Central Michel Richard

A marvelous brunch. Terrific options, wonderful services.

Very good dinner, the pork chop is outstanding. And the gougeres are incredible. A perfect night out with friends.

Once again, Central's makes dining a wonderful affair. I chose Central's to celebrate my birthday and I was not disappointed.
Thank you for providing attentive service and delicious food. The late chef would be proud!

My wife and I went to Central Michel Richard for a date night dinner before a Capital Steps performance. Our dinner was delicious and the service was impeccable. We shared the Cote de Boeuf, which was cooked medium rare and to perfection, and we accompanied with a delicious Bordeaux. The wine list is VERY well priced, is very approachable and has a great selection. We had a wonderful evening and will be back for dinner again.

Been here multiple times for dinner. The fried chicken is not to be missed. About best I’ve had. Great “gravy and mashed potatoes. Everything I have had on menu is excellent. Kind of old school but there is nothing wrong with that! Not to be missed. Will be back next time in area.

I always enjoy dining at Central Michel Richard's. Doesn't feel the same without Michel sitting there. I know it's been awhile, but you still expect to see him sitting in the front. The food was great, and service outstanding. Definitely recommending to co-workers and friends.

Excellent food and service. Al fresco dining is available. I had the scallops, which were outstanding. There is a set three-course menu for diners attending theater or other events.

Huge disappointment. This restaurant has gone far, far downhill and is nowhere near its former level of quality. Service was terrible. Quality and taste of mainstay recipes has changed noticeably for the worse. Sad.

Fabulous dining experience! The fried chicken is to die for - absolutely delicious - I can’t recommend it enough.

Great time, great service, such delicious food!!

We were there to see our friends and talk... not just eat... So when our food arrived we weren’t trying to rush to finish it. But rather enjoy conversation with our friends. The waiters kept trying to take our plate even though we didn’t finish it. I was still enjoying my dessert even though everyone else finished theirs. The waiters kept asking me to remove it. There was no one to be seated after us, so I don’t understand the rush. People don’t come to restaurants just to eat but also to enjoy the company and good conversations. Too bad because the food is always great here, and what really makes the restaurant exceptional is the service. They should work on that part.

Absolutely wonderful meal. I love this place.

Dinner was fantastic - great food and service! Gazpacho and cheese puffs were a highlight and the entrees were delicious as well.

Great cocktails and experienced servers who don’t know how to be attentive without being annoying. Fried chicken, burger and goat cheese Caesar salad are in a class of their own

Reservation specified business meal. Place was half empty but we were still seated at a very loud and unpleasant table next to the open kitchen and at the far back of the restaurant in the darkest corner with no windows. I sometimes wonder if female executives just get the shaft from hostesses. We were to a slightly less horrible table wedges between two server stations. There were plenty of nicer tables that sat empty.

One of the best brunches in DC!! Absolutely delicious and unique food!

I went to Central with a group of eight, we arrived pretty much at the same time and the hostess was very easygoing and let us wait in the bar a bit, then sat us with an incomplete party. We had the prix fixe brunch which is an excellent deal, and the food was great as well! I have celiacs, and had delicious dishes in each of the three courses which were gluten free without modification. They don't mark GF on the menu but the waiter was knowledgeable, and even went and double checked with the kitchen when I thought there might be an issue with my main. The manager brought out my first course to confirm it was GF, and I felt very secure in their handling of food and their general knowledge of allergens.

Having dinner alone while on a business meeting, I chose Central as I had been there before. Wanted to eat light do I had the Mediterranean Sea bass with grilled book chit. It was exceptional, as was the crusty bread. Service was friendly, efficient and the server checked in to ensure all was good. Will definitely go back next time I’m in town.

Great food, even better service. I’ll be back again soon.

Love this place. Honestly, been to all the top hitters and they are fun, but Central is solid. Incredible fried chicken (can that be a thing?) and I’m sorry, totally hooked on clams linguini. The bread is worth coming in and calling it a meal-so good. Cheese puffs, oh my.
Surprising, the dessert is eh. At that point you’re so full of bread it doesn’t matter!

Just a great menu, prepared and served perfectly leaving nothing to fret about.

Although the atmosphere is a little sterile, it was lively and as we were seated near the kitchen, entertaining to watch all that went on. The food and service were wonderful, from start to finish, we enjoyed it all!

