Central Bistro

I’m so sad to have our most favourite spot CLOSED… romantic dinners, favourite dishes made just for us two romantic vegetarians… can we find another??? Hmmmm… maybe, maybe not…

Oh no! They closed :(So sad about this!

I don’t think I’m coming back here. At least not for breakfast. Service is so slow and the food is not even that great.

I ordered pesto and goat cheese scramble. For such strong favors this dish was disappointingly bland. Ambience was nice, but so dark, I couldn’t see tomatoes in my dish until halfway through my meal. Cappuccino also pretty weak. Service was good & hospitable during very crowded brunch. Food quality, decent, preparation ok, service good.

I really enjoyed the beef rib with house-​made gnocchi. The Brussels sprouts were also quite good. We had an awesome server and the restaurant accommodated our party of six at the last minute with no problems.

It’s okay. A little on the expensive side for what it is, but I did enjoy my meal (the West Coast Benny: smoked salmon, cream cheese, spinach, eggs, and a sauce I don’t remember the name of on an English muffin) and the home fries. Service was slow but friendly. The location is convenient — right across the street from the Coast hotel — but there are many other locations on the street that I liked better.

Scrambled eggs were mediocre at best. Bacon was charred. Potatoes were cold. Not so good.

I’ve been coming here on and off for 3 years.
Here are my reasons why I love it:
Patio on Denman. Small and shaded (North facing), it’s lovely on a warm day. You can watch the action as the neighbourhood and every tourist in Van walks by.
Amazing, high quality food without pretension. Deadly breakfast, consistently.
Service — down to earth, pleasant and quick.
Seating is limited, & brunch is always packed. But if you want a sure bet, this is a good choice.
I highly recommend the Bacon Caesar. It is made with bacon-​infused vodka & garnished with a freshly cooked piece of bacon. Divine. Vegetarians need not apply.

Wood grained interior withWe go here regularly for Saturday brunch because it’s good value. They serve fairly large dishes with a fair amount of local and organic choices for everyone’s palettes.
The interior is fairly dark, it can be loud if the employees choose to turn up the music but are willing to turn it down if you ask. They have a mixture of tables and bench seating with a fireplace in the back of the restaurant.
Our brunch is usually pretty consistent, the wild mushroom fritatta is tasty and large. The salmon eggs Benedict is very good with a nice amount of hollandaise sauce. Standard eggs and a choice of sausage, bacon, or ham, is served with fried potatoes and nice toast. You can substitute salad for potatoes which is nice for most of their brunch dishes. The egg burrito is huge and tastes great which includes tomatoes in it.
Last but not least, their coffee is great, the beans are bought from a local Granville island roaster.

This used to be a favourite for weekday brunch. The day time staff was always very nice and the food was satisfying.
However the night time staff put and end to our patronage of Central. The server/​bartender overcharged our table and then handled it terribly. She was rude, condescending and a bully. There some encounters that are completely unacceptable and this was one of them. It seems that others have had the same issue with this staff member and when there are so many great places in the area we decided to take our business elsewhere.
If you’re going to go, go for breakfast and avoid the dinner service staff.

We have been wanting to try Central Bistro for a while now but every time we walk by it always seemed to be really busy. We finally found the time to go and was not disappointed. The place is a little small and the seating was just a little awkward, but that didn’t cause any issues for us because the food was phenomenal.
For appetizer we ordered the smokey, which came with a dijon dip and onion (which totally made the dish) and a shrimp & aritchoke dip.
Mains we ordered the Backhand of God stout braised beef short rib and the steak & frites. I couldn’t decide which one I liked more!
For dessert we had the brownie w/​vanilla ice cream and toasted hazelnuts — which was my favourite part of the meal. The brownie was warm perfection that wasn’t too sweet or teeth-​achingly rich.
The service was courteous and friendly, without trying too hard.

