Cafe Central

We enjoyed dinner celebrating a graduate! The staff was very hospitable, polite, and we felt well received. I had the pleasure of ordering a ribeye that lasted through breakfast (it was huge)! I had enough to share with my husband and have leftovers for breakfast! My steak was tender and savory! We will be coming back:)!

Let me just start by saying that I wanted to like this place. I had average expectations based on the reviews that were quickly met. Some things were outstanding and some were underwhelming at best.
First the good. The bread selection is outstanding and the fact it is complimentary is great. The pianist and singer were great and added to the lovely atmosphere. The wait staff was attentive and kind. The overall atmosphere was way too «hotel-​esque» for me but had some very lovely parts. Especially likes the ostrich print chairs in the bar area.
The okay: Unfortunately this section is for the food. I got the 28 day aged NY strip steak and it was not very tender or flavorful. Good size, but really not that good. The scallops my wife got were pretty good though.
The bad: terrible beer selection. Got it that this place caters to the wine crowd, but you gotta have at least some good bottled beer.
Overall I will save my money and visit a place like Tabla (my current local fave) and get more flavor and food for the money. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

I love the food. I love the space. I love the music. The staff is attentive without being overbearing. I would give it 5 stars except for the fact that I had the same server my last two times in and he got parts of the orders wrong both times. He was a good guy but just missed on the orders.
This place is a keeper.

I had lunch at Café Central with some coworkers today and had a decent lunch. The selections are fairly decent and you can choose from a lite or heavy meal. I picked a the lunch combo which was green chili soup, Turkey and cheese sandwich and French fries. This is a good place for a meal.

Basked in elegance and charm in downtown El Paso lays Café Central.
Aesthetic Appeal & Ambiance: Its décor is sophisticate, chic, and refined. Its décor certainly resonates to everything it offers.
Service: My service for lunch was impeccable as the hostess opened the door upon entering, was gracious in her speech, and led us promptly to our table where staff provided a stand for my girlfriend’s purse to rest upon. Our waiter was named Claudio and he was excellent in giving suggestions of the restaurant specialties, helping my girlfriend with her wine selection (which is extremely extensive), and was prompt and showed great class at all times.
Meal & Drinks Quality: Quality cuisine takes time to prepare and we know to expect this. We both ordered their well-​known cream of green chile soup to start and were both very impressed. After I finished the soup, I only wanted more. I ordered their entrée of chicken breast accompanied with baby squash and whipped potatoes. The entrée was delightful as the chicken was accented by delicious mustard. My girlfriend ordered the portabello burger and it was much to her delight. Then came time for a selection of dessert whereas we simply had to try their tres leches cake as this is a signature dessert in El Paso… and it was marvelous! Simply marvelous!
I could not have been any more pleased with our lunch. Upon exiting, our waiter held open the door and stated that he truly hopes that we return again sometime. We certainly hope to do so on our next trip to El Paso.
Aesthetic Appeal & Atmosphere: 5 of 5
Service: 5 of 5
Meal & Drinks Quality: 5 of 5

I always come here for Chilean Sea Bass tacos, but I tried the green chile soup for the first time and it’s excellent!
They bring a stand for my hand bag, have a great selection of breads and muffins.
Great service, reasonable prices, beautiful ambiance.

Hubby took me here for my birthday. All dressed up we went. He did his reservations via Unilocal but when we got there we were told we didn’t have a reservation. I was a little ticked off as we have an email confirmation. They said no problem, we will seat you right away. Ok Roe, breath!
We got seated and the water came really quick. Next the bread guy came along with a basket full of freshly baked bread with 5 different kinds: garlic, sourdough, flat bread, corn bread and jalapeño with cheese. I’m in heaven! Bread, bread bread!!! Yes please!!!
Our waitress came and asked for our drink orders. I asked if I could taste the house white, she brought me a tasting which I didn’t liked. I asked to try another one, yum, a little bubbly a little sweet. I said I wanted the 2^nd one. They poured me a glass and I took a sip, it wasn’t the same as the one I picked. They got me another glass, again, not the same one. Third time was a charm. My server gave me a half a glass apparently because she came back with a full glass and a major apology. Hmm. No wonder I’m getting a little tipsy.
We ordered calamari but 15 minutes later we were told they were out. They offered us crab cakes on the house of course. We said ok. We got the food we ordered before the appetizer came about half hour later but we were so hungry already so we didn’t care at this point. Hubby had the steak with the lime butter and I ordered the pork chop tomahawk. The steak was melt in your mouth and that lime butter! Yum! Gave the steak more richness. The mash potatoes were great but the onion rings lacked a little flavor. My pork chop? The best pork chop I’ve ever had!!! Easily! Perfectly grilled but very juicy and tender. The sweet potato purée was so smooth, I wish they had a bigger serving. The roasted Brussels sprouts were sooo yummy! Needless to say, I finished all my food and I don’t normally do that.
The crab cakes finally came but they were a let down at this point. The service was slow but they were nice enough to comp the appetizer. They were apologetic but they could do better. We did wait quite a while and they were running out of food. I think management needs to look at what’s happening in the kitchen and the service if they want people to keep coming back.

