Proper, near perfect escargot. Nothing unusual or innovative; just right. It was just an escargot-kind-of-night and I went grazing from one French place to the next. Nice background jazz, good service, laid back... Nice! Critique: turn down the lights a bit for a sexier setting. I will definitely return to sample more froggy fare from Central. read more

Good service, food is nothing to write home about. It's just ok. My husband ordered the cassoulet over which, there is much hype, according to fellow Yelpers and the countdown in the restaurant over how many days they'll been serving it. Here is something to consider: the traditional REAL French cassoulet never, EVER has lamb. I asked the server if it tasted "gamey" , he kindly offered me a taste, which to me was quite gamey. I had the salmon, again nothing special. Service was good for the most part and we were able to sit there 30 minutes earlier. I much rather skip the drive to SF and go to the Girl and the Fig in Sonoma. Now THAT place a really good French food :-) read more

Visited for dine about town, 34.95 priced fixed 3 course. The restaurant was good, not great. App French Onion Soup - rich broth nice presentation. Great. Crab Cake - real winner of the night. awesome. Entrees Ribeye with fries - OK, salty, low quality meat. Served with tasteless spinach. Le Cassolet - House specialty, rustic, pretty tasty rich dish. Dessert Creme Caramel - Flan like substance with sticky sweet topping. A bit sloppy but OK. Chocolate Mousse - Pretty awesome. Fantastic texture for a mousse which is why I normally don't like them. Plesant suprise. Service was acceptable. Normally too pricy for what it is, but decent value in dine about town. read more

Very disappointing experience with my family. I'm French and can cook better at home...for 1/3 of the price.

This has been our go to restaurant for years during the Xmas season. This year they moved into the no return category. Sad. I chose to have sea bass with risotto. The fish as not exceptional and the risotto that came with it was not done...hard as rocks. And who doesn't have blue cheese stuffed olives these days??? I asked them if they had blue cheese...they did. So stuff the olives for goodness sake! Our waiter was terrific and he stuffed them himself. Good guy, very pleasant. Remembered us from previous visits. The salmon that my husband had was a little undercooked and not particularly good. Disappointed. read more

A friend and I ate here last weekend. Great wine, and probably the best brie I've ever had in my life. I'd go back just for the brie. I'm pescetarian, and as a vegetarian mentioned below, the menu is pretty meaty, which left few options. I got the salmon, which was not the best salmon I've ever had, but the cauliflower that came with it was fantastic. The atmosphere grew on me after a while (maybe that was because of the wine), although we were definitely the youngest people in the building. read more

Made reservation via Opentable for last Wed at 7:15pm, a bufday celebration. Arrived ontime and was told my name is not on their system, host even showed me their list. So i had to reserve the next available 7:30pm slot. Dinner went smooth, our waiter was fast in ordering our two glass of Zin and numerous appetizers of crabcake hmmhmm good, filet mignon tartare(this was very bland), clams in white wine(very very juicy), beet salad(tasted a lot better than it looks) and for entree to share was the yummy scallops(chef plated separtely yet still a huge portion, thank you!) So full, we said no to dessert =] next day, i get an email from opentable, restaurant claimed that i did not honor my reservation. i emailed back of course and received 100points only...argh!!! Please give me back my 1000 points! =/ read more

Of course, Le Central's kitchen is fine. Unfortunately, there is more to dining that just the food. To put this as simply as possible, I booked at table for eight for New Year's Eve. The reservation was made a full four days in advance. When I arrived with my out-of-town guests, all of whom were of a sylphlike slenderness, the restaurant attempted to seat us at a makeshift table set in the middle of the dining room that was best suited for six adults at best. When we asked to be moved to a reasonably sized table, the staff kept us waiting for more than 20 minutes. Now, normally, we are willing to cut our home town restaurants a large amount of slack during the holidays. HOWEVER, in the dining room there were many tables on the banquette that could have been moved together immediately to accommodate us. Why were they not? Because the staff was more worried about a party of seven that had not arrived - and several other parties of two that had not arrived - than they were with the party of eight standing directly in front of them. Finally, after three reminders that we were still waiting, the staff did, indeed, move the banquette tables together to accommodate us. And they did not do it cheerfully, nor even politely. And guess what? The party of seven never showed, nor did many of the other parties the staff were expecting. During the entire meal, there was no line at the door. Un tien vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras, Le Central. By the way, our tab came to $1,200 for the party of eight, so its not like we were a poor risk. As regular customers, we expected that Le Central would be a solid place to bring out-of-town guests in terms of both food and service. It was an incredibly irritating and embarrassing experience. I won't be back, and considering how often I have eaten at Le Central over the years, this is a strong statement. As an aside, the wine list, in terms of the selection of French wines by the bottle, is poor given Le Central's focus. read more

