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. Â Some place you might find in the Midwest, not Lamorinda. Â I love that you can scoot your tray along as they scoop up your fixings in front of you. Â The hot open-faced turkey is the bomb! Â Oh! Â Can't go wrong with their deserts either, choco cake, so good! Â Game room and play area for kids in the back & tv's playing sports hanging everywhere. Â Leave feeling full and content.
Review Source: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 . Â . Â . 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!
Review Source:1. Good reubens. A little soggy but very tasty. Prepare to get messy.
2. Comfortable seats for fat guys like me who should not be eating reubens for lunch.
3. Nice old-school regular America vibe.
4. Service is not smiley and fake but polite and matter-of-fact which, it seems, strikes some people as rude. Go figure.
5. I am happy that places like this still exist.
6. Oh and, the bathrooms are very clean and they have paper towels with which to turn off the faucet and turn the door handle so you can get out without having to touch anything dirty after washing the sauerkraut juice off your hands. This is important.
Just recently discovered their great Hamburgers. Â Have to wait a few minutes for these as they cook each order fresh. Â Good portion of meat, buns are really fresh and French fries are also cooked fresh. Â They have a selection of a number of different ones so you can get the toppings that suit you. Â They advertise as the Best Burger. Â We agree!!
Review Source:I am very disappointed in the food here. The corned beef was the worst I have ever had. I took it up to the counter after almost throwing up and asked for a refund. Thankfully, they gave it to me with no problem. My husband had the roast beef. He said it was ok, but he has had better for sure. The sides were plain and obviously canned or instant. We will NOT be going back.
Review Source:CORNED BEEF. You go here for Corned Beef. Reuben, Corned beef sandwich or plate. Reuben is a bit heavy on sauce, potentially asked for "light sauce". The corned beef melts in your mouth, sooo delicious. I haven't ordered anything else.
I don't know what whiney "Mhat B"s problem is, they are polite, I bet the problem is with him.
The dining area could be nicer/cleaner but the corned beef makes up for it. I see some people have mistakenly gotten the turkey -- CORNED BEEF here or go somewhere else.
I love this place. The service is amazing!!! The food is great.
I find myself coming here more than other places for this very reason!
I highly recommend it to anymore who wants a good meal and a relaxing
Atmosphere - the people always make me feel welcome and I really appreciate that!
Since my last post, I have gone to Europa at least 3 times, and here's a way to enjoy an open roast beef sandwich with the mashed potatoes. Â When the server asks you if you want gravy, tell them to put it on the roast beef sandwich, but NOT the mashed potatoes. Â I tried this method every time I went to Europa, my meal was absolutely perfect. Â The gravy adds more flavor to the roast beef, and the potatoes were superb without any additional ingredients added to it. Â Just thought I'd throw in a helpful hint. :)
Review Source:We walk in, see the deli counter and become hooked. The meat behind the counter was just beautiful. I watched the knife just glide through the meat. I had to spend a few minutes just admiring the menu with all there different burgers. But in the end I decided on the Europa special which is a half sandwich and soup or salad. I ordered the pastrami and with a side of macaroni salad. I was really kind of shocked as I watched the man make the sandwich. I really wanted to ask where there rest of it went. Mind you it was a very delicious sandwich just small. The macaroni salad was good nothing special. I did try some of my girlfriends turkey plate and that is awesome. It makes me wish Thanksgiving would get here already. Great place just to check out for sure.
Review Source:I've eaten here a few times. Last time, I had their chicken and mushroom with rice and corn. And shared a carrot cake. Big portions. Food is pretty good. Dining area is nice. It's cafeteria style. Grab a tray and you tell them what you want and pay at the end of the line. In the restaurant, there's a play area in the back for smaller kids. Definitely a family friendly place. Â Parking can be limited but there's always the parking structure. Came here with the family. Everybody enjoyed it.
Review Source:It's really dark in the restaurant, and it feels like I'm in a sad cafeteria. There are flies all the time so I'm always scared to eat the food from here. I used to get a turkey sandwiches here, and the turkey was always really dry. I wouldn't come to Europa if you're looking for a good meal.
Review Source:Saw the sign for best rueben in east bay so thought I would try it out. I am a rueben freak. Expectation is a crispy grilled sandwich with cheese melted on the bread etc... Maybe a little coleslaw or potato salad. Paid $9.00 for toasted bread with microwaved cheese, meat and sauerkraut. ( watched them make it) served on a small salad or side plate. Not even a dill wedge garnish. Sandwich was good portion but not impressed at all. Wouldn't bother going back.
