I don't understand how this place is still in business. If you call opening a can of tomato paste and pouring it on a cold tortilla "Mexican" then go ahead and enjoy. Weak drinks with no flavor. Only thing going for it is a good location, nice servers and an ok ambiance. read more

I don't often feel compelled to write reviews, but I was totally blown away by the food at Centro. For some context, my father's side of the family is Mexican, and I've lived down in central Mexico for a few summers. This has pretty much ruined me for all but the most basic Mexican food you can get in America. Barring basic tacos (hard to mess up) I just haven't been able to find the flavor profiles and intensity that I got used to, plus some produce is just more difficult to source up here, plain and simple. My partner went there for a happy hour event after work and was tentatively impressed, but knew my standards are a little different. Still, we went there for brunch and immediately when I looked at the menu I was hopeful things would be different. Mexican cheeses! Traditional chiles! Mole! Yucca! It was clearly fusion fare (eggs benedict aren't a thing down south), but it had promise to be GOOD fusion fare. I got the centro cazuela entree, which draws heavily from southern Mexico's cuisine. The yucca and plantain were cooked to perfection, and the mole was gentle enough for an American audience, but still drew on all the important flavors. The textures were also perfectly cohesive. My partner got the pork belly benedict, which was definitely more American than Mexican, but still perfectly prepared and delicious with little nods to Mexican flavors and preparations in the hollandaise and pork belly. My partner also got a pomegranate mimosa, and I got the hibiscus agua fresca (aka jamaica). The mimosa was delicious, and my one gripe about the whole meal was the jamaica. I suspect it was prepared the way it was to make it a little more palatable to American tastes, but the tart flavor of hibuscus was mellowed out considerably and sweetened past the point where I usually enjoy my jamaica. Still, I haven't been able to find dried hibiscus to make my own anywhere, so I can't complain too much. Also, it's too bad people have had bad experiences with service- our waitress was sweet and attentive throughout our meal. Business picked up towards the end of our meal and we prompted her for water once, and she was back at our table within a minute. I can't wait to come back here and revisit some of the flavors I've missed so much! read more

Enjoyed the Releno & Egg dish today at brunch. I would highly recommend this dish for its authenticity, preparation and flavors.

We Love this place. Beautiful patio. Great service. Amazing food. We drive from Denver just to go here. Happy hour for breakfast-so good!

Came to Centro on a Monday after a hike at Chatuqua. Great location right on Pearl street. Exposed brick, heated patio and low key come in your hiking clothes and cozy up in a big booth. So on Mondays they have drink and food specials. Everything was 2-5 dollars....ummmm yes please after a long cold hike in the mountains. First of we ordered the pork and green chile nachos which came with fresh guacamole, cheese, pico, and sour cream. So not good for you but you only live once. Same thing goes for the chimichurri fries....loaded with herbs, garlic, and red chili pepper flakes. We also got a brisket taco ( kind of a bbq direction with queso fresco) and a shrimp one ( spicy...perfectly cooked with jalapeno aiolli, queso fresco, and thinly sliced radish) both served on corn tortillas...as they should be. :) We all loved it. Walk over on a Monday afternoon, avoid the higher prices, sample several different items of the menu for a couple of bucks and leave happy and full. read more

Best mojitos -- with big bunches of mint. Guacamole with big chunks of avocado and just the right piquant with fresh tomato cubes. All day Happy Hour Mondays. I'm looking forward to their brunch some fine day. read more

Amazing brunch! Very interesting dishes, nice atmosphere, great service, decent prices.

We had the combo plate and everything was wonderful.The Margarita's were yummy too but they had too much ice

I just came in to say that the carnitas at Centro have been blowing my mind lately. so tasty. Perfectly crisped and not dry. Fantastic. Probably the best mojitos in town too. Centro never dissapoints. read more

Centro seems to have fallen to a new low. My mojito tasted like canned limeade and when I mentioned this to the server he noted that 'it couldn't be mixed poorly because it comes from a tap.' Well then. Tacos were the best part of our meal. Chile relleno was heavy and chicken enchilada was not very flavorful. Won't be returning anytime soon. read more

Everything we ordered was amazing, from the avocado salsa to the carnitas tacos! Highly recommended! Service was very good for a lunch crowd on Friday afternoon. read more

This place is not worth it. I have been here multiple times, and have left unhappy every time. The food is average at best, the service has always been terrible. Tonight we were there with a table of 8 (I would have chosen somewhere else).. We could not get our server to bring drinks, and he acted like he was doing us some big favor to actually show up at our table. All 8 of us sat there for over 30 minutes with empty glasses after we were done eating. We were there to celebrate and wanted more drinks... I'm talking about beer glasses, wine glasses, margarita glasses, and even water glasses. ALL of them empty for over 30 minutes!! We could not get any drinks!!! What a joke. We all left and went somewhere else to spend our money. The management at this place is a total joke. The manager actually came to our table and we loaded him up with all the plates the the terrible server had not bothered to collect... We had been done with them for a very long time.. but instead of realizing that his server was worthless, he seemed bothered that he had to carry our plates. You would think he would have gotten a hint, but nope.. He seemed oblivious...Many better options in Boulder. I cannot figure out how this place stays open. Terrible customer service!! Unless friends drag me there again I will never step foot in this place again... even thought my office is a few doors away. read more

Very slow service from bar and kitchen. But, everything we ordered was very good. Tacos, avocado salsa & margaritas.