Dropped by for happy hour but ended up ordering from the dinner menu. Ordered the staple and was not disappointed. The steak tartare was not salty like in most places. The beef was fresh and can afford not to be overly seasoned. Escargot was also amazing. Kirsten, the bartender, was friendly and provided good service. I can see myself coming back for the $5 cocktails and the food. read more

Le Central - French Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I had dinner here not that long ago and I still remember the dishes. Started with the butterleaf salad, braised leeks, and celery root remoulade (between us three). Both of my friends ordered the roasted chicken with pomme frites. I didn't try the chicken but from their faces, I think they approve.. But the pomme frites were so good.. Hot and crispy.. I ordered my favorite dish which was the boudin noir, fat black aromatic sausages. You can't get this anywhere else. Really juicy and yummy. Everything from ambiance, food, service, and cocktail was great. read more

Oh, Le Central -- a very sweet little bistro with a funny old crowd. I wouldn't come here with friends or on a date, but the family enjoys the atmosphere and sort-of-French food. The menu has some "Italian" items, which I find to be a bit strange. And the menu is very meat heavy. I had the butternut squash soup, which was really good. Almost as good as the kind in the cardboard box from Trader Joe's. I really love that soup, especially the tomato one. Anyways, my fam had a bunch of fish and meat dishes. They liked them fine, nothing extraordinary. The quaint bistro atmosphere is cute -- a bit outdated. Awesome German and French beer selection. The Bitburger was my favorite one. Our waiter was very nice and funny, but not super attentive. I think he had a lot of tables, so things were a bit slow, but we weren't in any hurry. read more

LaCentral is one of my favourite French restaurants. The escargot was wonderful served with a wonderful bread to dip into the accompanying garlic sauce. I had the salmon that was perfectly prepared with asparagus and potatoes. For dessert I had a lemon souffle which was wonderful. I was with great company. read more

A family tradition to eat here every Christmas season! The cassoulet is fantastic! I first was introduced to Le Central when I was attending Berkeley, a date took me for a date! I was overwhelmed with the "San Francisco-ness" of the Restaurant. I still feel that same feeling when I walk in with my family! read more

Temperature inside was cold Steak tartare was good Chicken was greasy, and plate was piled with very overdone greasy fries that were bad. Plate had one tablespoon of spinach. Bad presentation, not enough vegetables at all. Very heavy and not the way I picture French food at all! I don't think i would go back. Menu was overpriced compared to some of the other pleasant lunch places in the FiDi. Oh, company was good, she brought the French to the French restaurant. read more

I love this place. Old school SF style. The service is always great, yeah a little surly but then again that was old school. Don't expect your ass to be kissed but know what you want, order it and get on with it. Last night had one of the best pieces of fish in an encrusted Sea Bass. The cassoulet was great as always. Blood sausage is amazing. The short rib special fell off the bone. Places like this are dying out in favor of Nuevo cuisine and cement and steel decor. Don't get me wrong, I like new styles but you have to appreciate a place like this and be super glad it exists. Oh, and their Manhattans are amazing. read more

My coworker and I came to try the Cassoulet, which was 13,556 days old. The restaurant was very empty at 11:30, so if you want to go for lunch, go early. The dining area did have a strange smell - more like pine-sol. The fresh flowers on the table were lovely. The service was ok. Our server did not offer any descriptions of the specials. In fact, no specials were mentioned, but a little chalk board was hung on the wall near us so we could read them for ourselves. After our order was placed, the chalk board was taken away. I noticed an insect on the sleeve of our waiter, mentioned it to him, and he was very appreciative of my notification. The food was ok. We ordered the endive salad, cassoulet, and the Apple Tarte Tatin. The endive salad did have a nice dressing. The cassoulet was served in a very cute, Le Cruset mini-cocotte. The Tarte Tatin, was not sweet and bits of the apple core were in the apples. It kind of had a strange flavor, as I expected some apple taste and maybe a hint of caramel, but it didn't taste like that at all. It was served cold with whipped cream and caramel sauce. As the restaurant filled during lunch time, it was as if a play had begun and the characters began to fill the stage. You can tell there are a lot of characters that dine a Le Central on a regular basis. All in all, I'm glad we went for the experience, but I'm not sure if I would come back again. Here is my blog entry with photos: http://madeitlikeamy.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/le-central-and-the-13556-day-old-cassoulet/ read more

