Love love love Central Park. I think it's one of the best restaurants around. I know the atmosphere isn't great...okay, it's nonexistent, but the food is high quality and always delicious. I looooove their baked clams and pasta dishes. It's very reasonably priced as well--the other night a friend and I both had two cocktails, split and appetizer, and each had an entree, and our bill was around $55. Not bad a-tall. I have eaten here several times and will continue to come back.
(4)
Eli S.
Central Park is a nice little restaurant with a small bar area. It is what it is. Not Gourmet but not bad at all. Nice selection with a little something for everyone. The staff is always friendly and good early bird specials. A nice change from the chain restaurants that line Baltimore Pike. Very local as I usually run into someone I know there. A nice casual place to take the family.
(3)
Michelle T.
The food was great! i was really nervous after reading the reviews but it was awesome. my whole family loved it and everyone got an appetizer and an entre and we split 2 desserts. It's expensive for a local Springfield restaurant but great. They didnt even offer mashed potatos (the other guy said boxed??). The crab in the stuffed flounder was lump and one of the better imperials ive had. It was a little crowded. My chair got bumped a few times by a waitress running by but all in all we had a great meal. Oh, and remember refills are not free! lol (my family drinks alot of iced tea lol)
(5)
Adam P.
Good food, reasonable price. I am a big fan of their veal parm. Always thin, and cooked to perfection. This place is much better than it looks from the outside on Baltimore Pike in front of a motel like setting. Early bird specials everyday from 4-6pm.
(4)
Martha M.
If you haven't been here yet, you have to try it. The food is terrific and the early bird specials even if not a full menu are great. The have excellent entrees and the staff is very attentive and friendly. I believe the restaurant was recently renovated and the food turned out to be for this little restaurant attached to motel. Try it.
(4)
Paul A.
This place is so sad. Only come here if you are willing to cry a little bit inside. Seriously, I do not know how some people actually like this place. The food was really bad, the service was fine, but the people were just really depressing. Do yourself a favor and find somewhere, anywhere else to go.
(2)
Rebecca G.
Went here with a large party for Mother's Day 2014. The food was good but the service was horrible. The server was out of it and straight up told us she didn't want to be there. We were told separate checks would be okay but when the bills came they were all mixed up and wrong and we had to sort them out ourselves. The worst part about it was that they weren't even busy - even for the holiday. I am a server in a busy restaurant myself and I would never act the way our server did. We were treated like we shouldn't have even been there. It was really a shame because the food is more of a 3.5 or 4 out of 5.
(2)
Kim W.
NOT GOOD!! This restaurant used to be awesome. New owners have taken over and this place is suffering. Went in with a coupon..thank goodness. I ordered the seafood trio consisting of broiled shrimp, scallops, and stuffed fish. The scallops were the size of a kernel of corn...what a joke! My boyfriend ordered T-bone steak that was very small and thin. He should of sent it back but we were both so hungry. The steaks here used to be thick and juicy. For the prices they charge you would expect something more than what we were served. Better off getting a meal at the diner just a couple blocks away. Don't waste your time or money on this place
(1)
Michael C.
The Central Park Restaurant from 9-10 months ago is not the Central Park that is there today. My wife and I most recently ate here in September 2014, shortly after the previous owners sold the restaurant, and the changes made by the new owners were both obvious AND HORRIBLE! This restaurant used to be my deceased mother's favorite restaurant. I cannot tell you how many wonderful meals we had here back when it was a fine Italian bistro. The place was typically packed on Friday and Saturday nights. When my wife and I went there several months ago, the bartender explained that the restaurant had just changed hands and he was the only emplyee working there that night! He was acting as the bartender, waiter, cook, etc. It was dinnertime yet the place was practically empty except for a few men seated at the bar. The ambience had changed from a fine Italian bistro to essentially what looked to be a diner of sorts. The food wasn't bad but it simply wasn't what it once was. I felt sad as I left Central Park that evening. The building was the same, the bar was the same, but everything else had changed... And not for the better. Sadly, I will not be returning to Central Park.
(2)
Michele G.
4stars due to the amazing food. If this review were based strictly on customer service, I would be giving zero stars! It took quite some time to receive our food, and the waitress didn't seem very interested in serving us. I would return knowing in advance to lower my expectations for excellent customer service.
(4)
J D.
Good is OK but service is slow. Friendly waitress but seems to be novice. And today is Sunday and only three of us in at first and then another person came in. Not same since new owner.