Very disappointing. As a fan of the old Rhumba, I had not returned since the change to Centro, and was expecting a great meal based on other reviews I had seen. The best part about Centro was the very polite and helpful hostess; the rest of the meal would have been forgettable but for how poor our experience was. We found seats at the outside bar while waiting for our table; despite 3 bartenders at work and an average size crowd at best, not one even acknowledged our presence for 10 minutes. The Pisco Sour I finally received was good, the Mojito was just ok and somewhat over-rated. This turned out to be the highlight of our meal. Once seated we waited....and waited...for service. Our server (to remain nameless for her sake) was brief, not helpful, and ready to move on even before each stop to our table. Totally unengaged. My Wife had the Garlicky Shrimp Tacos, which had very little substance but for lots of cabbage and a sour taste to them. My Carne Asada was ok. Cooked to my liking, but a little stringy and tough to cut. The wait times for our server continued throughout the meal and through payment. I had to track her down myself, and even then had to ask for help from the very helpful guy bussing tables in order to pay my bill. I had hoped for much better from Centro, and left extremely disappointed. I will not be returning; there are so many great restaurants in Boulder, I would recommend you explore them before considering Centro. read more

My boyfriend and I went to Centro on June 1, 2011. We got seated on the patio, they seated another couple shortly after us, the waitress quickly brought them water. Another group was sat, the waitress brought them water. Then a group were sat diagonally from us and they were brought water. The first people sat at this point were already getting appetizers! We had been sitting there for over ten minutes and had received no service. When we got up to leave and walked by the waitress she was very rude. I do NOT recommend anyone ever go here. The service was very disappointing!!!!!!!! read more

I've had several truly OUTSTANDING meals at Centro over the past few years, so I was extremely disappointed when I went there with my family and a guest last week and found that the menu has been completely changed (I had a hard time finding something that sounded interesting). The food and the service were both mediocre, at best. Very sad -- this used to be a really terrific place. I would give it the benefit of the doubt since it was just one bad visit, but the new offerings just don't sound very enticing...and there are so many other terrific restaurants within a 5-minute walk. read more

Overall it was just ok. The queso with the chorizo was the best thing. My cousins both got tacos. The cheese taco was pretty terrible, the carnitas was super greasy, and the chicken was dry. The short rib was probably the best taco. I had the tortilla soup, also just alright. I was excepting sliced avocado on top, because that's what the menu said, instead it was chucked up guacamole. I would have asked for this on the side had I known this. The tortillas were pretty good, soft. Probably wouldn't go back. I remember years ago it used to be really great. read more

This is a real hee-haw...I ordered the blackened mahi mahi salad and no shit, the piece of mahi was barely 2" wide by 2" long. When the server first put the plate in front of me I mistook the piece of fish for a crouton. Nope. It was a measly piece of mahi mahi. I called the server back over and said, "Is this the normal portion size for the mahi?" She said, "Our chef serves a 2oz. portion." I said, "That's ridiculous." Keep in mind, a normal restaurant will give you a 6oz. piece of fish. I asked her for another piece. Pretty soon the manager came over, eyeballed the piece of mahi, and said it was on the small side. You think? I wish I would have taken a picture of it--it was such a joke. My boyfriend ordered the chicken enchiladas and they barely came out warm. Portions for all other menu items are generous but not for the mahi mahi salad. And for $12 I would expect a larger portion of mahi! read more

I was visiting Boulder with my mom and after a long hike we were looking for a bite to eat and a drink. We saw centro after walking around and it looked busy so we got a table. To our pleasant surprise it was happy hour so they had a la carte dishes for $2!! We had a habanero pork taco, shrimp taco and rock shrimp and yam fritter. It was all sooo good! The service was awesome and for 5 a la carte dishes and 2 cocktails with tax it was $17! Cant beat that! Highly recommended read more

DO NOT TRUST MAKING A RESERVATION HERE! My friends and I made a reservation for 25 people for our friend's birthday celebration. We arrived 5 minutes early and were seated, with only seats for 10 of us. The rest of us were left standing for 35 minutes.. we were then ordering drinks and I almost got my real ID confiscated? DO NOT trust this place to make a reservation and do not order drinks. They gave us nothing but problems. Our waiter was more than accommodating, but the manager was extremely rude. I will not be coming back, which is unfortunate because my friends and I loved this place. I will never give this place my business again!! read more

Never right a review, but took the recommendation of the waitress and ordered the Tazon. One of the best meals I have had at a Mexican restaurant. Order it. You will not be disappointed. Great atmosphere. read more

Excellent service and very good food & cocktails. Generous portions. Very good for gluten free guests.