Chilean Sea Bass. That’s all you need to know. Alright, maybe the cream of green chile soup as well.
Café Central is pricey, but I’ve never had a bad meal here, and they easily have the best Chilean Sea Bass in town. The wait staff are always exceptionally nice, and it’s easily one of the few places in town where you actually feel like you’re eating somewhere «fancy».

This is my third time to dine here. Each time I’ve asked for a recommendation from my waiter and been very pleased. Juan Carlos has been my waiter this time and once before. He remembered the wine I ordered last time and after recommending the rack of lamb, which I was not in the mood for, recommended the chicken, one of the least expensive menu items, which was superb!
The selections of wine by the glass are very delicious and reasonably priced, especially considering that you get an almost 6oz pour.
The service was excellent. At the table as soon as you need something but not intrusive. I can’t understand the bad reviews. Wonderful service. Great food. Good sized portions. Relaxing quiet dining room. I love this place.

Just in came in for dessert. I got the tres leches cake. It tastes like an upscale version of the orginal! It was thick, rich, and creamy. Definitely shareable

What a disaster. One of the most disappointing experiences of 2015.
Finally visited Café Central for a graduation dinner, I’ve heard mixed things about it so I was curious to try it out. We had reservations for our group and were sited promptly, a good sign but the evening went downhill quickly.
We had two waitresses throughout the evening and one of the was perfectly nice and competent while the second one was… Nice.
Drinks were forgotten, dishes were misplaced, food took 55 mins to arrive, special requests were overlooked. You name it, they failed.
You know where else they failed? The food. It’s as if their menu has been in place since the 90s. Not once single ounce of originality. We had the lamb and duck. Both were dry. The lamb being the biggest offender. I tried their famous soup and that was the one redeeming and original item which I really enjoyed. (That’s why I’m giving it two stars, the soup was good, fair is fair).
Also, can we please take a minute to talk about the waitresses uniform at this «upscale» restaurant?
A tight mini bodycon dress with a slip in the middle right by a lady’s virtue. For reals! Our poor waitresses adjusted their dresses all through out meal because they kept rising up and the slip was getting into dangerous territory.
I witnessed a group of creepy old white guys «flirting» with the waitresses. It gave me the impression this was a regular occurrence.
Such an unpleasant and bizarre atmosphere for a restaurant that is clearly desperate to appear upscale and charges you as such.

Their Signature Cream of Green Chile Soup $ 6 was great. It was a little on the spicy side as you’d expect with having any semblance of chile. However, it was not too spicy. It was just right. The quantity could be more but still great.
The Central Burger $ 14 was very good. Quite large especially taking account the side of fries. The burger consisted of a ½ pound angus patty, Confit Pork Belly, Organic Baby Arugula & Truffle Aioli.
The Cubanito $ 12 is a great Cuban sandwich. Exactly what you’d expect in quality and taste. The sandwich included Roasted Pork Carnitas, Black Forest Ham, Swiss Cheese, Pickles and Spicy Whole Grain Mustard.
The finishing dessert was their Chocolate Mousse Tower I believe $ 6 – 8. It was topped with fresh caramel & raspberries. Definitely worth it.
I have yet to be disappointed here and hope that day never comes. Their variety is good, so far so good. Until next time…

