1. High Step Society HighStepSociety.com. 2. Fortune’s Folly FortunesFollyBand.com. 3. TIE Laundry LaundryTheBand.com. 3. TIE Satin Love Orchestra SatinLove.com.
1. Nelson’s Taqueria 394 Blair Blvd., 541-844-8404. Nelsons-Taqueria.Business.Site. 2. Tacovore 530 Blair Blvd., 541-735-3518. TacovorePNW.com. 3. El Buen Sabor 650 Blair Blvd., 541-653-2517. ElBuenSabor.Us. Fellow transplants from California, let’s stop saying there’s no good Mexican food in Eugene. Don’t believe it? Head over to Blair. First, grab a Nelson burrito at Nelson’s Taqueria, which is…
1. Cowfish 62 W. Broadway, 541-683-6319. CowfishClub.com. 2. Old Nick’s Pub 211 Washington St., 541-844-1280. OldNicksPub.com. 3. Sam Bond’s Garage 407 Blair Blvd., 541-431-6603. SamBonds.com. Eugene’s best bar, Cowfish, has maintained a consistent schedule: dance parties seven nights a week for the last 11 years on West Broadway. On their way to the dance floor,…
1. BNF Kombucha & Jun 2495 Prairie Rd., Unit A, 541-653-9816. BNFKombucha.com. 2. Brew Dr. Kombucha 41 W. Broadway, 541-654-4284. BrewDrKombucha.com. 3. Elevate 541-359-5278. ElevateKombucha.com.
1. St. Vincent de Paul Thrift store and organization headquarters at 2890 Chad Dr., 541-687-5820. Fifteen retail outlets in western Oregon include several thrift stores and a used-car lot in Eugene. SVDP.us. 2. Buffalo Exchange 131 E. 5th Ave., 541-687-2805. BuffaloExchange.com. 3. SARA’s Treasures 871 River Rd., 541-607-8892. SARAsTreasures.org.
1. Yardy Eugene 263 Mill St., YardyEugene.com. 2. Tavern on Main 338 Main Street, Springfield, 458-201-7936. TavernOnMainSpfd.com. 3. Forrester’s Bar and Grill 1190 City View, 458-201-7044. ForrestersGrill.com. Located at Coldfire Brewing, Yardy Eugene’s bright yellow food truck stands out. For three months, Yardy Eugene has been dishing out West Indian-inspired dishes with a Pacific Northwest…
1. Killer Burger 50 W. Broadway, 541-636-4731. KillerBurger.com. 2. Cornucopia 295 W. 17th Ave., 541-485-2300; 207 E. 5th Ave. Ste. 109, 541-485-2676; 521 Main St., Springfield, 541-485-2879. CornucopiaEugene.com. 3. Little Big Burger 1404 Orchard St., 541-357-4771. LittleBigBurgers.com. During high school, I worked at an American Graffiti-like drive-in as a carhop (and later as a cook),…
1. Kris Stapleton Going Green Eugene, 439 W. 1st Ave., 541-735-3521. Find on Leafly.com. 2. Katy Cote Higher Ground, 1158 High St. Ste. 103, 541-393-6892. HigherGroundOregon.com. 3. Kellianne Firnsin Higher Ground, 324 E. 12th Ave. No. 2, 541-393-6892. Find on Leafly.com. We were gonna have a best budtender category… but then we got high. Yep, we…
1. Cuthbert Amphitheater 2300 Leo Harris Pkwy, 541-762-8099. TheCuthbert.com. 2. WOW Hall (Community Center for the Performing Arts) 291 W. 8th Ave., 541-687-2746. WOWHall.org. 3. Hult Center for the Performing Arts 1 Eugene Ctr., 541-682-5000. HultCenter.org.