Review Source:I had St. Patrick's Day dinner here last night with my friend Brenda, and one of her "boy toys!" Â The corned beef, cabbage, and all the fixins was really great! Â Service was good. Â Yeah, so boy toy is really hot, and he has a really hot friend! Â I've danced with him! Â But hey, here's the thing. Â I have a kid, a dog, and a soon to be ex-husband! Â I don't need a boy toy! Â I need to come back and have the open-faced turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and stuffing! Â Dumped in gravy!
Review Source:The only family-style restaurant in the area. Â They serve surprisingly phenomenal buffet food for everyone, casual and no wait. Â A real, honest-to-goodness non-franchise neighborhood joint.
Great play room for the kids. Â What a load off. The area is open and low-key enough to allow a bit of 'roaming free.' Our child loves coming here.
Had dinner here last night and was impressed with the open space good to accommodate a large group. Although the acoutics not the best for conversation, you could hear everyone else and you have to talk a bit louder.
The service was good and quick it is a Hofbrau type line you walk through and get your food cafeteria style and pay then sit down. So this is also good for a group since you don't have to worry about collecting money at the end of the meal. The food was good and nice size portions. They have a variety of selections from Hofbrau hot meals, open faced sandwiches, cold sandwiches, various salads, daily soups. Turkey, Corn Beef, Pastrami, Beef, and daily specials last night was Chicken Al a King. Price are good for the portion size of meals and sandwiches.
There are a few beers on draft and they serve La Terre wine Merlot, Cab and Chardonney.
They also have Senior and Kids meal selections and individual sides you can order.
**I was a bit disappointed in the mashed potatoes I found them to thin/runny for my taste, I like them thicker so when you put the gravy on them they are not drinkable. I actually had to get a spoon to eat them because they were runny. As a diehard potatoe girl I want mine thick and forkable.
Also the garden salad side was only bagged salad mix and they did not add anything to it, would have been nice if they dropped some bean mix or cucumber on it but no just lettuce, cabbage and carrot slivers.
Everyone in our group seemed to like their meals and most said they would go back.
I order one thing, and one thing only. A hot, open-faced turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and stuffing, all dumped in gravy. It's my own personal Thanksgiving every Sunday afternoon.
As soon as I'm handed my plate, I head to a table in the back, and begin to shovel in food as fast as I possibly can. As if my life depended on it.
Sure, I get looks from the old people who tend to spend their weekends there for no apparent reason. Maybe it's a cool hangout for folks after church... Regardless, there's nothing sacred about the gluttonous glory of how fast I'm able to eat that sandwich.
Sure, it's almost $9, but it's completely worth it.
Prices are high, but the food is real and fresh. The meat they use come from the turkey, chicken, corn beef, etc. Europa roasted or prepared that very day! You're def. getting quality at Europa.
I tried the Thanksgiving Day Sandwich, and because I had a cupcake earlier that day and decide to go healthy with white meat rather than my usual combo of both dark and white. WOW! The white meat here tasted like brown meat! It was tender and so flavorful! Of course, the stuffing and cranberry sauce def. helped make the meat and the overall sandwich moist and filling. It was a good, hearty, old fashioned sandwich--something grandma would prepare the day after Thanksgiving.
At $8+ a sandwich, Europa will not be my first stop for sandwiches. Restaurants in the surrounding area offer sandwiches that tend to be a bit more creative than usual combination of mayo, cheese, cold slaw/sauce, and meat--which is basically the collection of sandwiches found at Europa. Very ordinary and not at all original. If I'm in the mood for a homey sandwich, Europa is the place, otherwise, I'll be trying other sandwiches at diff. restaurants throughout Theatre Square.
After a great hike over the hills, my friends and I arrived in Orinda, hungry and thirsty, desperate for anything. Anything but this sad German place without German beers. Ugh. We were afraid to eat, but too tired to find anyplace better. The food was boring and forgettable, and not even German.
It was oddly steamy inside, with condensation on the windows. At least in a show of community solidarity, the TV was showing some BS football game for the local kids, keeping them off the streets, or selling drugs, or vandalism.
I really enjoy Europa - their burger and fries are surprisingly good, and their turkey dinner/sando is amazing.
My one complaint would be their roast beef sandwich, something i love to order in a hofbrau - all you can taste is the ginger - other than that, I haven't had a bad meal here
Europa occupies a large space  with a miniplayroom for the kids in the corner.
menu: lunch specials (9.99), burgers (6.+), deli sandwiches, hof brau,
sampling: Â 1/2 lb. Â s.f. burger w/cheese on french bread(6.89) + fries(1)
-ordered and got burger med. rare
-burger juicy but no taste whatsoever.
-condiments provided bland: mustard and horseradish.
-lettuce, pickle, tomato, fresh, didnt taste the cheese..
foodnotes:
-not much european about europa (just german meatballs, german chocolate gate, ..).
-menu seem on the pricey side. sphaghetti and meatballs  -9,99?
