Central Park Cafe

The breakfast was yummy and the service was outstanding!!! They forgot my husband’s order and we’re concerned and tried to keep us happy. I will definitely go back :)

We had the pleasure to attending this café for lunch service during resturant week. Our server was amazing and a ⁵⁄₅. The crab bisque was a perfect portion and very good with visible pieces of crab meat throughout. The Burger which I had decent, however the meat didn’t seemed seasoned and their wasn’t enough cheese on the burger which resulted in a very bland dish for me. My fiancée had the mushroom truffle risotto which was very cheesy but had an overwhelming sherry flavor which made the truffle flavor almost muted. Additionally, the mushrooms in the risotto were of one type, Bella, and they were lackluster, I’d recommend the chef to ad some shitaki in it next time. For our final course we got two free carrot cake slice which were good but a bit dry.
Overall I’d give them a 3 and my fiancée would give them a 4. So our review is really a 3.5 instead of a but I had to pick one. I should also mention two other things, the 3 course meals were only $ 15 each to put things in perspective and they were large full portions, this is a huge r redeeming factor. Lastly we also ordered a sangria which was said to have fresh hand cut fruit but actually had no fruit included which was a major draw back.
I say overall, give this place a try, your taste buds may enjoy it.

This is The spot to stop at after a stroll at the park. It felt like the perfect spot — very casual, yet elegant, and genuinely welcoming. The waiters and the manager (s?) greeted us and bade us enjoy our stay. Wesley was our waiter, and he was a cool guy who was also enthusiastic about how good the food was. And it lived up to his promise! We had the DineLA menu including the wild mushroom risotto, the impressive crab tower, crab bisque, truffle oil fries, And the truly indulgent carrot cake. We had to leave awesome, positive feedback with the customer service survey they gave us, and we will very likely come back to try their other risottos, soups, etc. We saw the salads being brought to other tables, and they looked good and pretty big!

I don’t know if it’s a blessing or curse, but a few of my friends have deemed me to be the one to pick out the restaurant we’re going to. And picking Central Park Café as a dinner spot for dineLA restaurant week was definitely a good choice.
Out of the many restaurants that participated in DineLA’s Restaurant Week, Central Park Café’s pre-​fixed menu was the most appealing and worth the money. At $ 30 per person for dinner, each person was able to choose an appetizer, entrée, and dessert.
Even though this meal took place awhile back, I still remember that the service was exceptional that night. Our waiter was super friendly and made jokes and helpful comments that we couldn’t help but feel comfortable from the moment we stepped into the restaurant.
Appetizers:
–Free garlic/​cheese bread with olive oil: This was really good! My friend and I were pretty hungry when we got here, so we ate up the bread pretty fast. Loved that it wasn’t just plain bread but had cheese and garlic on it.
–Free truffle fries: With Unilocal check-​in, you’re able to redeem an order of their truffle fries, which you definitely should take advantage of! These were delicious and came with a ketchup and garlic aioli sauce. My friend and I sat there eating the bread and fries and I remember telling him, «I think I’m going to get full soon» but they were so good that I just kept eating!
–Crispy Porcupine Shrimp: This was definitely my favorite appetizer out of the two that we ordered. It came with a side of garlic aioli and drizzled with basil remoulade on top of some diced tomatoes and lettuce. The shrimp had a really good flavor, but I really liked the fried crust of the shrimp — very similar to tempura, but a slightly different texture. I was a little sad that there were only two of these!
–Crab Bisque: I thought it was tasty, but I’m not a big fan of crab soup. My friend liked it and said it had chunks of crab inside. And he used the garlic bread to soak up the remainder of the soup, so that’s saying something.
Entrees:
–USDA Prime Flatiron Steak: This was the main reason I chose this restaurant for our dineLA meal. I really wanted the flatiron steak. And it was super worth it! It came with potatoes, vegetables and a red wine reduction. Cooked at a perfect medium rare, the steak was tender and juicy and did melt in my mouth. I wasn’t a fan of the au gratin potatoes — reminded me of a potato lasagna, but the sautéed vegetables and artichoke hearts were a good pairing with the steak.
–Parmesan Crusted Pork Chop: Since I chose the steak, my friend didn’t want to copy me and order the same thing, so he ended up choosing the pork chop. This was a pretty big piece of pork chop, topped with a tarragon brandy cream sauce alongside cheese polenta and asparagus. I think the pork chop was just okay in comparison to the steak. After cutting into the pork chop, it was a bit dry although the mushroom brandy sauce did flavor up the meat. Honestly, not the best pork chop I’ve tasted. And neither one of us are fans of polenta. The asparagus was good though. I don’t know if I’d try this again.
Dessert: We were so full, but … the meal comes with dessert and who am I to turn down something sweet! And again, my friend made me decide on the two desserts that we would be eating.
Sticky Toffee Pudding: Oh man. Even the name sounds sweet. This dessert was super sweet, but SO good! I don’t know how I found room in my stomach to digest this, but I did and I definitely didn’t regret it. It was pretty much a big piece of toffee brownie soaked in caramel syrup with some whipped cream and strawberries on the side. My friend took a bite, commented on how sweet it was, and said «Well, it’s all yours!» The toffee pudding’s flavor reminded me of flan, but it had more substance and bite to it since it was sticky. Highly recommend getting this if you’re a fan of sweet things and caramel.
Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee: I have no idea how we managed to eat all of this, but we did! I think at one point we had some left and were taking a break, and the waiter thought we were finished but we quickly stopped him and let him know we were still working on it. It was that good. The crème brulee had several slices of strawberry on top as well as some whipped cream. The flavor was good and definitely was less sweet compared to the toffee pudding. I liked the burnt layer of caramel at the top and the strawberries helped from making the pudding too sweet. I would get this dessert again, too!
tl;dr — Definitely come here for dineLA if they’re still offering a pre-​fixed menu! They have a small parking lot in the back, but there’s plently of street parking (and the 90 min free lots). Service was amazing, ambience is nice. Definitely will return to try more things besides their dineLA offerings!

