Shari’s Restaurants
2950 West 11th Avenue
Eugene, OR 97402-3221
(541) 344-1155

www.sharis.com

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I know I am supposed to hate chain restaurants. This is something I need to work harder at doing. I should know that a big evil corporation could not possibly compare with all the funky little local competitors in the Eugene breakfast market, right? This is all my fault. [Read more...]

Chao Pra Ya Thai Cuisine
580 Adams Street
Eugene, OR 97402-5164
(541) 344-1706

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Quick Review: Consider me a bit dumb (no, don’t), but I never knew that the son of the owners of Chao Pra Ya Thai Cuisine was the owner of Ta Ra Rin, what I consider to be the best Thai restaurant in Eugene. With this new info in mind, I decided to pay another visit to Chao Pra Ya to do some comparison shopping. [Read more...]

Caspian Mediterranean Restaurant
863 East 13th Avenue
Eugene, OR 97401-3706
(541) 683-7800

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Some restaurant owners are real marketing geniuses. Not only can they cook tasty food, but they also know how to present it in an atmosphere that enhances the dining experience, whether it be a high-brow sit-down restaurant or a simple cafe/diner. The owners of Caspian Mediterranean Restaurant are not that type of genius. [Read more...]

Golden Orient Chinese Restaurant
2513 West 11th Avenue
Eugene, OR 97402-3315
(541) 683-5469

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Uh, oh…I hear Cantonese being spoken as I walk in the front door. I predict some slimy, mushy, gou qian-y, low-on-taste Chinese food will be part of my very near-term future. Let’s see if my prediction is correct. [Read more...]

Noli Italian Cafe
296 E. 5th Ave (5th Street Market Food Court)
Suite 201
Eugene, OR 97401
(541) 686-9199
noliitaliancafe.com

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What an interesting idea: Italian food without all the pretentiousness and price. Why didn’t I think of that? Well, actually I did think of that. Or rather, I have been dreaming of that for years. And finally I have found it. [Read more...]

Old Address:
39128 Dexter Rd
Dexter, OR 97431

New Address:
155 E Main St
Lowell, OR

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Went searching for a cool little cafe along Highway 58 last week and decided to try out the cafe attached to Dexter Lake Club from the movie Animal House (“Otis, my man!”). Bad news…The cafe has moved, and the club is closed (you can buy the club including building and land for $355K). Maybe good news…The cafe has relocated to nearby Main Street in Lowell. [Read more...]

Toshi’s Ramen
1520 Pearl St
Eugene, OR 97401
(541) 683-7833

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Please supply your own pithy first sentence which drives you to click the “Read more” link to read the full review. [Read more...]

Steelhead Brewing Co.
199 East 5th Avenue
Eugene, OR
(541) 686-2739

Steelhead Brewing Co.’s website

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There’s a fine line between boring and reliable. Steelhead Brewing Co. toes the line admirably. [Read more...]

Hop Valley Brewing Co.
980 Kruse Way
Springfield, OR 97477
(541) 744-3330

Hop Valley Brewing Co.’s website

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This is the kind of restaurant you would get if the Chief Operating Officer of Chili’s decided to set up a new business of his own. All the hardware and fancy control systems are in place…in fact, they are WAY overdone for a single location restaurant…but there’s still something missing. [Read more...]

Poppi’s Anatolia
992 Willamette Street
Eugene, OR 97401-3134
(541) 343-9661

Poppi’s Anatolia’s website’s

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Yet another hippie-vibe restaurant for me to crush. But wait! What is this I see?! Clean tables, quality materials, well-decorated, table service, a first-rate menu with dishes suitable for adults with no fear of fragrant spices?! The other hippie places in town are going to be pissed when they see this travesty of hippie-dom. What a big disappointment… [Read more...]

Bates Steak House and Saloon
433 East Broadway
Eugene, OR
(541) 683-3108?

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Quick Review: Stopped by Bates Steak House a couple of nights ago for their burger & brew special: $8.50 for a burger and a pint of beer. Imagine my surprise when my meal arrived with a hand-written note from the owner of the establishment. [Read more...]

