And then, let's talk about the food. Foie gras was overcooked; but they were kind enough to replace it with more appropriately seared Foie gras. Served with seared, split grapes, it was edible, but not delectable. We also had Blinis, which were rather good. Cheese and grapes, Mushroom, and chicken were the insides of the three that came in a set. The chicken Kiev was remarkably dense, though not terribly oily. Dry meat, however was not to my liking. The dipping sauce made some amends, but I'm not sure I like meat so dry. We had a Russian ravioli, fried. Also dry, with a gravy dipping sauce. ------- I'm not a connoisseur of Russian cuisine, so it's really hard for me to come down decisively on this venue. For all I know, this is incredibly authentic food. If it is, it's not for me. I might go back for the Vodka room, but it will be a long time before I head in for Russian foodstuffs. If you know of superior Russian food, please let me know, I'll go immediately. On the other hand, in a conversation yesterday, a Russian acquaintance of mine related to me that the quintessential Russian "restaurant" equivalent really centers on the availability of alcohol, and a space to party. read more

Came here on a Wednesday for dinner with my husband and to use a Groupon I had purchased (1 appetizer, 2 soups/salads, 2 entrees, 1 dessert for $39). I am so glad I bought it because it ended up being a fun evening and a fantastic deal. The place was pretty empy when we arrived, but was starting to fill up by the time we left for "Tango night." Our waiter was exceptionally helpful, friendly, and attentive. First we got a basket of warm fresh bread with a trio of spreads - green olive butter, regular butter, and smoked salmon cream cheese. These were amazing and I think the highlight of my entire meal. We had the beef-filled potato pancakes appetizer, which were soft and flavorful. My husband got the matzo ball soup and I had the borsht, and we were both pleased with our selections. He had the lobster tail entree, and I had the Russian Schnitzel. They were both good. Mine was very rich and heavy, and I don't think we even managed to eat half of it between the two of us. For dessert we had some kind of ricotta cheese and raisin blini with apple topping, which was very good. I was really excited reading one of the previous reviews about the family style dining that includes unlimited house wines. Before we even came to try it, I was planning to come back later with my friends for that. But the menu doesn't mention anything about beverages for the family style option, so I'm not sure if they changed their policy on that. Not sure if I'll ever make it back here (due to location), but I certainly would be happy if I did. read more

So, some good friends had a Groupon and we decided to try out this amazing place nestled in Pepper Pike. I've had Russian foods before, but this was quite the experience. Europa is nestled off of a large traffic circle in Pepper Pike, inside of an unassuming storefront. We were ushered into a place with deep, rich woods and copper accents. The place felt like we'd stepped into a place of foreign tastes. We were not wrong. After being seated, the waiter, a genial fellow, showed us the "Vodka Tasting Room", an old walk-in freezer revamped with furs and frost to be the perfect environment (complete with a rack of old fur coats in varying sizes,) to try out a variety of vodkas in the "proper environment", which was apparently Siberia in deep winter. A very nice touch. We got a family meal deal, which sounds like something from the Golden Arches, until you realize that for this deal (ranging from about 25 to 35 dollars a person,) was for a MASSIVE number of appetizers (relishes, pickled items, Russian potato salad, a beet salad to die for, etc.) All told we got about six of those, shared between four people, plus ample baskets of bread and butter. If that didn't fill us up enough, we were then treated to schnitzel, meat loaf wellington and a spiced chicken with apples on a bed of Quinoa. All told, we were stuffed and happy, and the food was WONDERFUL. The service was also great; our glasses were never empty, our needs attended to constantly. I will say that prices were higher end, but it was WORTH IT; good food is not cheap, and this was most definitely good. They have lot parking out front, but my suggestion is to car pool...and get a designated driver because the food comas you're going to gratefully suffer will make it IMPERATIVE that a qualified driver escort you to home:) So, if you're flying by, land on (Restaurant) Europa, and stay for a meal that will take you out of this world in this Russian paradise. read more