(2)
Greg D.
The place has changed management and is trying to figure out what it wants to be. The majority of the staff, as told to me, has either quit or been let go. The room itself is undergoing a renovation. It looks and feels like a diner rather than somewhere you'd expect to go for a date night, as an example. There's no character or theme and the lighting is too bright with monotone painted walls. To get fair, I have no idea of what they plan to do as the renovations continue. As of this moment, it's not the most inviting space. The bar is large, disproportionately large for the space. It leads me to believe they're planning on catering to the bar/dancing/DJ crowd, which is fine. The restaurant portion should be better segregated. The liquor offerings are basic, not much in the way of Top Shelf, but against that, the price for cocktails is reasonable and the bartender knows how to make a very good manhattan (always worth a star in any review). Strangely, their wine cellar is anemic. They were out of Merlot and Cabernet-on a Saturday night?!?!?!?! The dinner menu is NOT what you'll find on line. The new menu is smaller, with a dinner and small plate size of most offerings. It is decidedly Italian menu. The chef is the gentleman who used to be the chef at the Springfield Inn. Simply put, the food is excellent. All of the pasta dishes are delicious. There are burgers and roast pork sandwiches also. Oddly, no steaks on the menu-maybe later. If you go, try to get in Denise's station. She was great/funny/very hard worker. She made the night a lot of fun
(3)
Kim S.
I use to order from here before it was taken over by new owners. I ordered last night and was highly disappointed with the quality of food and service. The crabcakes aren't what they use to be. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. You would get better quality of food with a microwaveable dinner. Such a waste of time and money
(1)
Marc K.
Great food at a reasonable price. Crab cakes are made with crab and not annoying crab cake filler. The steaks are great also.
(5)
Frances R.
Was there tonight. Had chicken piccada. It was excellent. Tender juicy and the sauce was better then my daughters go to dish. Friend had florentine chicken, same excellent. Soup tomato florentine same great. Rosa sauce penne side excellent. Place can use some new furnishing but food made me happy.
(4)
Danielle F.
My boyfriend and I are big breakfast people and My mom told us to try here. We were very disappointed. The menu was very tiny. The orange juice was the smallest I have ever seen. Even the toast was blah, and served with random kinds of jelly like orange. Also weight staff was not very friendly or accommodating. Will not go back at least for breakfast.
(2)
Alex X.
I was trying to find this place on yelp ao I can go back and now I found it. Someone brought me to this restaurant a while back & I have to say I truly enjoyed my meal. I probably ordered white sauce spaghetti with mussels. I can't exactly recall but I knew the food was great!! ;-) Sorry I occasionally I get food coma- you know, when the food is good and you ate a bit too much. Lol! Can't wait to stop by when I am in the area!
(4)
Rita C.
If I could have given this place 2.5 stars, I would have. A friend of mine had a very small wedding and held the dinner reception at Central Park. I knew exactly where it was when I read the name, but I could not think of anyone I knew that had ever been here. I must say that I was pretty worried to go here after some of the reviews I read on Yelp, but I was pleasantly surprised. The place was pretty small, but had a pretty decent and clean bar area. There was only one bartender working, but she did a pretty good job keeping up with everyone that was waiting for a drink. For dinner, I had the clams in the diablo sauce. It came out piping hot in a huge bowl and the cook definitely wasn't shy with his/her use of the crushed red pepper - it was really spicy, but in a fantastic way. As I looked around the table, I saw a bunch of meals that looked delicious - penne with vodka sauce, stuffed pork chops, stuffed shrimp (FYI you only get 2 and they are pretty small), open face roast beef, etc. I didn't hear any complaints around the table! Yes- this place is small and doesn't have anything glamorous or out-of-the-ordinary, however, the food is good and the waitstaff is friendly. If you're looking for an inexpensive meal and happen to be on Baltimore Pike, it's worth a try.
(2)
Pat M.
Most unwelcoming place I've ever been to. I hope their food is good because this place doesn't do it as a bar. I was staying at the hotel behind the restaurant and wanted to watch a playoff game but instead they had baseball tonight on and were having last call several hours before close.
(1)
Justin T.
My wife and I actually used to love to come here to get burgers. One day we came in for lunch and tried something different. I'll never forget I got a pasta dish in a vodka cream sauce with prosciutto. Now I'm Italian and I know prosciutto. I told the lady that this was not prosciutto and I demanded that they put some in my dish. They were putting Tavern Ham in my meal. I don't know if I'll ever go back. That lady didn't try to apologize or fix this issue. Disappointed ever since then about that.
