Centro On The Square

We visited this very awesome 1930's Jazz age styled American/Italian Bestro in McKinney Tx for a four way Birthday celebration and I can surely say that this place instantly rocked to one of our favorites that I will have to introduce all my close friends and relatives too. First off, the vibe and general atmosphere of this place is what I love in a restaurant. They also feature a live Jazz band on Thursday night's after 6 pm..We will be back to see that in person soon. Now this is fine dining but without the stiff collar so to speak so it is not cheap but the taste and quality of the fare here are second to none. The selections available in the bar are not what you would commonly expect in a small country town and anyone who is a cocktail enthusiast will be very intrigued buy their selection. Everyone we interacted with was warm, professional, knowledgeable and very welcoming. Will was our wait person and he was phenomenal and knew the whole menu like the back of his hand. He satisfied our every desire with efficiency and a uncommon flair. Grant was the first manger we encountered and again next level service minded. Had anything been amiss I'm sure Grant would have seen to our satisfaction of the matter. The evening however was flawless. Every dish of every course they served was a symphony of flavor, quality and delight. Pastas are all made fresh in house and are some of the best I have ever tasted. I personally sampled the Mussels for my appitizer and they where superb, the beet salad also was a delicious change from the norm and for my Entrée the Wagyu beef short rib pasta. The flavor of this dish has to be experienced! Any words I would use would be inadequate to convey it's divinity. This was paired with a Vermentino White wine, exquisite! I could go on and on about all the succulent flavors that we experienced but I will let my pictures do the talking this place has to be experienced words cannot describe. Lastly we encountered a Manager by the name of Basil (ironic for a Italian Bestro) before we left, we conveyed our joy with how everything flowed flawlessly over the course of the evening. This place catapulted itself to our top 5 rating in the DFW area. Very, very impressed we shall be back soon for more! Bravo 👏 👏 👏 (I would strongly suggest reservations in advance as this place is very popular and parking in the square in old downtown McKinney may prove challenging especially during prime time.) Ambiance, decor, flavor, quality (everything made in house and fresh),lastly service, everything is a grand slam hit here.

Centro on the Square… yes, Yes, and Heck YES! First, the holiday spirit is alive and well. Very much giving festive dinner with friends in a hallmark movie vibe, very nice holiday atmosphere tonight. With a much needed contrast to the chilly night the inside of the restaurant was warm and bustling. All that said, of course what we’re all here for, the food and service were both fantastic! Our waiter described the menu as “American Bistro with Italian influence”. The burrata was SO good, flavors were well balanced and plate was beautiful. Salad was fresh and well dressed. I ordered the short rib cappellacci which was so flavorful; felt rustic yet carefully prepared nonetheless. The filet was perfectly cooked and was fork tender. We finished with the “classic” cheesecake but it was anything but. We had the pleasure of speaking with the manager Basil who had great service and pride in opening the restaurant so recently. To our surprise they’re also open for lunch, we’ll definitely be back soon!

We had a wonderful dining experience at Centro on the Square. I ordered the salmon, which was perfectly cooked and full of flavor. My partner had pricy rigatoni à la vodka, and it was rich, creamy, and very well balanced. We finished with the tiramisu for dessert, which was the perfect ending to the meal—light, classic, and delicious. Great food, inviting atmosphere, and attentive service. Highly recommended!

I cannot recommend Centro On the Square highly enough! From the moment we walked in, we were warmly welcomed by the staff. Karla provided excellent, personal service throughout our meal, making sure we had everything we needed. The owner Grant touched the table and was very kind. The ambiance of the restaurant is elegant and inviting, perfect for a special night out. The food was absolutely delicious. The mozzarella was fresh and flavorful, the green salad was refreshing, and the in house pasta dishes were cooked to perfection. We particularly enjoyed the chicken marsala and the lemon ricotta agnolotti del plin. The drink selection was impressive, and the Italian house red wine was smooth and delicious. We ended our meal with the cannoli for dessert, which was good but not the best we've had. Next time, we'll be sure to try the tiramisu. Overall, Centro On the Square exceeded our expectations and we will definitely be returning in the future. Thank you for a wonderful dining experience!