Decent place for Russian Fare in Cleveland. It's located above the Ceviche nightclub, which makes it a great spot to get a bite before heading down for some Salsa or Tango. The service was fairly good, with food being bought out immediately. My one issue was with the caviar I ordered - the caviar was massively oversalted, and when I pointed this out to the waitress she suggested that (being Indian) I didn't quite know what caviar was meant to taste like and the dish was fine. It took me convincing her that I had eaten caviar multiple times before (having a bevy of eastern european and russian friends) and another table with a Russian couple sending their caviar back to convince her that my caviar was no good and ought to be taken of my bill. Other than that, the food was really good! The panko crusted tilapia with almonds was delicious! Definitely worth a one time visit at least. read more

Bought a Groupon and couldn't have been happier with all of the food we got for $39. First they started us with bread and 3 great butters. We got the mussels to start as an appetizer and then I had the Borscht and my wife had the French onion soup which were both very good as well. For dinner I ordered the ahi tuna and my wife got the twin lobster tails that ended up being 3, both of which were great! Lastly we got the chocolate creeps for dessert. We will definitely be returning! read more

Definitely recommended to everyone I know. Try to go with 4 or more people to take advantage of the family style dinner. About 8 salads and choice of 4 entrees, unlimited house wines, coffee, and soft drinks all included. My favorite dishes are the schnitzel and meatloaf wellington. Go with some stretchy pants because you will be stuffed after. Beautiful violin music to dine by as well. Great atmosphere. read more

I love the food here! I just came back a second time after Groupon. We had beef-filled potato pancakes as an appetizer, duck was my main course and a chocolate crepe for dessert. All the flavors were amazing. The service is also great and I love the fresh bread they bring out with salmon butter, Olive butter and regular butter. read more

See all

The food is okay, the staff is really great and friendly, and the cold room for the vodka is a really neat touch. But that violinist. You can't escape him and his pre-recorded mini-disks of shame. The room is open, so wherever you sit, you will hear him. Loud and clear. The whole thing, from the Violin-Disco in which he's doubt a pioneer, to his gentle weeps as he is reviewing his career choices during a too-loud version of Ochi Chernye. Get the Russian potato salad. It's very good here. read more

This restaurant needs to make some solid improvements in both its service -- more & better capable serve staff is needed. The kitchen staff, if the person preparing dishes is using the term "chef" the ownership has not properly evaluated or needs to shake up what they have. Sauces are to compliment/enhance a dish not hide. Our party of 6 had unequal quality, acceptable, okay, & barely tolerable. Unfortunately, the "server" did nothing to resolve our concerns except agree that we didn't have a good experience. They did not make us feel as though we would want to give this place a second chance read more

We were pleasantly surprised. When we walked into the place there was only one other couple so we figured, oh, oh! They opened at 4 and we went at 6. The place could use a little redecorating but then again it has a Russian theme. We did some appetizers, they had a chopped ahi tuna appetizer mixed with avocado and we also had escargot. Both were excellent and a very nice portion. Another 8 people arrived for dinner. We ordered, my wife had stuffed cabbage, granddaughter had the shrimp pasta and I decided on the scallops. All portions were very generous and quite flavorful. We would certainly do a return trip. We had an excellent waiter named Rusty, you could couldn't ask for a more polite and accommodating server. read more

