Central Standard Craft Burgers & Beer — Restaurant in Pleasant Valley Township

The Quad Cities have a number of pubs and restaurants that serve a decent burger. It's something I really like about the area. Of all the places to satiate the craving for a burger and fries, one of my most favorite places is Central Standard. I've enjoyed it for a number of years, and it's what I wanted on this particular late Saturday morning.

The dining room wasn't super busy when I arrived, but was already starting to fill a bit. As I was alone, I opted to sit at their small and mostly unoccupied bar to dine. The bartender got me set up with a diet coke and menu right away. I opted to order the fire and smoke burger, which has pepperjack cheese, bacon, aioli, sliced pickled jalapenos, and jalapeno poppers. It's a favorite.

The interior of Central Standard has always looked modern since it opened. Most of the walls are a light blue-grey, with the eastern side of the restaurant featuring a mural of sorts including themes of beer, wine, and Iowa. The western portion of the dining room also features a section of wall consisting of lighter colored brick, contrasting with the rest of the space. Flooring is a combination of patterned wood laminate in the bar area and plain, dark ceramic slab in the remainder of the dining area. While the overhead is largely uncovered, leaving ceiling supports, HVAC ductwork, and conduit visible to any occupant glancing upward, there is additional decoration provided in the form of a partial drop ceiling across the middle of the dining area. Lighting is perhaps the most notable thing in this space - There are suspended fixtures around the bar area, some fixtures on the wall along the periphery, but also smaller accent lights higher up in the overhead. Combined with the light from the copious number of TVs all along the outside of the dining area, the overall vibe of the space is quiet, dark, and comfy. I really like it.

My food came not long after and I started eating. The burger, as always, was great. A little spicy and smoky (as the name implies) but cooked perfectly. The fries are what I really love coming here for, though - they are super crispy, yet still fluffy on the inside.

I look forward to many future visits at Central Standard. They continue to be a great place to get a good burger and fries and relax for a little while. Maybe when it warms up a bit more I'll come back to hang out for a bit on the patio. Thanks again,...

Went here for the first time today. Our last attempt had a 30 min. wait, so we passed. Decor is nice - tasteful, simple, urban and classy. We were seated immediately and attended to in short order. Our waiter was super friendly and I liked him a lot.

Ordered the lunch special - single burger, fries, half salad - for $9.00. The food came pretty quickly and was fresh, hot and super tasty. I loved everything I had - esp the burger. The meat in the burger was particularly good; the waiter told us the meat was a blend of three different meats. The fries were great, too. I thought the flavor on the fries and the burger was really good - better than most places. However, the single burger (normally I'm told it's a double patty) itself is pretty thin. Normally the burgers come with two patties, so maybe that would have been more substantial.

The place is pricey. The cheapest burger is $9.50. The cheapest entree is the Caesar salad at $8 and that looks to be without chicken. The cheapest "snack" (app) is fries at $6.50. The menu is pretty simple, but the items offered do sound delicious.

Also, the cooks (at least the ones who do the burgers) are in the front of the restaurant, able to be seen by everyone. While I didn't mind this at all, I was surprised to see that no one had hair nets on. I have no idea what's standard in terms of cook sanitation these days - and I am not a germ/hair freak at all - but was surprised to see a cook with very long hair in nothing but a skullcap.

My only real complaint is the price. $11.76 for lunch is a bit too much (that included tip). Otherwise everything else was really good. I do look forward to going back to try a shake or an appetizer, but it won't make the regular lunch rotation for me...

We have been loyal customers of Central Standard for a long time—it has always been our favorite restaurant. We’ve never had a bad experience, and everything is consistently delicious. However, tonight was disappointing.

My wife’s sandwich was missing bacon, and when I suggested to our server that she get a new one, he went to check. Shortly after, the manager stormed over with an attitude that was both condescending and dismissive. Instead of acknowledging the mistake and offering a reasonable solution, she told us the best she could do was bring a side of bacon. We accepted, but it was frustrating to watch my wife have to assemble her own sandwich, especially given the high prices.

I understand that the manager is far along in pregnancy, and I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to work under those conditions. However, that does not excuse the way we were treated. Central Standard has always been so consistent that maybe they aren’t used to handling issues like this. Regardless, the way this situation was handled left a bad taste in our mouths.

Unfortunately, despite how much we’ve loved this place, I don’t think we’ll be returning...