Turquoise Cafe Bar Europa

I love Turquoise Cafe Bar Europa, it feels like home. Yet they have live music every night, big cozy couches outside, & 20% off everything for ordering through this very easy phone app. The food, & drinks are great! Good for everyone!

Exquisite ambience, almost makes you feel like you’re actually in Europe. The main live guitar player who performs there, from Brazil, is fantastic. The food seems to have gotten slightly worse and more expensive since the pandemic, but I still have to give it 5 stars for ambience alone, incomparable for San Diego.

This place is a hidden gem and more people need to know about it. The ambiance is amazing. When you step foot inside, you are automatically transported to a small cafe in Spain. Fire pits and couches are set all around the patio, creating a cute and cozy space. There is al.ost always live music to be played. And the food is UNREAL! I've been here a few times and have never been disappointed. The food is very reasonably priced and so so flavorful! I will be back alot!

Such a gem. One of the most romantic get-aways in San Diego... And you certainly don't feel like you're in San Diego when inside cafe Europa. Luxury feels easy with convenience here. Such ambiance! Live music. Flickering fire. Tapas and drinks at the tips of your fingers. Date spot supreme!

My take on this place: If you don't like it, you probably don't get it. My wife and I spent our honeymoon in Portugal, Spain, and France and our experience at The Turquoise brought us right back there. The laid back atmosphere with live music, the unobtrusive service-style so that you can engage in great conversation, the food (which is meant for sharing) that comes out when it's ready instead of all at once... It's Europe in America. We loved it.

What an eclectic find! Basilio, Talia and the rest of the staff are the real deal. Great tapas, always try the specials and don't miss the paella when it's on the menu, love the music and vibe from the entertainers, feel like I'm sitting along the Duro, waiting for a barge full of Porto to steam by!

Always a worthwhile dining experience. Serving everything to your heart's content, with the ultimate seafood paella that's to die for. We've always enjoyed the vast selection of what's available on the menu. The Flamenco show topped off the evening for us.

I had a remarkable evening, Christian did a fine job of ensuring everything was just perfect. The food and the music we're amazing.

Great atmosphere. Very good service. The food and beverage delicious.

Benjamin Hoga

Always a worthwhile dining experience. Serving everything to your heart's content, with the ultimate seafood paella that's to die for. We've always enjoyed the vast selection of what's available on the menu. The Flamenco show topped off the evening for us.

Troy Lagrotteria

I had a remarkable evening, Christian did a fine job of ensuring everything was just perfect. The food and the music we're amazing.

אורן כהן

Great atmosphere. Very good service. The food and beverage delicious.

Totally surprised by the talent of the Thursday night Jazz Band!! The reasonably priced really tasty food! Gazpacho, mmmmmm good! Friendly staff! Infinitely better than All my expectations!! I'm telling everybody...

A gem of a place! In town on vacation and stumbled on this, tucked into a cute neighborhood. It has a colorful inside, nice wall art. The tapas are generous and the drinks superb. Live jazz and friendly servers make this a “must see”. Not far from local hotels but a fun and not “touristy” place with tons of character.

This place is phenomenal. Been coming here since 2016! Yes they have since transitioned to phone ordering due to labor shortages, but it’s easy and streamlined! The music is good, food specials are delicious, and the ambience is fantastic. It is disappointing to see people berate this place with negative reviews versus communicating with the staff on site. The staff has always been helpful if there are any discrepancies, look forward to more good times!

This place is a hidden gem! They've really improved their online ordering system. The ambiance is the best - amazing job on the lighting, giving the place a calm and comfortable look. The food is amazing. Great date spot! It looks like they make a big scene for birthdays too - which you'll have to see the sparkle yourself!

Love this bar! Especially since they remodeled the ambience is awesome. Super laid-back, pretty good food, biggest Sangria's for 4 bucks during happy hour (6 till 7 30 pm) and the best live music for free in town, they have great jazz bands and Cuban salsa couple times a month. The phone ordering app is something to get used to, but considering that its 10% cheaper then ordering at the counter it's worth the hassle. If I didn't have small children I'd be here every weekend.

