I spend quite a lot of time there, mainly because I go to a couple meetups that gather there. It's a good space for meeting people, because they have plenty of seating for large groups, and because you have access to both the cafe and the grocery store. The cafe has excellent veggie burgers. They're savory and satisfying, and they come with a choice of sides which includes some pretty decent french fries. They also have some interesting specials available, and if I'm super hungry, I can always supplement my meal with one of the free rolls that come with the meals. I have a few complaints. The place gets pretty crowded, and the crowds are not always handled super well. I feel like I spend as much time waiting for employees to notice they're blocking traffic while chatting as I do for strollers. Also, it feels like they can't decide if they want customers to bus tables themselves (which I'm perfectly happy to do), or have employees do it, and they wind up with a poor compromise where one employee is struggling to keep up with the entire place, while customers are left with a few spots which are ambiguously appropriate for leaving trays and dishes. All in all, I recommend it, more as a meeting place than a restaurant.

I've been surprised by Central Market Cafe because it's not only a quick eatery for shoppers but a cafe with a life in its own right. I often linger here for a few afternoon hours—which I can do for the mere price of a cup of coffee—and I've seen all imaginable sorts of gatherings, sometimes all day once: quiet couples sharing a lunch; medical workers in their scrubs from one of the surrounding offices be Seton halo; kids' birthday parties; grown-up birthday dinners; retired folks enjoying the surprisingly affordable food; and yes, shoppers. There's a menu to peruse in line—at lunch there are burgers, sandwiches, and Southwestern influenced dishes. They'll give you a beeper that, five or ten minutes later, will insistently beep to tell you your lunch is ready. You go get it yourself, and you sit at a table for two or twelve in a dining hall of bustling activity and unpretentious simplicity. The food is always good. When the outside area becomes fit for human habitation—which it does for a few weeks twice a year—there's a nice outside deck that extends the dining area al fresco.

I usually have good experiences at Central Market and their cafe but today was different. I decided to purchase a prepared meal and decided on the meatloaf. I picked one up and it felt lite. I picked up another and it felt heavier. I then decided to check the weights to see if I was correct. As it turns out, neither meal was up to the correct weight. One weighed .94 pounds and the other was 1.105 pounds. They are supposed to have a net weight of 1 pound and 3.75 ounces, which is about 1.23 pounds. When you figure in the weight of the container, it really makes it short.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20

So I came here today with my bros as we were checking out central market. I had ordered the "Cocoa Nut" and my older brother the "Supercharged." When we came out and tried the smoothie drinks, they were so mediocre! My drink I felt had >50% ice and tasted so bland, where as my brother's drink not everything was mixed! I would rather go to Juiceland or Jamba Juice for my drinks as they're much more flavorful and not watered down! And lastly, as much as I would not want to say this, I sadly would prefer Smoothie King (too common but tastes fine) over this place! Take some lessons in smoothie preparation from these places then open back up!

Coming back here after a long time. Things have definitely changed or my expectations have gone up. We ordered the grilled veggie sandwiches, veggie burger and the margherita pizza. They were all lackluster and seemed to have been hurriedly put together and It wasnt even a busy time. A margherita pizza with no basil? Fries more soggy than crisp? At least slice the veggies into reasonable size before grilling. C'mon guys, you can do better! Hoping this was a one-off
Service
Dine in
Food: 3
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 3

Some of my earliest memories of being out of the house is from this Central Market. My parents, uncle, cousin, and oldest siblings worked here over 20 years ago and I remember walking around the store, chilling in the employee break room, passing by the massage chair by stairs, eating by play ground. All good, happy memories. I will never not recommend anyone go here and enjoy the atmosphere, food, and overall all the amazing things CM has in store. I love coming here

The sandwich I was recommended by was the chicken philly. The fries are extremely bland and the sandwich itself was decent at best. Not sure if I'd pay 14.01 for another meal here. athe chicken cut I received in this particular sandwich was very tough and the amount of bread used on these sandwiches make it difficult to get to the good stuff. The cleanliness and appearance was good overall of the cafe, as was service. Maybe not quite worth the price in my opinion.

This used to be one of the best places in south Austin to get a delicious dinner, and their specials were absolutely amazing most of the time. It's too bad they allowed politics to destroy them. I really hate going in there and seeing all the masked faces, especially at this point, but what can you do? This place sucks now. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, unless you enjoy complaining to an uncaring staff.