Escargot and pate was as good as in France! Cassoulet was amazing and gluten free (win!). Pretty small place and had to overhear some very strange conversations, but the meal made it worthwhile. read more

Charming little French place with a good location. I have now been here several times and the food is always great. I almost always get the filet. It has a black peppercorn sauce and it is probably one of the best in the city. The creme brulee is a nice way to finish a decadent evening! Definitely will be returning. They are on open table which is a plus! read more

San Francisco's finest. Wilkes Bashford. Herb Cain. Willie Brown. Us. Not me but a former mentor and now good friend. Many years had past since seeing one another and we were long overdue to say hello. Did so while enjoying their rich and flavorful signature roast chicken and marveling at their cassoulet that has been cooking for almost 40 years straight. Bit confused at how my chicken was advertised as coming with broccolini (there were two small pieces) but did appreciate the greens for fries swap. Just don't expect spinach. Probably three stars were it not for the impressive history, cassoulet and clientele. If it's a favorite of my mentor it's a favorite of mine. He has yet to steer me wrong. Seeing Mr. Brown sitting at his favorite table might have sealed the fourth. read more

This place has a long, storied history. We had eaten here about 7-8 years ago and thought it was okay, but not worth the hype. We tried it again last night and came to the same conclusion: okay, but nothing remarkable. The food was actually very good (French onion soup and their "legendary" cassoulet for me and roasted chicken for my wife). Rather than listing the winery for each wine that they sold by-the-glass, the wine list showed only the varietal (pinot noir, merlot, etc.)...but not the name of the winery who produced it. So unless you asked, you had no idea whether you were getting 2-Buck-Chuck or something far better. The servers and hosts were all very nice, but lacked the finesse and care that you'd expect. There wasn't a lot of down-time between courses -- it felt a little rushed. It was service with a smile -- nothing more, nothing less. Pretty much "I'm here to take your order and bring you your food." Moreover, one of the owners (or by all the fuss, we assumed he was the owner) was dining that night near where we sat and during the early part of our meal, he kept pacing throughout the dining room and was talking on his cell phone as he determinedly strode back and forth between the kitchen, his table and the hostess desk. Once his wife arrived, a continuous stream of brown-nosers from the wait staff loitered by his table in the corner, which was just a few tables from where we were sitting. It made for a rather uncomfortable dining experience, as we felt a bit like interlopers rather than welcomed guests. So I'd give the food 3-4 stars (nothing to complain about, but not remarkable enough for the food alone to bring me back again). I'd give the service 2+ stars..."serviceable" or "pedestrian" are words that come to mind. If you're looking for a decent meal and not a memorable dining experience, it's fine. It was our anniversary, though, and we were expecting more than just a decent meal. Oh well, as they say in France: C'est la vie... read more

I was fairly suspicious of Le Central before going. After all, this place has been around a long time and has quite a bit of history... good and bad. Le Central's pretty proud of some of their more high-profile clients: Wilkes Bashford, Herb Caen, and who could forget, former mayor "Slick" Willie Brown. If you go at the right time, you may even see Slick Willie trying to proposition some nubile blonde in the corner, a definite Kodak moment. Anyway, wifey and I pass by this place all the time and finally decided to step in to see what all the hubbub's about. The maitre'd was delightful and accomodated our last-minute seating request without hesitation. We sat in Herb Caen's table right next to the window so we could make fun of the tourists walking by... The menu consists of straightforward and unpretentious French bistro fare. Nothing wild or fancy, just solid classics. Sometimes classic dishes are the best way to gauge the skill of the kitchen. The standout dishes we had included a kickin' onion tart and a rich onion soup that any French grandma would be proud of. Wifey's prawn risotto was nothing to sneer at either. The staff was efficient and unobtrosive and prices were more than reasonable. My assessment, great food and a fine experience. I can see why Slick Willie brings the girlies here. read more

Went here again last evening. Yum yum yum yum. I had the special. It was brisket with a horseradish sauce, potatoes and spinach. It was PERFECTLY done brisket and it exceeded my expectations. I had the onion tart as well- My dining partner had the duck rillettes with aspic yum yum yum yum and the escargot and the cassoulet- all SUPER great. He did not really eat all of it himself, for I, of course ate some too. Everything was delicious!!! I love this place, can't you tell? It is a down and dirty French restaurant. The cassoulet has been on the stove for 13,000 some plus days and a few months thus far. The service is so nice and unpretentious, and it is not over priced. We got to sit at a table by the window and talk and enjoy ourselves for a few hours. I hope this place stays open forever! read more

