One of my most favorite city restaurants. Great menu and selection, delicious food, attentive service...updated decor, but still feels like a special San Francisco restaurant.
Charles
Great evening at this fun SF bistro. The drinks, food and wine were perfect and the cassoulet was the best I've had anywhere. Can't wait to try again on our next visit. Cheers!
M R
Classic French food served in a time-honored SF restaurant. Well worth site for a special occasion or cocktail hour.
Ruth
What a lovely meal we enjoyed! I wanted to try the cassoulet, and it did not disappoint! The beans had the simultaneously meaty and creamy texture that I adore. The confit was crispy, we got 2 kinds of sausages, and a nice piece of thick bacon. Plenty for 2.
barbara
Our lunch was fabulous from the moment we arrived until left this beautiful restaurant. . Food and service was outstanding.
Laura Jane
Excellent onion soup - some of the best I have had...and I've had a lot! Excellent glass of wine selection, even a Cab Franc which isn't usually an offering by the glass in other places. I had the Sole which was perfect and my husband had theBeef bourguignon. Excellent value for their Prix Fix.
Benjamim Tannus Artiga
Beautiful restaurant, with a classic atmosphere. Service was good, but the food wasn't good enough to justify the price and small portions, I would come back for the atmosphere, though
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Jeff
This SF institution has been serving the same French fare for god knows how long. (Actually, the restaurant knows because they tell you exactly how many days they have been cooking their cassoulet). It's got an old school charm, but is not dated. I love the ambiance. It's perfect for a nice nite out without being fussy, pretentious, or trying too hard. The food was good, the service was excellent, and it's a perfect spot for a relaxed, comfortable, dinner.
Rochelle
Amazing experience, management and food. Love every second of my time here. Hosted a big birthday party and they made it seamless! Highly recommend.
Kevin Venkiteswaran
Service was great aside from one waiter. Plenty of time for cocktails then appetizers then mains. Food was delicious, classic French.
Nothing special here. I remember it being much better in the past. Overall we were disappointed.
Jeffrey
A private party was booked for 1/2 of the restaurant where most of the tables are located. We were seated on the bar side at a very nice table. But very quickly as people were coming from the private side to go to the bar to get drinks, standing at the bar for drinks, laughing, talking; the noise level was overwhelming. People were crowded standing next to our table, bumping/brushing my husband‘s shoulder. One guy with a baby attached to his front going to the toilet to change diapers stopped to chat with people and his babies bare feet were rubbing on my husband's shoulder. We asked the manager if there was something he could do. He tried to move the private party guests to the other side, but it didn't really work. The food/drink - due to the crowded party. It took forever for us to get one glass of wine while the waiter kept asking us to order our starters, we waited. The food was OK, served hot, but even though we ordered our starters first, and tried to wait to order our entrées it felt rushed. The special cream of broccoli soup was excellent. The crusted lamb chops and the beef Bourgeon were acceptable. At this point, we just asked our waiter to box up our uneaten entrée portions so we could pay our check and leave. It was an uncomfortable situation, not managed well by the restaurant. We had told the restaurant we were there for a birthday celebration. There was no recognition of the birthday. We paid our bill, $200 for OK food and an uncomfortable situation. We were in and out of there in about an hour. We wouldn't go back. In San Francisco there are just too many other great options. 
Aaron Von Reuter
One of the best dining experiences I’ve had in SFO!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tom
I have been eating at Le Central for years, and will eat there for years to come. The food is as good as what you'd find in Paris, and probably better than the vast majority of Parisian brasseries. The ambiance is clubby, non-pretentious, and comfortable. The staff are pleasant and professional, and the prices are reasonable for the quality and experience. This restaurant is not trendy, loud, interested in the latest fads. Instead it delivers an excellent dining experience consistently and faithfully. I lived in San Francisco for 40 years and ate at Le Central several times every year. I moved to the East Coast three years ago, and am back in SF 5-6 times a year. I ALWAYS make a point of having either lunch of dinner at Le Central on every trip.
Teri
We were seated between 2 tables, of guests, rather close together. As if we should introduce ourselves. That's about it for complaints. Our waiter was efficient and helpful. We ordered drinks and then were left alone to enjoy them. We then ordered dinner, which was terrific. My husband ordered the cassoulet, a specialty of the house. He practically killed himself to finish it, but he did. Loved every second of it. My beef was wonderful. We couldn't possibly have had dessert but the offerings were varied. All in all, a great dinner!
