Cafe Central

Closed? WTF.

It’s been more than a month since I had a bad experience at Café Central, but it was so bad that my husband and I keep bringing it up…
The food was OK. Not spectacular, but pretty solid. It was the service that was awful. We sat on the rooftop terrace for a view of the city, which meant that our server had to hike the stairs to bring us food, napkins, silverware, drinks, etc. Which meant he when he brought us our food and had neglected to bring us silver and napkins, he had to go back down to get them… and it took him 20 minutes. By which point our food was cold. Our drinks were empty for 20 minutes at a time waiting for him to come back up and give us replacements, our dirty dishes stayed on the table long after we’d finished… you get the idea. Love the location, love the view of the city… wouldn’t go there ever again.

Such a sketch place. Great calamari. Under new management due to drugs…

Stopped in before Robot Johnson at cast, looking for a little snack before the show.
9:15pm: sat down.
9:20pm: ordered chili-​cheese tots.
9:40pm: got chili-​cheese fries.
Buh?
We were in a hurry and didn’t mention it, and the server didn’t notice at all. I hear they have good tacos on Monday night, but my first impression was less than stellar.
Slow service, slow food, mediocre tap selection, no crowd. Wasn’t awful, but not looking to go back soon.

We’ve been to Café Central a couple times now. On our first visit, we sat on the rooftop area because it was a nice night. Our waiter was very friendly and offered suggestions on the menu. We had a good time, and the onion rings were totally boss.
We attempted to go on a whim for some late night eats, but it was a Thursday and the place seemed to have transformed into a messy hipster bar rather than a place we could sit down and eat at (or have any staff even notice us), so we decided to skip it.
On the next lunch visit, we noticed that the menu was different, and there were some items missing that we had gotten before, which was a drag. I had an awesome quesadilla with steak and bleu cheese, and we had more onion rings.
I have to say, some of the appetizers fall short. It seems like they went for culinary creativity but missed the mark. I can see where the ideas work — they sound good on paper, but didn’t come across in flavor. With a little tweaking, there is hope. Also, they were a little pricey for the portion size, which made us feel a little grumpy since we took a chance (we don’t usually purchase apps with dinner). I want to try some of the desserts, but I’m afraid of further buyer’s remorse…
Really, though. Go get them onion rings. You can’t lose with those.

I’ve been looking to explore restaurants in the Plaza/​Midwood area and heard good things about this place so a friend and I decided to try it out.
The location is great. It has an indoor bar and table seating, an outdoor street level patio and an upstairs deck with one of the best views of Uptown Charlotte.
We decided to go upstairs. The server was friendly and very knowledgeable of the menu. She was very helpful in suggesting items.
The food arrived and it was delish! i had a penne pasta special with side salad and my friend had a salad. The jalapeño balsamic salad dressing was unique and quite tasty. The pasta was hot upon arrival and great.
Oh and the banana pudding is one of the best in Charlotte with a good banana flavor, although I do like my bananas and wafers covered, not just put on the side but that’s a minor issue.
I would recommend this place if you are looking to meet for drinks and want to enjoy the skyline. What we had in food was wonderful and the prices were affordable.
I’ll be back…

I was SO disappointed in this place. The food was fine (good, not great), but the rooftop bar was nice. Problem was, for a two story restaurant, they had exactly 1 waitress on a sunday night. She was worked to death, which she did not appreciate and took out on us. I waited 25 minutes for my check, which was wrong. She promised to correct, and I gave her a $ 20. She comes back nearly half an hour later WITHOUT my change, (about $ 4) and refuses to give it to me. Her manager didn’t seem to care either. I’m unemployed, and this was one of the few times I got to go out with my friends– I really can’t risk going somewhere that’s going to steal what little money I have.

I am thinking this is going to be the new hangout spot for singles and people looking to have a great time with friends.
My friends and I all went this past Friday and had a blast. Great DJ, good atmosphere, and the wings are amazing. I am a Buffalo native and this is finally going to be my spot to order Buffalo style wings.
The wait staff is friendly and personable and also there having a great time.
I plan to hang out there with my friends each Friday, and possible Sundays for ½ of wine!!!
Great to additional to plaza area.

for the bad reviewer, one note… the guy who now owns it, BOB (can’t remember his last name but he’s been a fixture on the bar scenes for YEARS… used to work at Fat City, Tudo Mondo, most recently Macs) is making changes to make sure its a great bar, which i no doubt believe he will… great interior and the BEST rooftop bar in the city when it warms up…