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.

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 [...]

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.

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?

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?

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 [...]

Jalisco’s Mexican Restaurant 3095 W 11th Ave Eugene, OR 97402 (541) 485-8636 See this location on a map 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 [...]

Studio One Cafe 1473 E 19th Ave Eugene, OR 97403 (541) 342-8596 See this location on a map 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 [...]

Three Forks Wok & Grill 2560 Willamette St Eugene, OR 97405 (541) 485-8489 See this location on a map 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.

McGrath’s Fish House 1036 Valley River Way Eugene, OR 97401 (541) 342-6404 See this location on a map 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 [...]

The Cooler 20 Centennial Loop Eugene, OR 97401 (541) 484-4355 See this location on a map 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 [...]

Maple Garden Restaurant 1275 Alder St Eugene, OR 97401 (541) 683-8128 See this location on a map Yes, to the naked eye, this place looks like a dive. Guess what? It is.

Ye Olde Pancake House 2421 W 11th Ave Eugene, OR 97402 (541) 344-7830 See this location on a map I am trying to think of something to say about Ye Olde Pancake House, but my mind keeps drifting before I can get anything on paper. It’s hard to describe. It’s just so…so so. There’s nothing [...]

Howling Coyote BBQ Co. 3264 Gateway St Springfield, OR 97477 (541) 746-8043 See this location on a map Update Feb 13, 2010: Howling Coyote BBQ appears to be out of business. I drove by yesterday, and it looks completely shut down, and the phone number is disconnected also. If you are still desperate for great [...]