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All 2,426 Melbourne Restaurants »

The European

161 Spring St, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
03 9654 0811
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Ranked #66 of 2,426 restaurants in Melbourne
4.0 of 5 stars 102 Reviews
Price range: 0 AUD - 40 AUD
Cuisines: European
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Restaurant details
Good for: Romantic, Business, Outdoor seating, Entertaining clients
Dining options: Breakfast/Brunch, Lunch Spot, Dinner, Reservations, After-hours, Dessert
Neighbourhood: Melbourne CBD
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102 reviews from our community

78% Recommend
    41
    39
    12
    6
    4
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
Melbourne, Australia
Senior Reviewer
9 reviews 9 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
19 helpful votes 19 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 May 2012

The European is a great place to meet friends at the end of a day. It's range of drinks is excellent and the atmosphere quite cool. More

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Melbourne, Australia
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 16 May 2012

I stop here for dessert whenever i am on this side of the city open late, good value, good wine, good desserts if a paris end restaurant ever disappoints me, i make up for it by going to the european for dessert! staff know their stuff, never seem to begrudge late diners (which is common) and desserts always come up... More

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See 5 more reviews by Steve C for Melbourne
Australia
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 May 2012

Sat outside in the Autumn sun, pretended was in Europe & ate well, read the papers and watched the world go by with great coffee, & a lovely full breakfast. Definitely recommend More

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Australia
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 May 2012

Skillful hands in the kitchen not afraid to serve trusted receipes, also willing to go the extra lengths required to produce mouth watering dishes from less fashionable ingredients. Oxtail, boiled meats & less loved innards feature on the menu. Service is beyond good by food & beverage staff. All done with smiles, repartee & a desire to make the experience... More

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See 4 more reviews by miserygutz for Melbourne
Sydney, Australia
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 May 2012

We've been here couple of times and the food was great the service was good and the atmosphere is excellent!!! More

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Brisbane
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 May 2012

Had breakfast here and it was one of the best breakfasts and coffees I've ever had. A little bit expensive but definitely worth it!! More

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See 5 more reviews by Meggi12 for Melbourne
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
Senior Contributor
39 reviews 39 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
27 helpful votes 27 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 May 2012

I can pretend to be in Europe for a little while! The food is excellent, there are plenty of wines by the glass, the service is practised and pleasant and the atmosphere is alive. It is cramped - in that it is a smallish space and always busy, but that is part of the charm for me. Being part of... More

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See 7 more reviews by MaryJB_inMelbourne for Melbourne
Paris
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 2 May 2012

Fantastic food, very creative, very delicious. We shared the vegetable fritters with bagna cauda (boiled cream and anchovie sauce) ooh yum. I had the rabbit and leak pie with prunes double yum... wine is dear as poison but plenty available by the glass. Very noisy, look at moi place but well worth the experience. More

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See 9 more reviews by Cynthia D for Melbourne
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 May 2012

From the street the European is very underwhelming but open the heavy wooden doors and you enter a cosy French styled restaurant with an emphasis on friendly welcomes and classic fine dining service. The wine list is purely European (funny that) but makes you open you horizons to wines from around Europe. Try a few by the glass to get... More

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New Zealand
Senior Contributor
42 reviews 42 reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 29 April 2012

This place was recommended to us for breakfast by a top NZ chef, however by the time we got there they were on the lunch menu. The food was outstandingly good & the Potted Prawns were to die for!! Only downside was we almost seemed to get forgotten -(maybe a staff changeover?) & the service was quite slow. Nevertheless, we... More

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See 2 more reviews by FranNewZealand for Melbourne

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