Café de la Presse

It was so good to be back to France! The flavors, the taste, the atmosphere, the way their dishes were prepared was just a perfect souvenir from France. My wife and I enjoyed the moment. The cassoulet was amazing. The real taste of this so famous traditional dish. I highly recommend the place. What to say about our host: Olivier A French nice and funny gentleman. I’ll go back there anytime to be able to visit all the menu. Merci et bon appétit à tous!

Amazing food, amazing service! We visited during Restaurant Week April 2023 and had their 3 course meal with french onion soup, cassoulet, and the lemon tart and creme brulee. Plus had their Monday wine special (half off bottles). Some of the best French food I've eaten! Definitely would go back.

I absolutely love this classic eatery from the white linen, professional staff, seating, cuisine, and wine service... to their respect for the origins and history that lend it a timeless elegance. Kudos Le Central 👍

Iconic San Francisco establishment. Scott our sever is the best of the best. Romantic ambiance. Best beef bourguignon. Delicious escargot. French onion soup beyond compare.

Jordana Lobo

A lovely French restaurant with a cozy, welcoming atmosphere. The dishes were tasty and well prepared, and we were served fresh bread with butter, which was a nice touch. Service was good throughout the meal, making the overall experience very enjoyable. Desserts are a must try. Better to uber to the restaurant, parking is tricky

Kreative Cid

Dinner at Le Central. Traditional slow French meal (almost 2 hours). Pictured are… Appetizer: smoked salmon petit tartine (7 out of 10). Wine: Stephane Magnien Pinot (I rate it 8 of 10, paired great with our food). Pan-roasted atlantic salmon, pommes purée, braised fennel, citrus beurre blanc. Easy 8 out of 10. Duck confit with risotto and broccolini. 10 out of 10! Creme Brulee and chocolate mousse were good enough for 7 out of 10. Didn't knock our socks off like some other desserts in town, but sometimes you just don't want to waddle to another busy restaurant just for a sweet finisher. My dining companion is a former food magazine editor who has spent years eating throughout France. In her opinion tonight‘s dinner was equal to anything she’s had in all of Europe. This place will go into my regular rotation for every San Francisco trip.

Alicia Mier

Cozy French dining off a busy thoroughfare with relaxed vibes and amazing staff. Every time I visit, I’m meeting a new “regular” at the bar, and one thing we all agree is that you can’t go wrong with ANY dish. I’m partial to the onion soup (a no brainer), but the asparagus soup is also delish. Entrees are all cooked to perfection. To get a good sampling, happy hour would be a great option to work your way through the variety of apps - again, you can’t go wrong with any selection! The vibe is great for any occasion - friends, a date, business lunch, and even solo. Definitely worth a visit!

Carolyn Nickell

Lovely restaurant! You must get the French onion soup. Best I’ve ever had. Wonderful ambiance and service. They let me call ahead to put my name in but they also take reservations.

Rod T.

Yesterday, I had lunch with my 97-year-old mother at Le Central. She's been going there for decades, and I hadn't been for years. The quality of food, the excellent wine list, and the professional service made for a wonderful experience. We both had fish dishes...superb. The coffee and chocolate mousse were delicious, too. As someone who decamped to the Sierra foothills 20 years ago and have traveled extensively in Europe since then, I must admit that I'd forgotten the extraordinary restaurants in San Francisco. Thank you Le Central for reminding me how wonderful San Francisco and it's best restaurants are!

Luc Sam

Le Central is a great French eatery which is casual and chic at the same time, with delectable food.   We began with a Parisian sidecar cocktail which had cognac,  cointreau and lemon among other ingredients;  delicious yet the alcohol will creep on you.   We tried the croquettes which had ham,  cheese, potatoes and generally yummy.  The pate de campagne was excellent served with cornichons and dijon.  The chevre chaud salad was superb with the creamiest goat cheese ever and wonderfully dressed greens.  For dessert,  we had the profiteroles which was amazing,  though the pastry didn't taste fresh.  And we also had the creme brûlée which was minimally sweet and delicious.  We had a great experience and dinner, thank you.

Ryan Carlson

My buddy who is a lifelong San Franciscan took me here as one of his favorite spots. I had the burger and added caramelized onions and blue cheese, it was amazing!!!! We sat at the bar and had friendly, attentive service. Really excited to get back to have the same burger and enjoy a glass or two or red wine with it.

Sandy Scheetz

One of our favorite places in SF for happy hour AND dinner. LC is currently celebrating 50 yrs and is having a great fixed price menu and half price on their very popular and excellent cassoulet. Their tiramusu was divine. Alfonso was our server on 2 occasions last week, very attentive. Love this little bistro.

The Foodie Architect

Located in a tiny street. This is the go to restaurant if we are in this neighborhood. The food is always good and not overly crowded. So many great dishes here that can satisfy diverse taste. Extremely pleasant wait staff. Truly enjoyable dining experience. Low key, relax and yummy.