Inviting quaint warm small brasserie on Bush St in San Francisco which unfortunately does not live up to the curb appeal. Had the crab cake which was less than mediocre. Seemed like a frozen crab cake. However the butter lettuce salad was delicious and pomme frites were good. Shawn the bartender started out as quite a curmudgeon but warmed a bit. Overall however Not recommended read more

Old world charm, new world prices. The salad nicoise was very tasty. I never would have ordered it if work wasn't paying for it. read more

Exhausted after walking through Chinatown, we literally came upon this place as we crossed the street on the way back to our hotel. We settled in with wonderful French bread, chilled sweet butter and a couple of glasses of white wine. We split a cassoulet, and it was magnificent. Duck confit, lamb sausage, cooked with white beans in a little covered pot of goodness. This seems to be a regular place for locals. They've been open for 39 years and use a little bit of the previous day's base to start the next day's batch of cassoulet every day for the past 14,000+ days. Everyone seemed to know our waiter, who according to the lovely couple sitting next to us, has been their waiter for the 30 years they've been coming, always sitting them at the same table. Man, I love it when I find places like this. read more

Very French, great food and cozy atmosphere. I eat at the bar and at a table . Always great service and delish food. read more

Le Central - French Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Ideal restaurant for group and friends of course couple too. This French restaurant's service is great and food is nice too. Not too formal, and definitely good restaurant and worth to try. read more

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Disclaimer: I'm friends with Louis (the most famous and fabulous server in this echelon of dining) , so that probably helps as far as receiving excellent service. This place is old-fashioned European, slightly snobby, touristy and proud of it. So if you're a vegetarian or part of the 22-year-old hipster Asian crowd, you probably won't like it there. Go to Herbivore or be cool somewhere else. If you like kitsch, hob-nobbing and artery-clogging food every once in a while, you've come to the right place. The Pommes are sinful, the Charcuterie is delightful (but definitely not light), and if you're in the know with the staff you can order a scallop salad that's generally not on the menu, which is delicious (and actually not even bad for you!). And if you're really lucky you can make faces at Willie Brown while he's trying to be suave and important. read more

A strong 3 stars, but probably not a 4th. I had a business dinner at a table for 8 here one night, followed (coincidentally) by a social lunch for 2 the next day, so I saw both types of experience. In all, a serviceable and cozy French restaurant with moderate prices. As it is in downtown SF, it should get no easy grades - San Francisco is a sophisticated city with many good restaurants across the spectrum of food, so standards by which this restaurant is to be graded are high. It is sufficient. For dinner, there were escargots (average), oysters (above average), and scallops (average) for me. I did also have a ginger/carrot soup (above average). This was all chased by several shared bottles of white burgundy, which I found cold and charming of course, but the vintage escapes me and I did not handle the wine list, so I can't comment on their wine selections. For lunch, I had a filet mignon plate (above average). As for service, it was adequate and there were no disappointments - particularly for the dinner. The lunch experience involved a waiter that was not terribly present or involved in making sure we understood the menu, but then again lunch is a more hurried affair and he was certainly not guilty of any high crimes or misdemeanors. I would have gone to a 4th star if my girlfriend was with me, but then again I get slutty with stars in reviewing restaurants on Yelp if my girlfriend happens to have been part of the meal. read more

There is something to be said for a French Restaurant which touts that it's cassoulets have been burning for over 14,000 days! But seriously, their cassoulet is excellent. Decently priced and quite filling. This is a very traditional French Bistro, white table cloths, waitstaff in ties, a Matre'd, and simple (read elegant) cuisine. The salad is a kind one does not see often in bistros anymore: a cut wedge, with simple vinaigrette. Their steak au pouivre is incredible, as is their rack of lamb. All in all, a great spot in San Francisco, that needs to be patronized by all who can. read more

