Central Kitchen

I went to this place thinking it was probably the best food/​atmosphere in Central Square and I was half right.
The atmosphere is cozy, dark, and friendly. It never feels crowded, despite being pretty small. Love that. The drinks were incredible and creative, they obviously have skilled bartenders.
The food:
I got the $ 29 mushroom polenta and my friend got the $ 23 dollar paella. My logic was that any vegetarian dish that cost that much would be amazing. Despite supposedly using truffle oil, this was the blandest thing I have ever eaten. I’m not even sure that it was salted. I was prepared to steal food from my friends delicious-​looking paella plate, but his was equally bland. We were really disappointed and even debated sending the dishes back (we didn’t, but probably should have). Our server never asked how the food was and didn’t say anything when he cleared our mostly uneaten dishes, which surprised us.
Surprising! Great for drinks, terrible food experience.

A lot of things went bad during my visit. I ordered the double thick pork chop and it was accidentally put in as the trout. It ended up taking about 45 minutes to get my food but I understand human error happens. They were considerate of my group’s time and our first round of drinks were on the house. They also gave us delicious bread and hummus while we waited.
The food and drinks were phenomenal. I order Moscow Mules frequently at bars and the Moscow Mule they have is the best I’ve ever had. Between presentation and taste it was the best I’ve ever had.
After both my friends had finished their meal my double thick pork chop came out. It was divine. I’ve never had a better pork chop in my life. Everything about the pork chop was on another level. It made the wait worth it. I think they might have been a little hasty with the cooking but it didn’t change how delicious it was.
I topped off dinner with crème brûlée and it was fantastic. They did it wonderfully.
I would highly recommend Central Kitchen for drinks with a group of friends or a date night. It is pricey so make sure you check the prices before you go.

I went here for a birthday dinner a while ago, and for the upstairs speakeasy as well.
To be honest, it is expensive here. The food is good, but I am not 100% convinced that it matches the price. I had the half chicken with mashed potatoes, and I really liked it, but I don’t think I’d come for dinner again. I’d be back for drinks though.
The location literally cannot be beat, it is right outside the entrance/​exit to the central square T stop.

If I’d only had the duck and kale salad last night this would be a five star review. I got the East Coast Cioppino as my entrée and one of the pieces of seafood, I think the scallop, had so much sand and grit it in it ruined the rest of the dish. I’m not one to send food back or make a fuss so I didn’t say anything to the waitress. This isn’t the kind of mistake I’d expect from a restaurant with these prices.

Although a bit pricier than I would like, I will say that everything I had was excellent.
We started off with the 6 oysters. Normally I’m not a huge oyster fan but I actually really liked these. A+ in my book! We then got some ceviche and an order of the warm duck salad. The ceviche was good but it was really the salad that impressed me. Maybe it’s because I had dry duck recently, but this was very tender and the kale was well massaged so it complimented it nicely. After this we got 2 orders of the mussels (I guess should mention at this point that there were 4 of us not just me!). Again. these were much better than the mussels I had from Russell House Tavern recently, and the thin crispy fries were great! Finally, my boyfriend ended with the steak frites which was also very good.
Overall I have nothing to complain about except the price. I would come back more often if it weren’t so pricey!

A humble façade hides this reasonably ambitious bar/​restaurant. The interior décor is well-​done: it’s a nice atmosphere for getting a drink or having a chat.
I ordered the (off-​menu?) burger, which was a reasonably standard beef burger topped with bacon, some vegetables, and a sesame bun. At first, I was impressed by the quality of the burger and how well it came together. Then I noticed that the sesame bun was somewhat dry.
I got fries with some aioli, which started off just fine — the fries were well-​cut, and tasted great, especially when dipped in the aioli. But as I got to the bottom of the pile, the fries kept getting saltier, which was eventually off-​putting.
Nonetheless, I’d been impressed enough to want dessert, so I ordered their crème brûlée. It was a very generously large portion, but not quite there in terms of flavor. On top of that, the bottom of the dish was quite cold — evidently, they keep a bunch of crème refrigerated, and then torch it on demand.
My conclusion here is that Central Kitchen is an ambitious restaurant, but does not quite deliver the dishes it wants to serve.