Strange place. The "avocado salsa" is not, as you might think, guacamole. It's a small plate of avocado chunks. We improved ours immensely by mashing it and adding salt. The "hush puppies" were not really hush puppies, but more like donuts. The quality of the ingredients in the entrees wasn't the best. The chilaquiles advertise kale, but come with about a tablespoon of it. Of the three of us, none of us were happy with our entrees. The drinks were good though. read more

Great food -- excellent service. The noise level was higher than usual -- tough to talk over the crowd.

I really liked coming here when I used to live in Colorado. The food was always super good and I also enjoyed going there for happy hour.

The margaritas were weak, the food was very average. The carne steak salad was pretty bad. It's still a good place for happy hour beers on the patio, but that's about all! read more

Great food especially the burrito. The mojito and pisco sour were not good, but other drinks were not good.

Continuing the restaurants-as-clothing-designers scheme...if the Kitchen is J.Crew, then Centro is more like Forever 21: a bit more brash, louder, and not afraid to flirt with tacky. Of course, it could just be that we're only there on all-day happy hour Mondays when the place can be wall-to-wall packed with a younger crowd. We head down to Centro on Mondays when we want to enjoy a night out that doesn't give us a credit card hangover. The happy hour drinks (cheap beer and margs) are decent, and the little dishes are excellent across the board (though we've dropped the rice and beans from our lineup--it didn't measure up.) If you can score a place on the patio, you're set for energetic vibes and tasty food. read more

After reading my review, the manager got in touch with me to request I give their cocktails another try. Hats off to a business that listens to its customers and tries to make things right. read more

Their patio is nice and the drinks were OK. I had dinner here and the value at dinnertime is highly questionable. $11 ceviche is laughably small and not that great. I would not be at all surprised if the squid and shrimp were frozen. The pork entree was also pretty stingy on quantity. I might go back for happy hour sometime as the prices are much lower. read more

I don't come to Boulder too often since I live on the west coast. We have plenty of Mexican options in California but this place holds their own in the comparison. Their guacamole and in-house chips were amazing. I definitely made a second visit. read more

After hearing about the restaurant on the Unique Eats food network show, I was excited about going. I even made reservations. Well when the waiter came to take our order he informed us that most of the entrées they were out of. Well that was the first red flag who runs out of food by 1:30pm on a Friday? They obviously weren't prepared for the art festival that was going on outside there establishment. My sister and I ordered the same entrée. Her french fries and my fries were overcooked very dark in color, on the verge of burnt and very leathery. We filled out the comment card that came with our bill at the end of the meal asking from a scale from 1 to 10 would we be likely to return. We circled 2. read more

Prefect place to hang on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Great patio and great margaritas. Staff is super friendly and the music was perfect. read more

One of my favorite places on Pearl. $2 Tecate cans and very good avocado salsa and enchiladas. Im a huge fan. Check it out.

We frequent this place. It is typically pretty good and I would recommend stopping by if you are visiting Boulder (or live in Boulder and haven't been here yet!). The best time to go is happy hour. Try the avocado salsa, it is usually pretty good. I would recommend that Centro get this more consistent. We have had it some times where it is mostly avocado or mostly tomato. The best times are when it is that perfect blend of avocado, tomato, red onion, cilantro, and peppers. The chips are always great. read more

The new menu is awful. That about sums it up. I don't know what happened (new owner? new management?), but it's not as good as it used to be. Too bad. And honestly, "refreshment palace"? read more

I love Centro's happy hour. I could probably eat it every day. Their gold coin marg is on point; I love that it's not pumped full of sugar but still goes down smooth and delicious. I love sitting out of the patio in the warm weather. It's an ideal spot for people watching. I just wished the opened before 4pm! read more

Had brunch here on 9/27 and really loved it. Don't remember the name of the dish I had but it was a skillet dish with sweet potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, egg, chorizo...tasted great and was very filling. The grapefruit marg was pricey but outstanding (had 2!) and we loved the fried coconut bananas. Would go back. read more

Best tacos I have had in awhile. The service is welcoming and the atmosphere lively. There was a small mishap with the order and they were all over it. They even comped our entire meal, which was entirely unexpected and not asked for. Would visit again. read more

Just crushed a happy hour breakfast burrito with chile verde and an orange juice. $8.50 total - are you kidding me?!? This was the best brunch I've had in months and it was a steal! The burrito was spicy, but delectable. Highly recommend Centro for any and all brunch needs. read more