Café Central certainly looks the part: servers clad in classical waiting garb, tasteful (albeit outdated) décor, old favorites playing in the background, verbose yet diminutive menu set in leather covers… Patrons who know better, however, will not be fooled. (Incidentally, «better» is just a few steps away, at Anson Eleven’s second story restaurant.) To those unversed in genuine fine-​dining, make no mistake: Café Central is all appearance and no substance, the mass-​market version of fine-​dining that safely caters to people’s conceptions of what fine-​dining is, as opposed to the formative version of fine-​dining that, vanguard-​like, seeks to shape people’s conceptions of what fine-​dining can be.
My husband and I have visited Café Central on two occasions, once to confirm its status as an El Paso institution, and a second time to, well, give them a second chance at making us understand why exactly they’ve come to hold institutional status here in town. With one rousing exception, every dish we ordered on both of our times there left us, at best, unimpressed, and, at worst, frustrated: lackluster sauces, unevenly cooked seafood (i.e., varying wildly from moist and succulent to criminally overcooked), pasta so far past al dente it had to be returned to the kitchen… The list of grievances goes on an on.
To make matters worse, the tendency to fall short systemically extends from the kitchen to the bar: their Old Fashioned, that old standard by which every bar should be judged, was so lazily assembled its flavor profile was, as a consequence of this, utterly boring. (You know you’re in trouble when a barman grabs a bottle you’ve seen advertised on TV, or plops a store-​bought candied cherry, in all its Red #4 glory, into your drink!)
That being said, one dish partially redeems Café Central: pastel de tres leches. Their elevated take on the Mexican classic (one of my favorite soaked cakes, right alongside French Canada’s pouding chômeur, Britain’s sticky toffee pudding, and France’s baba au rhum) is, I assure you, something to behold: light and airy sponge cake, saturated to perfection in sweet, fragrant milk, and draped in velvety smooth frosting. If only the same amount of thought and quality of execution permeated the rest of their menu, Café Central would live up to its name. As mentioned earlier, if you’re looking for the true center of fine-​dining in El Paso, visit Anson Eleven’s second story restaurant: it will challenge you, surprise you, inspire you, satisfy you, leave you wanting more. It will do for you what fine-​dining (i.e., genuine fine-​dining that uses food to edify) should do.

Well, I paid a visit two times this week. It says a lot for me to visit a fancy restaurant more than once in a week. I love their service too. Attentive and fast. They have the best coffee ever and the creamy green chile soup. These two are a must ! This is also a pricey restaurant, but it doesn’t matter because everything about this restaurant makes up for it. I will return soon Café Central!

So tonight was my first time here and it was a good experience. The price for New Years Eve was a flat $ 80 for a 4 course meal. It was a special menu I think because of NYE… normally I think the meals are around $ 30-​$ 50. There were several options for each course and they would prepare each course, serve it, pick up the plates, and then serve the next course. The food was very good. I never had any of the items on the menu, so it was a treat to try new things… I’m a big foodie. There was some raw food but I didn’t know it was raw until it was served… it was delicious though. A basket of variety bread was served with the meal and refilled as needed, it was also very good. Reservations via there website should be done and require a credit card. There is a bar area, dining area, and outdoor patio area.
My dirty Martini was 12.50, a crown and coke was $ 9, and water (sparkling/​bottled) was $ 6 flat rate for the entire meal just to give you a price reference. For 2 dinners, 1 crown/​coke, 2 martinis, waters, and gratuity our bill totaled around $ 270.00…yes, you read that correctly. There were not any prices on anything so we had to ask.
I was al little concerned with the dress for guys. I called and was told it was casual and jeans and a polo shirt were fine. This is what I wore however I was the most underdressed person there, haha. Jeans are fine, as many men wore them, but I would recommend a sport coat and some kind of dress shoes, a tucked in button up shirt, nice belt. Most women wore cocktail attire, such as a dress with nice heals and accessories. This is probably not a good place for children unless they are maybe older and well behaved.
The service was nice, the atmosphere was great, and it was a good place to have a conversation with people. Our group was there for about 2 hours however it seemed there was a point when service started to slow down. The waiters stopped tending to our table, slowed down on refilling waters, and it was difficult to get drinks. Maybe this is normal for this kind of venue.
Valet parking was available for $ 5. You pay after you pick up your car to leave (tips are appreciated). All in all, it was a good experience and I would like to go back at some point. Enjoy your time.

We just moved to El Paso and were looking for fine dining. We found it! We were seated at a table for two squished between two tables of four. We started of with cocktails; my husbands jack over ice was generously poured and my martini was made perfectly. A gentleman with a bread basket circulated throughout the restaurant and kept everyone’s plate full with many varieties of bread. We were allowed to linger with our drinks and munching on our bread, never feeling rushed or hurried, after all it is fine dining not fast food! My husband asked our waiter to take his coat and check it, however, the restaurant was so noisy I don’t think he was heard, it was never checked. At one point my husband and I could not hear eachother talk so we pulled out our phones and had a conversation via text (sad really). There was a jazz concert going on that night at the Plaza Theatre so Café Central was very busy, I cant fault them for loud noisy customers.
My husband ordered the rib-​eye stake, it was HUGE! It was delicious, yes I eat off my husbands plate. I had the tuna, I like my tuna raw, but warm, I had it seared, but the center was cold, not cool cold but refrigerator cold. I did not see this as a problem, again too much meat for me to eat so I ate around the edges and figured the center would be perfect for lunch tomorrow, after a short microwave zap it would be perfect as a leftover.
When our check came we asked where our «doggie» bags were and were told they were mistakenly thrown out. My husband only ate ¼ of his huge steak and I ate ½ of my tuna! That was an awful waste! The waiter and manager (?) profusely apologized and offered to cook another rib-​eye for my husband. We accepted. I did notice how quiet the patio was when we left. Note to self: if a concert, play, symphony is playing get a patio table at Central Café, much, much more quiet. We went to our Jazz concert and when we came back for after show drinks we were immediately given our new rib-​eye, kudos to our waiter! Again very noisy and very busy. We will be back again, but on a night that it is more quiet. The only reason I gave four stars vs. five is: did not check coat when requested. Reservation was for private quiet table, did not happen. Who throws out a large chunk of steak and tuna? Though remedied should have never happened. We will be back, and I am sure Central Café will get a five star from me then!

