Le Central Affordable French

Yes... brunch is nice here. We usualy go in a group of 8 to 10 and they are very accommodating. The whole group agrees the food is great at brunch. I like dinner as well, the specials, are generally very special. Watch for the Wild Boar, its fantastic how ever they choose to prepare it. The last few visits for mussels however, have been a dissapointment. Twice in a row, they were gritty .... not good ! Food Snob loves the egg dishes on Sunday morn. Pros: Variety of specials, brunch, deserts and wines Cons: Seating is very close together. more

I love the customer service at this restaurant! The waiters are helpful without hovering and very knowledgeable about the menu. The atmosphere is cozy and the food is delicious! Great place to go for a date. more

Le Central has provided good, standard French food for years. It is not overly special, but is something you can count on. I went recently after a hiatus and found it to be more or less the same as always, however I've noticed something on my last 2-3 visits; the quailty of the mussels has diminished substantially (though the fries are still spectacular). I have this message for diners; they aren't what they were. I have this message for Le Central, if they're not top quality, please don't serve them. It's such a disappointment as I love mussels, and while I realize we're in Colorado, it's not rocket science to get good, quality shellfish here. So please find a new source! (But keep everything else the same - kudos on your reliable dinner menu). Pros: Great service, great value Cons: Mussels are no longer worth ordering more

I have only ever eaten brunch at Le Central, so I can not speak for the lunch/dinner selection, but I absolutely love going to Le Central! The tables are crowded in, but that doesn't bother me too much, I think it is quaint. Try to get a table on the patio! Everything I have ever ordered has been delicious and a great deal. My favorite is the chicken crepe ( I think it is called Crepes Poullet, pardon my French!), it has a light curry sauce that I could eat every day! The goat cheese appetizer is wonderful as well, and serves 4 people. The service is efficient, not the friendliest, but I suppose that is the French way, from what I have heard (I have never had an issue with the staff). If you go on Sunday, be sure the make reservations for brunch, it fills up! On the upside of going on Sunday, parking is free and a lot more plentiful... Pros: Great food for a great value, love the ambience (especially the patio) Cons: Parking can be difficult, tables can be crowded more

It was recommended that I try this place by one of my friends; apparently the mussles were great. I tried them and I was quite disappointed. They had decent flavor, but they were small and very gritty; like they weren't washed properly. It ruins the whole smooth taste of a mussle if it has grit. I also tried the lamb and it had gristle and was quite chewy. Once again, nice flavor, but they just didn't perfect the dish as I had hoped.\r They have an extensive wine collection, but as always it is well overpriced. Our waitress actually tried to add an extra bottle onto our bill. We didn't notice at the time and paid the entire thing. When we did notice on our way to the car we went back and tried to get it rectified. The manager took over 45 minutes to refund the money back on to our credit card. All we got for all out inconvenience was a ""sorry.""\r As many others have mentioned; the food is okay, but the service is very sub par. I actually wrote a letter to the owner querying him about our experience and I have not heard back from him. It has been over 4 months.\r I will never go back to Le Central and I recommend to my friends to avoid the experience too. more

Le Central calls themselves the ""affordable French restaurant"" but, caveat emptor, you get what you pay for. Based on word of mouth, I couldn't wait for my first taste of what I had been assured would be ""amazing."" Alas, even at Le Central's modest prices, I was so disappointed: undercooked rice in a paella studded with luke-warm shrimp that obviously been cooked hours earlier, greens over-dressed in a cloying, big box store balsamic, a soggy tarte tatin... Being fair, I went back a few more times and, after about six tries, the best I can say is that the food never elevated itself above cruiseship fare. Soupe de poissons was the density and texture of baby food, garlic sausage had no hint of garlic, pates and rillets tasted of the refridgerator, lamb racks were overdone... all the symptoms of mediocrity that make even the low prices seem unfair. Pros: Cheap Cons: Mediocre food, Tired ingredients, Poor preparation more

Just went for dinner on a Sunday night and it was wonderful! A great place for a date or to take your parents when they're in town. Food was great and SUCH a deal! We had 2 appetizers, two soups, three entrees, two desserts, and two drinks for under $90! Service was adequate, no complaints. What a great find, will surely be going back and taking my friends. Pros: Price, Delicious Food more

I went to Le Central with a group of friends and had a horrible experience. The staff were awful - I mean really snotty and mean and seemed truly let down when not everyone at the table ordered a salad (wondering if they were trying to jack up the total price of the ticket - oui!). I talked to the manager about the staff behavior and he apologized nicely but that was it. Food was medium at best. Pros: decor Cons: staff, service, food more

Le Central is an outstanding spot for French food, in Denver! The ambiance is nice, the service is good; prices are sensational! When you can perouse a wine list that contains moderately priced wines with good quality, you have got something special. Also, when you can eat a cut of filet mignon for less than $25, your in business. Do your self a favor and book a reservation for Sunday night or for some time during the week, because they fill up fast on the week ends. If you dislike Le Central because of pricing stick with Denny's! Pros: prices, ambiance, service Cons: busy weekends, parking more

i had the tartiflette the first time and the second time was rack of lamb both times i went to the restaurant i loved the atmosphere and the food was wonderful. i could cut the lamb with a fork it was so tender. and the sauce was really really wonderful. their breads are delicious and their salads are very good with interesting flavors. i will go there again for sure. also the wine is very good and very inexpensive. i paid 4.50 for a glass of chardonnnay and at anther restaurant that same wine was 8.00 Pros: fantastic sauces, inexpensive, well cooked meat more

