Center Cafe

I’m happy to hear this place is closed. I’ve put a lot of things in my mouth but none were as disgusting as the food I had here. All the food tasted and looked like it came out of a microwave. Which is really he only way it could be prepared since there is no kitchen. That’s right. look around and try to find it, I’m still not sure where my crab ravioli or my daughter’s cheese pizza came from.
I could write a book about my negative experience. But it’s closed so maybe I’ll have a drink somewhere and celebrate the fact that no one else will get sucked in by the ambience and fooled into the poison they called food.

Looks like it is permanently closed. Area is covered with construction plastic and signs seem to indicate that Union Station is removing the café from the center of the hall for good to create more public space.

Meet up with a coworker for drinks here after work at the bar upstairs and was surprised that bartender was smoking her e-​cigarette in front of her customer. I hate it when people do it at the bar thinking that they can get away with it just because it’s a e-​cigarette
It’s even more annoying when it’s your bartender that’s exhaling the smoke in front of you and you can smell that horrible smell on her as she’s talking to you. We left after 10 minutes, I just couldn’t take it anymore.
I didn’t think that smoking e-​cigarette indoors were allowed anywhere in Union Station.

Great bartender here during happy hour. Mahmoud’s always fast and knows how to suggest exactly the right thing without slowing down for a second.

Lisa the bartender has the worst attitude. She was snapping at customers and rude to people who expected basic service. Apparently she’s been bartending for 15 years. Then why is she snapping at customers? Welcome to the service industry.

One of the two or three places at Union Station where you can actually have a nice sit-​down meal. The place is a hit and miss in terms of knowledgeable wait staff but the service is always quick and friendly. Lots of tables and drink options but only two or three vegetarian entrees. Penne pasta and veggie sandwich is what I could spot. I ordered the Penne which had the right tenderness for the pasta, but crème sauce with tons of cheese was too rich for my palate but decent enough for a train station meal.
On a separate occasion we had drinks in their bar upstairs and the beer was good but pricey.

2.50 Stars
Center Café is that little spot in the middle of Union Station that always looks like good place to hang out when you are in the area and waiting for someone or something. I my case — it was a train that I had discovered would be 2 hours late. So what does one do at Union Station when there is a train delay? You either eat, flip through your phone, or have a glass or two. In my case, I wanted to do all of that and Center Café was there with a palatable looking bar to sit in, veg out, and charge up my phone.
First off — the wings — very average, obviously frozen at some point or the other but okay sauce and seasoning. it was an ok bite to tie me over for a bit. The drink prices are absolutely outrageous if it isn’t happy hour where beers can run into the $ 7-​$ 8 territory and something like a rum and coke can take you into $ 14 territory so beware. I was told that I had missed the happy hour in which the prices are acceptable. Will consider that next time I’m stuck here.

Oysters Rockefeller and clam chowder are out of this world. But the service by Mahmoud (sp?) & Lisa are beyond compare.

There was a small brown mouse on the second level who ran under the bar when we spotted him. Went and ate here while waiting for a train. Food was okay the beer selections were good. Service was slow but expectations are low in a train station restaurant. Concerns about cleanliness…

Food is overpriced and overcooked. Its redeeming quality is it’s central location in the Great Hall of Union Station. If you’re into people watching, this is a great place to do it.
I came for lunch and ordered the crabcakes.
Instead I got two overfried crab croquets with backfin crab and what tasted like boxed Goya spanish rice (also overcooked) on the side.
Not worth 21 dollars and change.

Good service, good food, reasonable price. Just nice to sit in the center of Union Station.

I’ll make this simple.
The pros:
— Centrally located in the middle of Union Station
— Relatively robust menu and variety of dining options
— Price is reasonable, for the most part
The cons:
— Very spotty service (likely exacerbated by the high volume of commuters)
— Gets hot as hell here in the summer (due to the constant in/​out of commuters by the door)
— Food is just average. Had the steak and it was okay. Nothing special really.
Based on that. it’s a perfect 3 star place in my view. Nothing great nothing horrible. If you’re looking for a place to relax before a long train ride and don’t mind a potentially hot atrium area. then you’re good

So I could see returning to this spot for a drink while waiting for someone, but it definitely isn’t somewhere I’d grab food. The reason being the lack of expedient service just getting drinks. I really feel for people who don’t know how to win the tip.
The drinks themselves were decent, but the selection of beer could be better. I had the mojito, which was actually quite delicious once I got it. So points there. But I’ve eaten at other places in the Station and felt better taken care of, so I’ll reserve the Big Bills for those places.

First of all, I accidentally left my credit card at the restaurant after paying. I didn’t realize it until the next morning, at which point I called them immediately. Robert answered and he checked one of their lost and found locations for me, but to no avail. He took my number and told me he would check one other place and call me back if he found it. A half hour later, I received a call from Robert saying that he had found my credit card. I went in that afternoon, I met with Robert, and retrieve my card. Amazing kindness and service.
Second of all, the nachos and panini I had ordered the day before were much better quality than I expected for a train station café, and I would happily drop in there for a bite to eat anytime I’m in that part of the city.

Nice place in Union Station. It is a little overpriced, but the food was good. The server we had was awesome!!! He was really cool and was helpful. I probably would not eat here again, but it is not because of the service.

Waited upstairs for 20 minutes for service. Ordered 1 bottle of Miller Light and 1 club soda. $ 10. More expensive than a strip club, more expensive than ON AN AIRPLANE. Ridiculous.

…this wasn’t bad at all for a romantic dinner on the go while weary and traveling home.
I picked it because it was less crowded than the nearby thunder grill and I was right. Union station rush hour had died down too but that part of the place usually isn’t too bad. Loved the dIm lighting, beautiful dining space and great service… the food wasn’t too bad either. Our waiter was totally wonderful. Got a bottle of malbec, dozen oysters and 2 entrees. Hubby sent his veggies back because they were undercooked but my roasted chicken was perfect and I don’t even like chicken that much. Aside from the veggies, it was everything we could ask for.

This is a terrific spot for happy hour while you wait for a train.
Happy hour starts at 3pm. Craft beers were $ 3.75 which at the time included DC Brau’s IPA and Widmer’s hefeweizen. Rolling rock and Yuengling was also available.
It was a bit difficult to grab the bartender’s attention at first, but once we did it was smooth sailing from there. There is also no card minimum. Gotta love that.

I’m surprised at how low the reviews of this place are but to be fair: we were STARVING and we only had beer and a cheese plate. Perhaps if we had come for a full meal our opinion would be different.
We had a little time before our Moonlight Monument tour so we sat down. Dogfish Head IPA on tap? Yes, please! We also ordered a cheese plate which was big and had excellent selections including a Brie that had been brûlée’d. The slight burn really brought the usually mild flavor to a new level. The plate has a few accoutrements: a raisin bread, fig paste, figs, grapes and strawberries, died apricots. Everything was fresh and flavorful and complimented the cheeses beautifully.
Our server was friendly and quick, tables were immediately cleaned when people stood up and the menu was tempting. A great spot when waiting for a tour or train!

I’d always been curious to eat at the restaurant that’s smack dab in the middle of Union Station. I recently visited to satiate my curiosity and though the scenery was nice and the service was decent too, I didn’t think the food or the prices were particularly great. It felt like another tourist trap. I ordered the caesar salad and the clam chowder soup. Neither were particularly fresh, though I did like how big my portion of clam chowder soup was.
Overall, I didn’t think this place was terrible, but it’s nothing to write home about either. I’ll probably stick with Chipotle or Yo! Sushi when I visit Union Station in the future.