To start the vibe and atmosphere is absolutely amazing, the dark design with table lights and great decorations make this a good spot for a date or just a nice dinner. The service was also great and the people were all very friendly. All thats said the food is what you want to know about. The focaccia bread was good but they dont being you any oil or butter with it, so it was a dry eat. The Meatballs were really good, best thing we had that evening. The fried ravioli werent really all that so try something different. The bolognese was a solid dish with a solid sauce and the noodles cooked great and it all tasted fresh, switch to the spicy vodka Rigatoni and the noodles were way more al dente and the sauce didnt taste like any vodka sauce id ever had, it wasn't that good in my opinion as someone who eats vodka pasta everywhere. Definitely room to go again and switch up the 2 dishes we didnt care for and try others though since the other 2 we enjoyed quite a bit! Give them a try! Overall I give this place a 7.4/10

The place is published as an Italian restaurant which we did not find too many italian food options in the menu. We found the menu very limited and hard to decide what to order. Only few pasta options, 5 entree dishes and if you want to add protein to your pasta is extra charge. My husband’s salmon was raw, they brought a cooked salmon after we called it. But was not pleasant that we couldn’t enjoy our lunch eating tat the same time..:they offered us a tiramisu at no cost due to their lack of cooking but we never got it. I feel it is overpriced for the tasteless “Italian” dishes offered. I got a shrimp pasta which wasn’t special at all. The mussels for appetizer were ok. The atmosphere is nice, nice music but if I don’t have good food I won’t be back. There are many Italian good choices in mckny. Save your trip to this one.

We had an amazing experience at Centro on the Square tonight. The atmosphere was both charming and elegant with beautiful paintings lining the booths against the wall. The spicy vodka rigatoni was perfectly balanced and the limoncello sorbet was a perfect way to end our meal. I’d highly recommend coming here for the lovely ambiance, attentive service, and great food. Thank you to the manager Connie for coming over to our table and ensuring we had a great experience.

We went for my fiancé’s birthday on Christmas Eve. Our server was amazing she was extremely helpful with wine selection and properly serving it. The food was delicious and perfect serving size. Would definitely go back and try other items on their menu. And if you have room after wards for dessert, the limoncello sorbet and the tiramisu were amazing.

I'm a tough customer and I was impressed! Been years since I've seen the type of service we received.

We went for my fiancé's birthday on Christmas Eve. Our server was amazing she was extremely helpful with wine selection and properly serving it. The food was delicious and perfect serving size. Would definitely go back and try other items on their menu. And if you have room after wards for dessert, the limoncello sorbet and the tiramisu were amazing.

Restaurant is beautiful. Art is a conversation starter. That's about it for the positives. Our reservation (for two) was at 6:30 and we were seated right away. The waitress (who was lovely - none of our bad experience was her fault) explained that you order everything all at once because all the food is cooked after you order. Cool. Ordered drinks. Took about 10 minutes. Ordered our food. Waited about 15 minutes for our appetizer and soup. We had the beet crostini and jalapeño cream soup. Both needed a massive amount of.. other seasoning? Definitely needed salt. Bread boy came around with bread and the saltiest butter I've ever had. Was fresh and creamy, but ruined by the excessive amount of salt sprinkled on top. Why?? We then waited about an hour and a half for our main courses. They were served at about 8:20pm. Almost two hours after our reservation time. I ordered the lemon ricotta agnolotti and my husband ordered the short rib cappellacci. Both served at room temperature, not indicative of being freshly made but whatever. Despite having only these two entrees, I can tell you my husband's meal was the worst thing on the menu. Bland, undercooked pasta, flavorless short rib. It was just plain awful. My agnolotti was more flavorful, but tasted like someone just squeezed a lemon over cream sauce, as the flavor was inconsistent over the whole dish. We were so tired and annoyed by this point we decided to skip dessert. The waitress must have known we were annoyed because she brought us some cannolis to go. Unable to report on those as we have not tried them yet. Don't go here. It is a waste of time and money.

My husband and I were excited to try this place but we were left disappointed. I have never written a poor review and often give restaurants, particularly new ones, the benefit of the doubt. But this place .... Sigh. Admittedly, the ambiance is very beautiful. The bartender was attentive. However, overall service was not great. It is clearly an inexperienced staff. There were no pleasantries, no offers of bread, and it was shaky overall. The food ... extremely disappointing especially for the price. Calamari was bland. Mussels were not fresh. I ordered the mushroom pasta with meatballs. Pasta was heavy and lukewarm. The pasta is also not homemade and seems frozen. The meatballs were severely undercooked and lacked flavor. I was unable to eat them. The management was also dismissive. There are so many wonderful restaurants to choose from on the square and this place is not one I would ever recommend to anyone.

