Cafe Europe

Why did this place close!!! Robert was an amazing chef. This was seriously one of my favorite European restaurants in Northern California. I’m so sad I didn’t get one last meal before they closed the doors. Please let me know if Chef Robert will be cooking elsewhere. Otherwise, if they’re retiring– they deserve it!

My wife and I visited the Café Europe on Sunday 15 March, the last day of Restaurant Week in Sonoma County. Restaurant Week is a great opportunity for locals to visit eateries off the beaten path and to expand their list of go to restaurants.
Reservations were required and couples were turned away at the door because they did not have a reservation, even at the early dinner hour of 5:30PM.
We ordered from their prix fixe $ 19 Restaurant Week menu. My wife started with the House Salad and I opted for the Carrot Bisque Soup. The soup was tasty but could have been served a tad warmer. While we waited for our main dishes, delicious hot bread rolls were served. My wife ordered Hungarian Goulash (not on the online Restaurant Week menu) and I could not resist the Bavarian Sausage Platter: Nuernberger Sausages (pork) and Smoked Beef Bratwurst with German Sauerkraut & warm potato salad & apple red cabbage & carrots.
The servings were quite large. My wife took more than ¹⁄₃ of her goulash home. I did manage to down the last few bites of the delicious smoked beef bratwurst. While the sausages were very good, the warm potato salad could have used a bit more sour (vinegar). The sauerkraut was a complete disappointment as it was devoid of any trace of fermented sour flavor. Perhaps they thoroughly rinse the kraut to ‘tame’ it for the typical American pallet.
We opted to take the our Austrian Apple Strudel sans Ala mode home as we were both too full to enjoy dessert.
The service was very attentive and friendly. The pacing of the food was quite slow, perhaps as many diners arrived at about the same time the kitchen could not handle the demand.
If this restaurant was a bit closer to home I would go more often. I certainly hope to return during October Fest (September-​October) to try the Roasted Pork Shank that is only offered then and during this Restaurant Week; the waiter told the table next to us the available shanks would gone by 6:30PM this evening as they are quite popular.

Actually, this could be a 4.75! A bit of a «short pour» on the house white that they’re charging over $ 7.00 for. Other than that– great, friendly service, food was delicious. We went during Restaurant week and enjoyed their specials. The Pork shank– fabulous! My husband loved his sausage special. I recommend the soup over the salad. The strudel was just so/​so.
Like I said, almost a 5, but not quite.

Wow. Hole in the wall GEM. True taste of Oma’s Bavarian cooking. I tried their pork schnitzel and girlfriend got the sauerbraten. They were truly authentic German recipes. SOO Goooood! I didn’t know they had authentic German food in Sonoma County. I’m so glad I tried it!

Café Europe is a great old-​school restaurant. The roast duck, available ONLY by special order Fri/​Sat, is marvelous and completely unlike Asian style. You must call, not email, to reserve ahead of time — talk to Sean, not Hubert, to reserve a duck.
We eat German food all over the Bay Area, and Café Europe makes the best schweine schnitzel (breaded pork), and the best apple strudel, of them all. The parking is easy (it’s in a small strip mall, restaurant to the left of Safeway), the décor is cute, the service is excellent, and the price is ridiculously low.
GO NOW — this type of restaurant used to exist in all major cities and is now almost extinct. Don’t bother with starters; you’ll get salad AND soup with your entrée, and will be stuffed silly for very little $$.
Then you’ll wonder why you’re spending more money for so much less, when you go to your usual bistro hangout, and realize why places like Café Europe are a labor of love, not an excuse for 15 min of Food Network fame.

Enjoyed the my order from the German menu offers.
Everything was good and service was excellent tonight.
The café even called me to let me know that the reservation I made online was the same time test they closed for the evening and accepted my party earlier than expected.

Back again. This time for New Year’s Eve dinner and still yummy! Great service, decorated tastefully for the holidays. Had their mussels in beer which were good but not great but guess that’s cuz I’m used to mussels with lots of broth and butter — these were quite a bit lighter in flavor. The schnitzel was excellent as always and we had a holiday special of venison stew — quite tasty and tender. They had a very reasonable $ 12 corkage fee. Service is very attentive. We will continue to come back again and again.