Wow! I had dinner here last night and it was beyond excellent. My boyfriend B and I were picking up a rug from Craigslist across the street and wanted to grab a bite after we tossed it in the car. I’m so glad we wandered in here!
First the wine. I had an excellent French red that was just a little fruity and not too sweet. Reasonably priced at $ 11. I wish I remembered the name now but their website is out of date. The tap water was room temperature and tasted a little off though. Oh well. The bread was quite good too, but maybe don’t come here on a first date. They serve it with some kind of garlic-​y paste (maybe white bean) that I loved but will definitely linger. Finally the meals. I had the braised chicken served over a hot sauce and a sweet corn sauce, with friend green onions, and this incredible hash. Honestly, I could just eat a huge plate of that hash for dinner. It had sweet potatoes and something like bacon (I think the menu said confit), sprouts, goat cheese, and for all I know cocaine mixed in. That’s an exaggeration I’m sure, but it was awesome. B got the steak frites and he liked them so much he took his leftovers home (this man NEVER takes a doggie bag, so that’s a big deal).
It’s on the pricey side, but if you skip apps and dessert its really not unreasonable. Can’t wait to come back!

Management has apparently taken my recommendation and changed the staff working at the bar. Went there last Friday night and the bartender was both friendly and professional. And the drinks were fantastic. The only way I can describe this change is like when your best friend finally wakes up and realizes the girl he is dating, although good looking, is the most annoying person on the planet and dumps her. Its like I have my old friend back. Thank you Central Kitchen management for making the universe right again.

Was told by our waitress that Central Kitchen always cook pork chops medium rare when I sent my order back because the center of the pork chop was… I would say… raw. The waitress was rather rude and asked what temperature I preferred the meat to be cooked. Wow. Honestly, I have always liked this restaurant. Until tonight. I, also, love my meats cooked on the rarer side. But not pork! The same chop returned cooked correctly. Pink in the middle. And, they did comp this dish. But, I would have rather paid for the dish and have management acknowledge that they made a mistake and this was cooked insufficiently. Moreover, the waitress could have been less holier than Thou. Btw, the other items ordered (steak tartare, mussels, steak frites, octopus) were good. Beware of the pork!!? For now, I will go elsewhere. There are just too many other choices out there.

Not very busy for a Sunday night. We brought the kids, probably not the best place for kids however they do have a secret hamburger that is an adult size hamburger and fries. It worked well to have our boys split it. I really wanted some east coast oysters which is what brought us in. They were excellent and salty, just like they should be, although no horseradish, just a vinegar sauce. For 4 of us, 2 entrees, 2 apps, and one drink we spent over $ 100. It was $ 2.50 for each diet coke. Really? Not sure it was worth it.
The waitress was great, although missed a few things on our order. I always wonder how they remember everything without writing it down.
Had the steak frites, it was quite fatty, although still good.
Overall a good place to come and drink, have some apps. We are from out of town so probably won’t be back. It was a good overall experience.

Central kitchen is a little pricier than what I normally eat, but it was well worth it.
The food, service, and atmosphere were all great.
I thought it was funny that our water glasses were smaller than our wine glasses. As an avid water drinker, I normally don’t like the idea of a 4 ounce glass for water. However, Central Kitchen also provides a large carafe of tap water, so we never had to worry about getting thirsty.

Was not happy with this place. The old fashioned I ordered was decent at best. From there I asked for recommendations, the bartender recommended all vegetarian dishes, which is fine, but never asked what I was into. When I hinted at the octopus she said «it’s really interesting» but she «likes other dishes better…» It felt like everything I said she had an underwhelming and deflating response for. I settled on the oysters to be «safe». They brought them out with 2 lemons and Mignonette Sauce. I asked for cocktail sauce and I was told they do not «offer cocktail sauce with oysters». How about you take them off the menu? Obviously there are more posts about how dissatisfying the Oyster experience at central kitchen is, so instead of leaving a bad impression by serving the oysters the way the owner likes, either adjust, or just remove them all together.
At the end of the day the service was not helpful and the overall quality is less than you would expect.
Now I have to go find somewhere to eat dinner. Great.