(2)
Steve M.
We tried this for lunch based on the Yelp reviews and boy were we disappointed. We arrived early and were one of only 3 parties, but service was slow and erratic. The asparagus soup was pretty good, but the turkey dinner was a bust - it would have been just fine at cafeteria or from a frozen dinner. The worst part - INSTANT MASHED POTATOES - that is why they are getting a 1 star rating instead of a 2 (or perhaps a 3, not likely but maybe). The instant mashed are an instant fail - sort of like hitting a car while parallel parking at the end of your driving test - you might have aced it until then, but you instantly flunk. There is just no excuse not to have actual potatoes. Another note - many of the other reviews mention the newly updated decor - I shudder to think what it used to look like. The way it is right now it looks ok, but far from great and sure not newly redone - the cracked vinyl seats in the booths for example look like they are from the 1980's. (Just saw my wife posted as well (Lisa M) - I guess that she was a bit more generous that I was - but then again she did not have to eat the instant potatoes).
(1)
Mary Theresa A.
This restaurant's Executive Chef, Michael Loro, is one the area's truly talented chefs. My favorite dishes include the crabcakes, and a dish named "veal Dave Gallo". The aforementioned veal dish is comprised of veal, eggplant franchese, broccoli rabe, roasted peppers and italian sausage topped with mozzarella cheese. The portions are generous and the flavors superb! The restaurant has recently been refurbished and the service is good.
(5)
Bill M.
Went there about a month ago based on a recommendation from my in-laws..portion sizes were large I just wish the food was good. Maybe I was expecting to much because my mother-in-law raved about the place but I'm sorry to say I was not impressed and won't be going back.
(1)
Lisa M.
I've gotta say, I'm not sure what other people are seeing here. This restaurant is in a Days Inn. We ordered the turkey dinner, which was like a Boston Market frozen meal, but not as good. The potatoes were instant, and the turkey was frozen. The spaghetti sauce on the ravioli was extremely salty. Overall, not a place we'd go back to.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Accepts Bitcoin : No Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Dogs Allowed : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
Leslie D.
Love love love Central Park. I think it's one of the best restaurants around. I know the atmosphere isn't great...okay, it's nonexistent, but the food is high quality and always delicious. I looooove their baked clams and pasta dishes. It's very reasonably priced as well--the other night a friend and I both had two cocktails, split and appetizer, and each had an entree, and our bill was around $55. Not bad a-tall. I have eaten here several times and will continue to come back.
(4)Eli S.
Central Park is a nice little restaurant with a small bar area. It is what it is. Not Gourmet but not bad at all. Nice selection with a little something for everyone. The staff is always friendly and good early bird specials. A nice change from the chain restaurants that line Baltimore Pike. Very local as I usually run into someone I know there. A nice casual place to take the family.
(3)Michelle T.
The food was great! i was really nervous after reading the reviews but it was awesome. my whole family loved it and everyone got an appetizer and an entre and we split 2 desserts. It's expensive for a local Springfield restaurant but great. They didnt even offer mashed potatos (the other guy said boxed??). The crab in the stuffed flounder was lump and one of the better imperials ive had. It was a little crowded. My chair got bumped a few times by a waitress running by but all in all we had a great meal. Oh, and remember refills are not free! lol (my family drinks alot of iced tea lol)
(5)Adam P.
Good food, reasonable price. I am a big fan of their veal parm. Always thin, and cooked to perfection. This place is much better than it looks from the outside on Baltimore Pike in front of a motel like setting. Early bird specials everyday from 4-6pm.
(4)Martha M.
If you haven't been here yet, you have to try it. The food is terrific and the early bird specials even if not a full menu are great. The have excellent entrees and the staff is very attentive and friendly. I believe the restaurant was recently renovated and the food turned out to be for this little restaurant attached to motel. Try it.
(4)Paul A.
This place is so sad. Only come here if you are willing to cry a little bit inside. Seriously, I do not know how some people actually like this place. The food was really bad, the service was fine, but the people were just really depressing. Do yourself a favor and find somewhere, anywhere else to go.
(2)Rebecca G.
