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25-27 August 2008 Eating Out in Eugene
(A printable version of this guide is here.) Eugene has many, many good restaurants, and the prices are fairly cheap compared to similar restaurants in larger cities. The list below is by no means comprehensive, but are a few suggestions of places that are noteworthy, convenient, or both. Restaurants listed in the campus area are an easy walk from campus (duh), and most downtown restaurants (west of campus) are also walkable (some walking can be saved by taking the free EmX bus downtown). Other areas are best visited by car. Call to verify hours, as they change often; the area code is 541 for all listed numbers. Breakfast For a good start, try Studio One Café, which is justifiably popular for their eggs benedict (try the “northern lights”) and their french toast, which comes slathered in almond sauce and berry compote. You can also find a wide selection of pancakes Original Pancake House, a national chain but a good one; the swedish pancakes with lingonberries are interesting, and if you have an hour to kill (and you want to ingest a few thousand calories), order the apple pancake. A true campus institution is the Glenwood Restaurant, which serves breakfasts in the “healthy diner” style, including omelettes, scrambles, pancakes, etc., but all nicely done and reasonably priced. They're a good choice for lunch and dinner too, with a good sandwich selection. All three of these places tend to be crowded, so take this into account before you stagger off to one of them in your morning pre-coffee haze. One place that deserves special mention is Barry's Espresso Bakery and Deli, a deli in the true New-York style. Their lox and cream cheese on a bialy is incredible. A good place for a quick, simple breakfast (I'm not even quite sure what else they have there for breakfast, since I order the same thing for breakfast). Also an excellent choice for lunch, their soups, sandwiches, quiches, cookies, cakes, challah, and everything else are consistently spectacular. Highly recommended.
Barry's Espresso Bakery and Deli
Glenwood Restaurant
Original Pancake House
Studio One Café Pizza Pizza in Eugene is somewhat problematic, with the Northwest focus on unusual toppings, instead of the crust, the pizza's critical foundation. I personally am a pizza purist: regardless of the style, the crust should have excellent, yeasty, long-fermented flavor, a crackling crisp surface, and good chew. In this regard, Sy's New York Pizza has a respectable pie, the medium-thickness kind that's best folded over before being crammed into your mouth for some light protection from the incendiary cheese. They're fast, open late, sell by the slice, and have a Sicilian deep-dish style as well. Being a purist and pizza minimalist, I usually shudder when strange things like pineapple go cavorting across my slice. Then why do I love Pizza Research Institute, which reigns as the king of put-everything-in-the-produce-section-on-the-pizza? Because masters with a true passion for pizza can get away with damn near anything and make it good. Put yourself in their hands with the “chef's choice” and you may find anything from corn to marinated eggplant to peaches (gasp) on your pizza, but it will all be impeccably fresh, each topping meticulously arranged in its proper place, and astonishingly good. This place tends to be popular, so be prepared to wait for your masterpiece to arrive. One last pizza joint that deserves mention is Pegasus Smokehouse Pizza, which is popular for beer and respectible pizza (try the barbecue chicken pizza). This is your best bet for accommodating a large crowd. For similar stuff with a different topology, check out The Dough Co., which has a huge selection of calzones. Good fresh-baked cookies, too. Hold the presses! Eugene's latest foray into pizza nirvana is La Perla Pizzeria Napoletana, founded by Beppe and Gianni (see the Italian section), brings the superb quality of their Italian restaurant to the pizza world and is quickly establishing itself as the premier spot for pizza in Eugene. As far as authentic Neapolitan pizza goes, this is the real McCoy, from the tipo 00 flour in the crust to the house-made fresh mozzerella to the sub-90-second flash cooking in an ultrahot wood oven (reaching 1500°F in the dome) to the grassy, peppery olive oil drizzled over the pizzas afterwards. Real enough, that is, for the owners to seek certification according to the strict rules of Naples, a rare distinction in the U.S. The texture of the thin crust is crisp with a decent chew and a slight char around the edge, enough to leave black smudges on the plate. The flavor of the crust and toppings is incredible. (The toppings are perfectly proportioned, incidentally—no overcheesed or otherwise smothered pizzas here.) Each pizza is about 14” in diameter, enough for one or two, depending on your level of restraint and what else you order. I suggest skipping appetizers and other distractions and focusing on the pizza, which is what they really do well; and look elsewhere for dessert. Be also warned that glasses of wine are served in ordinary bar glasses—I'm not overly uptight about that, but I like to smell my wine, and for their prices I expect proper stemware. But once the pizza hits the table, all foibles are forgiven. Expect this place to be crowded, and the posted closing time of “??” seems to mean 10-11 pm in practice.
