Café l'Europe

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Palm Beach Institution, Four Decades Strong

It was 1980 — the start of a glittering decade of glamour and exuberant entertaining — when Norbert and Lidia Goldner opened Café l'Europe on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. The combination of European sophistication, fabulous food, and a warm welcome made it an instant success. "Le tout" Palm Beach crowded the chic dining room and bar nightly. The restaurant eventually moved to larger premises on S. County Road, successfully preserving the unique atmosphere created at inception.

Today, Café l'Europe is owned and operated exclusively by the Marcello family, who bring backgrounds in banking, hospitality, and interior design to a place they describe as youthful, warm, chic, and welcoming — "whether in jewels or in jeans."

The Kitchen and the Cellar

Executive Chefs Benoît Delos and Alain Krauss lead a kitchen committed to scratch cooking with the finest ingredients, drawing on the full breadth of European culinary tradition. The menu moves confidently across the continent: Fresh Dover Sole Meunière, Sautéed Foie Gras with caramelized apple and grapes, Escargots in garlic butter, a Classic Wiener Schnitzel with spätzle, and a Filet Mignon au Poivre alongside a Café Soufflé — Grand Marnier or chocolate — that has become a signature finish. A dedicated caviar menu, featuring Beluga, Kaluga, and Royal Osetra, signals just how seriously the kitchen takes its continental brief.

The wine program matches that ambition. Sommelier Sergio Cuadros has assembled over 2,000 bottles in the cellar and more than 40 wines available by the glass, including luxury pours preserved by Coravin. That list earned Café l'Europe the Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence — recognition that reflects both the depth of the selection and the care with which it is curated.

The Room, the Music, the Occasion

Occupying a landmark corner in the heart of Palm Beach, the venue encompasses a French bistro dining room, a grand bar, al fresco terrace seating with heaters for cooler evenings, and a private dining room that seats up to approximately 40 guests. Pianist David Crohan plays live Tuesday through Sunday evenings, a longtime fixture that gives the room its particular warmth.

A summer Prix Fixe menu — three courses for $78, Sundays through Thursdays — and a weekend brunch program round out the calendar, making Café l'Europe as fitting for a relaxed Saturday morning as for a milestone dinner. The dress code is "casual elegance," and complimentary valet service is standard. It is, as the family puts it, a place to meet people, laugh, and share stories around the dinner table.