Taco Time
Mexican Fast Food
Many locations

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Quick Review: Here we have a local clone of Taco Bell. I wonder if they have taken the basic Taco Bell theme and upgraded it with something a little special or more local or more handmade or whatever? [Read more...]

Just for fun, here’s a short list of some of the more bizarre search terms that visitors typed into Google and then clicked on the Eugenified website listing… [Read more...]

The Wagon Yard BBQ
41301 McKenzie Highway
Springfield, OR 97478
(541) 896-3339

Wagon Yard BBQ website

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Depressed that Howling Coyote BBQ has shut down. I along McKenzie Hwy drive blindly east. My vision is clouded and my mind too. My car begins to swerve ever so slightly. Left. Then right. Left. Suddenly I, tears streaming down my face, scream, “Oh why is there no real smoked barbecued meats to eat for me anymore?! Why?!” I begin to look for the nearest precipice off upon which to solve this problem permanently. But wait, I say to myself out loud. What is that up ahead on the left? Could it be the soft woody acrid smoke of a BBQ joint? Bright light shines down through the clouds. Cut to commercial. [Read more...]

Holy Donuts
1437 Willamette St
Eugene, OR 97401
541-510-6635

Holy Donuts’ Facebook page

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Mmmmm…just what I’ve been dreaming about for all these years. Vegan donuts!…Well, not really, but worth a try. [Read more...]

Laughing Planet Cafe
760 Blair Boulevard
Eugene, OR 97402-4802
(541) 868-0668
www.laughingplanetcafe.com

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Here we have another one of those Eugene restaurants that has a strong “political” following, i.e. people strongly support this place for cultural/lifestyle reasons. Which is nice and all…but the question still remains: When all the quirky cultural aspects are stripped away, is the food at Laughing Planet any good to eat with your mouth? [Read more...]

Hult Plaza Restaurant
401 East 10th Avenue,
Eugene, OR
(541) 484-2933

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As the goofballs on Fox News often say, things were so much better back in the old days. America was great, everyone got along, and diners served good, hearty food with a smile…Really? [Read more...]

World Cafe
449 Blair Boulevard
Eugene, OR 97402-4510
(541) 485-1377?

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Quick Review: Another in a long line of too hippie restaurants in Eugene. You know the drill. [Read more...]

Fina Taqueria
2621 Willamette Street
Eugene, OR 97405-3134
(541) 431-3462?

Fina Taqueria website

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Quick Review: Basically the same as Mucho Gusto, which is basically the same as Chipotle, which is basically the same as Freebirds. [Read more...]

The Dough Co.
1337 Hilyard St
Eugene, OR 97401
(541) 485-7459

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Once in a while, you come across a little restaurant with humble goals. Concentrate on one type of food, do it well, and keep the price down. That pretty much sums up The Dough Co. Is it fancy food that you can feel snooty about? No. Is it pretty good? Yes. Is this a boring review? [Read more...]

Dickie Jo’s Burgers
Ste A, 201 E 13th Ave
Eugene, OR
(541) 636-4488

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OK, here’s the idea. This place is sorta like a cross between an old-fashioned diner and In-N-Out Burger (from California). Sounds OK…if you like that sorta thing…and if it is executed properly. Dickie Jo’s got blasted in its opening weeks for bad service, chaotic management, and other foibles. Have those problems been solved yet? More self-importantly, what advice can Mr. Eugenified offer to improve their chances of success? [Read more...]

Aiyara Thai Cafe
1010 Harlow Road
Springfield, OR 97477
(541) 736-8306

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As you may already know, Eugene is not the home of great Thai food. Acceptable, maybe, but not great. So I was fairly skeptical when I heard good things about Aiyara Thai Cafe in Springfield. Of course, our neighbors to the east (Springtucky a.k.a. Sprangfield) are not well known for their sophisticated tastes in world cuisines, so that could be the explanation for the overly optimistic reviews. But the question still remained, could it measure up to the more selective standards of Eugenifites? [Read more...]