The Dough Co.
La Perla Pizzeria Napoletana
Pegasus Smokehouse Pizza
Pizza Research Institute
Sy's New York Pizza Asian First, let me warn you about one of Eugene's dark secrets: chinese food in Eugene can be seriously awful. Seriously awful. It's sad when Panda Express and P. F. Chang's are among the best options available. So don't do it, man. However, if you feel you absolutely must slake your mu shu craving, then Ocean Sky is your best bet for reasonably good food. By stark but happy contrast, Thai food is plentiful, inexpensive, and almost universally excellent in Eugene. Mekala's is close to campus and pretty good though not especially speedy (try the peanut sauce curry); other good choices around town are Ring of Fire (they pass the “pad thai test” with flying colors) and Tasty Thai kitchen (with excellent white pad thai and pumpkin curry). Other good Asian options abound as well. Japanese restaurants in Eugene are reasonably good; both Sakura and Sushi Station (the former being more convenient, the latter being a better deal) have reasonably decent sushi and many non-raw-fish choices. For Korean cuisine, Korea House makes a good dolsot bi bim bap. Indian food is rather sparse in Eugene, but Bombay Palace is pretty good for dinner (you should opt for the menu, not the buffet).
Bombay Palace
Korea House
Mekala's
Ocean Sky
Ring of Fire
Sakura Japanese Restaurant
Sushi Station
Tasty Thai Kitchen Continental/Bistro/Eclectic Eugene is blessed by a number of truly excellent high-end restaurants, including Koho Bistro, Café Zenon, Bel Ami, and Marché. All have excellent food, top-notch service, nice ambience, good wine lists, and reasonable prices (not cheap, but good for the quality). Their menus rotate constantly, and it's difficult to capture their essences in a few words, so check them out online. Howver, in general you can expect good braised and roasted meats, fowl, fish, and vegetarian foods rooted in France and Italy but with eclectic nods towards the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia. Zenon is particularly good for dessert, but you can't go wrong at any of these places. There are also many options for more focused international menus. Café Soriah has an excellent pan-Mediterranean menu; order the prawns or a dessert flambé and you may find the owner himself finishing it for you tableside. El Vaquero is the place to go for tapas. Many of the tapas sound humdrum as presented on the menu (fish tacos, macaroni and cheese), but when they arrive the quality, flavor, and presentation are consistently outstanding, and their minimalist approach makes delicious sense. Choose two or three tapas per person or order a larger entree. Be prepared for tapas to arrive at random times (and keep track of what your ordered to avoid mixups at delivery time), but the quality here far outweighs the quirky service.
Bel Ami
Café Soriah
Café Zenon
El Vaquero
Koho Bistro
Marché Italian The best of the Italian options in Eugene are also spectacular. My preferred gastronomic center in this category is Beppe and Gianni's Trattoria, where everything is done absolutely impeccably. Try any of several pasta frescas or one of the daily risotto, fish, or ravioli specials, but make sure to start with the roasted garlic with cambozola cheese appetizer—warm, comforting, velvety, and intensely flavored, assuming you can tolerate the accompanying arterial clogging—and a bottle of wine. They only take reservations for large parties, so get there by 6 or be prepared for a long wait: this place is popular. Stop at Prince Pücklers across the street (see the Desserts section) for a post-gorging ice cream. It's usually easier to get a table at the Excelsior Inn, and the quality there is also very good. The seasonally changing menu includes soups, pastas, and heavier braised and roasted meat dishes that are consistently excellent.