Centro occupies the old Harvest location, and offers a beautiful bar and authentic Italian food. From the outside, dark windows give the illusion that the restaurant is not open, but don't let that deter you. While we visited for lunch and it wasn't particularly busy, the kitchen was a little slow. However, the bartender was friendly and answered all of our questions about the menu and the restaurant. I ordered the lemon ricotta agnolotti del plin. It was honestly one of the best pastas I've had, and the sauce transported me back to the last time I was in Italy (over 10 years ago). The wine list includes Italian wines and some domestic wines you'll recognize from Rombauer and Jordan.

This restaurant reminds me of being home in New York. The whole vibe of the restaurant is great. The bar area is beautiful and has a good amount of seats. The exposed brick inside gives it a nice touch. My husband and I sat in a nice booth and the lighting over the booths is perfect. The personalized plates are a great touch as well! We started off with cocktails. I had a Fig & Rosemary Sour and my husband had the Amaro Old Fashioned. Both drinks were delicious and well balanced. We started off with calamari as an appetizer and it was cooked well and the sauces on the side to dip it in were both delicious. For my meal I ordered the Spaghetti Shrimp Scampi that had three jumbo shrimp with house made pasta. I can't pass up fresh pasta so it was a no brainer for me. It was really tasty. My husband had the French Dip sandwhich which came with fries which surprisingly was the same price as my pasta dish. He also enjoyed his meal. Our server Joshua was kind and attentive to anything we needed while we enjoyed our meal. We will be coming back here for future date nights!

I really wanted to love this place as a local who loves downtown, but it missed the mark for us. While we were big fans of the ambiance and the hostesses and waitress were very sweet, the food was nothing special. We came in on a Saturday night, and they were out of the original entree we wanted to order. They take your entire order at once, so we had to make another entree decision before our appetizer order was put in. The bread they walk around with is dry and cold - I think it would be a lot more appetizing if they served warm bread - similar to what their mussels are served with. The mussels were bland and lacked flavor - don't recommend. My husband got the Cacio e Pepe and I got the pesto, to which we both added grilled chicken. The pasta was good, but nothing to write home about. We agreed we would give it another shot, but we think this place still has to sort out some kinks to figure out what works for them.

This was the third--and final--time I've visited this restaurant. On our previous visit, our waitress took our drink order and then disappeared for ~20 minutes. The drinks never arrived, and she never returned to take our food order. Management eventually noticed the issue and came over to ask if there was a problem. There was. They offered complimentary appetizers, finally delivered the drinks we had ordered half an hour earlier, and made sure our entrées reached the table. The appetizers were comped, which was a nice gesture. Tonight, unfortunately, a similar situation. After taking our drink order, the waitress immediately asked if we were ready to order. We said we needed a minute. She then returned and told us about the specials--which included a drink, appetizer, and entrée. It was odd that the specials were mentioned only after asking whether we were ready to order, rather than upfront. When the food arrived, it was unimpressive, just as it had been on our previous visit. The spicy rigatoni was fine. However, the Short Rib Cappellacci was not. The pieces of short rib in the pasta were approximately 90% fat. Once again, the waitress never returned to check on our entrées, ask if we needed additional drinks, or see whether we were interested in dessert. On our previous visit, we left a very generous tip that reflected the full value of the comped items and then some. We will not be returning.