DineLA week has started and I was finally able to go to a place that was participating.
I will be honest, when I came across this place I wasn’t really expecting much but ended up being pleasantly surprised.
The parking lot is small and doesn’t fit very many cars, but fortunately we lucked out and got great parking.
Once we went inside they sat us down immediately and gave us the menus.
For dineLA dinner the cost is $ 29 for a three course meal.
Free truffle fries with a Unilocal check in offer. Amazeballs… Just… Amazing. They were super delicious and even though it was a free check in offer they didn’t skimp on the item. The fries had the perfect amount of crisp and the aioli was almost so good that we wanted to take it home.
Starters:
1.
Crab bisque– it was super creamy and flavorful and included a couple pieces of crab meat. It was one of those hearty soups and deliciously savory.2.
Baby kale salad– it was tasty for a salad but there wasn’t anything special that made this dish stand out.
Entrees:
1.
Parm crusted porkchop with cheese polenta and asparagus. The entrée was a very generous portion of food with the pork cooked perfectly. The meat wasn’t overly seasoned or cooked. The side of polenta that came with the pork was good but didn’t stand out.
2.
Steak with potatoes au gratin with spinach.
Can we all just agree that a nice generous portion of meat and potatoes can’t be beat? The NY steak was tender and cooked great. The potatoes au gratin was served lasagna style. Delicious and paired perfectly with the steak. The sautéed spinach was good but… U know… I guess you have to have some veggies in your life. Am I right?
3. Salmon with mashed potatoes and some Brussel sprouts & veggies. The fish was great but they had some kind of salsa that was on top of the salmon that did make it a little extra salty.
Dessert:
1. Key lime pie– AMAZING! So light with the perfect amount of tang and sweetness. Loved it and finished almost half of the BF’s dessert. The pie also had some lime zest which just added to the overall greatness of the dessert. Can I get a pie to go please???
2. Chocolate cake. Tasty but a little too sweet and decadent .
Our waitress Yesenia was amazing. She checked in on us and was super friendly. She gave some top notch service that made us feel like our money was well spent here.
So the BEST part of this dinner was bc It was Vince’s bday, he got his food for free!!! Seriously, free! How freaking awesome was that?! Thank you Rick (manager) who was even the one who told us when we called them.
Great food and great service… I can’t ask for anything more.