Roman Valles

First time visiting, and we were very satisfied . Our waiter was great and the food was amazing. The Cassoulet was outstanding, and the duck was juicy with crispy skin. The Ratatouille was savory and delicious. Great place 👌 we will be back!

arnaud alcaraz

It was so good to be back to France! The flavors, the taste, the atmosphere, the way their dishes were prepared was just a perfect souvenir from France. My wife and I enjoyed the moment. The cassoulet was amazing. The real taste of this so famous traditional dish. I highly recommend the place. What to say about our host: Olivier A French nice and funny gentleman. I’ll go back there anytime to be able to visit all the menu. Merci et bon appétit à tous!

Grace Berte

Amazing food, amazing service! We visited during Restaurant Week April 2023 and had their 3 course meal with french onion soup, cassoulet, and the lemon tart and creme brulee. Plus had their Monday wine special (half off bottles). Some of the best French food I've eaten! Definitely would go back.

Craig Stuart Adams

I absolutely love this classic eatery from the white linen, professional staff, seating, cuisine, and wine service... to their respect for the origins and history that lend it a timeless elegance. Kudos Le Central 👍

michelle pender

Iconic San Francisco establishment. Scott our sever is the best of the best. Romantic ambiance. Best beef bourguignon. Delicious escargot. French onion soup beyond compare.

Christopher Mundle

Amazing service that I don’t receive very often. The moment I need anything the amazing waiter already had it ready for us. Everything we had was delicious. Le Central’s atmosphere is great for any occasion. Definitely a must when visiting SF.

Terri Hanson Mead

We made a last minute reservation and had a perfect lunch. I started with a glass of champagne and my 19 year old and I shared the escargots, beet napoleon, and the Niçoise salad. All were perfect and delicious. I paired the salad with a glass of Sancerre. We finished with the seasonal buche de Noel which was light and delicious. Le Central is our go to French restaurant when we are near Union Square.

I’m never compelled to share a review, but Le Central was perfect. I stopped in and had a solo dinner at the bar, and everything was wonderful. I feel like I stepped back in time to when cozy, friendly, and delicious restaurants were all filled with regulars and didn’t need a gimmick.

Had dinner before a show at SF Playhouse and it was the PERFECT spot. The service was phenomenal - warm, welcoming and attentive. Food and drinks were fantastic, especially for “girl dinner” - truffle fries, salmon cake, French onion soup + kir royale and French 75s. Happy hour is bar seating only. Absolutely coming back.

Went for Christmas Eve family brunch. The food is excellent- I enjoyed the Beef Bourguignon which was tender & delicious. Others had the Salmon & the Le Central burger. The food is excellent, atmosphere feels like a neighborhood bistro & service impeccable. Would highly recommend.

Susan LaDuke

Went for Christmas Eve family brunch. The food is excellent- I enjoyed the Beef Bourguignon which was tender & delicious. Others had the Salmon & the Le Central burger. The food is excellent, atmosphere feels like a neighborhood bistro & service impeccable. Would highly recommend.

Chanda Lockhart

Had dinner before a show at SF Playhouse and it was the PERFECT spot. The service was phenomenal - warm, welcoming and attentive. Food and drinks were fantastic, especially for “girl dinner” - truffle fries, salmon cake, French onion soup + kir royale and French 75s. Happy hour is bar seating only. Absolutely coming back.

TLDR: classic French restaurant that has a decent happy hour and decent though pricey food (non happy hour) My favorite bite was the croquette. The small salad is very very small, and I did enjoy the deviled egg. The main we got to share was the cassoulet and the portion was huge and shareable. Tons of protein with beans and a few different types of meat.

We visited this place for a brunch with friends. When we arrived around 11:30, it was pretty empty, but it got busy later on. We enjoyed the food – everything was great; my favorite was onion soup and beef bourguignon. Our waiter was wonderful and fun.

Sayana

We visited this place for a brunch with friends. When we arrived around 11:30, it was pretty empty, but it got busy later on. We enjoyed the food – everything was great; my favorite was onion soup and beef bourguignon. Our waiter was wonderful and fun.

Really liked the onion soup - full of cheese on top and a rich taste - salty but sweet. Crème brûlée is also a highlight, very crispy on the top and not too sweet. The main was okay. The restaurant itself is a little old, their sofa has cracks on the surface making sitting there a little uncomfortable. The server was also not very available - we sat for ~20mins before the server came to our table to get our order, and they had to separate drink and food order due to restaurant being too busy despite we were ready to order both. Then he got our bill wrong and charged 1 extra item..

Karen Zheng

Really liked the onion soup - full of cheese on top and a rich taste - salty but sweet. Crème brûlée is also a highlight, very crispy on the top and not too sweet. The main was okay. The restaurant itself is a little old, their sofa has cracks on the surface making sitting there a little uncomfortable. The server was also not very available - we sat for ~20mins before the server came to our table to get our order, and they had to separate drink and food order due to restaurant being too busy despite we were ready to order both. Then he got our bill wrong and charged 1 extra item..