1. Vero Espresso 205 E. 14th Ave., 541-654-0504. VeroEspressoHouse.com. 2. Wandering Goat 268 Madison St., 541-344-5161. WanderingGoat.com. 3. Farmers Union Coffee Roasters 152 W. 5th Ave.; 2757 Friendly St., FarmersUnionCoffee.com Are you looking to drink coffee at home, just not in your home? Vero Espresso House, with its butter-yellow paneling, bay windows and quaint wraparound…
1. Ben Saunders University of Oregon. 2. Brian Haimbach Lane Community College. 3. TIE: Andre Sirois University of Oregon. 3. TIE: Jerry Rosiek University of Oregon. What does 16th to 17th century poetry have in common with comic books? To the average reader, maybe not much. But to Ben Saunders, English professor at the University…
1. Down to Earth 1855 W. 2nd Ave., 541-485-5418. DownToEarthEugene.com. 2. Gray’s Garden Center 233 W. 5th Ave., 541-780-6073. EugeneGearTraders.com 3. Jerry’s Home Improvement 2600 Hwy. 99 N, 541-689-1911; 2525 Olympic St., Springfield, 541-736-7000. BetterHeadForJerrys.com.
1. Seth Milstein Find on Facebook. 2. TIE Leigh Anne Jasheway AccidentalComedic.com. 2. TIE Mike Leamons Find on Facebook. 3. Jen Jay Find on Facebook. Comedy keeps the 2021 Best Comedian Seth Milstein sane. It also drives him crazy, he says, “but usually in a good way.” In addition to doing comedy around the Pacific…
1. Bon Mi 153 E. Broadway, 541-505-9349. 849 E. 13th Ave. 541-650-6129. BonMiEugene.com. 2. Pho The Good Times 2729 Shadow View Dr., 541-357-4971. PhoGT.com. 3. Tam’s Place Vietnamese Cuisine 2777 Friendly St., 541-214-0562. Find on Facebook.
1. Henry Houston Eugene Weekly, EugeneWeekly.com 2. Will Kennedy Eugene Weekly 3. Camilla Mortensen Eugene Weekly Henry Houston says this past year has “felt like drinking out of a fire hose.” In other words, 2021 has felt like an extra kick of chaos amid the already nonstop whirlwind that is journalism. If Houston’s experience having…
1. CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets) 341 E. 12th Ave., 541-342-8255. WhiteBirdClinic.org/Cahoots. 2. White Bird Clinic 341 E. 12th Ave., 541- 342-8255. WhiteBirdClinic.org. 3. Eugene Mission 1542 W. 1st Ave., 541-344-3251. EugeneMission.org. CAHOOTS, the serious program with the tongue-in-cheek name, has been around since 1989 but it sprung to the nation’s attention…
1. Sarah Northrop Sartakespics.com. 2. Athena Delene Delene.co. 3.Destiny Brock Facebook.com/DBrockPhotography Sarah Northrop heard her first music show from under a pair of protective headphones at the Sunset Strip’s House of Blues when she was three years old. Her mother worked in the L.A. music industry, resulting in her attendance at that particular show, and her…
1. Chris MoodyCargoCollective.com/ChrisMoody/CV-Contact. 2. Ila Rose IlaRoseArt.com. 3. Shanna Trumbly ShannaTrumbly.com. Chris Moody is clearly a man of many dimensions. He likes to draw and paint, though he’s primarily a photographer. (And he was also voted Best drag queen in this year’s competition.) “Life is art,” Moody said in a quick phone interview after the…
1. St. Mary Roman Catholic Church 1062 Charnelton St., 541-342-1139. StMaryEugene.com. 2. Unitarian Universalist Church of Eugene 1685 W. 13th Ave., 541- 686-2775. UUEugene.org. 3. Temple Beth Israel 1175 E. 29th Ave., 541-485-7218. TBIEugene.org. A Lutheran reporter reaches for his phone to call a Catholic priest and inform him that his parish has won “Best…
1. Jon Smith aka “Supa J” at The Drake 77 W. Broadway, Facebook.com/theDrakeBar. 2. DJ Stoggrd (Tre Stewart) Find on Soundcloud. 3. Spoc 3PO at Cowfish 62 W. Broadway, CowfishClub.com.