Ocean Sky Restaurant
1601 Chambers St
Eugene, OR
(541) 342-4848

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Anyone who knows anything about Chinese food has heard of oyster sauce. It’s a very basic sauce that is used frequently in Cantonese food, but it’s also a staple in most other regional variations of Chinese food. The key is to use oyster sauce as a minimal base (and thickening agent) while adding some other spices to bring da flavor. Well, apparently, the head chef at Ocean Oyster Sauce Sky missed that day of cooking class. Now, if this was a network TV sitcom, the wacky hijinks would shortly thereafter ensue. This is not a network TV sitcom. [Read more...]

Cornucopia Restaurant
Flagship Location:
295 W 17th Ave
Eugene, OR 97401
(541) 485-2300

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Second Location:
5th & Pearl
Eugene, OR

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Note: This review covers the original Cornucopia location on 17th Ave. The food at the new location on 5th is the same, but the seating is better and there’s more space, albeit less funkiness.

Cornucopia Restaurant in Eugene. Well, there’s some very good news and there’s some sorta picky bad news. Which do you want to hear first? [Read more...]

Burger Lovers
1466 W. 7th Ave.
Eugene, OR 97402
(541) 687-6424

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If you regularly drive along 7th Ave, near Wells Fargo, you’ve probably noticed a new restaurant under construction for the last few months. Well, Mr. Eugenified finally took the plunge and gave it a try (after leaving the appropriate one month waiting period for them to serve all the “construction dust burgers” to other more gutsy patrons). The name of this place gives a pretty good idea of their goal: specialists in burgers. But their claim to be “the best burgers in Oregon” is certainly ambitious. So the question is: Are they good burgers, the best in Eugene, and/or the best in all of Oregon? [Read more...]

Jalisco’s Mexican Restaurant
3095 W 11th Ave
Eugene, OR 97402
(541) 485-8636

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Looking for something a lot better than Burrito Boy (setting the bar REALLY low)? Not quite down with Chapala (suburban style Mexican food) or Taco Loco (tequilla-drenched place for drunk college kids), then head on down to Jalisco. Certainly not gourmet food, Jalisco nevertheless delivers some solid performers in a strip-mall environment.
[Read more...]

Studio One Cafe
1473 E 19th Ave
Eugene, OR 97403
(541) 342-8596

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Studio One Cafe really has a great reputation. Supporters rave about the French Toast, the servers, and the homey atmosphere. Which begs the question: Is Studio One Cafe really that good or is it the most overrated restaurant in all of Eugene? I be the judge. [Read more...]

Three Forks Wok & Grill
2560 Willamette St
Eugene, OR 97405
(541) 485-8489

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Gotta love those hippies. Nature-loving, green, earthy…aren’t they great!? They love nature so much that they have no fear of dirt or bacteria of any kind…and therein lies the problem with Three Forks Wok & Grill. [Read more...]

McGrath’s Fish House
1036 Valley River Way
Eugene, OR 97401
(541) 342-6404

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McGrath’s should be sued for false advertising…Every few weeks or so, I get one of their glossy fliers in the daily Eugene Register-Guard newspaper. It always has a big photo of a big plate of fried mish mash recalling something like the Monty Python “Spam” skit with the word “Fried” substituted for Spam. So then I says to myself, “Self, why should I go there and spend more than $12 for Fried Fried Mish and Fried Mash Fried Fried when I could just go to a Long John Silver’s and spend a lot less for an equally disgusting plate of oil soaked fish-like material?” Read on as my Self wisely answers this question and more. [Read more...]

The Cooler
20 Centennial Loop
Eugene, OR 97401
(541) 484-4355

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The Cooler. It’s got a cool name. The entire building looks like a big walk-in refrigerator (hence the name) including the big wooden cooler-ish front door. It’s also got a bunch of neon beer signs, a real live moosehead (not exactly live anymore) on the wall, and a couple of nice looking pool tables…Oh, did I mention that this place is basically a bar serving food? Well, it is. And usually that does not bode well for the quality of food, especially breakfast food. [Read more...]