My new local fave for a perfect chill evening. The owner always seems to be on hand and greets you like family. Once you navigate the ordering system it's a snap to use and the food... YUM! Love the comfy couch patio area - perfect for a casual happy hour with friends or to hunker down solo with a book, a glass of wine and a nosh. Their live entertainment is varied in style and genre, all top notch and I appreciate that they keep the volume appropriate to fabulous background ambiance and not so loud you can't hear yourself think, let alone carry on a conversation. I'm officially a regular!

Tried this place on a whim and loved it! Great food, music, and service. Loved the unique ambiance. Fun place to kick back at the end of the night. I see some complaints about the online ordering system. I found it to be easy to use and wondered why more restaurants don't use it.

My newest favorite spot!! The place is impeccable, so much personality, service is exceptional and the vibes are impeccable. The live music, the food and the wine list are all amazing, and oh, if you’re Brazilian, you’re gonna love the voz e violão cantando MPB in this place! 10/10 will recommend to everyone I know!

We recently discovered this hidden gem in Pacific Beach. From the street you have no idea what’s going on behind the curtains. It’s like stepping into a European cabaret. There are Parisian wooden bistro tables and chairs in an open dining room that faces a dance floor and stage. This opens onto a large outdoor covered patio with gas fire pits and very comfortable couches to lounge on. On both occasions there was live music that was absolutely fantastic. These were not amateur musicians! We also had incredible food including fresh seafood paella, roasted vegetables and a delicious salad. This really is a very charming venue!

Christopher Angell

Great venue for performances, have seen good music and comedy here. Friendly staff, tasty tapas menu.

Michael Boothby

This place is phenomenal. Been coming here since 2016! Yes they have since transitioned to phone ordering due to labor shortages, but it’s easy and streamlined! The music is good, food specials are delicious, and the ambience is fantastic. It is disappointing to see people berate this place with negative reviews versus communicating with the staff on site. The staff has always been helpful if there are any discrepancies, look forward to more good times!

Hannah Duarte

My newest favorite spot!! The place is impeccable, so much personality, service is exceptional and the vibes are impeccable. The live music, the food and the wine list are all amazing, and oh, if you’re Brazilian, you’re gonna love the voz e violão cantando MPB in this place! 10/10 will recommend to everyone I know!

Steve Gold

We recently discovered this hidden gem in Pacific Beach. From the street you have no idea what’s going on behind the curtains. It’s like stepping into a European cabaret. There are Parisian wooden bistro tables and chairs in an open dining room that faces a dance floor and stage. This opens onto a large outdoor covered patio with gas fire pits and very comfortable couches to lounge on. On both occasions there was live music that was absolutely fantastic. These were not amateur musicians! We also had incredible food including fresh seafood paella, roasted vegetables and a delicious salad. This really is a very charming venue!

F C Alvarez (Fast Flo)

Totally surprised by the talent of the Thursday night Jazz Band!! The reasonably priced really tasty food! Gazpacho, mmmmmm good! Friendly staff! Infinitely better than All my expectations!! I'm telling everybody...

Kate

My new local fave for a perfect chill evening. The owner always seems to be on hand and greets you like family. Once you navigate the ordering system it's a snap to use and the food... YUM! Love the comfy couch patio area - perfect for a casual happy hour with friends or to hunker down solo with a book, a glass of wine and a nosh. Their live entertainment is varied in style and genre, all top notch and I appreciate that they keep the volume appropriate to fabulous background ambiance and not so loud you can't hear yourself think, let alone carry on a conversation. I'm officially a regular!

Kevin O'Brien

Tried this place on a whim and loved it! Great food, music, and service. Loved the unique ambiance. Fun place to kick back at the end of the night. I see some complaints about the online ordering system. I found it to be easy to use and wondered why more restaurants don't use it.

Tatiana Morris

This place is a hidden gem! They've really improved their online ordering system. The ambiance is the best - amazing job on the lighting, giving the place a calm and comfortable look. The food is amazing. Great date spot! It looks like they make a big scene for birthdays too - which you'll have to see the sparkle yourself!