What a jewel for Santa Rosa! Tucked back in the corner of shopping center one can find a superb café. But don’t go in expecting to find normal café food or staff; they have taken it to a much higher level. The staff is great at making each group feel special and know their menu offerings, so trust their recommendations.
We were lucky to be invited to Christmas dinner here by someone «in the know». Now we can’t wait to try the regular menu items!

What would you do if you walked into a restaurant for the first time… plenty of open tables… stood at the entrance and waited to be greeted… only to be completely ignored by three servers? It would have taken less than 90 seconds to acknowledge us and lead us to a table. Needless to say, we walked out. Hopefully for those of you who decide to eat here, the food is better than the service.

WOW!!! I rarely (ok, NEVER) try anything new… food wise, but when my dad asked me out to dinner to his new favorite restaurant I had to say yes, and I am SO glad I did! This place is OUTSTANDING! The service is awesome and you feel so welcome and cozy, you won’t want to leave!
I branched out and ordered the Jaeger Schnitzel:
Lean pork tenderloin, seasoned, panko breaded, baked, creamy mushroom sauce, Spaetzle, Apple red cabbage… and it was so amazing I could not stop eating even when I was stuffed… and i still brought home leftovers for lunch the next day (it was STILL delicious!). The portions are generous and the pricing is a deal for what you get and how awesome the taste is!!! :)
Ok, I could go on but alas I must bid you farewell! GO… TO…CAFE…EUROPE…NOW!!!

We have gone to Café Europe since they were over on 4^th Street. Oktoberfest parties and gatherings have been so graciously hosted, the food is authentic and delicious and the beer and wines are great. Christmas time the décor is amazing and it has such a festive atmosphere …
It is a small and intimate restaurant and you will be well taken care of and enjoy the friendly atmosphere and lots and lots of regulars who feel like family rather than customers. Did I mention the food is delicious? It is.
Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to something out of the ordinary. I’m waiting for the Christmas decorations to come out … I’m such a kid at heart.

Excellent!!!
As a former chef of several Italian restaurants and living in Europe for the past 5 years, this is the first restaurant in Santa Rosa to impress me in the 3 months I have lived in Santa Rosa. I found this place from the reviews on Unilocal,and I am really glad I took my wife here for date night. She is Polish and her first few restaurant experiences in the United States have been less than impressive. Wed both love German food and have traveled extensively around Germany including Oktoberfest 2012 in Munich.
The atmosphere is very casual and in a hard to find location in a strip mall. There is nice German décor similar to what we experiences in our travels. The place is small and was filled when we arrived at 7pm on Friday. I made a reservation through Unilocal and we were seated without waiting to a table with a reserved sign on it for us. The sole waiter worked very hard and was very friendly as was the busboy. We stuck up a conversation with a couple next to us that are regulars and have also traveled through Germany many times. There was an accordion player playing traditional German music and occasionally the owner would start singing in German in the corner while sipping his wine. This added to the fun atmosphere and seemed to entertain all that were there.
The food was as authentic as you can get and better than several restaurants that we have been to in Germany. I opted for the Roast Pork Knuckle that came with purple cabbage (sweet sour kraut), mashed potatoes, carrots, salad, and very tasty rolls. The pork shank was huge and perfectly cooked in its own juices. It literally fell right off the bone and was seasoned perfect. My wife enjoyed the Oktoberfest special called the butchers plate I think. It had pork schnitzel, 2 sausages, purple and yellow sour kraut, carrots, and German potato salad. She shared with me and we both enjoyed it very much.
I drank a liter of a nice pilsner but I would have preferred a HB, Paulaner, Hacker, or Lowenbrau as opposed to the Spaten, but this is just my preference. Also, it would have been perfect if they offered Eiswein for desert in addition to Port and Sherry.
There was so much food that we had about half of it boxed up to go. I then complemented the waiter about our dinning experience and he went and told the chef. In return, the chef sent out a very unexpected and delicious apple strudel with vanilla ice cream for us to share. Even though we were stuffed, we managed to finish the much appreciated desert.
Needless to say, we will be back and I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough. If the French Laundry is your thing and you do not know German food, then this might not be the place for you. If you love hearty, authentic cooking and something different in a fun and friendly setting, you must try Café Europe. If I had Liederhosen, my wife and I would feel right at home with her in a Drindle and would feel like we were still in Germany.

