Five Guys Burgers & Fries – Eugene 495 W 7th Ave Eugene, OR 97401 (541) 357-4749 See this location on a map You. Fetch me my copy of the Wall Street Journal. You two, Dickie Jo’s and Five Guys, fight to the death.

The Mission Mexican Restaurant 610 East Broadway Eugene, OR 97401 (541) 686-8226 See this location on a map Imagine two UO college undergrads. They’re friends, maybe really good friends, and they decide to go to Mexico for an “adventure”. Plus one of them is a Mesoamerican Civ major, so two birds with one stone, right?

Chelitas Taqueria & Restaurant 321 Main Street Springfield, OR 97477 (541) 736-7441 See this location on a map So I happened to be slumming it over in Springfield a few days ago and spotted a newish Mexican taqueria across the street. It was fairly dark and foreboding looking, thus I decided to skip it. I [...]

Dickie Jo’s Burgers Ste A, 201 E 13th Ave Eugene, OR (541) 636-4488 See this location on a map 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 [...]

Gary’s Coffee 525 High Street Eugene, OR 97401-2711 (541) 868-1608 Gary’s Coffee Website See this location on a map Quick Review: Gary’s Coffee is a nice quiet little shop that serves delicious cappuccinos and lattes. The best tasting in all of Eugene. I don’t understand why their espresso drinks taste so much better than the [...]

Papa’s Soul Food Kitchen 400 Blair Blvd Eugene, Oregon 97402 (541) 342-7500 Website See this location on a map I’ll go a little easy on this one, what with the owner passing away not too long ago and all. But I still have to maintain my journalistic integrity (huh?) and warn you not to expect [...]

Pizza Research Institute 530 Blair Blvd Eugene, OR 97402-4630 (541) 343-1307 http://pizzaresearchinstitute.com/ See this location on a map Wow, Pizza Research Institute gets really strong ratings online. It must be a great place to eat, right? Uhhh…sorta…but maybe not. Depends on your point of view and how important food is to your restaurant experience.

Bai Khao Thai Cuisine 541 W. Centennial Blvd Springfield, OR (541) 736-8424 http://www.baikhao.com/ See this location on a map Checked out this new Thai place in Springfield the other day with not very high expectations. Turns out this place has been open for six years, and I was wrong about the food as well.

Shari’s Restaurants 2950 West 11th Avenue Eugene, OR 97402-3221 (541) 344-1155 www.sharis.com See this location on a map 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 [...]

Chao Pra Ya Thai Cuisine 580 Adams Street Eugene, OR 97402-5164 (541) 344-1706 See this location on a map 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 [...]

Caspian Mediterranean Restaurant 863 East 13th Avenue Eugene, OR 97401-3706 (541) 683-7800 See this location on a map 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 [...]

Golden Orient Chinese Restaurant 2513 West 11th Avenue Eugene, OR 97402-3315 (541) 683-5469 See this location on a map 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 [...]

Noli Italian Cafe 296 E. 5th Ave (5th Street Market Food Court) Suite 201 Eugene, OR 97401 (541) 686-9199 noliitaliancafe.com See this location on a map 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 [...]

Old Address: 39128 Dexter Rd Dexter, OR 97431 New Address: 155 E Main St Lowell, OR See this location on a map 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 [...]

Toshi’s Ramen 1520 Pearl St Eugene, OR 97401 (541) 683-7833 See this location on a map Please supply your own pithy first sentence which drives you to click the “Read more” link to read the full review.

Steelhead Brewing Co. 199 East 5th Avenue Eugene, OR (541) 686-2739 Steelhead Brewing Co.’s website See this location on a map There’s a fine line between boring and reliable. Steelhead Brewing Co. toes the line admirably.

Hop Valley Brewing Co. 980 Kruse Way Springfield, OR 97477 (541) 744-3330 Hop Valley Brewing Co.’s website See this location on a map 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 [...]

Poppi’s Anatolia 992 Willamette Street Eugene, OR 97401-3134 (541) 343-9661 Poppi’s Anatolia’s website’s See this location on a map 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?! [...]

Bates Steak House and Saloon 433 East Broadway Eugene, OR (541) 683-3108? See this location on a map 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 [...]

Taco Time Mexican Fast Food Many locations 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?

The Wagon Yard BBQ 41301 McKenzie Highway Springfield, OR 97478 (541) 896-3339 Wagon Yard BBQ website See this location on a map 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 [...]

Holy Donuts 1437 Willamette St Eugene, OR 97401 541-510-6635 Holy Donuts’ Facebook page See this location on a map Mmmmm…just what I’ve been dreaming about for all these years. Vegan donuts!…Well, not really, but worth a try.

Laughing Planet Cafe 760 Blair Boulevard Eugene, OR 97402-4802 (541) 868-0668 www.laughingplanetcafe.com See this location on a map 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 [...]

Hult Plaza Restaurant 401 East 10th Avenue, Eugene, OR (541) 484-2933 See this location on a map 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?

World Cafe 449 Blair Boulevard Eugene, OR 97402-4510 (541) 485-1377? See this location on a map Quick Review: Another in a long line of too hippie restaurants in Eugene. You know the drill.

Fina Taqueria 2621 Willamette Street Eugene, OR 97405-3134 (541) 431-3462? Fina Taqueria website See this location on a map Quick Review: Basically the same as Mucho Gusto, which is basically the same as Chipotle, which is basically the same as Freebirds.

The Dough Co. 1337 Hilyard St Eugene, OR 97401 (541) 485-7459 See this location on a map 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 [...]

Aiyara Thai Cafe 1010 Harlow Road Springfield, OR 97477 (541) 736-8306 See this location on a map 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 [...]

Ocean Sky Restaurant 1601 Chambers St Eugene, OR (541) 342-4848 See this location on a map 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 [...]

Cornucopia Restaurant Flagship Location: 295 W 17th Ave Eugene, OR 97401 (541) 485-2300 See this location on a map Second Location: 5th & Pearl Eugene, OR See this location on a map Note: This review covers the original Cornucopia location on 17th Ave. The food at the new location on 5th is the same, but [...]