Paradise Pet Care

Love this bar! Especially since they remodeled the ambience is awesome. Super laid-back, pretty good food, biggest Sangria's for 4 bucks during happy hour (6 till 7 30 pm) and the best live music for free in town, they have great jazz bands and Cuban salsa couple times a month. The phone ordering app is something to get used to, but considering that its 10% cheaper then ordering at the counter it's worth the hassle. If I didn't have small children I'd be here every weekend.

Great food and amazing performances. You should definitely try it. Needs more staff though. Ordering Phone to Table is not my style, even if it means a discount.

This cafe is far more than you'd imagine. A nice relaxed space to enjoy good music and decent food. They've instituted an on-line payment system that isn't too difficult to navigate if you are familiar with on-line services. Definitely worth trying out for the music and the food.

Although they have switched ordering by in person service to web based, it's actually easy to use. Great price for the Tapas, live music, and not located at the too busy Garnett Ave.

I drove 120 miles to meet friends at this place. The ambiance and decor are worth the visit, but the way customers have to order food in not convenient. Basically you have to order and pay online. There is the option to pay cash, but you have to go up to the register to order. The restaurant seems to be understaffed. Tapas and drinks are OK.

It was a great night there. Cook wasn't in but that was ok, just wanted to enjoy the music with my girlfriend. 4 stars because the music was so quiet even with an empty house. Ordering thru the phone wasn't ideal. And drink delivery was off, why cheap plastic cups, lol? The owner was very cool, thank you again for the comp'd plate of italian cuts. Made the night!!!

Went there for an argentine tango event and tried the paella. Good food and nice ambiance.

Cristina Metgher

Went there for an argentine tango event and tried the paella. Good food and nice ambiance.

Food was amazing! Music was amazing! Only complaint I have is that on Sundays, you have to order through your phone. It was a little complicated and annoying and that's coming from a 24 year old so I'm assuming older people will struggle with that concept even more. But the tapas and atmosphere were great and so I'll definitely visit again!

A unique place with great live music. They are an "online only" establishment which means you order by phone and then your food is brought to your table. I'd recommend trying the absinthe shots as they are lit on fire, and taste fantastic!

Mykaela Scarpace

Food was amazing! Music was amazing! Only complaint I have is that on Sundays, you have to order through your phone. It was a little complicated and annoying and that's coming from a 24 year old so I'm assuming older people will struggle with that concept even more. But the tapas and atmosphere were great and so I'll definitely visit again!

Nicholas Corder

A unique place with great live music. They are an "online only" establishment which means you order by phone and then your food is brought to your table. I'd recommend trying the absinthe shots as they are lit on fire, and taste fantastic!

Update: We visited The Turquoise again 1/18/13 at the owner's behest. He really listened to my concerns and everything that could reasonably be fixed was. We had the same waitress and her hair was in a bun, and I saw another waitresses rocking cool pigtails, so that was a definite improvement. She also let us pour our own sangria this time, so I got a lot less ice in my glass and a lot more deliciousness. Do try the pineapple sangria, incredibly good. The food was still delicious, as usual. Thanks for encouraging us to try again, and I look forward to other improvements. Our waitress kept playing with and whipping around her hair. I found that bothersome and kept worrying that it would end up in our food. But she was the only waitress with her hair down, so I guess it was a poor personal choice on her part. The food is really good, but the pricing rips you off. They ”don't do tips”, so they just charge an extra 17% of your total to your check. So if your service was bad, or incredibly slow in our case because they were either understaffed or disorganized, and uncommunicative, you have no way of showing your displeasure unless you fill out one of their poorly written surveys. They say if your service was bad they'll refund you, but there's no guarantee. They also say that the waiter with the best reviews gets a special cash bonus. But they don't believe in tips. So. Yeah. Make of that what you will.The band they booked that night was way too big for the space. So thinking we've got good seats near the stage area, we soon found out that we would be spending the majority of the evening with strangers' butts in our faces, rando-s putting their drinks on our table, their jackets on our chairs, or just stepping on or toes. And absolutely no room to dance. Maybe they should just not have that table available during big band night.The last thing, which I think is completely unfair to their employees, having waitressed at one point in my life, is that their kitchen door opened right on to the dance floor. This means that the wait staff have to balance food through a bunch of dancing customers. That seemed like a pretty bad idea to me.But the food IS really good. Amazing paella and tortilla. Amazing selection of sangrias.Pro-Tip: DO NOT PARK IN THE CAR WASH. People park any kind of way and you could get stuck trying to get out like we did. Don't risk it.

