American Italian Bistro in McKinney

By Shelbie Hamilton at Community Impact

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 duo, both being life-long restauranteurs, met through their neighboring restaurant concepts and later began developing a new concept together.

Centro on the Square will fill 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.

“We reached out to the landlord, and as you can imagine, there’s a long list of people that wanted this spot, and we were able to obtain it,” Stergios said.

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. Newly added elements in the space include an 11-seat bar and a 10-person lounge area near the entrance, in addition to the renovated dining area. The restaurant also features a side room that can be used for private dining experiences and meetings for up to 40 people.

“Our vision is a neighborhood restaurant, but also somewhere where you can celebrate an anniversary, a birthday, you can have that business dinner,” Dunne said. “You can have a really nice meal at a very affordable price.”

The owner-operated restaurant, which will begin service with a soft opening period, is set to debut in early June.

Dunne described the restaurant’s menu as “very approachable” with items available to include a variety of appetizers, salads, pasta, locally sourced steaks and fish dishes, with a focus on Italian cuisine.

“It’s going to be … something that all guests will enjoy; some [dishes] that they’re a little more familiar with and then some dishes where the chef is going to wow them with some different flavors than they’re used to,” Dunne said of the menu.

Menu items are made in-house and from scratch, including meats butchered in-house and fresh pasta, Dunne said. The restaurant will also offer a drink menu featuring cocktails, bourbon and whiskey lists, and a selection of wines. Various mocktail options will also be available.

“We really think the beverage program is going to complement the dinner program, which is going to complement the atmosphere and vibe within the restaurant,” Dunne said.