Beppe and Gianni's Trattoria
Excelsior Inn Mexican Mexican food this far north of the border can be problematic. In particular, some locally popular hippie renditions of the classic burrito seem uninspired at best. Though the selection here will probably never match what can be found in Austin or Santa Fe, with some judicious choosing, decent Mexican food can be had. El Pato Verde is one of the better choices for lunch and one of the better places to get a fish taco. But even better are their toasted burritos. And the owner is always pleasantly friendly. Burrito Boy Taqueria has better hours and also respectable burritos (especially the wet burritos). Las Brasas is one of the more authentic joints in town, and they have a long menu including huge, tasty burritos the size of a small cat (gatitos?). Muchas Gracias is a Northwest chain and one of the grittier places around (and not necessarily in a good way). People report spotty luck with menu items; however, they're one of the few 24-hour options around, and their carnitas plate is quite respectable.
Burrito Boy Taqueria
El Pato Verde
Las Brasas
Muchas Gracias Seafood Being only an hour away from the Oregon coast, you might expect a plethora of great restaurants specializing in seafood. This is surprisingly not the case. However, decent fish can generally be had at any of the restaurants listed under Continental or Italian. A cheap and “pure” way to enjoy fresh fish is in the form of Fish and chips, but this is a dish that is particularly problematic—many joints in Eugene do it, but only a few do it well. Fortunately, two local joints make life-changing fish and chips: Newman's Fish & Chips and Fisherman's Market. Newman's is pretty straightforward: everything you get here except the slaw is deep-fried, and you can get some of the best thick-cut, potatoey french fries anywhere right here. The large, breaded chunks of cod, halibut, and salmon are all good, as are the daily specials, which can include oysters and calamari. The sauces include a horseradish-laced tartar sauce, a shrimp-cocktail sauce, ketchup, and malt vinegar sauce. All seating is outdoor and the line can be long; clever locals call their orders in before they arrive. Fisherman's Market goes towards smaller chunks of fish and criss-cut waffle fries, and more options, including an array of different tartar sauces, dungeness crab, oyster shooters, and other entrees. It is noteworthy that both places can do a masterful salmon-based fish and chips, since salmon when deep-fried by unskilled hands can be quite nasty (here it's light and perfectly cooked).
Fisherman's Market
Newman's Fish & Chips
1545 Willamette St. (map) 344-2371 (south downtown) Comfort Food Comforting, anyway, until after you ingest excessive quantities of it. Papa's Soul Food Kitchen is a famous local joint for its barbecue (pulled pork, brisket, ribs, chicken), cajun specialties (jambalaya, gumbo), southern catfish and snapper, and any side you can think of to go with them. Great stuff. They have desserts, but keep in mind that Sweet Life (see the Desserts section) is within staggering distance. An even better choice for straight barbecue is Howling Coyote BBQ, which has the most authentic barbecue in town (by Texas standards, anyway). The brisket and fries are particularly good, try out the Texas Sampler if you've remembered to starve yourself for 24 hours beforehand or try out the brisket philly cheesesteak—probably considered a blasphemous concoction on the other side of the Texas state line, but otherwise a clever and tasty take on the basic brisket sandwich.
Howling Coyote BBQ
Papa's Soul Food Kitchen Quintissentially Eugene Eugene has its own distinct, hippie/counterculture personality, sparked by Ken Kesey's presence beginning in the 60's. This influence pervades numerous restaurants in Eugene. Café Yumm! (a Eugene chain) is one of the more unique restaurants in this vein. Their signature is the Yumm! bowl, which comes in a number of variations but at its core is a rice bowl with cheese, beans, salsa, sour cream, avocados, olives, and other good stuff, plus the aptly named Yumm! sauce—a mysterious but tangy and tasty tan concoction that somehow pulls everything together into something wonderful. Three Forks Wok & Grill lets you choose from a bunch of different fresh, local ingredients to go in your rice stir-fry. The optional marinated grilled chicken has fantastic flavor and chew (it has an interesting fibrous texture), and get a strawberry lemonade to wash it down. Plus, Three Forks was founded by a former UO physics undergrad. Both of these restaurants are good choices for vegans, if that's your thing, but very highly recommended for the true Eugene experience even if you're not.