Weird spot. It's an interesting deviation from sterile and monotonous corporate restaurants. There is no service so you are greeted with some explanatory signs and plastic silverware. Self seating. You can either place your order with a qr code or up at the bar. Portions are small and on plastic plates which you pick up from the counter. Food options seemed reheated from previously cooked. There were wispers of Kirkland signature. By the time we left there was a large group of people dancing inside. But this group may have entirely been made up of several generations of wives and children from the proprietor. Weird.

Trevor

Weird spot. It's an interesting deviation from sterile and monotonous corporate restaurants. There is no service so you are greeted with some explanatory signs and plastic silverware. Self seating. You can either place your order with a qr code or up at the bar. Portions are small and on plastic plates which you pick up from the counter. Food options seemed reheated from previously cooked. There were wispers of Kirkland signature. By the time we left there was a large group of people dancing inside. But this group may have entirely been made up of several generations of wives and children from the proprietor. Weird.

I went there to listen to some live jazz, an realized that it's not the best of places to do it. i enjoyed the music, but the staff really didn't pay too much attention to people who walked in. no one really greeted us, also i notice that around 12:00am, there was no one to be found around the bar. they almost missed a chance to sell this one guy another drink because there was no one there. the food was ok but watch out for the prices. me and my friend both had non alcoholic drinks- we are underage- and one of the servers asked us for a refill; it just would have been nice to have been warned that it wasn't free. not really a problem though. the biggest thing is that they don't "accept tips" but they do charge a 17.5% service fee, a bit high if you ask me, so be careful of that. would i go back? sure maybe not order as much stuff. it's not a bad spot, not great either. to me, the only selling point is the live music.

David Allen

I went there to listen to some live jazz, an realized that it's not the best of places to do it. i enjoyed the music, but the staff really didn't pay too much attention to people who walked in. no one really greeted us, also i notice that around 12:00am, there was no one to be found around the bar. they almost missed a chance to sell this one guy another drink because there was no one there. the food was ok but watch out for the prices. me and my friend both had non alcoholic drinks- we are underage- and one of the servers asked us for a refill; it just would have been nice to have been warned that it wasn't free. not really a problem though. the biggest thing is that they don't "accept tips" but they do charge a 17.5% service fee, a bit high if you ask me, so be careful of that. would i go back? sure maybe not order as much stuff. it's not a bad spot, not great either. to me, the only selling point is the live music.

Not really good… plastic cup…plastic silverware… no ratatouille! But the music is good

I'm from northwestern Spain and wanted to love this place, but I was sorely disappointed. Food was meh. Wait time for service was awful. Atmosphere felt very touristy and kitschy. Maybe my expectations were just a bit too high or maybe this is an objectively 2 star place - decide for yourself 🤷‍♀️

This place used to be my go-to place. Loved the mysterious dark atmosphere with the live jazz back in the corner behind the bar. As well as the great blues out on the patio... unfortunately this has all changed :-( they remodeled the interior pushing the bar back and eliminating the dark romantic feel next to the stage. They also no longer can have the blues singer on the patio due to complaints from the neighbors. So alas the uniqueness has gone and left this place feeling just like any other bar with live music. If it was not for the great acts they book, I would have stopped visiting alltogether.

Strange place. They need to figure out the service. Next time I should order at home before I get there. Music was great but ordering online while sitting at the table gets little annoying after few rounds. My two stars go to variety of music events and laid back loungy atmosphere.

Sabrina Gallego

I'm from northwestern Spain and wanted to love this place, but I was sorely disappointed. Food was meh. Wait time for service was awful. Atmosphere felt very touristy and kitschy. Maybe my expectations were just a bit too high or maybe this is an objectively 2 star place - decide for yourself 🤷‍♀️

Ivan Prokic

Strange place. They need to figure out the service. Next time I should order at home before I get there. Music was great but ordering online while sitting at the table gets little annoying after few rounds. My two stars go to variety of music events and laid back loungy atmosphere.