I was excited to finally try this place out after watching construction over the past couple of months, and after hearing great reviews online. We visited Thursday night and had a great experience! The interior is classy, clean and a perfect in-between if you're looking for something that isn't too casual or too formal. They have a bar, booths, multiple dining rooms, as well as a window where they make their own pasta fresh, daily. Once we were sat, we ordered a Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Both were delicious, and the other reviews were right, their wine list is extensive. The wait staff also offers samplings of the wines, as well as glasses and bottles, if desired. For our appetizers, we had the Fried Mozzarella, which was house made with marinara and parmigianno. This was delicious and an excellent pairing with the marinara. I especially appreciated the presentation of the sauce with a miniature bowl and serving spoon. We also had the the Artichoke & Arugula Salad with toasted hazelnuts, olive oil, lemon, and pecorino romano. This was a fresh, tasty salad and the lemon dressing was delightful. In addition to our initial drinks and appetizers, we also indulged in their complimentary breads. They have sourdough, olive and rosemary slices, along with butter. The breads are served by a designated bread server that walks around the restaurant, with a large board of breads and butter. You are able to obtain slices throughout your meal and request more as needed. The sourdough was our favorite, closely followed by the rosemary and olive bread. The bread service is a great touch and we loved it! For our main course, we ordered the Lemon Ricotta Agnolotti del Pin with ricotta, pecorino, lemon butter, peas, and asparagus, as well as the Pesto Rigatoni with traditional pesto & bread crumbs. For the lemon ricotta, I added chicken on top which made it an even better and more filling dish. The lemon ricotta flavor was beautifully done, very fresh, summery and delicious. For the pesto rigatoni, we added the chicken parmesan on top. This was a great combo, although the mix of pesto and red sauce was a little unexpected. However, both were very enjoyable and fantastic pasta dishes. I could definitely tell they were house-made and fresh pastas. We finished the night with some of their dessert House-Made Limoncello. We only had a small glass, but it was one of my favorite drinks I have had in a long time. It was a sweet, perfect way to end the evening. Next time, I definitely plan to check out the dessert menu! Overall, it was a wonderful experience and I am glad we were able to finally check this place out. I believe the manager, Basil, even came by our table and chatted with us about our food, how we found them and our night. We were greeted by wonderful, attentive staff throughout our time and I am happy to see some success for this business. I look forward to coming back soon! Thank you so much!

I have been watching the building of this restaurant for several months and was so excited to try it with a few couples tonight. Unfortunately it was a miss. It is a pretty restaurant inside but our server was inexperienced, which set the mood for the evening. I ordered a $105 bottle of wine. The server struggled with the cork and then proceeded to have to red wine drip down the side of bottle with each pour and never wiped it off. I also ordered a strawberry basil cocktail but it came with the large ice cube and very little liquid. Two of the guys got chicken parm and said it was great, that saved a star there. I had the spicy fusilli and while I enjoyed it, the portion was super small and I was still hungry. My wife got the cacio e pepe, she declared it ok, but certainly not the top five. So, bottom line we are going to let this would sit and gain some traction before we give it another try.

Upscale Italian dining without feeling too stuffy, the spicy rigatoni was great (with a bit of a kick) and the pork chop was very flavorful and cooked well, the tiramisu was a fun dessert to end the night, definitely good place for a date night or a girls night!

Thank you first to Basil who welcomed us with excellent service. We waited in queue for 3 hours and when we returned, he offered us hospitality while our table was cleared. Thank you! Once we were seated, Karla was our server. What a treat. The environment is warm and classic but her attention to details were phenomenal. She paced our meal so well, offered specials, and made recommendations that we decided to try. All of the food was fresh, seasoned perfectly, presented well, and absolutely delicious. Thank you Karla for making our evening amazing. She is a perfect example of humble service, thoughtful, and attentive to details. What a light!

Place looks amazing decorated for the holidays. Can't wait to dine here after seeing the restaurant.

The service was impeccable. The staff was incredibly friendly and attentive! The quality of food is the issue. We paid over $100 for two entrees and one appetizer (no drinks or dessert). If you're going to price the food that high, then it needs to be delicious, not mediocre, especially when there's another relatively new Italian restaurant downtown with better prices and higher food quality. I had one of the pastas but made it gluten free. It was okay, but not great, and my husband had the steak fries which was covered in a sauce that took away from the flavor of the overall dish. We had the chicken meatballs for our appetizer and they were unsettling dry. Even with the sauce, it was really dry. We were really disappointed and disgusted. Once this place gets their food right, we'll be back! Until then, we will take our money to Italian restaurants with higher food quality.