1. Candy Whoreholla Instagram.com/Candy_Whoreholla. 2. Karress Ann Slaughter (Cornel Hardiman) Facebook.com/GlamazonsEugene. 3. Slutashia Facebook.com/Slutashia. “It was in the very beginning of the pandemic I thought to myself, ‘I wonder how many drag queens are going to come out of this pandemic?’” Candy Whoreholla, or Eugene local Chris Moody, says. “Then I thought, ‘You know what?…
1. Jason Bickle Cowfish, 62 W. Broadway, 541-683-6319. CowfishClub.com. 2. Jean Woest Old Nick’s, 211 Washington St., 541-844-1280. OldNicksPub.com. 3. Melanie Bickley Cowfish, 62 W. Broadway, 541-431-6603. CowfishClub.com.
1. Tina Rex Amethyst Hair Studio, 1631 Oak St., 541-520-2268. Facebook.com/AmethystHairsSudio541. 2. Amanda Nicole 4247 Loft, 390 Lincoln St. Ste. 220, 541-515-6477. 4247Loft.com. 3. Alex Garibay Blessing Hair Design and Barbershop, 315 E. 13th Ave., 541-337-2096. AlexBarbering.com.
1. Greenhill Humane Society 88530 Green Hill Rd., 541-689-1503. Green-Hill.org. 2. Northwest Dog Project NorthWestDogProject.org. 3. Lucky Paws Dog Rescue 2053 Laura St. Springfield, 541-246-8070. LuckyPawsSite.org.
Best Art World Hangout Perugino 767 Willamette, No. 102. 541-687-9102. PeruginoCoffeehouse.com. OK, maybe it’s not the Café du Dôme in Paris in the 1920s, or even New York’s Algonquin Round Table, but Perugino has long been the informal hub of Eugene’s fine arts world. On any given morning — at least in the pre-pandemic world…
1. Peter DeFazio Representative, U.S. Congress. 2. Kate Brown Oregon governor. 3. Isiah Wagoner former Eugene mayoral write-in candidate. It would be difficult to imagine Oregon’s 4th Congressional District without Peter DeFazio in office, so it should really be no surprise that he overwhelmingly takes the crown for best politician this year. After more than…
1. Mount Pisgah 34901 Frank Parrish Rd. 541-747-3817. MountPisgahArboretum.org. 2. Ridgeline Trail System 3. Alton Baker Park 100 Day Island Rd. 541-682-4800. Eugene-Or.Gov/AltonBakerPark.
1. Eugene Symphony 115 W. 8th Ave. #115. 541-687-9487. EugeneSymphony.org. 2. Oregon Mozart Players 317 Goodpasture Island Rd. Ste A. 541-345-6648. OregonMozartPlayers.org. 3. Delgani String Quartet 541-650-5040. Delgani.org. Eugene may never know how lucky it is to have Francesco Lecce-Chong leading the Eugene Symphony. Over the few years he’s been in Eugene he’s brought contagious…
1. Da Nang 488 Lincoln St. 541-915-0144. DaNangEatery.com. 2. IRIE Jamaican Kitchen 1845 W. 11th Ave. 541-833-0351. www.iriejamaicancuisine.com. 3. Tam’s Place Vietnamese Cuisine 2777 Friendly St. 541-214-0562. Find on Facebook.
1. Coburg Pizza Co. 90999 S. Willamette, Coburg, 541-484-6600; 1710 Centennial Blvd., Springfield. 541-484-6600. CoburgPizza.com. 2. Mezza Luna 933 Pearl St. 541-684-8900; 2776 Shadow View, 541-743-2999; 115 S. 5th St., Springfield, 541-653-8661. MezzaLunaPizzeria.com. 3. Sizzle Pie 910 Willamette, 541-683-7437. SizzlePie.com. For the second straight year Coburg Pizza tops the list of Lane County’s best pizzas.…
1. Bon Mi 153 E. Broadway, 541-505-9349. 849 E. 13th Ave. 541-650-6129. BonMiEugene.com. 2. Pho The Good Times 2729 Shadow View Dr. 541-357-4971. PhoGT.com. 3. Tam’s Place Vietnamese Cuisine 2777 Friendly St. 541-214-0562. Find on Facebook. Seeking shelter from a bitter storm whipping through downtown Eugene, I found myself huddled in an odd sort of…
1. Ebony Caprice Morgan program coordinator, CAHOOTS. 2. Meredith Blair surgical nurse, PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend. 3. Luke Adler Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, Luke Adler Healing.
