Centro on the Square is now open, offering meals and accepting reservations in Historic Downtown McKinney.

The gist

The new McKinney restaurant is a concept from George Stergios, owner of Knife Steakhouse, and Brian Dunne, owner of Mexican Bar Company—both restaurants located at Willow Bend Mall in Plano.

The restaurant is an American Italian bistro, its website states. Items on the dinner menu include starters such as beef meatballs, burrata, and salad and soup options. Entrees include steak frites, osso buco and pasta dishes such as spicy vodka cavatelli and short rib ravioli, according to the restaurant’s website.

Menu items are made in-house and from scratch, including meats butchered in-house and fresh pasta, Dunne said.


The drink menu at Centro on the Square features signature and seasonal cocktails such as housemade limoncello and an amaro old fashioned, as well as a variety of liquors, beer and wine.

The restaurant also offers a daily lunch menu featuring a variety of sandwiches as well as the Centro burger. Stergios said the restaurant will begin offering a weekend brunch service in mid-August.

The context

Centro on the Square filled the space formerly occupied by Harvest Seasonal Kitchen, which was made available following the restaurant’s downtown relocation and rebranding as Harvest at the Masonic.


Renovations to the space, located in an over 100-year-old building, began in fall 2024 and aimed to retain and accentuate elements of the original building while optimizing the space for a downtown restaurant.

“We're excited to be in downtown McKinney, which has a ton of foot traffic and is the heart of McKinney,” Dunne said.