Le Central
| Address: | 453 Bush St, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA |
| Phone: | +1 415-391-2233 |
| Site: | lecentralbistro.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–3:30PM 11:30AM–3:30PM 11:30AM–3:30PM 11:30AM–3:30PM 11:30AM–3:30PM 11:30AM–3:30PM Closed |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
HU
Hugues Lecourt
C’était il y a quelques années, en 1988 exactement. Je vivais depuis quelques mois à Sunnyvale, et mon business m’amenait à SFO de temps en temps. Ce jour-là je cherchais à acheter des cigarettes, particulièrement des Dunhill rouges pour remplacer les habituelles Malboro. Alors que je descendais Bush, j’aperçus au loin une carotte de bureau de tabac ! comme à Paris ! était-ce un mirage, une hallucination, tant je cherchais un endroit pour trouver ces maudites cigarettes ? Je me dirigeais à grands pas vers cette apparition, sans la quitter des yeux de peur qu’elle ne s’évanouisse et j’arrivais devant un restaurant (il me semble que la devanture n’était pas celle d’aujourd’hui). En ouvrant la porte, mon cœur se mit à battre de plaisir : devant moi, sur la gauche, il y avait un zinc et derrière le zinc, les bouteilles à apéritif, les verres, la machine à café, et les cigarettes : des Gitanes, des Gauloises et tout ce qu’on pouvait trouver dans un bistrot parisien. En m’asseyant au bar, je crois avoir commandé une Suze que je sirotais avec lenteur en même temps que je j’aspirais la fumée voluptueuse de ma Dunhill et que je consultais la carte pour le déjeuner. Et là ce fut un pur bonheur, des rognons avec de la purée, de la baguette, du beurre d’Isigny, du camembert, une tarte aux pommes et un café. J’en salive encore… c’était il y a 28 ans, c’était au Central.
EL
Eli and the Approach
We Had a wonderful time at Le Central the other night. We sat at the bar, as we often do. We decided to go total French.... 1st course - escargot, tender, buttery garlic deliciousness..... 2nd course steak tartare small size (they have two portions) I have to say it might just be the best steak tartare Ive ever had...... 3rd course - I had the Fillet-au-Poivre cuz I needed more meat, and my wife had the Grilled Salmon. The fillet was pepper crusted, and had a delicious Brandy peppercorn sauce...Killer!!! and the salmon was equally as good, with a nice char from the grill, and a tarragon butter sauce. We wanted a wine that would go with both the salmon and the fillet, the bartender recommended a bottle of red Burgundy, a Ladoix 1er cru. such a nice wine, and the best part about it was that it was a Monday, and on Monday nights all bottles are half price, so the wine ended up to be only $35...a premier cru Burgundy for only $35!!! we finished with a creme brule, and the bartender gave us a little complementary taste of sauternes to enjoy the creme brule with. Absolutely fantastic experience, highly recommend Le Central, and go on Monday night to take advantage of half price wine night.
ME
Megan Purdy
Unlike the industrial-chic look that has permeated most of San Franciscos newest dining establishments, this restaurant stays true to its roots and transports you to a french bistro. Ok they do have an exposed brick wall but it is offset by their great bar and white table clothes - this isnt manufactured authenticity, it IS authenticity. I love going to this place because people are refreshingly open to having a conversation with you instead of just looking at their iPhones. The food is classic french - no noveau french, not french infused - classic french. Try their steak tartare - its some of the best in the city because they use better cuts of meat than most of the other restaurants. If you are low-carb you can always get it with endive instead of toast. Best part of this place is sitting at the bar - if you are fortunate for Kirsten to be working that evening she will entertain you until you realize you were supposed to go home 3 hours ago. Who knows you might also run into Willy Brown playing liars dice there if you are lucky. Definitely a place to come to and experience because you get that local feel of a restaurant that knows who it is.
ZO
Zorin Dobson
I did some searching and ended up having dinner at Le Central Bistro which was just a short walk from my hotel. I looked through the menu for a short period of time before deciding on the crab cakes for my first course. The presentation was phenomenal. I just wish the flavours were equally as stunning. The burr blanc was kind of mediocre, though I must admit the crab cake was very meaty and a good portion of crab. Everything just seemed slightly under-seasoned. Things picked up with the second course. The Beef Bourguignon was a perfect marriage of tender beef and red wine. The carrots were soft yet not overdone and it was a very comforting dish for the slighty chilly northern California evening. Things continued to get better with the creme brulee. Im not much for sweets but this one was done perfectly. Im usually sort of unimpressed by creme brulee, by this one was perfectly creamy and not overpowering with sweetness. The smooth vanilla texture went along well with the tasty caramelized sugar. Admittedly I am a sucker for caramel.
KI
kim smith
Just standing there and the bartender said someone will be with you in a moment and there was a gentleman who came from the back of the bar who have seen just standing there and he said how can I help you and I and then I I said I would like to eat here then another group of him behind me and he set me up my table and then he said them at their table and then he gave them their menus first and then he came back and gave me mine so I felt like there was a missed opportunity to provide me with a great customer service experience the way that I had with catering to the other tables more than they were catering to me and the person that regularly checking it just happened to be the mother in the water Guy so I gave him the $10 and Im giving the waiter the $2 to. But I do have to say that the crab cake that I had was very very good the burger was okay.
J
J Will31
Really nice little gem... Kind of tucked away. Great service and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. Definitely reminded me of Europe with the smaller tables and cozy setup. Now for the food, my friend ordered the escargot and I was prepared to hate it. I havent liked it in the past but this was real good. The bread was wonderful. My warm crusted goat cheese was buttery and delicious with apples and driver to compliment. For the big finish I had the Sole. It was a little heavy but still delicious. I appreciated the great service and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys French cuisine.
EL
Elizabeth Theil
Dinner or lunch at Le Central has always been a large plus for me since I moved to SF 19 years ago. The food and service are always terrific! And since, these days, I dont travel to France as often as I once did, Le Central is a grand substitute. After all these years I am writing my first review because I saw a few, recent, somewhat underwhelming E-reviews posted. Le Central serves outstanding French bistro food. So, when you want classic French bistro food in SF (in contrast to "high end " haute cuisine"), go to Le Central! It is always satisfying and delicious!
A
A Private User
Parking can be a (rhymes with "WITCH"), but dont let that deter you from this downtown mainstay. The food what this place is all about! We had a party of 8, got a nice table (if memory serves), and in rolled some of the best French food this side of Market Street. I suppose they really cater towards the downtown exec on power lunch, the company pays the tab bit; so I think its a bit overpriced for those who have to pay out of their own pocket -- hence the rating.