Dinela Lunch ($ 15). This is my second time here for lunch. Good thing we made a reservation because it was packed. I ordered the crab bisque, crab tower (seafood lover), and key lime pie. They had salads, burgers, and risotto on the dinela menu as well.
The crab bisque was delicious. There were shreds of crab meat in there. Reminded me of clam chowder. Could have gone for another bowl.
This is my second time ordering the crab tower, and it was as delicious as the first. The top layer is the cabbage, then crab meat (real crab meat!), followed by the papaya salad, and the bottom layer is the avocado. If you don’t want something too heavy, I would recommend ordering this dish. It will definitely make you full though. Presentation was lovely!
On the menu (dinela), they only have carrot cake for dessert, but they ran out, so the server substituted our cake with key lime pie. The key lime pie is a must try! Layer of cream, then the custard, and finally the crust. The custard wasn’t too sweet and taste like it was made with real lime.
Two downsides: Parking lot is very small, and is shared with another shop. Both time I’ve been here, had to find parking on the streets. I think metered parking on Fair Oaks is a dollar/​hr. The other downside is that service was really slow. A few of my coworkers only had time to eat their appetizers and had to to-​go the entrée and dessert. Our server was great though!
Remember to check in for free truffle fries

Oops. Premature send. Let me explain. DO NOT GET THE HUEVOS RANCHEROS.
I’d no idea what that was. But I can feel it coming back up. Like my body is rejecting it.

It’s restaurant week and thought Central Park Restaurant was best suited for our lunch adventure on MLK holiday!
Unilocal check-​in offer: 1 free large order of truffle fries (Very yum and their aioli sauce was quite addicting!).
Free entrée on your birthday: Join their mailing list
Dine la promotion: 3 course meal (Appetizer, entrée, and dessert)
Location/​Parking: Located across the street from The Central Park. There’s a small lot that is good for 90 minutes, but if you go one block south there’s two hr parking along Fair Oaks.
Ambiance/​Décor: Very nice place with modern furnishings. Place can be crowded so noise level can be elevated.
Service: Waitress was friendly and was kind of attentive. Our hot water was replenished throughout the meal, but there was a slight hiccup. Towards the end of our meal, I asked her for a bag for the to-​go box, but it never came. So I ended up walking to the hostess to get the bag. Problem solved! :)
Food: We shared two items:
1) Dine la lunch promotion ($ 15):
i. Appetizer (Choice of crab bisque, baby kale salad, or park caesar salad) :
— Crab bisque soup. Thought the bisque had a lot of flavor and real crab meat was present in the soup. If you want a little bit of citrus, add some lemon juice. It’ll do wonders!
ii. Entrée (Choice of park burger, grilled ahi tuna, wild mushroom truffle risotto, or crab tower,
— Park burger (½ pound ground sirloin, gorgonzola cheese, arugula, crispy onion strings with red wine reduction on a brioche bun and garlic fries). I thought some parts of the patty was juicy, but was turned off by the burnt parts (I elected to rip off the burnt layer). Other than that everything on the burger was delightful.
iii. Dessert
— Carrot Cake: Yummm! I thought i found my favorite carrot cake! Not to sweet and not to bland. Very moist and very yummy in my tummy!
2) Braised short rib hashed benedict ($ 11.50): YUM-​OH! Loved the short rib hash. Lots of flavor and lots of tenderness of the short rib. The bearnaise sauce was great! The plate was served with either fruit or golden brown hash browns. I chose the latter, but felt it was a bit too brown for me. I just tasted burnt. Perhaps next time i’ll ask them not to brown it much or elect to get fruit instead. For yummy results, proceed to break the egg yoke and mix up everything!
Definitely coming back!

This cute place caught my attention as I drove by so I decided to give it a try. Inside, the place is a cute place to eat for brunch/​breakfast. But the food was on the below average side. I guess I can’t really rate this place based on my one time visit. I had an eggs Benedict with fruit. The English muffin was soggy, the eggs were a bit tough and my fruit was not fresh. Also my coffee made me more sluggish than alert! Good customer service and cute place though. Not sure I will come back since there’s so many other places around, but glad to try it out.

Came here right before the morning rush! There was quite a crowd waiting to be seated. Luckily we got seated right away. The service here is OK, it can be slow considering when we arrived there was barely any people. As for the food, I ordered the pancake and 2 egg dish which came with a sausage as well. The move was good, not too different than your average breakfast joint. I do however give credit to the pancakes, which were quite delicious! I also ordered the belgian waffle which was good as well! I’ll come back, but maybe not my first choice when it comes to breakfast when in the area.

This is a cute little place next to central park. Giving it three stars because the service is slow and well the waffle I ordered took forever I mean come on the place was not that busy and it was literally only a waffle and… it was not that great. I love waffles but the waffles here are hard. They look good when presented but when you bite into it well… its not good.

ENVIRONMENT
Cozy and quaint location. If there’s a wait, it moves fast
Short Ribs Hash and Eggs — Easy side up style is the best to mix everything together. Comes with toast and hash browns.
Short Ribs Hash and Eggs Benedict — this is the tastier option of the two, but the hollandaise sauce and biscuit aren’t the healthiest additions to the mix.

