Central Bistro & Bar

I have to say, this place has come a super long way. When I first started coming here three years ago I experienced lack luster service and encountered borderline offensive attitudes from the bartenders and hosts. This has all changed the past year though and I would put this as my number one brunch spot and in my top bars to get cocktails. Bartenders Jen, Ryan and crew are some of the best in town.

We came here for brunch and loved the food here! The Chicken Fried Brie and Waffles was amazing. I’ve never had chicken fried brie and it was pretty much a brie version of a mozzarella stick– so yummy. We also got the biscuits and gravy which was also good but not as good as the chicken fried brie and waffles.

Grapefruit mimosas by the gallon for $ 12 per person. Yes, I’ll have another.
OK, it’s really not by the gallon, more like by the one-​liter carafe. Which is much prettier and classier than a plastic jug. Begs a customer to keep drinking and not feel guilty, that’s for sure.
What else should one expect at Central Bistro & Bar brunch? Standard American (new) fare, including omelettes, salads, French toast — pretty much what one might expect in Denver. One dish stood out — Chicken Fried Brie & Waffle, with fried chicken as an upgrade. Decadent for sure!
Solid food, great location, good booze. Exactly what one wants on a weekend afternoon!

Best brunch spot in Denver! Service is always outstanding, the mimosas are strong and plentiful, and the food is stellar. I highly recommend this place if you’ve never been!

We went there for my birthday tonight and were extremely disappointed. Our server could not have cared less about our experience and barely spoke to us, even when we asked for his opinions about the menu. When he checked in, he didn’t bother to wait for us to respond, instead walking away while my partner was mid sentence. It wasn’t like they were busy– we were the only ones there
We spent nearly $ 100 for two people and the food was crap. The oysters I ordered were absolutely not fresh and our food came out Luke warm. If our server bothered to listen to us when he came to «check in» he maybe could have remedied that.

Went here for brunch with my girlfriend on New Year’s Day. The staff was very friendly and attentive, the Eggs Benedict were great but the breakfast potatoes were the absolute highlight. Reasonable prices on the bottomless mimosas.

I went to Central Bistro & Bar recently for brunch to celebrate a friend’s birthday. The ambiance is great and our server was very friendly. I ordered the breakfast burrito and others ordered chicken and waffles, steak frites, stack of pancakes etc. The menu has a good amount of options.
My breakfast burrito was just ok. Nothing special. Our food took forever to come out and I don’t think it’s that great a value for what you get. It’s not terrible, just nothing special.

Yum! This place is a happy little surprise tucked away on Central on the edge of the Highlands. We were again thumbing through the Denver Dining Passbook to find places that accepted the book for brunch, and decided Central Bistro sounded like just the ticket.
Made a quick reservation on Open Table, arrived on time and were greeted/​seated right away. The servers were really friendly and I really liked the vibe in there. Since we had the first seating, the restaurant was admittedly pretty quiet, but I could see this being a fun HH place!
I settled on the open faced omelette which was like a frittata… yum…, and hubby had the smoked brisket sandwich. Both were really yummy, and we of course indulged with a little bit of coffee cake (du jour was a dulce de leche cheesecake coffee cake) which was amazeballs. I could’ve eaten 3 more slices of that by myself.
Oh, and I thought they had great coffee! It’s always such a disappointment when the coffee is a let down. But not at Central!

Our new years celebration was made by this fine establishment.
After being turned away at the door at the over-​rated speakeasy up the block (90 minute wait at 5:45PM?) we showed up early for our dinner reservations. Several yummy cocktails in the bar later, we went to our table for the prix fixe dinner.
Our server was attentive and funny. Her attitude and banter really enhanced our enjoyment of what was a great set of courses.
I had the Lamb PHO course — I am a PHO connoisseur, and I’ve never had phở this good outside of a dive on Havana or Federal. Amazing that a «regular» restaurant could get this right.
The scallop and clam main course was excellent.
In the middle of the dinner the bartender came back with a free drink, apparently someone had ordered a gimlet, and the bartender thought it was mine (very tart), and it was not supposed to be very tart. So, even on a very busy evening they thought of me and brought me a free drink.
We did not feel rushed, even on a busy New Year’s Eve. I’ll be back.