Went here with a large party for Mother's Day 2014. The food was good but the service was horrible. The server was out of it and straight up told us she didn't want to be there. We were told separate checks would be okay but when the bills came they were all mixed up and wrong and we had to sort them out ourselves. The worst part about it was that they weren't even busy - even for the holiday. I am a server in a busy restaurant myself and I would never act the way our server did. We were treated like we shouldn't have even been there. It was really a shame because the food is more of a 3.5 or 4 out of 5.
(2)Kim W.
NOT GOOD!! This restaurant used to be awesome. New owners have taken over and this place is suffering. Went in with a coupon..thank goodness. I ordered the seafood trio consisting of broiled shrimp, scallops, and stuffed fish. The scallops were the size of a kernel of corn...what a joke! My boyfriend ordered T-bone steak that was very small and thin. He should of sent it back but we were both so hungry. The steaks here used to be thick and juicy. For the prices they charge you would expect something more than what we were served. Better off getting a meal at the diner just a couple blocks away. Don't waste your time or money on this place
(1)Michael C.
The Central Park Restaurant from 9-10 months ago is not the Central Park that is there today. My wife and I most recently ate here in September 2014, shortly after the previous owners sold the restaurant, and the changes made by the new owners were both obvious AND HORRIBLE! This restaurant used to be my deceased mother's favorite restaurant. I cannot tell you how many wonderful meals we had here back when it was a fine Italian bistro. The place was typically packed on Friday and Saturday nights. When my wife and I went there several months ago, the bartender explained that the restaurant had just changed hands and he was the only emplyee working there that night! He was acting as the bartender, waiter, cook, etc. It was dinnertime yet the place was practically empty except for a few men seated at the bar. The ambience had changed from a fine Italian bistro to essentially what looked to be a diner of sorts. The food wasn't bad but it simply wasn't what it once was. I felt sad as I left Central Park that evening. The building was the same, the bar was the same, but everything else had changed... And not for the better. Sadly, I will not be returning to Central Park.
(2)Michele G.
4stars due to the amazing food. If this review were based strictly on customer service, I would be giving zero stars! It took quite some time to receive our food, and the waitress didn't seem very interested in serving us. I would return knowing in advance to lower my expectations for excellent customer service.
(4)J D.
Good is OK but service is slow. Friendly waitress but seems to be novice. And today is Sunday and only three of us in at first and then another person came in. Not same since new owner.
(2)Greg D.
The place has changed management and is trying to figure out what it wants to be. The majority of the staff, as told to me, has either quit or been let go. The room itself is undergoing a renovation. It looks and feels like a diner rather than somewhere you'd expect to go for a date night, as an example. There's no character or theme and the lighting is too bright with monotone painted walls. To get fair, I have no idea of what they plan to do as the renovations continue. As of this moment, it's not the most inviting space. The bar is large, disproportionately large for the space. It leads me to believe they're planning on catering to the bar/dancing/DJ crowd, which is fine. The restaurant portion should be better segregated. The liquor offerings are basic, not much in the way of Top Shelf, but against that, the price for cocktails is reasonable and the bartender knows how to make a very good manhattan (always worth a star in any review). Strangely, their wine cellar is anemic. They were out of Merlot and Cabernet-on a Saturday night?!?!?!?! The dinner menu is NOT what you'll find on line. The new menu is smaller, with a dinner and small plate size of most offerings. It is decidedly Italian menu. The chef is the gentleman who used to be the chef at the Springfield Inn. Simply put, the food is excellent. All of the pasta dishes are delicious. There are burgers and roast pork sandwiches also. Oddly, no steaks on the menu-maybe later. If you go, try to get in Denise's station. She was great/funny/very hard worker. She made the night a lot of fun
(3)Kim S.
I use to order from here before it was taken over by new owners. I ordered last night and was highly disappointed with the quality of food and service. The crabcakes aren't what they use to be. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. You would get better quality of food with a microwaveable dinner. Such a waste of time and money
(1)Marc K.
Great food at a reasonable price. Crab cakes are made with crab and not annoying crab cake filler. The steaks are great also.
(5)Frances R.
Was there tonight. Had chicken piccada. It was excellent. Tender juicy and the sauce was better then my daughters go to dish. Friend had florentine chicken, same excellent. Soup tomato florentine same great. Rosa sauce penne side excellent. Place can use some new furnishing but food made me happy.
(4)Danielle F.
