Our Story
About Centro
Who We Are
Built for the Neighborhood
Centro on the Square is an American bistro in the heart of Historic Downtown McKinney, housed in a building that's stood on the square for over a century. Walk in and it feels like a place that's always belonged here — because, in a way, it has.
Centro comes from George Stergios and Brian Dunne, the restaurateurs behind Plano's Knife Steakhouse and Mexican Bar Company. For Stergios, restaurants run in the family — his family ran Vincent's Seafood, a beloved Dallas restaurant. After years as neighbors in Plano, he and Dunne joined forces to build something for McKinney: a neighborhood bistro where the food is made by hand and the room invites you to stay a while.
Leading the kitchen is executive chef Mark Gordy, who came up through some of the most respected names in Dallas dining — Knife, Spoon Bar & Kitchen, Town Hearth, and Monarch among them — training under chefs with Michelin recognition and James Beard nominations. At Centro he brings that pedigree to an unfussy, ingredient-driven kitchen: food that's exciting and memorable without the formality.
That from-scratch approach runs through everything. Pasta is made fresh daily — you can watch it happen at our pasta-making window — alongside meats butchered in house and a bar that reaches from housemade limoncello to a proper amaro old fashioned. Lunch brings sandwiches and the Centro burger; dinner, handmade pasta, steaks, and seafood. It's American cooking with real craft behind it, in the spot that's long been the center of McKinney.
In the Press
As Seen In
Acclaimed team to open Centro on the Square in McKinney
Downtown McKinney Gets New Italian Restaurant, Centro
Acclaimed Dallas Chef Mark Gordy Takes the Helm at Centro on the Square
Centro on the Square serves pasta, more in downtown McKinney
Editorial listing
The People Behind Centro
Our Team
Chef Mark Gordy
Executive Chef
Chef Mark Gordy brings a depth of experience from some of Dallas's most respected kitchens. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Dallas, his career spans Spoon Bar & Kitchen, Knife Dallas, Hubbell & Hudson Cureight, Sassetta, Town Hearth, Montlake Cut, Mister Charles, and most recently Monarch.
Trained under chefs with Michelin recognition and James Beard nominations, Chef Gordy's cooking draws from classical technique, steakhouse preparation, and meticulous seafood work. At Centro, he leads a kitchen focused on seasonal menus, house-made pastas, locally sourced steaks, and fresh seafood — all prepared from scratch daily.
George Stergios
Co-Owner
George Stergios is a lifelong restaurateur whose family ran Vincent's Seafood in Dallas for over a century — one of the longest-running restaurants in the city's history. That heritage shows in a menu that takes seafood as seriously as steak.
George also operates Knife Steakhouse in Plano, where he has built a reputation for resilience and quality. He and Brian spent seven years as neighboring operators at The District at Willow Bend before partnering to open Centro together. A former McKinney resident, George is deeply connected to the community Centro calls home.
Brian Dunne
Co-Owner
Brian Dunne was made for hospitality. He began his career as a dishwasher at 14 and worked his way up through every position in the kitchen before getting behind the bar. After earning a degree in Business and Management from the University of Maryland, he landed his first major role in Georgetown, D.C. at Champions Sports Bar.
Brian then moved to New York City, where he spent years bartending at some of the busiest bars in Manhattan before managing the bar at Richard Sandoval's Maya on the Upper East Side. He went on to open three Mercadito locations in NYC and one in Chicago, followed by a decade-long partnership at Pacha NYC.
After relocating to Allen, Texas with his family, Brian opened Mexican Bar Company in Plano — now expanding to a second location. His vision for Centro reflects a career built on genuine hospitality: a place where the food, the drinks, and the service all work together to make every guest feel welcome.
What We Believe In
Our Philosophy
Honest Ingredients
We source thoughtfully and prepare everything from scratch. No shortcuts, no compromises. Every dish reflects the integrity of what went into it.
Warm Hospitality
Service is not just what we do — it is who we are. Every guest who walks through our door deserves to feel at home, whether it is their first visit or their hundredth.
Community First
We are a McKinney restaurant, through and through. Locally owned, locally operated, and deeply invested in the community that surrounds us on the square.
Join Us
Come Experience Centro
We would love to have you at our table. Reserve online or give us a call.