Europan Cafe

Effective July 2012, this business is CLOSED. Statement verified by my photo taken July 18, 2012.

I was originally excited for the opening of Europan in the neighborhood. A great place to grab a quick bite or a salad — they also have a prime spot for sitting (the only reason for 2 stars and not 1) How is it possible that the quality differs so much between this europan and the others in manhattan? The food is dry, not fresh and the service is awful. Expect to wait forever for your food and then for them to get your order wrong. They are taking up a prime real estate spot in forest hills. I wish something else would have opened…

The cupcakes in the window caught my eye… especially the line of cute pinkish frosted ones. I went in, found out it was strawberry flavored, and decided to shell out $ 2.50. I mean, that’s really not that much for a cupcake these days.
Got home, took the cupcake out of the box, and it smelled delicious, like…
…beef chow ho fun.
I sh! t you not, the cupcake smelled like that amazing take-​out entrée.
I ate it anyway.
(Let that sink in for a minute.)
Though it smelled AWESOME, it tasted like nothing, not even beef chow ho fun. The cake was moist and spongy and tasteless, and the frosting was just a mouthful of sugar that made my teeth and head hurt. Occasionally I caught notes of strawberry but I’m starting to think my mind made that up, to make me feel better about buying and eating it.
It looked so delicious though.

This place is gross.
Their sweets were sweating in their display case which makes me question the refrigeration. But, being a good-​hearted person, and always wanting to give you a chance… I still decided to try their chocolate mousse.
Big mistake! It didn’t taste like chocolate… it didn’t taste like anything! The closest thing I can compare it to is vegetable shortening… chocolate «colored» shortening… needless to say, i threw it away and wish I could’ve gotten my $ 5 back!

I have only had the breakfast here, but was pleasantly surprised by the taste and quality. Prices are a little steep, but it’s a good breakfast stop in Forest Hills when you want an egg sandwich that’s not from a cart or Micky D’s.
The pastries are decent, we tried a cinnamon roll and a croissant. Definitely good for the money, but I recommend Martha’s for croissants (get the cheese or chocolate). Coffee is better left to the pros, but food is decent. I like their sandwiches and salads well enough, prices are again a little high.

I have to give a frowny face to this place. I tried and tried several times, but every time they disappoint. The cookie selection is minimal and not fresh, coffee was so so. There biggest competition is directly across the street, they should realize this when they see a huge line at that bakery and no one in their spot. If they just upped their game a tinny bit this place would rock.

Friendly and fast service can’t mask that this place just doesn’t seem to get it when talking about sandwiches.
I have tried multiple sandwiches including there labeled lunch deals and never get the exact sandwich on the picture or have I yet to receive the free drink that’s also supposed to come with a lunch special (lemonade if I remember correctly).
There’s not alot of taste and the hot sandwiches seem mushy and dry in the same bite, especially the tuna melt.
This place just gets lost within the plethora of mediocre places on Austin street

Is there a NO STARS rating?
Ok, so my twin and I are hungry, I tell him lets go to Europan, he instantly warn me, THEY ARE SOOO EXPENSIVE!
I get him a panini, me a veggie panini, I get a Gatorade, he gets coffee. It was $ 23
Now, I tried going to apply in the winter, seeing as they have a CASHIER WANTED (not saying anything else), so I say I would like to apply, cashier fowards me to I assume the manager, he says WE ONLY ACCEPT WOMEN, THIS summer, I saw another CASHIER WANTED, I tried again and same manager said WE ONLY ACCEPT WOMEN.
Trying to sell sex?
Well I should let you know, 95% F.O.H. are Indian woman, then the only MALE is the manager, another Indian.
They SHOULD ACCEPT all American (well any nationality) MALE or female, to apply for employment! I can’t WAIT until the feds here about this!!!

I love the breakfast here. especially the omlette platters like the greek or normal. they make it good.
the place is nice but little congested.
coffee is ok. something like dunkin black
sandwiches are pretty nice.
oh we also bought croissants and bagels here, they were nice too.

Wow this one is bad.
Martha’s didn’t have a cookie that spoke to me… If you can believe it. So I ended up here. Their desserts looked Delish. I wanted to know what some of the desserts were. I ordered an americano & asked for help with desserts. The response I got was ‘small or large’. Helpful.
Another person shows up to help with desserts. I ask what some are. I receive a non-​English response. Sigh. Takes a while but finally I get what a want.
2 desserts & a sprite later I ask if they take visa. Sure. I pay. It’s a lot. Almost 10. Ok. I’m waiting. She is staring at me. I ask for my americano. She says she didn’t charge for it. You have got to be kidding me. How much did I pay you?! Fine. Here is more money.
Oh & how many people does it take to ring a person up? Gosh!
I get my americano to my table & open it. It is an 8 oz cup & it is only 2 – 3 oz full. My husband snatches it up and demands they fill it. They tell him that is how americanos are served.
Yeah. What a joke.

Will never go back. Paid almost $ 8 for a «tuna melt panini» which was left too long on the grill, the panini was hard, very little food in-​between. Just awful and over priced.

Out of all the bakeries in Forest Hills make this your last resort if you are really craving something sweet. The muffins taste like air and the servers I find rude and have an «I’d rather be elsewhere» kind of attitude. Bonelle bakery which is a few blocks down and closer to Ascan Ave and right near the LIRR bridge is the best choice. But if you don’t want to take the… I’d say about ten minute walk; not bad… than you’re better off just going across the street to Martha’s.