Enjoyed a great dinner at Centro this evening. The restaurant was decorated beautifully for Christmas. While we were reading the menu, we were served bread, without bread plates. We wanted to try a bite, but it was difficult not to have a plate to put it on. Next, we ordered drinks. Although all the drinks were either beer or wine, they took a while to arrive. Finally ordered dinner. When the menus were removed, the bread dishes arrived. Started off with the calamari. Found the remoulade sauce to be a little too spicy and the seafood sauce to be too bland. Mixing the two together was perfect. Then we had the mixed green salad. Although it had a tad too much dressing, the salad/dressing was really good. For our main course we each ordered the rigatoni with spicy vodka sauce, and added shrimp. The pasta was really good. Not very much sauce on it, but you still could taste the spice. And the shrimp addition made a good balance of flavors. Shared the cheesecake for dessert. It was served in a bowl, which was different, but it tasted really good. Also wanted to mention that our server, Karla, was a 'bright spark'. She helped to make it a very enjoyable evening.

Beautiful restaurant but the fun stops there. Service was ok but the bartenders have no idea how to make a drink. Wine list is mediocre at best and the food is nearly inedible. Way overpriced across the board. Been here a few times but that is it!

I decided on my previous great 4 other experiences at Centro I would book the preset NYE dinner at Centro in McKinney. I was disappointed the minute I walked in with my boyfriend at our 9pm reservation. The person who greeted us to sit us down for our reservation was confused. Since we were not going to get sat in a timely matter we got drinks while we waited. The bartender was slammed and the manager did not help with making drinks? We did get drinks before we got sat down! Thank you to the manager noticing I was a regular customer and saying I looked beautiful. We were seated sometime after 9:15pm for our reservation and did not see our waitress for another 8-10minutes. By now we are in this for two drinks at $44 and the pre-set menu $75 a plate. Also every time I tapped the bottom of the table my drinks spilled. We did put in our order for the 4 course meal. I asked for the Butternut Squash soup which was an option. What was not an option was Jalapeno soup. I was disappointed by the food runners response when I said "I ordered the Squash Soup"! His reply was we have been for a while. I did let the waitress know, so that future patrons would not be disappointed like me. I did make sure to check the menu before booking this event. The Caesar salad was not a Caesar salad. I may have high expectations from Ricks Steak House, but this is a Ricks property and I expect better! While I appreciate the Manager coming to our our table to check on us, he was overwhelmed. I did not see the point of sharing my bad experience last night with him. We were glad to get the check and leave! I have to say as a regular on the Square, I will have to think long and hard before I recommend this restaurant to friends or family. Hope you can consider making the changes to better your restaurant in the future! Happy New Year Centro!

Beautiful restaurant and nice addition to downtown McKinney. The menu had options for a few different tastebuds. Price point was normal for the area and menu. Service was pretty good for being a newer restaurant. The young man that brought the bread tray by was so wonderful, he said it was his first day. However the bread would've been better warm and not cold. Food came out in a timely manner, presentation was there, portions decent. We started with the beet crostini, fried calamari, beef meatballs and the burrata. The calamari and the meatballs were very tasty. The beet crostini had potential I just feel it wasn't executed correctly. It was missing something, the ricotta on it was delicious, I just feel they should've done something different with the beets, maybe make a purée or just fancy it up a little. The burrata was okay, wasn't crazy with the flavors they added. My husband got the Lemon Ricotta Agnolotti del Plin and I got the Mushroom Tagliatelle. I also added a redfish too. The redfish was cooked perfectly it just was really bland. My pasta was really good just really heavy. My husband's dish was amazing, really wish I would've gotten that for my meal. It's one of the smaller portioned entrees because it's so rich but then again it was light. It had a great medley of flavors. I'd definitely come back to try some other things if in the area but I want to be wowed more with their food.

Wow! Arguably the best restaurant in McKinney, based on a single mid-afternoon visit. The beef filet and double bone pork chop were perfectly cooked to order and delicious. Salads and sides were impressive. Vanessa provided knowledgeable, attentive service. Drinks were superb. Decor was gorgeous. Highly recommended.