I have been meaning to try this place for sometime. Calling anything «Central Park» sets a high bar! Good café style coffee in a real heavy porcelain mug… yeah I know but I’m picky about that! Egg whites were very good… bacon was just right. The interior is really nice… place is very clean. The servers and staff were very friendly and attentive.
The ONLY draw backs were not the food or service… no WiFi (really? Damn you’re saying right!) and only one single server bathroom so I had to wait like 15 mins while one of the kitchen staff took his bloody time!
Other than that it was great and will come back! Btw… kudos for the Bob Marley tunes playing while eating… ahhhh cool on!

Ordered their Park Burger which came with a side of garlic fries. The burger was lacking and the patty was well-​done (when i asked for medium). Needed a bit more of cheese. It also took about 15 – 20 minutes to get my order onto the table after they took my order. Fresh? The garlic fries were very tasty and prepared well. The staff were on top of refills and checking in on me which was very nice.
MAY come back to try their breakfast. Sad by the burger, redeemed by the fries and customer service

Had heard from a friend that they serve great breakfast and have been meaning to try. However, when I perused the menu, its standard American fare. Had a relative visiting in town that has a limited palate (nice way of saying picky eater?), so I opted to take him here for lunch.
Made reservations thru Opentable.
Easily found a parking spot in their lot.
Seated quickly, upon arrival.
We were seated in the Covered Patio area. Bright & casual, it was a huge hit for my guest.
Food:
Tomato Cilantro Soup-​Good. Simple. Tomato soup w/​cilantro sprinkled on top.
Turkey Brie Melt-​Good. I feel like I could make this at home. My relative LOVED this sandwich, but he’s a bachelor and doesn’t cook. haha! Its Roasted Turkey, w/​Brie, Caramelized Onions, Garlic Aioli on Sourdough. Comes w/​side of Broccoli Salad. Broccoli salad was ok, not my taste.
Service was good.
Solid lunch spot.

I have been here a handful of times. I want to give them a 3.5 but Unilocal does not offer that option so 4 stars it is.
I usually come here with coworkers, and it is a cool little place, good décor, a bit more upscale feeling but still very diner-​y. The menu is really good, many options so everyone should be able to find something.
I’ve had the BLT here, very good, very standard BLT. The fries are also really good, they are one of the best sides here.
I’ve also had the short rib sandwich, if you are very hungry and have a couch to sleep on after definitely get this, it is very good, but heavy. Meat is well marinated, bread is nice and soft /​chewy. Good seasoning and flavor, nice texture.
The Arnold Palmer here is also very good. It is as refreshing as an AP can get and a very simple one, no extra cherries and green garnish, plain, some, good.
Waitstaff is friendly and attentive.

This cozy restaurant has a great breakfast menu. It’s not served all day, so a late brunch is out of the question. The Belgian waffles are really yummy and a mimosa brightly pairs perfect with the waffle. *This review will discuss mostly of the waffle.
There aren’t too many places in Pasadena like this café-​ish spot. The Eggs Sardu, a Benedict with poached perfect eggs on a bed of fresh spinach and artichoke hearts… all on top of an open-​faced croissant is extremely delightful. With its accompaniment of homemade Béarnaise sauce makes it the pronounced Eggs Benedict that its reputable for. They also have the traditional one with ham, as well as one with salmon and shrimp cakes.
Back to the Belgian waffles, NOT Belgium waffles. People mix up the two words often. Pretty sure no one really cares because its the waffle that counts. However just to clarify, Belgium is a location and Belgian is the name of that famous batter in the shape of a square or rectangle. Very similar to the Brussels waffle, which is recognized in Belgium and not the Belgian waffle. Ya’dig? Their waffles BTW have deep pockets to hold all the syrup you can handle!

Came here for DineLA lunch. You get an entrée and a choice of dessert or appetizer for your meal. I opted for Crab Bisque and Ahi Tuna Sandwich. The Crab Bisque wasn’t too crabby which I was hoping for. The Ahi Tuna was a freaking huge portion of fish between two buns! Holy cow! It was fresh and definitely not what I was expecting. The staff was friendly and the food was good so no complaints here.
Also, I figured it’s Pasadena so I paid for meter parking, but there’s actually a parking lot so that was a nice surprise.