I went with great expectations based on what I have heard. I did like the house converted to restaraunt atmosphere (felt a little like being in the country). But that's were it ended. The Waitress was told we were short on time, but we still needed to call her over many times. Our orders were wrong, WAY wrong, but we did not have the time to wait for replacements. The food was not bad, but not stellar either. Average. Big focus on wine, more attention to the food would have been better. Improvements with the bread would have helped too. This should NOT be in the top 10%. We will not return, once was enough. Pros: atmosphere Cons: wait staff, mediocre food, $$$ value more

Le Central is a great place with affordable prices. The food is good. A great deal is the mussels and fries (all you can eat of the fries) and a bottle of wine. Soak the bread in the broth....Heaven! The homemade pate' is somewhat good too, and not overpriced. Hint: Soda pop is not French cuisine. Whoever complained about the tables being too close together has obviously never been to a cafe in France either. And the service? IT'S FRENCH!!! :-) Really, I've never had bad service, and being seated 20-30 minutes late in a popular but small restaurant on a weekend should be expected. If you want your food in a minute, go to McDonald's. For what Le Central advertises, ""French Food at Affordable Prices"", I give it a 10. I like to sit on the covered and heated patio. Service earned a good tip from me. more

Service was very slow. Blend food. I ordered seared tuna and my friend ordered her steak well done. Tuna came way beyond well done and my friend's steak was sitting in the pond of blood. Disappointing... Pros: Easy to get in Cons: Slow Service, Food more

My boyfriend and I went here for New Years Eve. Le Central itself is in a small building, but witha small bar and warm colors that make you feel like your home. We were seated at a quaint table for 2 located by a window. Our waiter was excellent. He was very attentive, gave recommendations for wine, and explained some simple french for my other half. The food was fabulous. I really didn't intend to eat all that much. By the end of the night they had ran out of their menu dessert, but they created one just for me with no extra cost. I hope to come back soon to sample more items off of their menu. more

Oui, it has marvelous food. Oui, it is affordable. Oui, I would go there over and over. Alas a non, you may not be able to savor the favorite dish from your last visit the next time you go, as they will delight you with a changing menu. Oh to make me chose a new dish to enjoy on each visit, to force me to suffer the agony of incredible food with great service. Just say oui and make reservations as they are not a secret. Pros: Food, Service, Price more

I grew up traveling around Europe, both of my parents trained at the Cordon Bleu (famous cooking school in France), and all of us agree that Le Central is as good as anyplace else, save for maybe Pied au Cochon or Maxim's in Paris. When you factor in the price, Le Central is far and away the best value for your money, maybe in the world. Pros: inexpensive wine, variety, great value Cons: um, er, nothing more

Having made no less than four visits, I do find the desserts, such as the creme brule and the custard with apple and a vanilla/choc sauce, to be reasonably priced and a real treat. Entree-wise, the lamb and accompanying sauce are very good, but this place has a problem with overcooking veal. My last visit included overcooked veal drowning in a tasteless mushroom ragout (maybe they hoped it would help the tough , overcooked veal...didn't work!) and what's with the frozen packets of cafeteria-style butter served with room temp bread? I agree that the front desk needs some warmth when greeting customers, and it wouldn't hurt to ask where one would like to be seated on a slow weekday eve. Pros: Wine, dessert more

Tonight I patronized the Le Central restaurant in downtown Denver. I am from out of town and yes, sadly enough I went here because of a show on the food network. I ordered the Plat Vegetarien for dinner. Accompanied the meal with an inexpensive yet tasty merlot and completed the meal with Clafoutis aux Pommes et Framboises for dessert. The presentation was wonderful. I really enjoyed the grilled asparagus and red pepper. Then came the best part, dessert. A was a mixture of sweet and fruity flavors encased in a French custard with a dressing of chocolate and fruit sauce. I must say every spoon full was consumed with my eyes closed, enjoying every bite. I left not wanting to finish my water in fear of loosing that wonderful flavor. A must to anyone visiting Denver. I hope to be back again to this mile high city of culinary delight. Pros: Presentation, Taste, Service more

The service at this restaurant is one of the biggest issue's I have with this place. I don't understand why the front of the house management can't improve this side of the business. Everytime I've been in this place I consider the service to be one of my biggest issue's, and I've never had a courteous or warm greeting either although I do think the food and overall (food/atmosphere/price) experience to be on the fairly decent side. Pros: cheap food, comfy atmosphere Cons: parking, BAD SERVICE , unhappy servers more

The mussels, spinach and bread were good and fresh. Service was average. Unfortunately it took 45 minutes between appetizer and main course. I was very disappointed with the New York Strip. It came well undercooked and overwhelmed with a heavy hollandaise. The veal was over cooked. In all, the entrees were boring and ill prepared. I recommend only going for mussels and wine. I think this restaurant suffers from having too many tables; a good chef would take more effort with this meal. more