I visited Portsmouth Virginia the weekend of Valentine's Day 2020 and my fiancé made reservations for us there. The food is just phenomenal! I want to make sure I get reservations for the first weekend in December for my birthday! Love the atmosphere food and signature drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dustin
Came for coffee and dessert. Great interesting choices and mine was awesome. The bad reviews on here are more from the cafe Europa in North Carolina. That place, the service was inattentive and had to flag down for water refills. These two are completely different in style of dining.
Alan Taylor
Tried to make reservations for tonight and phone message says the place is out of business. Sad but a reflection of our times.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
J Love
I have been there several times and they make every patron feel special. The food is amazing and the list of desserts is impressive. Plan on getting dessert!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jayne Wolfskill
What a delightful new find! A wonderful experience shared with friends in a cozy small room quiet enough for conversation. The atmosphere gives a feeling of being on vacation in a place far from Virginia. The food was excellent, never hurried, wait staff attentive and helpful. Desserts….see for yourself. We wıll return and lıve an hour away! Delıghtful evenıng.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Goat Cheese Salad
Brittany Vail
We stopped by Cafe Europa after unexpectedly ending up in the area for the night. The food was amazing, especially the desserts, and we were happy with the taste and quality. The seafood was some of the most well cooked I have ever had in a restaurant. We would definitely return another time for the scallopd and desserts alone. We would highly recommend the Eggplant Corrozza, Portuguese Stew, the lamp, and their dessert with saffron ice cream.The customer service could be better for the price point. The waitstaff was a little rude when we needed to request anything or had questions, although the woman who recited the specials was quite kind when we needed her to repeat them twice. The service is also slow. If you're looking for a fast experience, give this place a miss. They very noticeably favored frequent customers, which was a shame, as it dampened our experience.Do not expect Mediterranean food. While their Google description says they're a Mediterranean restaurant, which was why we picked them, nothing about the food is Mediterranean. All of the food is rich, French cuisine based in wine sauces and other French influenced flavors.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Tarte Tatin
Joanne M
This place is fabulous. Beautiful decor with old world charm, friendly and professional service, and excellent food. Our group tried 4 different entrees that were all delicious. Save room for dessert because there is an extensive selection all made in house!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tye Harlow
I had the unfortunate experience of dining at Cafe Europa recently, and I must say it was a complete disappointment. This establishment, which used to be a pinnacle of fine dining, fell significantly short of expectations.Our catastrophe of a dining experience started from the moment we entered the restaurant. We called early in the day to request a reservation for four at 7pm. We arrived on time and despite there being only two other occupied tables, we were brought to a table set for five and stood and waited patiently while the host scrambled to remove a full place setting from a table set for five.The service was an absolute disaster. We sat waiting for an unreasonable amount of time before a waitstaff bothered to grace us with their presence. The waitress finally brought us wine menus but upon her return to take our drink orders, we explained we would like to see the food menu as well before deciding on red or white wine. Confused, she just took our wine menus and walked away. Clearly, the concept of looking at the food menu before deciding on wine was a foreign concept to them. Again, we waited for quite a while before realizing the waitress had not understood our request and my mom got up to ask her to please bring us the food menus.Finally, a woman who we presumed to be the owner came to our table to tell us all the specials, including a salad with gorgonzola cheese. My mother, excitedly announced she loves gorgonzola cheese and ordered the salad. To her dismay, the salad was served sans gorgonzola. I told her to send it back, but of course no one returned to ask how everything looked or ensure the orders were correct. Thank goodness there were 4 pecans and two slices of apple with the handful of arugula to satisfy our hunger since we had been waiting an eternity just to get menus and place an order.The series of blunders continued throughout the meal. Simple requests like water with lemon were forgotten, and I had to repeatedly flag down the waitstaff for basic necessities like water refills and bread. I've had better service at a chipotle.The pinnacle of the evening was the owner's response when I mentioned the gorgonzola mishap. Instead of an apology, she jokingly replied "really? Well it's not my fault." We were more than understanding and polite, but a simple "I'm sorry" would have been appropriate.Despite the delicious food, the overall experience was beyond frustrating. When you shell out $300 for a meal, you expect a level of service that doesn't require repeatedly flagging down the staff for each and every need. Cafe Europa is far from a 5-star dining experience. The food is not worth subjecting yourself to such a disappointing and aggravating dining experience.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
BlueEmbers
It’s a wonderful restaurant hidden behind vines with an unassuming sign stating “bistro and wine bar”. You’re introduced inside with a tasteful interior decorated in dim warm lighting, artwork, and arrays of wine bottles. The staff are extremely knowledgeable knowing their dishes with all of their ingredients, verbatim. The food is wonderful quality and the experience is what you could expect of a high end establishment. If you are looking to impress company or refresh yourself on the finer end of cuisine, I highly recommend it. The staff were welcoming and very pleasant to speak with on the way out. I would recommend you dress nicely for the occasion as it should be on the formal end of dining.