No wait when we got there (around 5ish). Ordered 3 entrees. The Chicken order was pretty salty and when we mentioned this to the waiter, he did apologize about this. This dish was later on taken off from our bill (per our request and they were nice enough to do so). Mussels was definitely good (the fries were tasty, thinly cut and crispy). The short ribs were very tender. I just couldn’t tell the side that came with (not sure what it was).

Came with my best friend and her boyfriend for dinner. The place was packed and even though we had a reservation, we had to wait a bit at the bar for a table to open up. Lighting was a bit too dark for me and the music was too loud (my voice got hoarse from talking).
I got the traditional moules marinier, which were tasty but a tad on the saltier side. I also wish the mussels were a bit bigger, but with the fries, the dish was overall pretty filling. Standard dish but nothing to rave about. My friends got the steak tartare and the salmon, which on the other hand, were both AMAZING. The salmon in particular had an amazingly crispy crust, while being super tender on the inside.

My roommate and I came here for dinner on a Friday night. It’s a good thing she made a reservation because the place was packed!
Food: Menu is very limited and pricy. I ordered the chicken fricasee ($ 23, the cheapest entrée on the menu), which came with two pieces of chicken, mushrooms and mashed potatoes. The description seems pretty basic so I wasn’t all that excited. But to my surprise, the meal was good! It came out hot and all items were very flavorful. I also ordered an $ 11 tequila cocktail, which was strong.
Service: Good. We were seated immediately (make a reservation!) and our waitress continuously checked up on us throughout the night.
I was satisfied with my dinner but I wouldn’t come here anytime soon… only because it’s a little too pricy for my taste.

Limited menu but that’s a good thing.
They make sure what there doing on this menu is exceptional.
Service was solid as well.
Wine list was solid.
I would reccomend checking this place out.

So my wife and I rushed to Cambridge to get our Salsa lessons on at Havana Club and stumbled upon this humble abode! Ambiance lighting throughout. Grabbed a seat at the end of the bar and was greeted pronto by the dred bartender who served up some delish cocktails! We made in the nick of time since the kitchen closed at 11 but our bartender quickly halted the kitchen so we can order the Steak Frites which was A one! Juicy steak with fries and watercress juiced up in balsamic! Great mix with a great vibe… not to forget the deep reggae roots in the background to complete the vibe! I’ll be back after moving the hips to salsa down the street!

You know… I think I’m getting over the dear new American: the polished take on the quotidian (or sometimes not), crowded, aloof service, and dear, dear prices.
Don’t get me wrong, there was really nothing wrong –or unexpected. The steak frites were actually pretty good, the bouillabaisse kinda meh. I guess when I drop a benjamin for dinner I want it to be something more than a polished table, dimly lit, supercilious look down the nose from a bartender who is so painfully hip. I was annoyed that a reservation netted us a pretty poor table right behind the hostess stand, rather than one of the warm booths across from the bar –I don’t know how generalizable that experience is. I also got the sense (like one so often gets in these kinds of busy places) of a subtle urgency to eat and move on.
Dunno, I guess it’s more that if you make a long list of date night places in Camberville so many kinda look and feel the same.

Every time we have been here, food has been delicious and service gracious. It’s a limited menu, but very creative and most items are delicious. Making entrees gluten free has generally been easy (or they already are) and I never had any issues. Some of the entrees (like the fish) can be pretty small for the price, unfortunately. But the appetizers and other meats seem generous and tasty. Mussels app is usually my favorite, as are their salads.
Plus crème brûlée and flourless chocolate cake are both gluten free and amazing!!!

Went here for some light drinks and apps a bit ago with some friends. Cocktails were pretty solid, and we split the mussels, fried octopus, duck confit, and the bluefish (large plate).
Our favorites were the mussels (second what Unilocalers have said before, this is a generous portion for the price) and the duck confit (although not sure if this is a fair comparison, we found West Bridge’s salad version to be a bit more flavorful). We were not fans of the octopus — it wasn’t so much crunchy as tough to chew. My friend didn’t have too much to say about the bluefish, but I did note she didn’t really finish the polenta. Service was friendly enough, though it was a tiny bit rushed. This is one of the few places where my coworker and I diverge foodwise (he loves it), so I’ll probably try it again… but will make him pay.