We celebrated Mothers Day Saturday Night. Tony, our waiter was fantastic. The view and meal were terrific.

Nothing particularly impressed me with Central, but it was a good meal. The service was a bit slow and the prices are a bit much for what you get, but the lamb bolognese and acorn squash were both pretty good, and the nutella waffle was as delicious as one would be.

Good dining experience. There were some small serving mishaps such as giving us the wrong description of the beer we ordered in addition to a wrong description of the amount of crab cakes. Ordered the brussels sprouts as an appetizer, the bacon bits were thick and perfectly cooked, I did think that the bits of toffee addition made the sprouts a little too sweet for my taste. Had the duck as an entrée, the duck was well cooked with a crispy skin, really cool idea to have a duck egg served with the duck The atmosphere was good and volume was good for conversation. Server was friendly and food came out promptly. there was enough room between tables to not feel crowded. I didn’t understand why the word «hot» was spelled out on the ceiling in big red letters but otherwise I liked the décor.

Brunch in Lo Hi? You literally can’t go wrong! This is why it’s taken me so long to make it in to Central Bistro & Bar. That and the first I heard of it was through a misplaced and wildly hilarious Unilocal review intended to rail Le Central (which I’m pretty sure is no longer in business, but I digress).
Central screams Denver without being overbearing. Warm (or should I say HOT as the bright red re-​purposed hotel sign letters displayed over the kitchen say) customized décor, spacious bar and dining room, and a patio with a view of downtown, the location is fantastic. Parking can be problematic, but that’s the Highlands.
My husband and I both started with coffee and spicy bloody marys. I thought the drinks were plenty spicy, and although my husband could have used more heat we both thought theywere delicious nonetheless. The coffee is good and they leave a bottle of water on the table (love that).
The entrees, a breakfast burrito and chilaquiles, were both moderate in size but very flavorful and satisfying. I really cannot think of anything to complain about, or anything constructive to say to the restaurant, I just didn’t get a wow factor. Maybe if I come back during patio season I’ll feel differently. Until then, Central is a solid option if you’re in the area, especially if you’re in the mood for a spicy cocktail.

Wow! Best lunch in a while!!! The smoked brisket sandwich was AMAZING, the mushroom flat bread pizza was AMAZING, the Spanish wedge salad was very good as well. Love this cute place with great views of Denver. Look forward to coming here for dinner!

Loved loved loved Central. The hubs took me here for date night a couple weeks back and it was fabulous.
First & foremost — our server was awesome. She gave us some wonderful recommendations and knew the menu inside and out. I also loved that she didn’t try to upsell us on a bunch of stuff — definitely one of my biggest pet peeves.
The location is unique — it faces east away from the mountains and overlooks downtown. There weren’t any seats available on the patio so we sat inside but the view was pretty cool from the outside. I could see how it would be awesome to sit outside and relax while overlooking the skyline.
Now for the food — the best part of the experience. We started with the brussel sprouts & johnny cakes. Do yourself a favor if you like meat and/​or cornbread and order the johnny cakes — they are divine and if I could have had multiple for dinner I would have. These are definitely a house speciality and absolutely fabulous. I ended up having the tomato salad with grilled chicken for dinner and it was delish. The tomatoes were fresh and crisp (not mushy at all — another pet peeve). The blend of flavors was absolutely fabulous — i loved the sweet corn with the tart of the tomato. The hubs had the carbonara and it was fabulous as well.
This is definitely a great place to go if you’re looking for an intimate locale. It is extremely cozy and perfect for date night or that special occasion.