We went fairly early on a Thursday evening for dinner. Restaurant wasn't too busy but each time we ordered drinks it took a little while to get them. We ordered meatballs and the beet bread appetizers. I would skip the meatballs next time...wasn't impressed. Entrees were just ok. We tried a couple of pastas and the salmon. Could have used more sauce on one pasta. Salmon isn't anything special. We would have loved to have bread delivered to our table but the bread guy never came by until we asked another server to bring some to us as we were finishing dinner. Interested to see if it was anything special. Again, it's just ok but would be great if they offered or brought olive oil for a dipping option instead of just butter For the price I think we will stick with Fontina Ristorante in Downtown McKinney

As we walked in, we were amazed by the vibe. Very cool decor, moody lighting, and exposed brick walls. The place was super cool and inviting. Very nice entrance. We chose to sit at the bar as it was later in the evening and it seemed like they were already in full swing for a Monday evening. Our bartender was very welcoming and made us feel right at home. He started us off with waters and drinks, and came back presently to take our dinner order. My fiance had the Cacio e Pepe, which was an amazing pasta with fresh cracked black pepper. She is vegetarian, and loves her pasta, so this was right tin the zone for her. I had the Filet. I asked the bartender about temps, because every restaurant seems to be different. Usually I order it Rare Plus, since it seems like ordering something Medium Rare these days will ensure you get it medium well or worse. The steak came out Medium. Not even close. So...by this time, our bartender was swamped with server tickets from the restaurant and was not even capable of checking in on us and the food. I maybe sat there for 3-4 minutes while I waited. Luckily the manager came by (his name was Grant and he was very accommodating) and asked us how our food was. I showed him my steak and he agreed it was overdone and offered to fix it. I thanked him and waited while I watched my fiance finish her meal. One of the bus-boys (or food runners maybe?) brought out three strips of Focaccia bread. The bread had a great flavor, but it was cold. Maybe I'm spoiled, but there is nothing more decadent in a proper Italian restaurant than warm focaccia bread. Once the refired steak came out, my glass of wine was gone. I cut into the steak while Grant was watching. Here's the deal. I'm super critical of steak. I ran steakhouses when I was in my late 20's and I know steak. This was better than the original, but it was still on the medium side of medium rare. Not close to Rare Plus. And if there's a sure-fire way to ensure that you piss off the kitchen? Send your steak back for a 3rd time. See what happens. It's never good. I sucked it up and ate the center-most parts and put the rest in the to go dish for the dog. I did finally get a second glass of wine when our bartender recovered from all the service bar tickets. Overall, I like the place. It had a super cool vibe and was exactly the kind of place I enjoy. They'll need to step up their game on the food the second time around. I know they can do better. We shall see.

Dinner w/3 friends. Our 1st time @ Centro. First of all our waitress, Emily was so sweet! We all loved our food. I got the chicken parm. It was so delicious! I think it maybe my favorite of all time. We had the calamari & brussel sprouts for apps. Both very yummy. By the time we finished our dinner, it was packed. The decor is upscale and tasteful. I look forward to returning.

Wonderful food and excellent service! We had the jalapeño soup, Caesar salad, and the chicken parm. It had just the right amount of sauce and luscious cheese. The flavors were bright and yummy. The tiramisu was one of the best that I've had. Thank you, Layla for taking such great care of us!

My husband and I had a wonderful date night here!! We sat at the bar and were served by the lovely and helpful bartender. We had the burrata which was delicious and then we each got a pasta dish. I got the lemon pasta which was so fresh and creamy and wonderful and my husband got the short rib pasta which was also amazing!! Can't wait to come back and try more items at this beautiful restaurant!

Food. And service was great. We could not have had a better experience. We will be back soon.

Enjoyed the lemon ricotta Agnolotti tonight at Centro. It was very good. Wait staff was excellent and ambiance lovely.

We had a big dinner oarty here the night before the Texas/OU game a couple weeks ago and I meant to post a review. The food and service was amazing. Fresh pasta is such a delight! We recently got back from Italy so I have a new appreciation for great and fresh pasta and Centro hit the mark. I asked the waiter if it was fresh and he took me back towards the kitchen where they have a window where you can actually see them making the pasta!

The remolded space looks fabulous. For only being open 6 weeks our experience was amazing. Fresh pasta tasty cocktails and our server Michelle was perfect. I love that McKinney has another great restaurant.