Would be a great place but the management really only cares about the community with money. They also have a serious disdain for computer users to the point where they sealed off all the wall plugs accessible to the public. The wifi itself has most ports closed which censors a portion of users. The place itself is 4 stars but I'm putting 3 for the management. I will change if they bring back the wall plugs.

Central Market Cafe. (Lamar) We ordered the salmon kale salad and hatch green chili cheese burger. The salad was too salty and the burger bun was soggy with grease. The french fries were cold and extremely greasy. $32.00 of disappointing food with flies buzzing around you. Save your money and go elsewhere. It seemed the Cafe was breaking in a new Chef because the food was awful. I want my money back! Lol!

Have come here since it opened w the kids when little to eat and play outside. All was good back then. Today I had the Asian salad with salmon to go. 30 minutes later...it has been eliminated from my body. Wash your salad and make sure everything is to temp. Also, the salmon was SO over cooked it was like a hockey puck.
Service
Take out
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20

Ordered migas plate but wasn't what I'd expected. Just a small amount of chip with lots of eggs and few trimmings of cheese, with a small container of green salsa ! Fyi those are not Migas! Fyi also was cold.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Breakfast
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 1
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 4
Recommended dishes
Pancakes Croissant Plate

This is how Austin does things. Live music at a grocery store, of course, that's one reason we are the love music capital of the world. The case has a nice park and playground and if you go the right days live music. The food is good at the cafe or you can go into the store and buy sushi or salad bar, get drinks, dessert, etc. And if you need to pick up groceries you can do that as well.

Friday evening filled with live Latin music and dancing. The food was fresh and delicious. The portion sizes are larger than expected considering the reasonable price. The pizza was $10-$12. I thought it be a small flatbread but it was a medium sized pizza! Nice
Meal type
Other
Price per person
$30–50
Recommended dishes
Garden Salad, Sweet Potato Fries, Pizza

Had a burger, though I hadn't eaten one in years, and it was quite good. I like that they don't mind substitutions, like fruit instead if French fries. Fresh from the market & sparkling water is free! The more I think about it, the higher the rating. If you go on Thurs, Fri, Sat.., and some Sundays, you can catch awesome live music! Five stars (+++)! Thanks, @Central_Market events!

After standing in line for 10 minutes to order breakfast tacos, I was told they stopped serving breakfast at 10:30 AM. It was 10:32 AM. I had been in line since before 10:30 AM. This is the opposite of good customer service. It is just plain rude. I will boycott Central Market Cafe from now on. I am a longtime Austinite and I am appalled at this treatment.

Been coming here ever since I was a kid, great service, great food, and great people! One of my favorite places in ATX for sure.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Breakfast
Price per person
$1–10
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Kid-friendliness
There's a playground! Very safe, good time for the kiddos.

Super frustrated when you want to order food and eat and all the seating is taken up by people with outside coffee & laptops, people playing board games, or employees sitting with phones or heads resting on the table. Tables should be for paying customers and employees should be taking their breaks in the cooking classroom if possible. More

My food was mediocre at best. The menu is different from the Central Market on Westgate (which has great food), so I was disappointed that the food here was so much less impressive. Wish such a great venue and easy access to great ingredients, you would think they would serve great food, but that's just not the case.

Don't order the Migas breakfast. Normally Central Market Cfe is a treat, but the eggs were dry, the tortillas were dry as cardboard -- 4 of those tiny cups of salsa was not enough to bring it back to life. Almost like the whole thing had been sitting under a warmer for way too long. No excuse for bad Migas in Texas.

The playground is great for kids and there's quite a bit of shade and space. The food is okay but not great and a little expensive for what you get. They try to make it fancier than what it is. The portions are good and some of it usually ends up in the garbage because you really don't want it as a left over.

We went at 2:30 in the afternoon. Half the tables were empty but they were all filthy and there were flies everywhere. The staff behind the counter was nice. The food was okay.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 3
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 2

Consistently good! They have a set of seasonal specials that they change up several times a year, and those are always the best, because they’re very original and inventive compared to their standard menu.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20

I had the pizza with green tea and it really was out of this world good. Also, the salad and soup bar omg smell so good. There's live music Thursday thru Saturday too! The best part is that the ingredients support the local economy because almost everything is locally sourced.