Rude, inexcusable, and inconsiderate.
I booked a party of 10 here for a Friday night. About 3 – 4 hours before the reservation the restaurant called me and told me that there would be a birthday party there that night and that it would be loud. I thought «OK, birthday parties and a loud setting are not unusual for a restaurant — its not like that never happens in other restaurants.»
At first things were going fine — service was tolerably punctual and food was alright (nothing to write home about). About an hour into our night they turned up the volume ***LOUD** — and I mean painfully loud so that our ears hurt, louder than any other places, including ones like the Lamplighter or the Blarney Stone or any club I’ve ever been to. It was loud to the point where even shouting as loud as possible at a friend right next to me we could not hear each other. At first we though they just really love the song that was playing and we suffered through it. When it continued for the third song we finally asked them to turn it down a little. After 10 minutes the volume does go down a bit and we think that its finally over…
Next thing I know, a very rude bartender/​server named Stephanie flops down next to me without saying excuse me for interrupting the conversation I was trying to have with my friend. First thing she blurts at me is «I called you.» She then proceeds to lecture me that she called and warned me that it would be loud. She repeats this over and over again that she called me 3 times that day (as if the number of times matters — and I have voicemail anyway). At some point I did mention that it doesn’t matter how many times she called me especially since she was calling during regular business hours and I was still at work. At this point she makes an obscene gesture and says «Well im SORRY i don’t memorize your work schedule!” — I was shocked to be treated this way.

I tried reasoning with her that I’m not asking for the sound to be completely off just to turn it down a little so it doesn’t hurt (we were seated right under the speaker too). She tells me that there’s a favorite customer having their birthday party and that there’s «50 people at the bar» (there were actually more like 20 people at the bar). I tell her they shouldn’t be favoring only one customer that they have customers both at the front and the back of the restaurant. She then has the audacity to tell me «Well they’re making us a lot more money than you are.»
Again, I was shocked to be spoken to that way — our party of 10 ordered full meals and drinks. I finally told her to stop giving me attitude and get her manager. She simply stormed off like a petulant child.
Her manager comes out a minute later. He apologizes for the server but continues to be completely unreasonable telling me that this insanely uncomfortable volume is just what they do at central bistro — that its a «party» kind of place. I point out there there is no dance floor, there are table and chairs and we are trying to sit and socialize. He starts lecturing again that they called and «warned» that it would be loud. I answer again that «loud» is one thing, that birthday parties and loud restaurants are not unique — its not like other restaurants are quiet like libraries, and that the level of loud we’re talking here is well beyond that. I mentioned to him that they also put us right under the speaker and he didn’t care at all. I also said that since we were treated so poorly and so rudely by the restaurant and by Stephanie especially we should not be forced to pay the 18% automatic gratuity — he tells me that that’s a «totally different thing.» — I dont see how: If the 18% GRATUITY it meant for appreciation of good service then they sure as hell did not deserve it since we got bad service topped with rudeness.
He kept repeating that they called and I said that the next time they «warn» someone they should explain that it will be ear piercingly and uncomfortably loud beyond any reasonable point, not just «loud». He just said «well I’m sorry our message did not convey that.»
The manager,(although unlike Stephanie he kept his tongue in check), was not helpful, he was inconsiderate, and he just didn’t give a damn about our party of 10.
As someone who has worked as a server in restaurants for 5 years I am appalled that this kind of treatment of customers in considered ok.

Every Sunday I’m in Vancouver, I make a point of visiting one of my favorite places… Central, for the Pepper Steak Caesar and the the great live band. The breakfast here is great too. If you can, try to sit way in the back by the fireplace, it”s cozy bench seating and intimate for date night.
I always feel welcome here, the staff and patrons are positive energy people. Can’t wait to go there again!

Location: Great! 10
Place: quite nice, but a little small and the restroom wasn’t so clean :(6
Food: The VEGGIE sandwich was very good and the fries to, but just know that fries comes with spicy seasoning! 9
Service: Nothing special 5
Price: Good. 8
Note: At all is a good RESTAURANTE.