Harry

This place used to be my go-to place. Loved the mysterious dark atmosphere with the live jazz back in the corner behind the bar. As well as the great blues out on the patio... unfortunately this has all changed :-( they remodeled the interior pushing the bar back and eliminating the dark romantic feel next to the stage. They also no longer can have the blues singer on the patio due to complaints from the neighbors. So alas the uniqueness has gone and left this place feeling just like any other bar with live music. If it was not for the great acts they book, I would have stopped visiting alltogether.

Most horrible service and food in all of San Diego. I've gone here a few times and every time we had bad service. So dissapointing. The place is dirty too. The food is always overcooked. It even took a long time to get sangria which is the only thing that is half decent while going here to listen to the bands. Overall this place needs new management if they ever want me or my friends to come back. Too bad bc it could be a great place.

Everything is served on disposal dinnerware. One waitress and a cook are the only employees present. The food tasted like frozen pre-cooked dishes and the prices were certainly not cheap. Fun funky atmosphere but table was sticky!

This place Sucks You order online and they bring the food out. Spent 30 minutes trying to get the app working. By the time we got the app working it was 9:15 and menu had automatically changed at 9PM. So all the food items we spent the last 30 minutes trying to order was no longer available. Nobody cared and nobody wanted to help. So we never got any food. Awful time, could not order food and they did not care! Who cares what the food taste like, because I will never go back. Worst service ever! they did have some cool music, too bad.

The biggest waste of space, cool venue and never a single person in it. The one time my friends and I gave it a try on a Saturday night there was no staff around and when a waiter finally did come he basically told us we were better off leaving because the place is just not good.

No complaints with the music. If fact the music was great. Also, no complaints about waiting in line initially to pay a cover that includes one drink. But we could not order ANYTHING else from our table or the bar. To get another drink or order food you must leave your table, go outside and stand in the same LONG line ( over 45 min) just to order. NO WAIT STAFF TO ORDER FOOD, DRINKS, OR BUS TABLES. Try to order a drink at the bar and the bartender looks at you like your nuts.. and tells you to wait in line to get another drink ticket. So ridiculous to have ONE person at the front door collecting covers, drink orders and food orders. I watched couple after couple stand at the cash register reading a 4 page menu before ordering. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A SLOWER PROCESS TO ORDER.

This place is the worst. The food takes forever and the service is terrible. It seemed like there was only one waiter for the whole building. Once the food arrived, we didn't eat most of it due to the poor quality and the wine comes from a tap so does that mean it is in a barrel or plastic bag in the back? Then the bill arrived and included an automatic 18% which is ridiculous based on the overall experience. Won't be going back and will be letting everyone we know not to as well. gross

I've frequented this place several times over the years and as a cafe, a bar, and entertainment spot I really do not have any complaints. Actually I have enjoyed many nights out enjoying good food and music here. UNFORTUNATELY, when I have to question the integrity and character of the people who work at or own the busines, it greatly compromises how I can even give a second thought about recommending this place to anyone , leaving me inclined as well to alert others of this issue: On December 14th I contacted the business through the website email listed to inquire about whether the business offered gift cards/certificates. My message was promptly returned by Basilio Ceravalo (listed as owner) to confirm I could purchase any amount gift card. I would need to submit a PayPal payment and once received he would create the gift certificate and email it to me. On Dec 16th I notified him again that the payment was sent and that it was intended as a Christmas gift, hoping to receive it as soon as possible. On Dec 19th after no response, I again reached out by personal email. Still no response. On Dec 21 I again reached out (this time through Paypal msg) to explain I still had not received a response or my gift certificate and again explained this was an intended gift. I did receive a response same day which states he was working on it and would email for sure the following day. Needless to say, that was the last I've heard from him. I've since left him another message through PayPal requesting a refund at this point. At this point, no matter how much I have enjoyed myself at Cafe Bar Europa in the last, I will no longer recommend this business in good faith and I hope others are cautious dealing with transactions like this. I typically would never PayPal money like this but I had assumed this business and it's owner to be quite reputable and honorable. Wrong. Lesson learned.