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August 2023 by Joy S.
I had a chicken sandwich which tasted amazing but it was a little over cooked but still good. The guy that took my order was friendly and the cafe area (seating area) was kept clean for the most part. I like eating the foods from here (they arnt greasy), they have a selection of foods but too much and not expensive and it's quiet enough to be able to hear the person you are talking to and not be too distracted with all around you.
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August 2023 by Doug W.
Absolutely awful. Cashier took phone number to text when food was ready. No text ever came. Female employee was calling out customer names in a barely audible voiceFinally after 30 minute's went to counter. Order was sitting there, ice cold. I ate it since I probably won't get another chance to eat todayBut I will never set foot in this place again. This is the second time this has happened to meIf you are looking for a good place to eat, this isn't it !The
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June 2023 by Amber A.
Stopped in on the way to Regal for a movie. Hadn't been in years; used to go weekly when I worked in the area. The menu is seriously pared down. The wooden chairs are uncomfortable. They have booths now, but the empties were not cleaned, so I couldn't try those out. The seating is expanded from my visit back in the day; they now have an area for live music. The hustle and bustle of diners eating, and the surrounding grocery is still very loud. I had the pork torta with sweet potato fries. I'd never tried it, and from the description, it seemed like it would be in the Cuban realm, which is my favorite sandwich most of the time. I had a fountain drink; $15 for the meal, which is really not bad. Sadly, the torta was dry. It comes with red onions, and I think a sauce? I couldn't taste any sauce; the meat was a huge portion, but dry and flavorless. The sweet potato fries were crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, perfectly cooked, but bland. I used salt and pepper liberally, which I normally don't need to do eating out.In COVID times, the pared down menu now has no real silverware. Instead, it's a machine holding plastic utensils. You press a button and your utensil appears. I couldn't figure this out, and I broke the cheap handle trying to retrieve the fork. Oops.I also couldn't find ketchup or condiments of any kind at the soda area. I'm not sure what was up; it's a grocery store, you'd think condiments would be available. Sadly, despite the live music area and booths, the food is pared down and not as flavorful. I didn't finish the torta; staff kindly disposed of it for me. If you work here, better options around. If you don't, don't make a special trip anymore, and I'm sad to say that.
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June 2023 by John K.
Terrible kitchen. Asked for a "well done" burger, got a nearly raw pink center one. Fries were almost inedible due to sogginess. How hard is it to cook a patty properly or drop fries in hot oil so they don't soak up all the oil... They said they'll replace it but got the same pink patty. No QC at all, will not eat at the cafe again. (This was our second bad experience, hence the review)
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March 2023 by R W.
I regret joining the recent reviewers who have recorded the downward slide of what was once a great place. We've been going to the "cafe" since it opened years ago, stuck with it after COVID, and now find it a ghost of what it once was. You could put the surviving menu on a bumper sticker, there seems to be no more lunch specials on a regular basis, and the quality of even a basic, such as a burger, has declined to unacceptable. Previously, this was one of the best places in the area to get a breakfast taco, but that's all gone now -- no mushrooms, no spinach, no avocado, etc. Why on earth can't these ingredients be available when they abound on the other side of their market? I can only conclude that HEB management doesn't register or care about the decline, which is why I probably will never go back.
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February 2023 by Fab R.
Always have a great special of the day. My kid loves the French toast. Great atmosphere and food
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February 2023 by Frank A.
Haven't been here an a while , so we decided to stop in on a cold Friday. First off, the menu has been pared down tremendously. Gone are the pastas, as well as the Cobb Salad. I ordered the burger with sweet potato fries, my wife ordered the tortilla soup and a side salad. The burger was cooked well, but was unseasoned and did not have much taste, and was kind of dry. My fries were good, and there was enough to fill me up. The tortilla soup lacked......everything except broth-- it had minimal chicken or vegetables, mainly just broth and chips. The side salad was very average. Based on other places in the area, I won't go out of my way to stop in to eat. It used to be so much better that I used to bring out of town guests here.
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February 2023 by T. D.
Workers are consistently so snobby to me. Is it the way I dress? The way I look? For instance, I stood in line for a sample, and the server was snide about me wanting a taste. I asked if the mushrooms they were using were sold year-round. The server scoffed and condescendingly explained where mushrooms come from. I didn't need attitude, I was just making conversation. I used self-checkout and tried to used Google pay. The payment didn't go through, so I reached into my bag for my card. As I did so, the bagger across the way yelled, annoyed, "we don't do tap payment." Yeah, obviously. I was getting my card out from my bag. Why yell at me just to be rude? This is a consistent problem I have at Central Market. I really don't understand if it's just me/my demographic that gets treated "beneath" everyone else. It sucks because the selection here is so good.