My husband and I have dined here 3 times, hoping it would improve...have dropped over $300. The restaurant is beautiful. On our most recent visit we dined early (dinner). The singular bathroom trash can was overflowing and paper towels were all over the floor. The menu selections and food are average at best (disappointing). The mussels had a great sauce but they are small in size. I tried the artichoke salad which originally was with toasted hazelnuts but they forgot the artichokes. The meatball appetizer was very salty (and I love salt). The pasta at each experience was over cooked by at least a minute or two, definitely not "Al dente". The focaccia bread is like a sponge- the consistency of white wonder bread, not airy and crisp. They NEVER offer an oil & balsamic dip for the bread and they NEVER offer fresh grated cheese with the meal. Half of the menu is not Italian at all. 32$ for 6 oz of Gulf red fish. Steaks are tiny. No stuffed pastas, just one ravioli dish. The menu is very limited and does not offer much to choose from. The al la carte chicken is an airline cut which is difficult to eat with any sauce because it is bone in and women do not like eating bone in chicken because it is messy. Over $3 for one shrimp. They call them U10 but not so sure that is accurate. We do not recommend this restaurant. A bit pretentious and does not deliver on the quality. Fontina restaurant on Virginia is family owned, larger portions, better prices and quality.

Everything was amazing, especially the homemade pasta! Marcus, our waiter, was awesome! He checked on us frequently, without being intrusive. All four of us were very pleased and will return. I recommend this restaurant for its ambience, staff, food and service!

Food tastes like TV dinner, start with the calamari and you'll see what I mean. Service is terrible. The ambience is really nice, it could be a really nice restaurant in the perfect location, unfortunately that won't be the case.

I brought a group of friends here on a Friday night to celebrate a birthday, based on a great experience I'd had previously. Things started off fine, but unfortunately the night didn't go as smoothly as we had hoped. It took a very long time to get our drinks--not necessarily the server's fault, but she also didn't check in with us at all during that wait. One friend ordered a second drink shortly after her first because of wait time and was brought two(unprovoked). Throughout the night, multiple servers tried to take drinks away before we were done with them, saying they needed the glasses, which felt rushed and a bit awkward. One friend ordered a salad that was supposed to include artichoke, and it arrived with just three small, sad pieces. When she politely asked about it, the waitress was noticeably snippy. My husband ordered the same dish he'd had before, this time with meatballs ( knowing the portion wasn't huge to start) but when it arrived the pasta portion was even smaller with the added meatballs. I did enjoy my spinach and mushroom pasta. When the checks finally arrived, one guest who had received a third drink she didn't order was charged for it. Again, when she brought it up, the waitress was short with us. We also weren't told that gratuity would be automatically added to each check (we were a party of seven with (5) separate checks, so we understand it's policy--but it would've been nice to be informed upfront, especially since we didn't catch it on the menu). Overall, this visit didn't live up to our first experience. We had high hopes and had raved about this place to our friends, so it was a bit embarrassing. As downtown locals, we were hoping this could be a new go-to spot in our rotation, but sadly, the service and experience this time just didn't measure up

Yet another over-priced restaurant hoping to capitalize on the charm of being on the square. My wife and I went for lunch, and we were completely disappointed on every level. Server was nice enough but not very good at explaining anything and seemed totally inexperienced and awkward. I ordered an "artichoke & arugula salad" - which was a total soggy mess; pitiful. The artichoke was unrecognizable and were like slivers of artichoke stalk. My entre of "campenelle bolognese" was dry and tasteless. My wife ordered some short rib brunch special that arrived with 2 eggs on top. She told the waiter that the menu said nothing about being served with eggs and his response was basically - "I didn't know it came with eggs either". Both entrees were only lukewarm. No one ever asked - "how was everything", which is probably a good thing. Bad enough that the food was barely mediocre, but also very over-priced in addition. We won't be back; but we are also disappointed that this was so far below expectation.

This restaurant was amazing. From the moment you walk in, through your entire meal, the service is wonderful. The atmosphere is nice. Feels upscale. The food is delicious! The teramusu is..wow! Arlenne was knowledgeable and just a delight.

Great service, Ambiance and food. Located at the best location in downtown McKinney.

Our group of 7 came for a 6:30 reservation and were not served entrees until 8:45. The wait staff & manager are very inattentive. Our waters were empty most of the night, we were never given a status on our food and why it was taking two hours, we asked for our check when the food was served and thank goodness we did because it took forever to get to us and to get our cards back. They also added an automatic 20% tip for our group of 7. After complaining to the manager, she gave us free desserts - which were average. The wait staff argued multiple times in-front of customers. The salads are tiny - do not order as an entree. The flat iron steak was very chewy and not enjoyable. The spicy vodka pasta was served lukewarm. The meatballs were fabulous! We were able to walk out of the restaurant at 9:17pm. Will not return.