Café Europe is no doubt, one of the best restaurants in Santa Rosa. We’ve been going there for years and the quality and taste has always been consistently delicious.
We always start with the sausage platter with sauerkraut (the best sauerkraut I’ve ever had) and shittake mushroom appetizers. The soup is always mouthwatering and the house dressing which is a dill flavor is divine. For entrees, I always order the chicken cordon bleu. I always say I’m going to try something different, but I don’t. I just can’t get enough of it! My husband orders a different meal every time and always raves about his choice. Potato pancakes and the spaetzle are a must have with every meal!
We love Café Europe so much that we recently had them cater our rehearsal dinner. Every single guest (and there were about 75 people) RAVED about the food!
Owners Herbert and chef Robert are friendly, and the servers are down to earth and very personable. We LOVE this place!!!

If you’re a rare and endangered carnivore with a huge appetite for meat, then look no further. Café Europe is the place. They feature a fairly extensive European menu but I would prefer to nail them down on their German and Austrian specialties. The owner and his chef hail from Bavaria /​Austria region. There is a warm and rustic feel in the décor and it is easy to forget you are in Santa Rosa. A variety of pretty German knickknacks like German dishes, beer mugs, cuckoo clocks adorned the walls. It is neither super upscale nor are the menu prices up in the clouds.
I am not a huge fan of sausages but I must say CE serves some mean wursts that are hard to beat. We started off with a Sausage Platter ($ 10.50) oddly presented like a ‘V’ with two slender Pork Nuernbergers (grilled pork sausages) and a thick phallic shaped Smoked Bratwurst (grilled beef sausage) placed in the middle and snugly nestled on top of a warm bed of sauerkraut. Two kinds of mustard were provided… a traditional Dijon and a sweet mustard to enhance the taste. It was really appealing to eat bratwurst and sauerkraut and drink an ice-​cold glass of Warsteiner Pils beer ($ 4.75).
As far as I was concerned, the divine Potato Pancakes ($ 5.50) were the piece de resistance for the evening. Vaguely resembling the Japanese Kakiage Tempura and the Chinese Onion Pancake, they were crispy on the outside but fluffy on the inside with sides of applesauce and sour cream. I tried to get the recipe from the very helpful server but unfortunately his explanation went over my head. It sounded like it had potatoes (half well cooked and half uncooked ?) with eggs, parsley, and green onions and deep-​fried. Go figure…
The way Bayrisher Sauerbraten ($ 21.00) was described in the menu caught my attention. Top sirloin beef was marinated in red wine and vinegar, then roasted and served with a sweet and sour brown sauce. I am going against the flow here. This is a well-​loved German dish but it was a tad too sweet for my liking and comfort zone. It almost tasted like the meat was bathed in some kind of sweet tangy marmalade sauce. What really saved this dish was the side of Spaetzle, a kind of puffy-​dough-​like noodles that looked like macaroni but was really tasty. The side of red cabbage was a real treat. It was perfectly vinegary and cooked nicely until soft.
The last entrée we tried was the Gebratene Ente ($ 26.00) that was literally half of a duck roasted to a golden brown. The duck was probably frozen and the meat was surprisingly moist and soft and fall-​off-​the-​bone tender. For duck lovers, we all know that the best part is the crispy skin (think Peking Duck) that has a crunchy bite and exudes the essence of a duck’s flavor. CE’s duck shone in «this department as we savor every bit of the skin leaving behind the bare bones. As for me, I felt that the duck did not need any help from the lingonberry sauce nor the spinach purée that came with it. This was one big meal as they also threw in some red cabbage and a piece of potato pancake as well!
Before dinner, we were eyeing the Austrian Apple Strudel a la Mode ($ 6.50) for dessert. This we thought was a classic apple and cinnamon pastry. They were unfortunately sold out which was just as well as we didn’t have any room left.

