Featuring a sushi bar along with a varied menu of pizzas, pastas and other entrees, Central Table, located in the Central West End, offers something for everyone. This upscale restaurant with valet parking has a modern vibe and advertises an excellent dining experience. The latter claim, however, is quite debatable.

My party of six was quickly seated on a Friday night at 8 p.m., though the restaurant was quite full. Its unique decor combines clean modern lines with rustic touches. Families, couples and groups filled the high and low tables surrounding the centerpiece bar in the middle of the restaurant. Overall, the atmosphere was pleasant and definitely geared toward a relaxed nighttime crowd of 20- and 30-somethings.

I ordered the maltagliati, a wide-noodle pasta dish with crab, breadcrumbs and a citric sauce. While the texture and spicing were unexpected, they ultimately worked, and the elements of the dish complemented one another nicely. The crab also worked well with the dish, in my opinion, though others in my party were less convinced.

The sushi at Central Table was the highlight of the meal. The “Freshy” lived up to its name—the cucumber-wrapped roll featured a unique taste containing four types of fish. The spicy tuna roll was a solid take on a classic, though the roll itself felt a bit skimpy. One of the diners in my party ordered just one roll and was ultimately disappointed in the portion size. When she tried to order a few more pieces to complete her meal, the waiter claimed it would take 45 minutes for another roll to be made—not exactly acceptable.

Unfortunately, the dining experience was tarnished by the two waiters who worked our table. Right from the get-go, our table was rushed into giving an order as the overzealous servers persistently approached the table. One of the waiters was not very helpful either, as he could not explain the polenta side dish. The waiters, along with a manager who blindly served food, did not get better as they served meals to the wrong person, were not clear about split dishes and messed up a pasta order entirely. Several items failed to reach the table at all.

Due to the sheer amount of people serving us, I wondered if we were being helped by a trainee. But after the other waitress snapped at someone at the table after admitting fault for serving the wrong meal, it was clear that both of them were unprofessional and amateurish.

If you are willing to risk dealing with incompetent waiters, I would recommend sticking to the sushi as it seems to be the best and safest option at Central Table. More complex menu options should be ordered carefully as they seem to be very hit-or-miss. Nevertheless, the unspectacular food at Central Table does not seem to be worth its premium price. The price of the meal, in the end, was not justified by the food or the service.