-service not a problem
-draft beer just three choices @4.50
If you love a good Hauf Brau, then check out Cafe Europa. Â Fresh Hot Turkey, Roast Beef, Pastrami, Corned Beef, and more. Â They also make burgers but of course you'll have to wait a bit because they are made to order. Â I don't think you'lll find any other Hof Brau around the area or even this part of the bay, which makes this place, the best. Â
5 Stars because I love the Roast beef, turkey, mash, corn, and desserts. Â Always clean tables, beer on tap, and they air the Warrior games, Giants, etc.
YOU CAN GO WRONG WITH....
1. The Europa Burger n fries
2. Corned Beef sammy (out of this world)
3. Europa Sammy
4. Ham and mashed potatoes with gravy
5. Spaghetti
6. Best ranch dressing ever.
Europa is the bomb. They always hook me up and make my french fries super crispy like I like em!
xo
People, it's pretty simple here: Order a sandwich that's based around meat, and you will be happy. Come in expecting some designer sandwich or a fancy lunch, and you were warned in advance that it might not be good, so I hope you throw up and die.
Just stick to what they do best, which is carved meat. Never been disappointed with that. I far prefer them to that other place in Moraga that people won't stop driveling about ... Bonkey's or Blotto's or Bianca's, or whatever the hell its called.
Europa Hofbrau is a big open space with the standard cafeteria line down one wall. On the opposite wall are some flat screens. In the back is a kid's playland type of thing. You can park in the Bev Mo lot for 1 hour and their are stairs to a back door.
The have various cuts of meat that you can get carved to order. Roast beef, corned beef, pastrami, roasted turkey. Sandwiches were $6.99, open faced for $8.??, and plates for $10+
They also have a couple of rotating daily specials like German meatballs and another side where you can order up burgers and such.
Of course I got the Reuben ($7.89) which had a nice big pile of freshly carved corned beef (see my pic) along with the usual kraut, Russian dressing, cheese and rye bread. Odd thing was after the sando was assembled it looked like they put it into the microwave before cutting and serving it . . .
Anyway, it was a pretty darn good Reuben. The corned beef was tender and flavorful and just enough kraut. I think the micro zapping made the toasted bread a little soggy. That or all the juicy corned beef goodness. Either way, I'll probably be back.
There was a sign for Grille One Carvery in Montclair (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/grille-one-carvery-oakland">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>). I asked and it's the same owners. I thought the food here was better than at Grille One which is disappointing since Grille One is right down the hill from my house!
I am rarely in Orinda and today was one of those rare days. Â I was hungry so I decided to try this deli & pub. Â It was spacious and had some flat screen TV's on the far wall. Â Looked like a cool place to hang out if you are ever in Orinda with some friends. Â
I tried the roast beef sandwich. Â The meat was juicy but not tasty at all. Â Bland. Â I was hungry so I finished it. Â If I were in the area again, I would give this place another chance to impress me and my stomach.
Don't really remember how my friend and I discovered this place, but I am glad we did. Since that day I have been eating here for years.
Aesthetically speaking, Europa is not much. It is a cafeteria style eatery. You grab a tray, tell them what you want, pile it on, slide down to the next section, repeat.
They have a lot of desserts (their chocolate cake is good) and a few refrigerators full of alcohol. They serve all your standard beverages as well as some not-so-standard ones, but who cares? There's alcohol!
Anyway, their sandwiches are the best. The Pastrami, Roast Beef, and Turkey sandwiches are all hot, open face, served on wheat, white, or rye. They come with a side of mashed potatoes (not the best, but not bad, and definitely good enough to stand up to the rest of your meal) and smothered in gravy. Watch  Out! They usually give you a lot of gravy.
The meats are always tender, flavorful, and savory. Sometimes the pastrami can be a little much, but it is still good.
Their Corned Beef is the BEST. The BEST. B-E-S-T. My Irish mother is going to kill me, but theirs is better than hers and I never knew it was possible (Corned Beef is American anyway, not Irish- so maybe mom won't absolutely MURDER me).
My friend had a cheeseburger and said it was nothing special. She tried to trick me into trading my pastrami with her. NICE TRY, SUCKER.
The staff's attitude vary. Some are really nice and will pile on some extra slices of meat for you, others don't really care and just give you the standard. The standard isn't disappointing, though- it is still a pretty good amount of food.
The place is clean enough, not spotless- but not a total dump. Either find street parking or park in the structure. There is a game room for kids that even has a ball pit.
Delicious, convenient, price is not bad.
Ive driven by this place dozens of times, and it looks like a dark place from the outside. When u go inside of it, its actually quite large.