Suzy Hill
Very overpriced for the quality of food that you get. Bread tasted and looked like grocery store bread. I got the chicken with mustard sauce. The rice that came with it was clumpy and overcooked. Sauce was very heavy and drowned everything on the plate. Service was sporadic had to ask for the menu. My friend ordered the penne pasta it was Al dente to the point of being crunchy and sauce was flavorless and watery. The soup special was the only good thing but $16 for a bowl of lentil soup is a little outrageous.
Absolutely amazing from the food, friendly/helpful staff and charming atmosphere. Easy five stars! You have to try this place. We are boaters passing through town and will come back again on our travels.
Jerry Dangler
Service was good but there was more than once we saw nobody for a while when we needed something. Overall, a nice place and worth the trip.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Jay Spencer
Mike and his wife make the dream team for restaurants. I moved to Colorado and there isn’t a restaurant that even compares. When I’m town, will definitely visit Cafe Europa
Sarah Coffey
My husband and I were excited to try Cafe Europa during restaurant week. We made a reservation in advance for 7pm. When we arrived we were quickly seated. They were only about 5 other parties, most appeared to be wrapping up dinner. It took about 10 min for a waiter to come by and ask what we wanted to drink, but we had no menus, so we just got water. Then the waiter disappeared. I kept trying to make eye contact with multiple waiters and staff, they all avoided me. We definitely did not feel welcome. Finally 30 min into drinking our waters, the hostess came over and gave us menus, and read the specials. We the. asked about the restaurant week specials slightly confused. We were then informed that they couldn’t participate in restaurant week, because their chef was sick. Mind you the items from the restaurant week menu were also on the regular menu… and someone is cooking those… had they been attentive, perhaps upfront, or even apologetic we would have stayed. It was clear to us that we weren’t welcome and left. Never in myself have I walked out of a restaurant…
Satanix
I went with my family for my mom's birthday and it was amazing! The hostess was amazing and I loved the look and feel of the place and it was so wonderful!
I visited Portsmouth Virginia the weekend of Valentine's Day 2020 and my fiancé made reservations for us there. The food is just phenomenal! I want to make sure I get reservations for the first weekend in December for my birthday! Love the atmosphere food and signature drinks.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Came for coffee and dessert. Great interesting choices and mine was awesome. The bad reviews on here are more from the cafe Europa in North Carolina. That place, the service was inattentive and had to flag down for water refills. These two are completely different in style of dining.
Tried to make reservations for tonight and phone message says the place is out of business. Sad but a reflection of our times.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I have been there several times and they make every patron feel special. The food is amazing and the list of desserts is impressive. Plan on getting dessert!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
What a delightful new find! A wonderful experience shared with friends in a cozy small room quiet enough for conversation. The atmosphere gives a feeling of being on vacation in a place far from Virginia. The food was excellent, never hurried, wait staff attentive and helpful. Desserts….see for yourself. We wıll return and lıve an hour away! Delıghtful evenıng.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Goat Cheese Salad
We stopped by Cafe Europa after unexpectedly ending up in the area for the night. The food was amazing, especially the desserts, and we were happy with the taste and quality. The seafood was some of the most well cooked I have ever had in a restaurant. We would definitely return another time for the scallopd and desserts alone. We would highly recommend the Eggplant Corrozza, Portuguese Stew, the lamp, and their dessert with saffron ice cream.The customer service could be better for the price point. The waitstaff was a little rude when we needed to request anything or had questions, although the woman who recited the specials was quite kind when we needed her to repeat them twice. The service is also slow. If you're looking for a fast experience, give this place a miss. They very noticeably favored frequent customers, which was a shame, as it dampened our experience.Do not expect Mediterranean food. While their Google description says they're a Mediterranean restaurant, which was why we picked them, nothing about the food is Mediterranean. All of the food is rich, French cuisine based in wine sauces and other French influenced flavors.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Tarte Tatin