Café Yumm!
Three Forks Wok & Grill Dessert Any of the Continental or Italian places will have an impressive dessert selection; Café Zenon and the Excelsior Inn (try the pot de creme) are particularly good. However, there are two dessert specialists you should know about. Prince Pücklers is a popular stop for ice cream—on summer evenings, the line is often out the door. They make their own ice creams, and they're great: the fruit flavors actually taste like fruit, and their chocolate flavors are intensely good. Speaking of chocolate, you can gild the lily by having them pour locally-produced Euphoria chocolate sauce (ask for it by name) over the top. Seriously, you need to try this sauce. A good stop after dinner at Beppe and Gianni's. Sweet Life Patisserie has a big selection of desserts, including gelati, pies, cakes, and cheesecakes. The fresh berry tart in summertime is devastatingly good, but all the desserts are excellent. Many vegan-friendly options as well (you wouldn't know they were vegan if they didn't tell you, so don't shy away from them).
Prince Pücklers
Sweet Life Patisserie Beer/Pub Food/Nightcap/Music The Pacific Northwest is a region with a long microbrew tradition, and Eugene is a good place for microbrew fans. McMenamins is a famous northwest chain with interesting atmosphere and good northwest-style pub food. They brew a variety of beers, make a number of good wines, and distill their own brandy and gin! There are three Eugene locations: McMenamins East 19th Street Café is near campus and has pool tables; McMenamins High Street Brewery and Café is also near campus and has more outdoor seating; and McMenamins North Bank is the nicest for sitting outdoors, with a pleasant river view (you can in principle walk there by heading west on the river bike path north of Franklin Blvd., though most locals would just drive there from campus). Another upscale, northwest-style pub is the Eugene City Brewery, part of the Rogue Ales chain based in Newport, Oregon. Their impressive menu (basically bar food on steroids, the Kobe beef burger is transcendent) and huge selection of beers, including the famous Dead Guy Ale (not to mention distilled spirits), make this a very worthwhile stop. A more comfort-food-oriented bar with plenty of character and a good microbrew selection is the Horsehead BBQ, which has tasty items ranging from huge piles of ribs to great fries to collard greens and mac and cheese. For the largest selection of beers in Eugene The Bier Stein wins hands down, with 10 beers on tap, and many, many bottled beers. Good food, too—mostly sandwiches, and anything on the menu involving beer and cheese is bound to be good. As far as the live-music scene goes, the heart of the Eugene jazz scene is Jo Federigo's. Upstairs, you'll find a restaurant with decent Italian fare, but you'll generally find more music and alcohol in the lounge downstairs. Another good venue with more eclectic music and also reasonably priced, good (vaguely) Italian food is the Oak Street Speakeasy, which is a bit harder to find (look for Prohibition-era-costumed people hanging out near a stairwell at the corner of Oak and Broadway). Another interesting venue with good food, microbrews, mead, and a variety of live music is the venerable Sam Bond's Garage, very much a place with local Eugene color. See also Papa's Soul Food Kitchen in the Comfort Food section; they have regular live blues shows. If noisier nightclub-type places are your thing, you may want to check out Indigo District or Diablo's Downtown Lounge. New Max's Tavern is also an interesting bar as the inspiration for Moe's Tavern on The Simpsons. On the way there you can walk by the Pioneer statue (on 13th just west of the EMU), which is supposedly the inspiration for the statue of Jebediah Springfield.
The Bier Stein
Diablo's Downtown Lounge
Eugene City Brewery
Horsehead BBQ
Jo Federigo's
Indigo District
McMenamins East 19th Street Café
McMenamins High Street Brewery and Café
McMenamins North Bank
New Max's Tavern
Oak Street Speakeasy
Sam Bond's Garage
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