We were in Cleveland for the weekend from out-of-town and were looking for a place to get a light dinner. We were driving through a neighborhood and saw a small sign for Tapas in a strip mall and decided to check it out. The restaurant was tucked back from the entrance a bit. The decor was lots of dark wood and low lighting - a traditional European style that I liked. It was Saturday night but not very busy, and after our experience I wondered why. We were looking at the menu for small bites. We saw several things we liked on the appetizer menu, perhaps more than the Tapas menu. We glanced at the dinner menu although we weren't that hungry. All of the entrees sounded good and were reasonably priced. Although it said Tapas (which I thought was Spanish), many of the dishes were eastern European or Russian influenced. We got the seafood crepes, chicken blini, frog legs (with a nice accompaniment of fried squash), a bowl of borscht, and a European Pastry (not on the menu posted here). Everything we got was fantastic! The waitress brought the appetizers out spaced apart so they didn't get cold, so everything was hot and fresh, well prepared and well presented. The best thing was the European Pastry! It was a pastry crust with a circle of brie cheese at the bottom with nuts and honey on top that was folded closed and baked in the shell until the brie was soft and foamy, with a side of fresh strawberries - one of the best and most unique things I have ever tried. I felt bad that for a Saturday night hey weren't busier given the quality of the food and the prices (we had just been to the Flats where the food wasn't as good and was overpriced). I wish I lived closer - this might be my standard weekend dinner place. We will remember for the next time we are in town. We may make the drive up just to go here again! read more

I love Russian food, so we went out of our way to try this restaurant. The service was good, and the decor was modern, which impressed my husband - who's now been to many Russian restaurants in the US. Once the private party in the back room got going, the music was Russian too. I wasn't super thrilled with the menu, because there were so many American dishes on there; there's no shortage of other places to get American cuisine. The food was pretty good: the borsch was authentic-tasting, and the beef stroganoff (on mashed potatoes, not noodles) was good, though the olevye (Russian potato salad) didn't taste right to me. (To be clear, all the food was fresh, so I'm not questioning that.) There was a prix fixe option that's more like a standard Russian restaurant meal: a dozen or so appetizers and then a few entrees; you needed to be a table of 3+ to take advantage of it. So, if you haven't had much Russian food before, this is a good way to ease yourself in. If you're Russian, just set your expectations appropriately for the menu. read more

I would definitely recommend this place. I was so stuffed, and there were so many options it was wonderful. I liked the atmosphere in here. read more

This review is for the Friday night Salsa party only. It's amazing, drawing excellent dancers (and rookies, too) from far and wide to dace, mingle, and generally be friendly and have a good time. read more

Europa is a total gem! It's my general go-to whether I'm looking to grab a drink, a meal, or hit up the salsa bar on the weekends (I don't really dance, but it's a fun crowd to be around and I've definitely made a few friends). The food is great - my boyfriend's favorite is the Russian Schnitzel and I recently enjoyed the Chicken Obuolys. The menu is updated with a dish or two pretty often which I love. Last year, I hosted my boyfriend's birthday at the bar downstairs and we just brought in a cake and made a night of it - everyone was very chill about it. The best part is the vodka selection. Not just the brands, they infuse their own vodkas with pretty much about anything, from jalapeño to horse radish to lemon and lime. I like getting the pickle infused vodka as a martini yummmm. I've actually never done the vodka room but my parents have and they were all about it, which is a pretty big compliment because they're retired and super picky about where they eat. I went there recently before Christmas '15 and they really updated the decor! The bars are bigger and wrap around the room, and after asking one of the bartenders about the painted plates on the walls, I learned that they come from Russia from before the Iron Curtain fell, when any type of religious endeavor was banned from the country, and so people painted scenes on these plates of a happier, more plentiful time. Maybe I'm a total dork, but they were beautiful. 10/10 would recommend. read more

The best Eastern European joint in town. Great culture even better food. Would recommend the Russian Schnitzel! read more

This place is so amazing, great family style dining. Absolutely must try borsch, lamb chops, sea food. Definitely come back soon. read more

The biggest mystery about this place is why it is not more popular. We have been here several times with only one or two tables occupied. Nice selection of Russian and Eastern European fare. Good bar selection with very healthy pours on the wine and vodka - there is a decent selection of both. Food is well prepared with huge portions. We have always taken home some of the entree. Great service. The dining room is a bit dark and heavy. There is some renovation going on at present. We will continue to visit this place whenever we crave Eastern European comfort food. read more

Red Caviar served here. Best red pearls, butter and crackers since pre cold war days in Saint Petersburg. I Nina. I full woman. Never cross me. read more

