Europa Hofbrau Deli & Pub

I am a huge fan of hofbrau-style restaurants.

I hadn't been here in years(has to have been at least 5 years). I decided to stop here on my way to city, to see if it was as good as I remember.

Living in SF, I frequently go to Tommy's Joynt, which has great corned beef. I always wished that they would just stock some sauerkraut and rye bread so they could make reubens. So, when I saw that Europa offered a reuben made with fresh corned beef (and not just sliced deli meat), I was all over it.

The sandwich was absolutely delicious. The corned beef is super-tender, and the cheese is melted perfectly. I think that the thousand island they use is made in-house because it tasted like it was more ketchup and mayo and not so much relish (this worked out well, since the kraut was sour enough). My only complaint (and it appears I'm not alone on this) is that the bread cannot handle the contents of the sandwich. It is a little too thin, so the meat, cheese, and kraut just come pouring out and you are left to eat it of the wrapper using all of your fingers. This isn't a problem if you have no shame, like me. That being said, they could benefit from using a thicker bread, or toasting it a little more before putting the sandwich together.

The quality of the meat here was definitely better (not but a huge margin) than the meat at Tommy's, which I hate to admit since it is an SF favorite. I didn't get to try all of the other great looking food that they had, but I will definitely be back.

Nice down-home-like feel.  Some place you might find in the Midwest, not Lamorinda.  I love that you can scoot your tray along as they scoop up your fixings in front of you.  The hot open-faced turkey is the bomb!  Oh!  Can't go wrong with their deserts either, choco cake, so good!  Game room and play area for kids in the back & tv's playing sports hanging everywhere.  Leave feeling full and content.

Old school Hof Brau's are nearly lost. Oakland used to have one chock full of Raider gear on Hegenberger, Emeryville hid one on Powell Street near the SP tracks, Fairfield used to feature the Big Valley on Travis Blvd .  .  . Demographics change, and so do the public's tastes. For me, driving to San Leandro to visit Harry's is a bit of a stretch. I'd heard about the Europa in Orinda, and today was the day. Got the Spyder and the Triumph ready, and we headed out Pinole Valley Road to Bear Creak to Briones to Dam Road and on into Orinda. Got lucky and found a parking spot right in front of the restaurant. Pretty busy for a Saturday lunch. Long steam table, meats carved and sandwiches created right in front of your eyes. Shirley had the corned beef and cabbage plate, and I a Pastrami Sandwich with a green salad. Comfort food done right. Casual atmosphere, family style dining. Fringe benefit? The table next to us was occupied by a noted local lady TV newscaster, having a quick lunch with her daughter after some game (Soccer? Baseball?) Totally enjoyed the Orinda vibe, met lots of nice people outside talking about the bikes, and had a great lunch. Will be back!