Back for lunch again :-). We ordered some of our favorites and I’d give a thumbs up.
We were waiting for a friend to join us, so we decided to start with the crab bisque soup, which is Mr. Picky’s favorite. Then while we continued to wait we ordered the salmon and rock shrimp cakes with a side of broccoli salad. Great start!
Then we headed to the beer-​battered fish and chips. Yum! There are no words to describe the fresh tartar sauce they serve. It is award-​winning, and deserves to be! And the extra crispy garlic french fries were off the charts and absolutely perfect!
For dessert, my advice is that you leave the carrot cake alone — it is a sad shadow or reflection of its former self from years ago and just isn’t the wonderful thing we used to buy. However, what is off the charts and fabulous is the chocolate decadence cake as well as the sticky toffee pudding. Try them, you’ll be very happy!

(Dined 7÷15÷15 W @ 2:00pm): A comfy neighborhood eatery, it wasn’t necessary to work off your meal at the nearby park since the portions were just right!
DineLA Summer 2015 finally brought me to another restaurant I had recently bookmarked, Central Park. Their lunch offering was $ 15.00 which included one appetizer and entrée each (a dessert was a supplemental charge if so inclined). The discount based on the noted regular prices was decent. But the big question was would I return at regular prices!?:
Alfonso’s Baby Kale Salad (Regular full-​entrée price $ 10.95) — Served as an appetizer-​size side salad, this collection of tender greens, candied walnuts, brandied cherries, cranberries, diced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and a light citrus mint dressing with a larger-​than-​life cruton was light and much needed since I haven’t been eating enough greens lately. Although I felt the greens were a bit wilted (be gentle with them next time), this cleansed my palate nicely as I prepared for a burger.
The Park Burger (Regular price $ 12.75) — A ½-​pound ground sirloin burger, gorgonzola cheese, arugula, crispy onion strings, red wine reduction all on a toasted brioche bun, I ordered this medium-​well and wasn’t disappointed. The juices were sealed in but dribbled out and blended nicely with the melted gorgonzola cheese. The onion strings added a nice crunch while the arugula and red wine reduction were merely window dressing and didn’t add much to the overall experience. I felt large pickle chips would’ve gone well with this. It was a good burger but nothing really stood out to order it again.
Garlic Fries (Included with The Park Burger) — Crispy golden brown thin potato sticks with a light flakiness and slight dusting of seasoning and flecks of garlic served with a container of ketchup, there was nothing special about these either other than a nice complement with the burger. Sadly, they reminded me of fast food fries.
Chef Double Chocolate Decadence Cake ($ 7.95) — Topped with an amaretto chocolate glaze, toasted walnuts along the spine, a decorative sliced strawberry and a dollop of whipped cream on the side, the chocolate lover in me was in near ecstasy… and I swore I may’ve allowed a pleasurable murmur out at one point! The slice was a beautiful slab of pure heavenly decadence Willy Wonka himself would’ve been proud of and maybe trade an Oompa Loompa for! Well worth the supplemental price.
Service — I was immediately greeted by a friendly young woman with a menu already in her hands as she led me to a table in a sort of greenhouse dining area. My server Brett quickly introduced himself, gave me the lowdown on their DineLA menu, and made some nice suggestions. I already knew what I wanted, so after he put my order in, he returned with a glass of ice water. All my food came out in a timely manner, and I loved the fact that each plate came out shortly after I finished the previous dish (I didn’t like to have multiple dishes if necessary since it cluttered the table). My water glass was always filled, all empty plates cleared away, and once I received the check there was no rush to pay and go. Wonderful service!
Parking (Free) — They shared a tiny lot with a couple other businesses. Each only had 7 – 8 designated spots which wasn’t nearly enough. Otherwise, there seemed to be plenty of metered and non-​metered parking along the main drag of Fair Oaks Ave. and all surrounding streets.
Atmosphere, décor, ambience — Located in an exposed brick building with high rafter ceilings formerly home to a flower warehouse, you initially walked into a warm dimly-​lit roomy dining lounge area with dark wooden chairs and tables. I opted for the «greenhouse» dining area with its casual rattan-​esque chairs surrounded by large glass windows that allowed for complete natural lighting. No outdoor seating. Beautifully framed black-&-white pictures of classic movie stars decorated all the walls. There were no TVs nor any background music.
Attire — Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-​shirt, boardshorts, and flip-​flops.
Overall, I’d definitely take another walk through Central Park. The food was top-​notch, the regular prices were standard, the menu varied, and the service was excellent. And, There had special martini ($ 7.95?) and burger ($ 10.95) nights, respectively, for some discounted sampling. I found very good value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (TOTAL paid experience was around $ 25.00 BEFORE discounts and tip). And, they accepted my credit card of choice… AMEX! 4.0 STARS