Europa is one of the most under-rated restaurants in Cleveland! April 9, 2002 was our 2nd visit in a few months, and both have been outstandingly enjoyable. As on our previous visit, after ordering our appetizers and main courses, we and our friends ordered shots of vodka and enjoyed the "northern European winter" of the ice room - what a fun and unique experience!! After that' we returned to our table and enjoyed truly excellent food and service. For appetizers, we shared an order of Mushroom Blinis and an order of Latkes with Smoked Salmon. One of our friends ordered Calamari, which I thought was just ok, but the other two appetizers were truly delicious, especially the Latkes. Next time I'm going to order Latkes just for myself, alone! For main course, I had Stuffed Cabbage; two of our party had Schnitzel, and our other friend had Beef Strogonov - all excellent. All topped off with great deserts and coffee. Another evening to remember. Highly recommended!! read more

Great place. Very uniq, you won't find anything like that in Ohio. They got ICE BAR aka vodka room, interesting experience.

I never had bad food there. Always fresh and nice presentation. The atmosphere after remodeling is pretty nice, but that big digital display monster has to go. read more

When we drove up to restaurant Europa for the first time, it wasn't what we expected it to be. Restaurant Europa is in a big plaza, and appears to be pretty small from the outside. When you go in the first door, you'll walk down a short hallway to another door which enters into the front of the restaurant. They offer an extensive menu featuring various European entrees. Our server told us about some of their most popular meals, which included the pork schnitzel, stuffed cabbage and a few other things I can't remember. We decided to start off splitting a seafood crepe. It had crab and cheese on the inside, with an Alfredo sauce on the outside. I was kind of worried that it would have a fake seafood taste to it, but it was actually really good. For my entree, I went with the pork schnitzel. It was much bigger than I expected, and had a creamy mushroom sauce on top. It included a side of potatoes, which were sort of similar to a potato chip, but cut thicker. They had several desserts that sounded amazing, but we were already so full, we decided against them. We'll definitely be back to this place to try some of there other great European classics. read more

Neat atmosphere with a guy playing live violin over background music. The Moscow Mule cocktail wasn't anything to write home about...the version of that drink is WAY better at Velvet Tango Room. Onto the food...portions are very generous. The smoked pork chop with apples and the short ribs were both good. The short ribs were a little on the fatty side (required some landscaping) and the sundried tomato rice pilaf it came with was slightly undercooked. Service was friendly but somewhat slow. It gets crowded on a Friday night. Unless you want to sit at a table practically in the middle of the dance floor in front of the guy playing music, make a reservation so you get a booth. read more

I never thought I'd be into Russian food, but after eating at Europa I can say for sure that I was incorrect. My friends and I enjoy coming to Europa for a drink now and again, but most recently I was hungry so I decided to try some food. I ordered the stuffed grape leaves and the borscht. While I only meant to have a bite or two of each, I couldn't help myself: I ate the whole thing! Our waitress, Sue, was a delight and helped me choose these two delicious dishes. Being middle eastern I am very picky about my grape leaves, but these stood up to any I've had. They were seasoned wonderfully! Even as someone who loves beets, I was skeptical about borscht; again, I was wrong. The flavor is simple and clean, and oh so satisfying, especially when topped with some cold sour cream. As I'm typing this I am beginning to crave it actually. Besides the food, my favorite part of Europa is the ice room. They provide a variety of beautiful fur coats for you to enjoy along with some ice cold vodka in the negative temperatures of the room. As someone who has always dreamed of going to Russia, this Siberian experience is a close second to the real thing! Overall, every time I've been to Europa I've more than enjoyed my experience. I don't give many 5 star reviews, but this restaurant is a must try. I'll be back very soon! read more

Had the meatloaf Wellington which was pretty good. My friends ordered the duck and pork dish and they like them. Had to experience the cold room and vodka. They give you fur coats to wear as you down a glass of vodka in a -14F room. That was fun. Servers are nice and courteous. read more