This place is fabulous. Beautiful decor with old world charm, friendly and professional service, and excellent food. Our group tried 4 different entrees that were all delicious. Save room for dessert because there is an extensive selection all made in house!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had the unfortunate experience of dining at Cafe Europa recently, and I must say it was a complete disappointment. This establishment, which used to be a pinnacle of fine dining, fell significantly short of expectations.Our catastrophe of a dining experience started from the moment we entered the restaurant. We called early in the day to request a reservation for four at 7pm. We arrived on time and despite there being only two other occupied tables, we were brought to a table set for five and stood and waited patiently while the host scrambled to remove a full place setting from a table set for five.The service was an absolute disaster. We sat waiting for an unreasonable amount of time before a waitstaff bothered to grace us with their presence. The waitress finally brought us wine menus but upon her return to take our drink orders, we explained we would like to see the food menu as well before deciding on red or white wine. Confused, she just took our wine menus and walked away. Clearly, the concept of looking at the food menu before deciding on wine was a foreign concept to them. Again, we waited for quite a while before realizing the waitress had not understood our request and my mom got up to ask her to please bring us the food menus.Finally, a woman who we presumed to be the owner came to our table to tell us all the specials, including a salad with gorgonzola cheese. My mother, excitedly announced she loves gorgonzola cheese and ordered the salad. To her dismay, the salad was served sans gorgonzola. I told her to send it back, but of course no one returned to ask how everything looked or ensure the orders were correct. Thank goodness there were 4 pecans and two slices of apple with the handful of arugula to satisfy our hunger since we had been waiting an eternity just to get menus and place an order.The series of blunders continued throughout the meal. Simple requests like water with lemon were forgotten, and I had to repeatedly flag down the waitstaff for basic necessities like water refills and bread. I've had better service at a chipotle.The pinnacle of the evening was the owner's response when I mentioned the gorgonzola mishap. Instead of an apology, she jokingly replied "really? Well it's not my fault." We were more than understanding and polite, but a simple "I'm sorry" would have been appropriate.Despite the delicious food, the overall experience was beyond frustrating. When you shell out $300 for a meal, you expect a level of service that doesn't require repeatedly flagging down the staff for each and every need. Cafe Europa is far from a 5-star dining experience. The food is not worth subjecting yourself to such a disappointing and aggravating dining experience.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
It’s a wonderful restaurant hidden behind vines with an unassuming sign stating “bistro and wine bar”. You’re introduced inside with a tasteful interior decorated in dim warm lighting, artwork, and arrays of wine bottles. The staff are extremely knowledgeable knowing their dishes with all of their ingredients, verbatim. The food is wonderful quality and the experience is what you could expect of a high end establishment. If you are looking to impress company or refresh yourself on the finer end of cuisine, I highly recommend it. The staff were welcoming and very pleasant to speak with on the way out. I would recommend you dress nicely for the occasion as it should be on the formal end of dining.
Very overpriced for the quality of food that you get. Bread tasted and looked like grocery store bread. I got the chicken with mustard sauce. The rice that came with it was clumpy and overcooked. Sauce was very heavy and drowned everything on the plate. Service was sporadic had to ask for the menu. My friend ordered the penne pasta it was Al dente to the point of being crunchy and sauce was flavorless and watery. The soup special was the only good thing but $16 for a bowl of lentil soup is a little outrageous.
Restaurantji Recommends
Absolutely amazing from the food, friendly/helpful staff and charming atmosphere. Easy five stars! You have to try this place. We are boaters passing through town and will come back again on our travels.
Service was good but there was more than once we saw nobody for a while when we needed something. Overall, a nice place and worth the trip.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Mike and his wife make the dream team for restaurants. I moved to Colorado and there isn’t a restaurant that even compares. When I’m town, will definitely visit Cafe Europa
My husband and I were excited to try Cafe Europa during restaurant week. We made a reservation in advance for 7pm. When we arrived we were quickly seated. They were only about 5 other parties, most appeared to be wrapping up dinner. It took about 10 min for a waiter to come by and ask what we wanted to drink, but we had no menus, so we just got water. Then the waiter disappeared. I kept trying to make eye contact with multiple waiters and staff, they all avoided me. We definitely did not feel welcome. Finally 30 min into drinking our waters, the hostess came over and gave us menus, and read the specials. We the. asked about the restaurant week specials slightly confused. We were then informed that they couldn’t participate in restaurant week, because their chef was sick. Mind you the items from the restaurant week menu were also on the regular menu… and someone is cooking those… had they been attentive, perhaps upfront, or even apologetic we would have stayed. It was clear to us that we weren’t welcome and left. Never in myself have I walked out of a restaurant…
I went with my family for my mom's birthday and it was amazing! The hostess was amazing and I loved the look and feel of the place and it was so wonderful!