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January 2023 by Lauren C.
Love coming to the little cafe in Central Market to grab dinner before a movie. Their portions are huge and the quality is high. I love their grilled chicken sandwich. We came one night and their was live music.
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January 2023 by Jan P.
I'd consider moving to Austin just so I could shop here weekly. We have nothing like this under one roof at home. High end food + great variety + endless choices + café + great service. Awesome!
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November 2022 by Jenn B.
DON'T use delivery service unless you're only getting pantry items. The first couple years of the pandemic, they were good about calling about missing items/questions (actually kind of annoyingly so because of delays between system telling you and someone calling you, so it was double effort). But now they don't. Third time they've botched up order with still charging me for things I reviewed and asked for refunds. Deli items available as single items I'd get in pounds. And I just got twice as much a very expensive meat cut. I've also noticed a drop in quality of their prepared foods, especially from the bakery. I saw another review mentioning their Chocolate Cream Pie being 90% cream. I used to get their pot of chocolate before pandemic but had the same type of issue; poorly blended and not really chocolate. As someone who doesn't drive, it was already a challenge to go the store. I could justify the fees and tips for adequate service, but now I keep getting stuck with more food than I could use, food I didn't want, and paying a lot more for it.
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November 2022 by Patrick P.
Stopped here when in town running errands with my friend and his family over the weekend. This is an offshoot of HEB (Grocery chain) and reminds me of a more affordable Whole Foods. We came in here for lunch since there are so many options for food. You can go into the store and get soups and chili, or do what I did and order a cheeseburger salad with homemade 1000 island dressing. Super fast, the salad had bacon, cheese, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, greens, and a healthy amount of diced burger to go with everything. HEARTY doesn't even do this justice. I ordered an extra side of dressing but you probably don't need one. I used it because it was so delicious. I was sad when it was time to go, I wanted to keep dipping things into the dressing. Easy to eat here and run. If you have shopping to do, you can get that done as well. But for a Saturday afternoon it was packed and rightfully so. People cleaning tables as soon as they open up. I'd come here more if I knew I was going to be able to get the salad again. However, they have so many options to go with I am sure I can find something I love just as much. If you ever come to ATL, I'll be your best customer! Thanks to the team here for great food, service, and experience.
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November 2022 by Sarah G.
I love central market cafe, it's affordable and the quality of the food is great! I am a little disappointed because recently they stopped carrying tortillas in the kitchen and will no longer make wraps. They used to be able to make any one of the sandwiches into a wrap and it was great! But definitely will not be coming here as much because that was my go to choice on the menu. It's kind of frustrating considering there are tortillas in the store itself and I don't quite understand the logic, but oh well. Besides that, I would say the service is pretty good and they get the food out quick. Depending on what time you go to the cafe they will sometimes have live music on the weekends and it's a hoot! Definitely a good vibe when people are up dancing and there's a live band providing entertainment. Please bring back the wraps!!!
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September 2022 by Sophia G.
So I love this Central Market. I follow a bunch of vegan groups when one posted about the vegan deli here. And I just had to try it. Went in and was obsessed with all the vegan things I found in this place. And they had vegan chocolate! And it wasn't dark chocolate!! My first discovery and I am so happy I found it. This alone will keep making me come back. There's also so many options here! More than I ever saw before. I was like a kid in a candy shop. Just picking things up and throwing them into my cart. I found cheeses I used to have as a child but in vegan form. I found vegan seafood. Their version of vegan bacon. So many items!! Then I found the vegan deli. It's in the produce section for those looking for it. Which makes complete sense to me. I'm beyond happy it's not in the actual deli area. They have their own place in the store with someone cooking and making samples on one side. And someone who weighs the food right next to them. The food was amazing!!! My only drawback is how expensive it is. Everything was per pound. And we're talking on average $15 a pound for something. I already had a bunch of items in my cart so I decided to just try small portions of a few items for now. Make sure I like them first. And they were all great. I am definitely coming back to try more items and buy more of the items I enjoyed. Love this idea. I really hope it stays.
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August 2022 by Brandy C.
I love Central Market. However, I have to say that I'm disappointed in the Chocolate Cream Pie that I recently purchased because it was literally 90% cream. Don't get me wrong, the cream is delicious, but how 'bout that chocolate?? Look at this picture! I thought my friend was being stingy with the chocolate but after a 5 minute heated argument, she showed me the pie. I promptly apologized, and decided to write this review. I hope this was just a one-off occurrence, but I had to let it be know. Watch out for the cream pies. You might JUST get cream. P.s. We still ate it. And it was still delicious. Just wish there was more chocolate.