Le Central

Has a very nice French bistro feel. The staff was wonderful.
Apr 2nd, 2024

Exceptionally delicious food and wonderfully attentive and friendly service. This is the most under the radar restaurant on the east bay! Been there for brunch and dinner loved the omelette, salmon nicoise, burgers, onion soup and terrific drink selection. Highly recommend.
Mar 1st, 2024

Feb 26th, 2024

Came here for our anniversary lunch and will definitely be back for again, next time for dinner. We had mussels,lobster bisque, croque madame and hangar steak
Feb 26th, 2024

Bottom line: a delightful French bistro with absolutely delicious food, a casual, cozy vibe, and an excellent value. Something different in the East Bay. An underappreciated gem. Weve been going to Le Central for a few years and recently rediscovered just how good it is. The vibe is French bistro, complete with black and white checkerboard floors. Its casual, relaxed, and cozy. It feels like French comfort food. The menu is thoughtful and amazing for how truly delicious the offerings are. Its a whos who of some of the best French dishes, without pretense or weirdness (no snails or frogs legs). Starting with the table bread, half of a baguette, perfectly toasted and partly sliced, with soft butter and some olives on the side. The onion soup is full of melted Guryere cheese, caramelized onions, rich beef stock, and toasted baguette slices, served in a ramekin. Its perfect and utterly irresistible. Pair it with a salad and its a meal. The Salad Nicoise has perfectly cooked green beans, roasted fingerling potatoes with butter and parsley, roasted red peppers, a bed of arugula, a nice filet of perfectly poached salmon, and a mouth-watering lemon-caper compote. Its hearty enough as a main course for lunch or dinner, and is deliciously satisfying (and Im not usually a salad person). The hamburger might be one of the best youll have. A hand formed patty of organic beef on a toasted Brioche bun, served simply with tomato and lettuce, cheese (cheddar, Guryere, or Roquefort) and applewood smoked bacon optional, and a side of ultra-thin and super-crisp potato frites (too good to be called mere French fries). We love burgers, and both think this is hands-down the best weve had in the area (its the spiritual opposite of Chomp burgers which are excellent in their own right but very different with many heavy, spicy additives that make for a wet burger). Le Centrals hamburger stands on its own simply with the highest quality ingredients prepared perfectly (like the rest of the food). Coq au Vin (chicken with wine) was a revelation. A half of a Cornish game hen (breast, leg, and thigh), braised in burgundy wine, served in a crock brimming with mushrooms, sauteed onions, and bacon, in a rich, thick, velvety stock, and a side of roasted fingerling potatoes. Just the smell made my mouth water before even taking the first bite! It was heavenly, deeply satisfying, and very hearty and filling. There are always some specials, often including an omelet. Recently weve had asparagus and brie, and mushroom and Guryere, variations. They were spectacular, served with a side of potato frites. They turn brunch into a special experience and feel decadent despite the modest price. They offer a full brunch menu that looks yummy, though we havent (yet!) tried it. Desserts are homemade. Our favorite are the Rochers (rocks), chocolates like turtles. Dark chocolate filled with the specialty of the day, various nuts and fruits. Order at least one if youre stuffed and dont think you can fit in anything else, but a plate of 4 goes down easily with tea. The drink list is massive. In the spirit of a French bar there are dozens and dozens of liquors of every kind. A nice offering of about 20 wines (French of course), every one weve ever had has been a winner. Some beers, and even several ciders, apple and pear varieties, from Normandy! This area has tons of typical bars/pubs/taverns, seemingly one on every block, along with Portuguese (Portuguese-ish) and Italian restaurants. Le Central stands out, both for being unique in offering a great selection of the best of the best of French foods, and for the amazingly high quality and reasonable prices. Its one of the great, underappreciated secret gems of the East Bay area. If it was in Boston the prices would be more than twice as high and people would be raving about it. Weve been finding it hard to go more than a week between visits.
Mar 2nd, 2024