The food had good flavor and was varied. I had the meatloaf. The rolls tasted store-​bought. The décor was shabby and old, and the bathroom was in need of serious deep-​cleaning. Makes you wonder what the kitchen looks like!

This place has the best German food in Northern California!
As a native German I have tried almost all the German restaurants in Northern California and this one is so far the best and most authentic one.
The split pea soup tasted like what my mum would serve at home. The Schnitzel was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, just like it should be. And the potato pancakes had the perfect texture and taste. But the star of the evening was the duck, with it’s delicious crispy skin and tender meat. Never had a duck as good as this one.
What’s interesting about Café Europe is that it not only serves German food, but rather European food with offerings from neighboring countries like France (Cordon Bleu), Switzerland and Austria.
The location is very convenient with plenty of parking close by.
I can only recommend this place and will definitely be back.

This is now my favorite German restaurant.
Their roasted duck is so tender and moist, with the most perfect crispy skin, I don’t think any other roast duck I’ve had in my life measures up.
It came with:
Potato Pancake: Heavenly. Crispy pieces around the outside, yet soft and moist on the inside with a hint of herbs.
Red cabbage: simple, but good.
Carrots: Good
Berry sauce: Sweet and fruity. (The duck is so good, it doesn’t need sauce, but I hear that the sauce is a traditional accompaniment, so I’m glad to try it.)
Applesauce: nice accompaniment to the potato pancake and duck
Creamed Spinach: pureed green sauce ended up being very tasty
I also ordered dessert:
Apple Streudel– flaky pastry with lots of sliced apples, walnuts, and raisins, accompanied with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. (High quality– lots of apples, but since I don’t love walnuts and raisins as much as apples, it probably wasn’t the perfect streudel for my tastes.)
What’s to love:
— best roast duck in the universe with a variety of sides
— best potato pancake
— quiet comfortable dining room with cute decorations of cuckoo clocks on the wall, and various homages to dachshunds in the form of pottery or artwork
— easy parking in a strip mall
— nice servers
— lovely local gem with quality food and reasonable prices
Tips:
— Make reservations (early). (I tried making them via the internet. No initial response, so tried by phone, and that worked.) The food is that good, and it seemed most of the people coming in after us had made them.
— If you want the duck, it’s a special for only Fri/​Sat/​Sun, and they have a limited amount, so the early bird gets the duck.

Our group of 4 recently had dinner there and were very pleased (as usual) with the Service and most of all the Food. Their Tues-​Thurs Dinner specials for $ 20 are an unbelievable value, very tasty, generous in size, served very well, and leave you having a hard time deciding among the choices. This particular night I had the Short Ribs and they were «melt in your mouth tender». Others had the Schnitzle, Lamb Chops over Salad, and Chicken Picata. All were outstanding. The restaurant was packed which is not surprising. Keep up the great work in both the Kitchen and the Front. Thanks
Dave

So we walked in with two small kids who were not very loud at 5pm on a Sunday. Only one table was filled and every other table was empty. The waiter asked us if we had a reservation. We said no, so he talked with the taller waiter then came back saying they are really busy and cannot seat us till 7:30pm! Seriously? There was no one I there but they sized us up and didn’t want us there.
So they either do not like kids here or they didn’t like that we were a mixed couple. It is rare that a restaurant is so blatantly either snobby on kids or racist. I would not go there.
Not kid friendly or not mixed race friendly!

UPDATE: Visited 2X recently. Food is just as good as I raved about in 2007. Had the lobster dinner with all the fixin’s for $ 30 tonight. Incredible value for a high quality & tasty meal.
The $ 20 three course dinner is an absolute bargain. Lots of good, good food for small $$$.
The apple strudel is made fresh everyday. Order no other dessert.
Highly recommended.