For some reason, this place makes me feel like I’m right back in Italy. It must be the attention to detail when it comes to the tastiness of their dishes, the amazing cocktails and the genuinely caring concern of how everything is by the service staff. A few qualities that are hard to find anymore.
We came for lunch and sat at the bar. I started with an aperol spritzer and he had the black manhattan. I had the tomato salad with heirloom tomatoes, avocados, spaghetti squash, onions, capers, corn and I added chicken. I never would have thought about serving spaghetti squash cold in a salad, but this salad was awesome! The best salad I’ve ever had.
He had the charcuterie flatbread. It was definitely a flatbread, thin and crispy. The sauce was delicious and the meats were very well curated and yummy.
The bartender was super nice and accommodating. She was mixing up house-​made simple syrups and let us sample them. They were to die for. She made me an aperol spritzer since I didn’t see one on the menu, but saw other cocktails with aperol. The bartender sounded like she could pretty much mix up anything you wanted.
We will definitley return here for dinner or brunch soon. Pumped a place like this is in the highlands. Quality for sure!

There was a group of us on a bike ride on the Friday before the 4^th of July and we decided to stop by Central Bistro. We sat on the patio, which was pretty nice and had lunch and drinks.
The service was solid, we got our drinks and water as expected, placed our order, and then (insert music here) we got our food! Although the food took longer than expected when it did arrive, it was VERY good. I had the Greek salad and I added grilled chicken to it. The salad was fresh, light, and full of flavor. As well, I had the opportunity to taste the shrimp po-​boy (gasp) that thing was AWESOME. It had just the right amount of spice, fresh greens and tomatoes. I was definitely impressed.
During the meal the manager (I am assuming that is who he was) came by and asked how everything was, we mentioned the food was a little slow getting out, but the food was excellent. First off, he apologized and then he brought out a taco appetizer platter for us to try, which I heard was excellent as well.
Although I don’t live close to Central Bistro, I would definitely give it as a solid recommendation for anyone to go to, as well, if I was in the area, I would more than happy and willing to try other items on the menu.
YUM!

Awesome, doooood! In the heart of the highlands, my sister suggested this place for a family brunch. She made a great suggestion!!! This place has an awesome patio and a cute, open inside. Our waiter was dancing and cracking jokes, and seemed to actually enjoy his job.
I ordered the Empanada Desayuno. You guys… I can’t even right now. This was honestly the best breakfast dish I have ever had. I devoured every bite. The chorizo, avocado, onion… everything was perfect. I can’t wait to go back just to get this again. Do yourself a favor and order this! It was such a unique dish and it was seriously perfect.
I tried my moms omelette and my sisters eggs Benedict and both were great as well.
Enjoy these gorgeous Denver mornings and have a great meal at this restaurant. You will not regret it!

I love this place. Their flavor combinations may seem odd but they meld very well. My husband and I met my best friend and her husband here abd they absolutely enjoyed it. We ordered The Slab appetizer which included 4 different cheeses, 4 different meats, and other condiments to complement them. I ordered the crispy duck with ricotta gnocchi and was not disappointed. My husband ordered lamb chops and loved them. My best friend ordered the ham hock, which she loved the flavors. Her husband ordered steak frites, which he adored.

There are certain places that you walk into and just know that good things are happening. The people are happy, and friendly — but not fake. There is a hustle and bustle and the place smells of amazing food.
That is what is happening here.
I went for lunch after asking around Denver for the best burger. Not disappointed and a truly fine burger! Steak frites were good, but the Brussels Sprouts were like nothing I have ever had. Perfection. Everyone serving Brussel sprouts should flash fry some of the leaves. Bam.
Next time I’m going will be for dinner on the patio overlooking downtown Denver. Or maybe brunch which sounds amazing and affordable.

Before even saying «hello,» our waiter scolded us for bringing coffees (from Metropolis next door). Apparently this is a violation of their liquor license, which I have never heard the many times I’ve had brunch in Denver and brought an espresso drink. The server repeatedly told us «I’ll let it slide this time guys,» as if we were juvenile delinquents. I can’t speak to the intricacies of the law, but I can speak to the deeply pretentious and unfriendly reception. We walked out.