My boyfriend and I are big breakfast people and My mom told us to try here. We were very disappointed. The menu was very tiny. The orange juice was the smallest I have ever seen. Even the toast was blah, and served with random kinds of jelly like orange. Also weight staff was not very friendly or accommodating. Will not go back at least for breakfast.
(2)Alex X.
I was trying to find this place on yelp ao I can go back and now I found it. Someone brought me to this restaurant a while back & I have to say I truly enjoyed my meal. I probably ordered white sauce spaghetti with mussels. I can't exactly recall but I knew the food was great!! ;-) Sorry I occasionally I get food coma- you know, when the food is good and you ate a bit too much. Lol! Can't wait to stop by when I am in the area!
(4)Rita C.
If I could have given this place 2.5 stars, I would have. A friend of mine had a very small wedding and held the dinner reception at Central Park. I knew exactly where it was when I read the name, but I could not think of anyone I knew that had ever been here. I must say that I was pretty worried to go here after some of the reviews I read on Yelp, but I was pleasantly surprised. The place was pretty small, but had a pretty decent and clean bar area. There was only one bartender working, but she did a pretty good job keeping up with everyone that was waiting for a drink. For dinner, I had the clams in the diablo sauce. It came out piping hot in a huge bowl and the cook definitely wasn't shy with his/her use of the crushed red pepper - it was really spicy, but in a fantastic way. As I looked around the table, I saw a bunch of meals that looked delicious - penne with vodka sauce, stuffed pork chops, stuffed shrimp (FYI you only get 2 and they are pretty small), open face roast beef, etc. I didn't hear any complaints around the table! Yes- this place is small and doesn't have anything glamorous or out-of-the-ordinary, however, the food is good and the waitstaff is friendly. If you're looking for an inexpensive meal and happen to be on Baltimore Pike, it's worth a try.
(2)Pat M.
Most unwelcoming place I've ever been to. I hope their food is good because this place doesn't do it as a bar. I was staying at the hotel behind the restaurant and wanted to watch a playoff game but instead they had baseball tonight on and were having last call several hours before close.
(1)Justin T.
My wife and I actually used to love to come here to get burgers. One day we came in for lunch and tried something different. I'll never forget I got a pasta dish in a vodka cream sauce with prosciutto. Now I'm Italian and I know prosciutto. I told the lady that this was not prosciutto and I demanded that they put some in my dish. They were putting Tavern Ham in my meal. I don't know if I'll ever go back. That lady didn't try to apologize or fix this issue. Disappointed ever since then about that.
(2)Steve M.
We tried this for lunch based on the Yelp reviews and boy were we disappointed. We arrived early and were one of only 3 parties, but service was slow and erratic. The asparagus soup was pretty good, but the turkey dinner was a bust - it would have been just fine at cafeteria or from a frozen dinner. The worst part - INSTANT MASHED POTATOES - that is why they are getting a 1 star rating instead of a 2 (or perhaps a 3, not likely but maybe). The instant mashed are an instant fail - sort of like hitting a car while parallel parking at the end of your driving test - you might have aced it until then, but you instantly flunk. There is just no excuse not to have actual potatoes. Another note - many of the other reviews mention the newly updated decor - I shudder to think what it used to look like. The way it is right now it looks ok, but far from great and sure not newly redone - the cracked vinyl seats in the booths for example look like they are from the 1980's. (Just saw my wife posted as well (Lisa M) - I guess that she was a bit more generous that I was - but then again she did not have to eat the instant potatoes).
(1)Mary Theresa A.
This restaurant's Executive Chef, Michael Loro, is one the area's truly talented chefs. My favorite dishes include the crabcakes, and a dish named "veal Dave Gallo". The aforementioned veal dish is comprised of veal, eggplant franchese, broccoli rabe, roasted peppers and italian sausage topped with mozzarella cheese. The portions are generous and the flavors superb! The restaurant has recently been refurbished and the service is good.
(5)Bill M.
Went there about a month ago based on a recommendation from my in-laws..portion sizes were large I just wish the food was good. Maybe I was expecting to much because my mother-in-law raved about the place but I'm sorry to say I was not impressed and won't be going back.
(1)Lisa M.
I've gotta say, I'm not sure what other people are seeing here. This restaurant is in a Days Inn. We ordered the turkey dinner, which was like a Boston Market frozen meal, but not as good. The potatoes were instant, and the turkey was frozen. The spaghetti sauce on the ravioli was extremely salty. Overall, not a place we'd go back to.
(2)