Amazing service and food !!! I had the clubhouse as recommended by waiter it was top notch

Casual. Neighborhood. Comfort food. Central Bistro Vancouver downtown is located on 1072 Denman Street. It features an international menu with the weekend brunch option. Their East Coast Benny with poached eggs, hollandaise sauce and topped with caramelized onions and fresh lobster meat is sinful.
Sunday Night Jazz features live local jazz music syncopation starting at 7pm.
Charcuterie Plate 16: a variety of meat & cheese selection which changes daily. Tonight is fennel salami, smoky camembert cheese, a sharp cheddar, sliced granny smith apples, red pear, selection of nuts, and homemade chutney. All served with a side of warm toasted bread. I do wish there was more meat to choose from.
Classic Italian Cioppino 18: a plentiful bowl of halibut, cod, salmon & plump mussels in tomato white wine fennel and herb broth; served with a grilled baguette to dip into your soup. I liked the zing and spiciness from saffron in the soup.
8oz Sterling Silver Steak & Frites 25: truffled café de Paris compound butter seared perfectly medium-​rare steak. Nicely seasoned and served with crispy kennebec potato fries. Arugula and enoki mushroom salad.
New York Cheesecake: a generous piece of rich well-​made cheesecake. We optioned for the classic to keep things simple. Mocha, S’mores and Pumpkin Spice was also available as dessert of the day.
There seems to be little wrong we can say of this often overlooked restaurant here on the Westend. The Central Bistro offers a nice variety of Eurpoean and classic American comfort food like their Central Beef Burger or Barbecue Lambwich. I’m thinking of coming back soon,

Hey folks. I’ve been to central bistro a few times for dinner… But it’s breakfast and brunch that I visit regularly.
There are lots of good reasons to get you there… Free range eggs– good food– decent prices. I’ve noticed some of the last few times in recent weeks the service was kinda bad– forgotten order details– really small water glasses — and sometimes loud music. It’s way better on Thursdays for some reason.
Music choices that make sense in the evening (lounge camp) at loutish volume make sense… Tom Jones and the like at 10am is a bit much for this guy to take. I mentioned it a couple times… They changed the music — kept the volume. I run a small business — had a food and beverage/​deluxe accommodation business– I know how hard it is to keep on top of things. It feels like the place lost its mojo somehow.
My most recent visit was great! The last two… Which is awesome because I want the place to succeed. It’s on probation with me… Hope to return with a five star review soon

Unpretentious, clean and makers of a fine bacon and eggs, I really liked Central Bistro. Add in the fact they stock HP sauce, pour decent coffee and have storefront windows that deliver some interesting people watching, and this is surely a neighborhood gem.

I had attempted to grab brunch at Central previously, but there had been a really long line and they said it would be a long wait so we went elsewhere. This past weekend, we got there early in hopes of beating the line, which we did.
I had such high hopes. The menu has a good selection of all the breakfast staples and they all sounded so delicious.
I ordered their Caesar (only $ 4 on Sundays for a small!) which was very strongly flavoured. Almost too peppery for me. To eat, I had their smoked salmon scramble with home fries and toast ($ 13). The scramble was good, The eggs were light and fluffy and there was plenty of smoked salmon throughout. I even enjoyed the toast. I don’t know what kind of bread they had, but it was yummy. What completely let down the meal were the home fries. They were not good. Blocks of barely cooked potatoes with barely any seasoning. It can’t be that hard to fry up some potatoes right?
We were seated in the back of the restaurant which is considerably darker than the front part which is really strange in the summer. Service was great though. Our server was friendly and prompt with filling water glasses.
Considering there is normally a wait to eat here for bunch, I would probably not come back. It’s just not worth the wait.

I’m happy to say that the Central seems to have gotten it’s sh! t in gear, it’s ducks in a row, and is back on the path of awesome.
If you’ve ready my reviews of this place you’ll know that I loved it — I was a devoted Central Bruncher, and would inhale their pesto goat’s cheese scramble. Then things went bad. Really bad. The food was suddenly terrible. They realized, fired their cook, and tried again, but my next experience was a total let down since they missed the key ingredient (goat’s cheese) in the scramble I ordered that was meant to have it.
So on a whim a few months ago we thought we’d give it another shot — you know, for old time’s sake. It was just like the good ol’ days. My scramble was perfect, the quirky servers were as quirky as ever, my spelt toast was delicious and I am happy. Thanks Central for raging against mediocrity and restoring yourselves to your former glory once more.
*hat tip*