patio and maybe 15 inside with what appeared to be 4 servers on the floor. Sad to say but all Central has going now is the location.
I gave the food rating poor because we didn't get menu's in which to order food.
Service rating poor because we didn't really get any service either.
Value poor as well because I will never know.
Ambiance got decent because I think it's a good location.
We went to another place had some great service, great drinks and food.
I live in the West end and received a card advertising 'Central is where the locals go' - there was a coupon for a free desert that was good for almost a year (nice). So I went on a Thursday evening about 7 p,m. As I walked in and stood in the doorway I began looking over the selection of local newspapers that were there for diners to read while waiting for their meal... the bartender looked over at me with a look like I'd come in to steal a newspaper; he said with one of those tones used with homeless people "may I help you", before I responded he must have figured out I was there for a meal and not his newspaper; he suggested I "have a seat anywhere", which I did. It was a bit cramped, however a waiter came over promptly and suggested I move to a table across from where I sat, if I liked, and that he'd ask whoever had their coat on the chair to move it. It was a quite kind of him to do that, but I thanked him and stayed where I was. He then went over the evening's specials: a couple of pasta dishes for around $12 - $13. I ordered the soup of the day which was cream of mushroom. It was a long wait (15 minutes perhaps), but well worth it as the soup was really delicious. I looked over the menu and an accompanying sheet that had about four dinner entrees on it ($16 to $23 range). The menu was dived into "small plates" and something else, (I can't remember the title), but the meals were in the $12 to $18 range. I ordered a burger (plain except sauces + mushrooms) with a small touch of salad on the same plate $13 + $1). It also took about 15 minutes to arrive. Again, it was worth the wait as it was very well made. I then asked if I might use the coupon for the free desert and was told it was only to be used with an "entree". sure enough, it did say that on the coupon. I guess the only entrees were the dishes on the separate sheet that accompanied the menu. I was a bit taken aback as I'd ordered a $6 soup and a $13 hamburger + $1 for mushrooms... so $20 spent on a meal and the coupon wasn't honored; a bit of a let down. (The $13+ burger, $16 salmon and $16 rib meals on the menu aren't entrees... uhhm). I ordered the desert special (New York cheesecake $5) and it was also very well made. While I was there the music was blaring, and I mean blaring (I'm no old guy) and folks were almost yelling at each other to be heard; sort of like when you're trying to talk to someone at a concert. To sum up, The ambiance was friendly but very loud. The food arrived after long waits, but was delicious (much better than I expected). The service was good (except for the bartenders initial miscue) however the value just wasn't there - the prices (in my opinion) are too high for this Denman cafe/bistro - $30 for soup, burger, cheesecake and a glass of water - tip included. I won't go there again. The food was very good though.
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| 4. | Akira Sushi (13 m) |  |
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| 10. | Acacia Fillo Bar Cafe (33 m) |  |