Went here based on a recommendation from a friend. It was my husband’s birthday and we both loved it. We usually eat really early so I made reservations for 5. The waiter was very attentive and very nice. I ordered the seafood pasta and my husband had the steak. Oh, and I cannot forget the awesome Carpaccio! By far the best I have ever had… literally! I would go back there just for that. The bread selections were also great with the jalapeño bread being my favorite. It was so good, I had to ask the waiter where it was from. I will definitely be going back.

From DFW, so we have never been here before. That said, what a great place!
We showed up at almost closing time but they welcomed us in and I am so happy they did. The green chili soup was amazing, my husband chicken was simple but full of flavor. Service was professional yet relaxing and impeccable. We sat inside but the patio looked wonderful. If we happen to be in El Paso again, we will make reservations and really enjoy ourselves here.

If Unilocal had ½ stars this would get 4 ½
Driving through on our way to San Antonio from Tucson= 13 hour drive without any stops. We knew we’d need a break for lunch and there’s not much between EP and SA. Traveling w 2dogs, so dog friendly is our first priority. Did a quick search for dog friendly restaurants and only 3 came up, Café Central and 2 Sonic drive ins. Our 2^nd priority was finding a place we could easily get in and out of with my broken foot/​knee scooter (parking, accessibility, etc).
I’ll break my review down by the staff first, then the other key aspects:
Hostess (Suzanne?): very helpful and nice on the phone when we called ahead to verify dogs allowed, and when we called when we were lost. When we arrived she was kind, warm, clearly enjoys her job and loves the restaurant. Was nice even when our snippy dog barked at her.
Valet: nice, patient, made us feel like our satisfaction was all that mattered.
Manger (Diego): another employee who clearly takes pride in his job. Stepped up to make sure we were taken care of and felt comfortable.
Server (Marvin?): prompt, attentive, knew the menu thoroughly, went the extra mile= brought waters for our dogs, made sure they had everything they needed. When I needed to use the restroom he helped me get out of my chair, navigate through to the ladies room, and even opened the restroom door for me.
Patio: lovely! Great set up with plenty of room between tables, easy to Tie dogs. High misters and fans that kept the temp comfortable and drowned out the noise of the busy streets surrounding the café. Flat screen TVs which would be great for watching a game during happy hour, Sunday football, etc.
Décor: very nice, high end, but not gaudy. Wonderful smelling candle, mouthwash, hand towels in the restroom.
Drinks: we both had the Central Margarita on rocks w/​salt. Delicious and refreshing,$ 11 each. They have a large selection of bottle beer, signature cocktails and liquor ranging from $ 8-​$ 225, so something for everyone. Water glasses were always kept full and icey.
Food (not sure if lunch menu is different than dinner, but I’m assuming it is – we had lunch) this was the star of the meal! Great price for the quality. My husband had the Puntas de Filete – served with peppers, veggies, mashed potatoes, and a roasted jalapeño. Steak was perfectly cooked and the chili and jalapeño complimented it perfectly. I had the Bistro Tender with Brussels sprouts and sweet potato purée. Yum, yum, yum! Perfect combination of flavors and perfectly cooked/​seasoned meat. Each dish was $ 19.
Overall a great deal with great quality, superb customer service.

I came here on a business trip, with my boss. He’s a huge fan of this place, and we were dressed in business attire, so it made sense to come in. It’s a super classy spot. We shared the Grilled & Fried Calamari, and then we both ordered the Grilled Scottish Salmon and Mango Colada Pie. I’m not big on seafood, but I enjoyed my dishes. That pie was my absolute favorite though. It was simply delicious. I’d go back just for that.