Foodwise:
turkey - outstanding - fresh, sliced in front of you
stuffing - no good
chocolate cake - decent
spaghetti - ok
turkey christmas sandwich - outstanding, except I dont like the stuffing
corn beef and cabbage - WOW! amazingly good ( when they have it )
Problems I have with this place:
1) is the sneaky price add ons.
The sandwich is $6.99, and the guy keyed in $7.89
When I asked about it, he said that it had to do with the tax....
Umm, Im not stupid here. $7 * 1.095 tax is at most going to make it $7.70, but a bit less.
Ive noticed more and more places doing shady things like this
2) There are a LOT of annoying, yelling, screaming, running little brat kids in here. I don't understand why this place seems to be a magnet for kids 3 - 4 with parents who think it's cute to have their kids do laps inside the restaurant yelling and screaming.... this isn't a playground Mom! If you want that, take them to the Jungle or McDonald's Playland!
I should have known better.
I have not been to a Hofbrau for years. Although my memory is feeble I seem to remember them as restaurants with large steins of beer, spatzle, sauerkraut, bratwurst, schnitzel etc. and lots of fun. Great atmosphere.
Forget it
This nondescript establishment bears no resemblance to my idea of a Hofbrau.
There are some mystery foods on steam tables, a sandwich menu and a very restricted beer selection using small glasses. A wine I never heard of is served.
As an added bonus I am sure the staff has won awards for surly service. You feel embarrassed distributing the cashier and servers form their important conversations. With a scowl they let you know they did not appreciate the interruption.
Since the foods on display resembled vomit I passed and selected a San Francisco Burger with Fosters beer. After 20 minutes the burger was served.
Now why 3 stars - the burger was great.
Restrooms clean
Used to go here alot back in my Orinda days. They have great burgers, however, the rest of the food is somewhat "meh" compared to similar establishments.
What really prevents me from giving this place a higher score is that I knew someone(who I trust is honest about this) who worked here and she stated that they were not very cleanly with their food prep and storage. However, you can take this as a grain of salt or not as I personally never got sick there or knew anyone who got sick from eating there.
This place is also expensive, duh Orinda, for the quality of the food you actually get.
Had to be in Orinda for a doctor visit the other day. Â It was pouring rain and since I'm not familiar with the area, stopped at the first likely looking place for a quick lunch before heading home to Sonora. Â
Grab a tray and survey the choices - it's pretty much meat, meat, and more meat. Â Turkey, Roast Beef, Corned Beef, Meat Loaf. Â You can order either a sandwich or a meal. Â I chose the ruben sandwich and it was good. Â
The staff wasn't all that friendly or helpful, but they were really busy.
I just realized that I hadn't updated this review, and didn't want people to go there and then accuse me of having lost it!
I have been back 2 other times since the original 2 visits. The first of which was ok, not bad. The final time. Horrible.
So I guess 1 horrible, 1 ok , 2 goods = 2 stars.
If I could give this place 1/2 star I would. Â It is the biggest waste of real estate in Orinda. Â Large, cavernous, no atmosphere and dirty. Â Yuck!
If you like service with an attitude, this is the place for you. Â Watch you total at the register, I've been overcharged. Â
I have been forced to dine here with large groups of parents & kids for "after the game" dining. Â Lots of sports teams land here because there is lots of room and it is never crowded...I wonder why, lol!
If this place did not have the best corned beef and cabbage on earth, I would not even consider walking inside.The cashier is the grumpiest woman I have ever encountered.
No salutation, no smile, just: "That'll be 33 dollars." ( No please BTW.)
The ruben sandwich is a must have with creamy coleslaw, moistcorned beef and 1000 island topped off with toasted rye bread. The clam chowder is a bit too sweet for me but my son liked it-- its a matter of taste. mmmm
Had lunch here today with my guy since we were going to be meeting with a potential photographer close by. We were short on time and were debating between going to Nation's or trying this place. Since it was pouring down rain, I thought that a hot "real" meal, would be a nice change to a burger.
I got a turkey leg w/potatoes and a veg. The veg was canned green beans that were soaking in butter sauce (I think)-the other choice would have been canned corn. The potatoes were not fresh-maybe a mix between real and boxed and the turkey leg was probably left over from a day or so. It was just "ok" and after a few bites, I was done. The man had an open faced hot roast beef sandwich. He said it was decent-better than the turkey for sure.
The price is pretty cheap, but this could have been due to the fact that this place needs a bit of a face lift and a thorough cleaning. The floors felt greasy and the tables were nasty. I think we should have just had Nation's.
This is a good place to bring young children. The separate kids area has an indoor play structure, video games (which were all powered off while we were there) and long tables to accommodate families.
I ordered chicken with mushrooms. The chicken was strangely dry and greasy at the same time. Â The fries were ok. Â
Save room for dessert at the Loard's ice cream parlor around the corner.
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