Europa — Restaurant in Black Diamond

DID NOT MATCH REVIEWS - WON'T BE BACK My wife and I sought out this restaurant when planning our trip to attend a concert at the Tacoma Dome. We are both fans of German food and we're very hopeful based on the Google ratings. We walked in at about 2:30 on a Tuesday afternoon and the place was empty. No one at the front and no customers in the restaurant. After a minute or two a woman shows up from somewhere in the back and asks if we are dining in or picking up. We sit down to eat and we receive menus. The woman is pleasant and friendly. At this point German music from Oktoberfest starts playing in the background, kind of nice and not intrusive. We each order a dinner entree and my wife has water and I have a decent pilsner. While waiting for our late lunch early dinner I roam the place a bit. The place is immaculatly decorated in the German hunting lodge style. It was a very pleasant environment. We ordered German potato pancakes with apple sauce and sour cream as an appetizer. The pancakes were of good size. The pancake had been over fried because the edges were brittle and difficult to cut with a fork. They also retained so much grease from frying that they were almost inedible. Our dinner arrives and it definitely does not look or taste fresh. My spaetzle is fine but the gravy has no wine in it. The rolled Jaeger schnitzel stuffed with cheese and mushroom was partially cold which I am sure reduced the flavor. The red cabbage was great. My wife also had the German potato salad which was fine. Her schnitzel was okay. We ordered dessert because my wife was excited to find real German chocolate cake and I love apple strudel. The cake arrives and it is a small piece that is obviously from a box. The frosting has no coconut and it is not recognizable as what she ordered. The apple strudel I ordered looked to be made from Pillsbury pastry dough and commercial apple pie filling, no nuts, raisins, or spices. The waitress said the owner's daughter made it in house. We pay our bill of almost $100 and exit. You may ask, "Why didn't you complain?" My wife and I get no pleasure from forcing professionals to do it right. We vote with our dollars and will not be back. Very...

This is the first time I have ever written a restaurant review. We (party of 3) stopped for lunch 12/19. We were "greeted" by a person who turned out to be our server and were directed to the dining area to choose our own table. Menus were brought and we were asked for our drink preferences. So far so good. A few minutes later she reappeared to take our order. I asked for the pasta salad but was told it was no longer available. It had been crossed off of the menu of one of our party but not mine and the other. She proceded to take our orders without writing them down so she had to subsequently return to our table twice for clarification. After bringing our food she never returned to our table see how our meal was progressing, refill water glasses or warm up coffee (there were two other tables occupied so it wasn't an issue of being busy). I finally went to the front counter to ask for water and coffee which was then brought. I found her attitiude dismissive and rude.

As far as the food was concerned, it was OK. The portions were fair. The beef in two of our dishes was quite dry. Seasoning was good and the food was served hot. With "lunch special" prices between $15 and $20 I wasn't overly impressed.

The kicker was a sign on the front counter as you entered saying they preferred cash and would tack on a 3% surcharge if the bill was paid with a credit card. That screams "tacky" to me. I would not repeat...

I'm still super-excited that Europa is in Black Diamond, less than two miles away from my house.

A work-friend and I had visited for lunch when they were located in Enumclaw, and while both the food and service were top-notch that visit, I did not review at the time because there was one small issue I had with the restaurant which I will not mention here.

I think this location suits Europa much better - it has more of a European flair to it, and I hope they do well here.

I've ordered take-out over the phone several times, and my husband and I have eaten in the restaurant a couple of times also. The weinerschnitzel is amazing, the portion sizes are gigantic, so the food is a good value for the money. Their pork is fork-tender and juicy. Both the Goulash and Hangover Soups are delicious, hearty and filling. Soups come with a roll - perfect for dipping.

The servers who take my phone orders are always pleasant and helpful, and they usually offer an extra starch side since I don't eat the salad. They take credit cards and have a good beer and wine selection. Beers were gigantic the last time we ate in.

I will definitely...