After reading the Dispatch review of Euro Cafe, I got excited that there was another deli/cafe in town that would take the place of my beloved (but now gone) Krystyna’s, so I could get my pierogi/cabbage roll fix. Downtown is not an area of town I usually frequent, but seeing as I wanted to stop and check out the Pearl Alley Farmer’s Market, it seemed natural to stop in to Euro Cafe, which is a mere block away.
I really had high hopes for the place. After all, how difficult is it to screw up cabbage rolls and/or pierogi? While time consuming, neither dish is really difficult to prepare. I hoped for the best and ordered both.
I really, really wish I had left my illusions of good Polish cuisine in place. Point is, I was really disappointed with both dishes.
The cabbage rolls ($5.95) tasted as if they came out of an On-Cor box, and were served with instant mashed potatoes. I don’t know about the rest of you, but instant mashed potatoes in a restaurant are an absolute dealbreaker for me. I’m not even that lazy at home. Worse yet, they didn’t even try to jazz them up at all with butter/cream/seasoning, so it was obvious from the first bite that they were powdered potatoes.
The pierogies ($5.95), while slightly more edible, were still pretty bad – doughy, more of that fake potato taste, barely sauteed and then tossed with raw onions. Blech. I ended up eating half and giving the rest to my tablemates.
I can’t speak to anything else on the menu, but as far as the stuff that’s supposed to set them apart from the pack (the “authentic” Polish cuisine)? Don’t bother – I can make better at home with a box of Mrs. T’s. I know for sure that I won’t be going back.
If you’d like to go: Euro Cafe, 49 N. High St, Columbus (Downtown, just north of Broad St), 614.221.8311