Visted Restuarant Europa for the first time and I was very impressed! The manager Rusty was warm and inviting making sure to check that we did not need anything. The atmosphere was great along with the food..I tried the mussels and fruit salad and oh my the Vodka Lounge....Rusty let me sample Limited absolute Miami and SanFransico vodka, all I can say is wow...I will definitely pick some up and the bottles are cute too.....they also had a violinist playing....I will definitely be back. Great to check out read more

Family reunion dinner. They needed more servers for a group our size. Otherwise we were all blown away both by how good the food was and how much there was of it. My faves were chicken schnitzel and beef goulash. Some wonderful salmon dishes. read more

Food was subpar and overpriced. The worst Caesar salad I ever had. They used ground Parmesan cheese. The ice bar was different and the wireless violin player was different. Nothing like the old Russian Tearoom! read more

We've eaten here twice and have always enjoyed what we ordered. The Kiev Chicken was great and borcht is always good. We've gone early on Sundays and it was a nice quiet eating experience. read more

I never post reviews for things and this places food was so bad that I had to. The food is disgusting. Just don't

This place was very good. The food was very good. Our server rusty exceeded our expectation. Never had to ask for anything. He was always one step ahead of us. read more

This place is awesome!!! Bartender was knowledgeble w/great customer service, (can't remember his name), the Russian Schnitzel was delicious, inviting atmosphere, but the kicker is the Siberian Vodka Ice Room! They have furs and Ushankas for you to put on and enjoy shots some of the best vodkas! Will be going back:) read more

This place is great! A beautiful menu with a wide array of items to choose from. Whether you're just stopping by for soup (the borscht would be a great choice) or a light dinner (my personal favorite: Ahi Tuna), Restaurant Europa will not dissapoint! For dessert, I highly recommend the Chocolate crepes! read more

Restaurant Europa - The lobster ravioli! - Modern European Near Me - Pepper Pike, Ohio

This place is truly located in a unassuming storefront, as one of the other reviewers noted. We nearly drove right past it. Wanting to try something different, we were intrigued by the thought of Russian food. So our journey began. This is a low key place with good food and great service. Sue, our waitress, was outstanding. She explained various parts of the menu, and even brought out some samples for us to try. Onto the food: Bread with olive butter, and salmon cream cheese. Superb! Escargot, and frog legs for appetizers. Delish! Borscht soup: tastes like home. Duck Breast and Salmon Gratin. Amazing. Needless to say we were in a food coma by the time we left. We will be coming back. There are more foods we wanted to try, but frankly out bellies couldn't handle anymore intake! read more

My family came and got the feast. Everything was homemade and delicious! Definitely order a desert- any of them- all homemade!

The food is carefully and meticulously crafted. Everything was fresh and the items on the plate complemented the main entree. The service was prompt, friendly and not rushed. The location is in an out of the way strip mall but well worth going to. The specialities are Eastern European, but the conventional fare is done expertly as well. We were passing through and wished that we could hitch this place to our car and take it home with us! read more

Short and sweet....food and service are excellent at Restaurant Europa. I will definitely be back next tim ein Cleveland.

Don't be fooled by the location -- this is without a doubt one of the best restaurants in Cleveland, in my opinion. We dined here this evening and, despite the fairly empty dining room, had an awesome time. Started off with the fresh, hot bread with addicting butter accompaniments - smoked salmon, olive, and plain butter. Absolutely delicious. Someone had the soup special, mushroom, and it was rich and hearty. At our table two people had the chicken entree, another the stuffed cabbage, and I had the meatloaf Wellington. Everyone raved about the food and mine was unctuous and very satisfying. The roasted or pan fried green beans were a hit as well. Service was outstanding as well - very attentive and super friendly. Couldn't ask for more - will definitely be returning whenever I'm back in town. read more

Had the chicken obuolys. So good I've been having recurring dreams about that dish. Can't wait to go back.