Loved it! The ambiance, the service, and the food was delicious. I had the red fish and it was delicious. We also got some sautéed mushrooms and broccolini on the side and the portions were great. Looking forward to coming back and it being a staple in downtown McKinney.

Visited Centro for the third time in three weeks and each visit has been well worth it. This week Will was our server. He did a first class job of explaining the dishes to us and attended to our needs exceptionally well. Highly recommend Centro....and my wife considers that the burrata here is the best that she's had in the USA.

We went to this place by chance when another restaurant that we wanted to go to was closed early. We were very pleasantly surprised! When we walked in, we were greeted warmly by both the hostess and the owner. Our server was top-notch and attended to all of our needs. I thought the food was terrific!We got a salad, spaghetti and meatballs, dessert and a glass of wine. The ambience made me feel like I was in a much more expensive restaurant than where than the one we were in! We will definitely be making a trip back. Way to go!

Centro has delicious food, fresh made pasta, great atmosphere and attentive service! Basil (yes that's his name) did a great job as our waiter and Connie was so kind to honor our seating requests! We love this place! What a great addition to downtown McKinney!

After multi visits I have found the food quality and service to be a consistent high standard. It's my go to Italian in McKinney. The decor is elegant. The waiting and bar staff are exceptional.

In the former Harvest space on the McKinney Square, Centro has turned the tables on decor and ambiance. The bar is up front with a great variety of quality and well-crafted beverages. Walk to the back of the space and see them creating fresh pasta and other dishes. We've been there several times now and always find fine service and food. My favorite surprise is their calamari. I'm usually not a fan, but these are like the perfect beer-battered onion ring. I love them! Other appetizers and entrees are equally wonderful. Looking forward to our next trip to Centro on the Square.

We were excited to try this new Italian restaurant for my best friends bachelorette dinner. Great ambiance as we walked in. We were greeted kindly and it seemed like we would have a great dinner! Plot twist - our food took 2 hours to come out and my pasta was cold. My friends steak was chewy and not edible. The waitress and manager were fighting in front of us. You could cut the tension with a knife - not the steak. We were given no apologies. The waitress seemed to be avoiding us throughout our wait. The manager was very dismissive but offered free desert. We would have rather had a discount or free appetizers at the least. We had many issues with our checks. We will sadly not be returning.

Amazing food and ambience for a nice date night out or dinner with friends. All pastas are homemade and nice bourbon roster.

My wife and I thought we would try lunch and a new place in downtown McKinney to celebrate our anniversary. Atmosphere and decor was very inviting and comfortable. The food was subpar at best! My wife ordered a hamburger and it came out almost raw. They did prepare a new one, but that came out black and hard like a hockey puck! I ordered a parmigiana chicken sandwich, but I think the chicken left for the day. The manager did remove the cost of the hamburger, but the damage was already done. She indicate they have new kitchen staff members and they are still learning! It's our understanding that the owners own two other established restaurants.Here is a suggestion... maybe get a few members of these restaurants kitchen staff to train the kitchen staff at the new restaurant! The waiter was professional, hospitable, and apologized regularly, but he didn't prepare the food! We were really looking forward to going into this restaurant, but at the end of the day it was overpriced food that was not very good. $80.00 for a bad lunch is a bad look. I don't see us coming back anytime some.

Just about every critique in every review of this restaurant was true. The calamari were bland, the mussels were not fresh, nor were they fully cooked. I had the pasta with the short rib, it's the smallest portion of short rib. The plate costs $28 and they barely give you any pasta or short rib. My wife had the spinach pasta and added meatballs. I don't usually send things back to the kitchen, but my wife is pregnant and the meatballs were rare (and that's being kind.) they brought another plate out with the meatballs still rare (raw, you could see they were still pink inside.) I spoke to the manager who stated they checked the internal temperature and the meatballs were fully cooked. He must have been mistaken. None of the dishes were planned well and the flavors were not cohesive. Additionally, for the price you're paying, there was no care about the presentation. Service at the bar was good, this restaurant's only saving grace to be honest. The ambiance is excellent. Probably to make up for the low quality food and barely decent service. I would not recommend this place to anybody. I definitely will not be returning to this restaurant. For what it costs, you can go to Harvest or Rick's and get much higher quality food and superior service. I expected more from a restaurant like this on the square.