I've been here several times before and always enjoyed it. This time my boyfriend and I brought my parents. We enjoyed sharing the charcuterie tower and the delicious bread before having our entrees of a beet salad with salmon added (which they split in kind fashion), the duck, and French onion soup, respectively. All were very happy with our meals and drinks.

This was one of over a dozen meals at Central and it was a disappointment. My entree, hanger steak, was undercooked as were the soggy fries. I was seated under a vent, so the underwhelming food got cold in minutes. And the entire meal, from being seated to paying the check, lasted less than an hour on a night when the place was less than half full. Certainly they had time to prepare the food with more thoughtfulness. Hopefully this was an aberration and not the new norm.

The location and food were good. The creme brûlée was incredible. I would go again but would avoid ordering the 3 course lunch and simply leave room for the creme brûlée.

Fixed prix menu for pre-theater is fantastic. Choices are really quite good and satisfying. Great value for the cost (and service is quick). Enjoy!

food was great. was a great atmosphere for a business meeting

Central was a great place for a business lunch. It has a $25 3-course lunch special, which was perfect for the business meal. The food was decent, and I would go back, but it was fairly standard fare.

I am a very picky eater, so I was thrilled to see a number of options on the brunch menu that I wanted to try. It's even fixed price for 3 courses. The goat cheese Caesar Salad was delicious. The smoked salmon benedict, which was served on spinach and gluten free on my request was superb!! I never order dessert, but it was my birthday, so I had the creme brulee, which was caramel flavored and also delicious. This is my go-to place now for dining in DC.

We’ve dined here so many times. This the first time with poor service. What a disappointment!

Fried chicken to die for. Currently on a clams linguini obsession. Love the cheese puffs and gazpacho.

I've returned to Central many times. The food is great -- can't say enough positive about the large portion of fried chicken -- worth sharing. However this is the third time that the service was poor. Its too bad since it mars an otherwise great food experience. The venue is loud despite it not being filled -- I suspect a consequence of the decor.

Central is one of my favorite Washington DC restaurants. The food is excellent as is the service. We met our daughter and boyfriend here. It was the perfect place for casual conversation with great food and drinks! We ate outside, which made it even better!

I was disappointed with the restaurant. I had dined there about 10 times previously and it has gone downhill. The quality of the food has diminished and an empty dining shows many people agree.

Central is our only recommendation to friends and family visiting DC. Superb food, drinks and service always impresses and never disappoints our guests.

I don’t know how they make the cheese puffs so light and flavorful but they are perfect every time! As always, the staff, service, and food was exceptional!

Took out of town friends to lunch and it was wonderful as always! This is why I Central is my go-to restaurant for lunch, dinner, happy hour, etc. Consistently great food, service and ambiance that can't be beat!

I haven't been to Central in a while. My boyfriend and I decided to come here for Restaurant Week dinner because the menu looked great. We were definitely not disappointed. The steak and dourade were well-cooked. The goat cheese ceasar salad definitely had a lot of cheese on it, but we like cheese so that's not a problem for us! The farro and summer corn salad was light and tasty, if not super interesting. I had the chocolate lava cake for dessert, and I'm so glad the portion size was small because it was delicious but very filling! My boyfriend had the creme brulee. The dish they put it in was a little too deep, but it tasted great and had a perfect crust.

The service was good, professional but friendly. The pacing was satisfactory too - dinner took about 1.5 hours for 3 courses.

I did forget how packed-in the restaurant feels. I wish it were a bit quieter or that the seating areas were more broken up into smaller sections for a more intimate feel.

Overall, good experience!

The staff, our server in particular was amazing. They helped to make the night a memorable one

We visited Central during DC Restaurant Week and chose the special menu. We agreed that the food was excellent. We were especially pleased with the yellow-tomato gazpacho, which had some subtle flavors. We chose different entrees; my fish (dorade) was tender and juicy, the creme brulée was a bit too custardy to my taste. We selected a bottle of reasonably priced red Burgundy from the wine list to better match our different entree choices. The service was professional, friendly and accommodating. Unfortunately, the noise level was unbearably high, which made conversation difficult, if not impossible. But maybe another evening than Friday night is a better choice. If you like good food, well prepared and nicely presented, go for it.