Best place for family outing with great music, food and shopping. We have tried Artichoke, mushroom, olive pizza along with potato fries and lemonade almost every weekend, it is top notch. Highly recommended!! Please keep up the good work, quality and maintain the prices !!

Had a hot fresh cappuccino in the cafe. Outdoor seating had a nice ambience. There's a playground for the kids next to cafe. Its a nice place to spend time on a evening with family. #HappyCafe
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Other
Price per person
$10–20

Really love, love, love the salad bar. However even though they are surrounded by hospitals and they offer 6 different soups, Not one is salt free. As a heart patient who is salt restricted I was frustrated that I was unable to eat anything but the salad bar.

The cafe is okay. Pretty good food at fair prices. It does have a great playground for the kids. And of course, booze for the "adults". Because we all know, you can't be a hipster parent without a pint of some god awful IPA or a glass of red wine.

A great space to work, study, or catch up with people! You can buy ready-made food in the grocery store section, more restaurant-style food from the kitchen area, or pastries & coffee from the coffee bar. Love the patio and sitting areas!

Often times when I come here the service is slow and poor. The man with short brown hair behind cafe is always forgetting a drink or a pastry- or forgetting to tell coworker to make a smoothie. I waited 20 minutes for a smoothie here- no

The café opens at 7am, one hour before the store opens. Check it out if you’re looking for great food, friendly staff, and reasonable prices like $2 for a bagel w cream cheese!
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5

Great location. Food is very good but service takes a bit. Be prepared to wait about 25 minutes during lunch. Also check your order for integrity. My turkey sub was great but was missing my tomatoes. More

great place to walk around and cool off with free samples and nice to hang outside on the picnic tables. the grackles remind me of being a kid. i would play on the playground when my mom when shopping.

Great food! Had the chicken ranch pizza...yummy! Will continue to go back. I've had the chicken wrap and a burger with sweet potato fries. Always good.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch

Amazing breakfast tacos and environment. Like a village square
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Breakfast
Price per person
$1–10
Food: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5

Really nice place. First time eating here. Roasted Turkey club was very good except the bacon was a little hard. Lots of food. Come hungry. Will eat here again if we are in the neighborhood.

Özellikle kuş sesleri ve ağaçlar arasında atıştırmaktan hoşlanıyorsanız, bu markete ait kafe tam size göredir. 7 - 8 dakikalık bir park yürüyüşünü de buna ekleyebilirsiniz …

I’ve loved this place for years, but, it’s almost always dirty. The cafe, deck, and particularly the restrooms. Central Market- PLEASE focus on cleanliness!

Food, coffee, wide open spaces in and out, full sized grocery store, computer plug ins-- great place!
Food: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5

Good place to hang out, activities as waking around the pond, eating and drinking at the cafe, listening to live music. Noisy for carrying a conversation.

Family friendly menu. An awesome place for live music, local craft brews, play ground for the kids, and the city park that is is set next to.

If you order a salad here prepare to have more of a soup because they put enough salad dressing to swim in.... somebody hates vegetables

Convenient cafe. Good service. Great coffee options. Even the ready made drip is good. Great outdoor seating with playground area.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN 1 SPOT!! I’ve found every herb, organic foods and products under one roof! You will not be disappointed.

Always yummy! Enjoy the live music and park for the kiddos outside. Great family, dog-friendly place to enjoy good food

Kids friendly and delicious food for the central Austin area. Parking is a big hassle but food is worth the wait.

We will make this a regular deal! Live music, good food and great company made for an exceptional evening.

Great place with friendly folks. I've had the Cafe Mexicana several times now and every time is a delight.

Your place for whole family. Great live music every Friday. Good food and sitting.

Great place for dinner.. Especially when you have children, great play ground.

This is a great place to eat and enjoy music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Excellent life music...
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5

Good food but the cashier with pink hair at the coffee bar was rude.

Great coffee, the best presentation of ice cream. Ive ever seen

Food is always good, but this is not a good spot for meetings.

Hard to beat this solid menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Food is almost too good! Acorn pizza is out of this world!

Good Faire but to noisy to carry a conversation

A great omelette and good selection of coffee

Good food, good music, good company

Awesome Fish Tacos Best in Austin

Good breakfast tacos in the cafe

Great products. Great resturant

Has playground and good food

Always good, healthy food...

Good food and a playground!

Miss this place so much

Great place for lunch

Best store ever

Best salad

the best

Great