Europan is okay.
I like Europan WAY better than Più Bello which still exists… I DONT KNOW WHY! across from McDonald’s Park.
I liked their coffee the time I tried it and also I had a caramel cake which is fine. Tastes the same as the cake at Martha’s Country Bakery. Nothing wow about it. The only edge this place has from across the street at Martha’s is tables, chairs and elbow space. It’s a much roomier establishment.
If I wanted to talk to someone I rather go to Europan than Martha’s. Martha’s is a madhouse.

The 2-​star «meh — I’ve experienced better» perfectly sums up my experience here. I ordered a chicken Caesar wrap and was underwhelmed. For the price ($ 7.57 including tax) I expected more. What I got was a small (6 inches) wrap about half of which was filled with chicken, lettuce, tomato, cucumber or bell pepper, and a light sauce. The other half of the sandwich was folded-​over whole wheat wrap. So about half of the sandwich was just the wrap itself, not the chicken Caesar filling. I’m very disappointed (and still hungry…)
The baked goods looked tasty but I was there for lunch and just wanted a filling sandwich. I’d go back to try the pastries but won’t be getting any more sandwiches!

I’ve been coming here for the past two weeks to study and all I can say is that I like this place. It’s growing on me for sure. The staff is incredibly nice and accommodating, the coffee is pretty damn good (I love all the foam they give you) and their cookies are delicious!
There’s good lighting and the play list isn’t bad, even though they do love their early 90’s tunes. They also don’t require the minimum to use your card anymore so that’s good!
I’ve had their omelette’s and found it satisfying. Their chicken parmesan panini was also quite good.
There usually aren’t the big crowds you’ll find at the Starbucks down the street and no one bothers you when you’re trying to do your work.
The only gripe I had with this place was the cold breeze that would come in when people opened the door and from the side windows but I told the staff and within a few days, it was fixed.
Oh… Richard Marx is playing… I’m falling in love…

Poor all round. Service is a joke with no idea as to who is supposed to be next. The food and drinks totally over priced and taste is somewhat to be tasteless!
It’s a shame because I was wanting something different from a Starbucks or a Dunkin.
Verdict: Go elsewhere

I have been trying to give this place a
chance since the day it opened! Today I am officially done with trying. Although they try really hard to please the customer they fall by wayside when it comes to actually accomplishing it. Here are a few of my issues… Maybe if things improved I can come back… You are right across from my office and it’s very convenient.
1. If I am paying premium prices for my coffee, can you at least add the sugar and cream? If I had wanted to do this myself I would not be in your shop!!!
2. Grilled cheese means melted cheese between two slices of bread, NOT 5 slices of cold cheese!
3. Check the products you are selling carefully. Yogurt should not look and taste rancid and old! Especially not at 4.00 per cup!
4. It’s beyond tacky to require a minimum purchase of 5.00 in order to process a credit card transaction! If as a whole you can’t afford the processing fees, please don’t accept CC at all! Save us all the awkwardness.
5. There are just too many chiefs and not enough Indians behind the counter! There’s no need for 3 people to work on one order!
Good luck with this one! Needs tons of help!

In theory it is very convenient to have a place to run into for a sandwich or cup of coffee on this corner of Austin Street. In actuality, everyone in the neighborhood is wise to the idea which can make for long waits, confusion while standing in line to order and, well, forget it if you want a seat.
I’ve had mixed experiences here. I’ve gone four times. When I’ve gone between rushes, I found it a nice place to sit with a sandwich and people watch.
Any sandwich or wrap I’ve tried here during their down times have been quite good.
During a rush however, all hell breaks loose and the food suffers. I ordered 2 egg whites and ham on a roll with cheese one fine Saturday and ended up with 2 whole eggs with cheese and no ham on a croissant.
If you take a seat here after ordering (and there isn’t much room for people to form a line if you don’t), an employee will hand you your sandwich at the table when it’s ready.
Three egg sandwiches were being made at the time I ordered that day, apparently. One was to go, two were to stay. The other person who was waiting for their sandwich to stay had ordered the same exact thing as me and we both got sandwiches we didn’t order.
I went to the counter with my sandwich, and there was a fast response, two different people came to me with sandwiches. Unfortunately, I took the first sandwich that came my way and the cheese wasn’t melted, it was cold. At this point, I just wanted to leave so I ate it.
The coffee/​condiment station could be kept cleaner.
I’d recommend going here at a slower time of day. Avoid it if there’s a line. Nothing good comes of it!

it’s a bit too congested in this new establishment. lots of standard wraps, salads, sandwiches and very mundane baker stuff. however, the citron cake was tasty so give that a try. could use some sprucing up.

Any Forest Hills local has been long anticipating the opening of Europan Café.
After finding out Europan is owned by the same operators of Aged, I was weary to try. Figuring I would give them a chance, I went the other night and ordered a coffee and a sandwich. Europan does offer a full lunch menu and has a variety of sandwiches, pastries and cookies.
The price is average for Forest Hills and while I found the sandwich to be just OK, the coffee was pretty good. Come to think of it, there are not many places around Austin Street for good coffee either, especially with the recent closing of Più Bello. There are a few tables to sit at as well.
Europan shows promise and is a good addition to Austin Street.
Metered parking (and the meter maids are out!)