We went to La Central during SF Restaurant Week and had the prix fixe menu. The food was mostly delicious, but the restaurant was crowded. We both had the onion soup and it was fantastic, would definitely recommend. My husband had the cassolette and wasn't blown away by it, he found it a little bland. I had the beef bourguignon which was very good, especially the mashed potato. The serving seemed slightly on the smaller side but I ended up not being able to eat it all. For dessert Husdude had the Soufflé which was excellent and I had the chocolate mousse which was very good but I don't think there's actually that much difference between a decent chocolate mousse and a really good one so I wished I'd picked the Soufflé instead. The bar was out of one of the ingredients for the cocktail I wanted to order and the cocktail menu was far from extensive so that was disappointing. I later heard the waiter tell someone else that they had a full bar but when I'd tried to ask for something off menu similar to what I'd wanted the waiter was entirely unhelpful. The tables were extremely close together so if you're looking for an intimate restaurant for a date this is not really appropriate, unless you're ok with being intimate with the folks at the tables on either side of you as well! Overall this is a decent restaurant with good food but you definitely come for the food rather than the ambiance and don't feel inclined to linger. read more

this place is old school frenchy. think cigars and brandy. willie brown also seems to frequent this place... although i don't think of him as either old school frenchy OR cigars and brandy. their filet mignon is tasty. if i feel like a good filet mignon, i'll come here. also love their crab cakes. all their food is very simple, but done well. even their plain vegetables side taste awesome... but my favorite side is the gratin. just because it's traditional french doesn't mean it's easy to do well; i've seen many places fail at just that. this place is solid in my book. read more

I've been here twice. First time was for Dine About Town and the food was okay. Second time was last week and the food was great! We got the escargots as an appetizer and there were delish! One of my friends doesn't even like escargots, but she could stop dipping the bread into the garlic parsley butter sauce. It was buttery goodness! We got the steak and scallops as well. The steak was cooked perfectly and the scallops just melted in your mouth! I believe this is one of the oldest French bistros in SF so if you love French food you have to check this place out! read more

Cute French restaurant right on the line of Union Square and Chinatown. The french onion soup was actually the best that I've had at a French restaurant in recent memory, and the fries were crisp and delicious. I also liked that it wasn't too crazy packed so it was a comfortable dining experience all around. read more

I have eaten at Le Central many times over the years and it feels as comfy as my old flip flops that my wife keeps wanting me to dispose of. I have eaten through the menu and tend to stay on the light side of all things French these days, having the simple salads (when can you wax ecstatic about endive) and the frites and the onion soup. Hey, this makes it a treat for veg-heads, but the fish and meats are also excellent. read more

Third visit for lunch - prior lunch and dinner occasions. This is a classic in San Francisco, has been around I think over 30 years, and it is as old style class as you get, from the decor to the pretty classic French dishes - no nouvelle cuisine here - to Willie Brown sitting at a table for lunch today (I kid you not). The service is very good, they shake good martinis (from my dinner) and today I had the Bordeoux Blanc by the glass, $8. The food is solid, but not the best. Today I had the pork chops, and it was good, but not well bonded with the sauce, they were probably cooked separately, then the sauce poured on top. So, 3 stars for food, 4 stars for ambiance, service, decor, and character, makes it a 4 star in my mind read more

Casulet served cold and had to be sent back to the microwave. It consisted of beans and what looked like an Oscar Meyer breakfast sausage floating in it, and not very much of it at that. The moulles were also cold by the time they arrived. The is Resturant is a shadow of its former glory. read more

Definitely one of the most authentic French restaurants in San Francisco. I had the steak and pomme frits and savored every bite. I've heard that Willie Brown frequents there and to my surprise he came in and sat next to my table mid way through my lunch. read more

We went for an early dinner on a Saturday after walking around Union Square to look at the Christmas windows. We made reservations approximately one week earlier and appeared a little early for our dinner. The Maitre d initially sat us a table next to the door, where people would be constantly passing- we asked for another table, the place was empty, and they argued with us- finally seating us at a table across from the bar. Clearly we were not customers of value to this eatery. Throughout the dinner the same maitre d' spoke with diners, and sat with them for extended periods, however, not once did he check on our satisfaction. The food was not good- I ordered scallops- they were unevenly cooked, some underdone, some overdone. The butternut squash was wonderful. My partner order the hamburger- medium well- what he got was a burned piece of meat, with a burned bun- blackened by almost a third- the French fries were okay. Our third member had the short ribs, which were good. Our server was excellent, attentive, responsive, and thorough. The maitre d and the food were an unpleasant experience and we will not return. read more

This was enjoyable and the feel of the restaurant was similar to New York. However, note, that means the restaurant is tight... they had to pull the tables out for us to get into our booths seats! Getting to and from the bathroom was difficult as well. Food: Amazing! Escargots de Bourgogne - yes! Cassoulet - my first ever, it was heavy, and creamy! Dessert I couldn't care for, not recommended... Service is where it falls short. The person who served us was rather rude and I felt hurried... Not that the restaurant was full at all during our dinner. read more