One of my most favorite city restaurants. Great menu and selection, delicious food, attentive service...updated decor, but still feels like a special San Francisco restaurant.
Great evening at this fun SF bistro. The drinks, food and wine were perfect and the cassoulet was the best I've had anywhere. Can't wait to try again on our next visit. Cheers!
Classic French food served in a time-honored SF restaurant. Well worth site for a special occasion or cocktail hour.
What a lovely meal we enjoyed! I wanted to try the cassoulet, and it did not disappoint! The beans had the simultaneously meaty and creamy texture that I adore. The confit was crispy, we got 2 kinds of sausages, and a nice piece of thick bacon. Plenty for 2.
Our lunch was fabulous from the moment we arrived until left this beautiful restaurant. . Food and service was outstanding.
Excellent onion soup - some of the best I have had...and I've had a lot! Excellent glass of wine selection, even a Cab Franc which isn't usually an offering by the glass in other places. I had the Sole which was perfect and my husband had theBeef bourguignon. Excellent value for their Prix Fix.
Beautiful restaurant, with a classic atmosphere. Service was good, but the food wasn't good enough to justify the price and small portions, I would come back for the atmosphere, though
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
This SF institution has been serving the same French fare for god knows how long. (Actually, the restaurant knows because they tell you exactly how many days they have been cooking their cassoulet). It's got an old school charm, but is not dated. I love the ambiance. It's perfect for a nice nite out without being fussy, pretentious, or trying too hard. The food was good, the service was excellent, and it's a perfect spot for a relaxed, comfortable, dinner.
Amazing experience, management and food. Love every second of my time here. Hosted a big birthday party and they made it seamless! Highly recommend.
Service was great aside from one waiter. Plenty of time for cocktails then appetizers then mains. Food was delicious, classic French.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Nothing special here. I remember it being much better in the past. Overall we were disappointed.
A private party was booked for 1/2 of the restaurant where most of the tables are located. We were seated on the bar side at a very nice table. But very quickly as people were coming from the private side to go to the bar to get drinks, standing at the bar for drinks, laughing, talking; the noise level was overwhelming. People were crowded standing next to our table, bumping/brushing my husband‘s shoulder. One guy with a baby attached to his front going to the toilet to change diapers stopped to chat with people and his babies bare feet were rubbing on my husband's shoulder. We asked the manager if there was something he could do. He tried to move the private party guests to the other side, but it didn't really work. The food/drink - due to the crowded party. It took forever for us to get one glass of wine while the waiter kept asking us to order our starters, we waited. The food was OK, served hot, but even though we ordered our starters first, and tried to wait to order our entrées it felt rushed. The special cream of broccoli soup was excellent. The crusted lamb chops and the beef Bourgeon were acceptable. At this point, we just asked our waiter to box up our uneaten entrée portions so we could pay our check and leave. It was an uncomfortable situation, not managed well by the restaurant. We had told the restaurant we were there for a birthday celebration. There was no recognition of the birthday. We paid our bill, $200 for OK food and an uncomfortable situation. We were in and out of there in about an hour. We wouldn't go back. In San Francisco there are just too many other great options. 
One of the best dining experiences I’ve had in SFO!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I have been eating at Le Central for years, and will eat there for years to come. The food is as good as what you'd find in Paris, and probably better than the vast majority of Parisian brasseries. The ambiance is clubby, non-pretentious, and comfortable. The staff are pleasant and professional, and the prices are reasonable for the quality and experience. This restaurant is not trendy, loud, interested in the latest fads. Instead it delivers an excellent dining experience consistently and faithfully. I lived in San Francisco for 40 years and ate at Le Central several times every year. I moved to the East Coast three years ago, and am back in SF 5-6 times a year. I ALWAYS make a point of having either lunch of dinner at Le Central on every trip.
We were seated between 2 tables, of guests, rather close together. As if we should introduce ourselves. That's about it for complaints. Our waiter was efficient and helpful. We ordered drinks and then were left alone to enjoy them. We then ordered dinner, which was terrific. My husband ordered the cassoulet, a specialty of the house. He practically killed himself to finish it, but he did. Loved every second of it. My beef was wonderful. We couldn't possibly have had dessert but the offerings were varied. All in all, a great dinner!
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