1. Cuthbert Amphitheater 2300 Leo Harris Pkwy. 541-762-8099. TheCuthbert.com. 2. Hult Center for the Performing Arts 1 Eugene Ctr. 541-682-5000. HultCenter.org. 3. WOW Hall (Community Center for the Performing Arts) 291 W. 8th Ave. 541-687-2746. WOWHall.org.
1. Footloose Massage 35 W. 8th Ave. 541-686-4461. FootlooseMassage.com. 2. Andrea Alric Healing by Hand, 1505 Lincoln St. 541-600-5388. Facebook.com/AndreaHealingByHand. 3. Megan Haug, LMT (Megan’s Healing Hands) 3575 Donald St. 541-465-4864. Facebook.com/MegansHealingHands.
1. Izumi Sushi and Grill 2773 Shadow View Dr. 541-683-1201. IzumiSushiEugene.com. 2. Akira 359 Mill St. 458-205-8288. Instagram.com/AkiraOmakase. 3. Sushi Pure 259 E. 5th Ave. 541-654-0608. SushiPureEugene.com. Before the pandemic, when Izumi was my Sunday night happy hour special go-to, I met up with a friend who used to do sushi restaurant reviews for magazines…
1. Ninkasi 272 Van Buren St. 541-344-2739. NinkasiBrewing.com. 2. Hop Valley 990 W. 1st Ave., Eugene; 980 Kruse Way. Springfield. 541-485-BEER. HopValleyBrewing.com. 3. Oakshire 207 Madison St. 541-654-5520. OakBrew.com.
1. Heritage Distilling Company 110 Madison St. 541-357-4431. HeritageDistilling.com. 2. Thinking Tree Spirits 88 Jackson St. 541-515-6993. ThinkingTreeSpirits.com. 3. Swallowtail Spirits 111 Main St. Springfield. 541-357-5951. SwallowTailSpirits.com. Based out of Gate Harbor, Washington, Heritage Distillers operates its third location in Eugene, focusing on rum production. “We focus on raw materials from our area,” says manager…
1. Eric Richardson NAACPLaneCounty.org. 2. Isiah Wagoner, IsiahWagoner.com. 3. Clea Ibrahim (Black Unity) Black_Unity on Facebook. This year, Black Lives Matter protests in Eugene and across the U.S. drew much-deserved attention to the injustices African Americans have long lived under in this country, and that attention is reflected in Best of Eugene this year with…
1. Jordin McDowell Jordin Does Hair (Anomaly Hair Collective), 837 Monroe St. 503-544-0741. AnomalyHair.com. 2. Tina Rex Amethyst Hair Studio, 1631 Oak St. 541-520-2268. Facebook.com/AmethystHairsSudio541. 3. Amanda Nicole 4247 Loft, 390 Lincoln St. Ste. 220, 541-515-6477. 4247Loft.com.
1. Moss Crossing 2751 Friendly St. 541-636-3724. MossCrossing.com. 2. SpaceBuds The Dispensary 741 Lincoln St. 541-505-9834. SpaceBudsTheDispensary.com. 3. Eugene OG 2045 Franklin Blvd. 541-505-7575. EugeneOG.com. This year Eugene voted Moss Crossing best dispensary, and as soon as you walk in you understand why. The decorating is comfortable and relaxing, and you are soothed by the…
1. Greenhill Humane Society 88530 Green Hill Rd. 541-689-1503. Green-Hill.org. 2. Cascade Raptor Center 32275 Fox Hollow Rd. 541-485-1320. CascadesRaptorCenter.org. 3. Lucky Paws Dog Rescue 2053 Laura St. 541-246-8070. LuckyPawsSite.org.
1. CAHOOTS 341 E. 12th Ave. 541-342-8255. WhiteBirdClinic.org/Cahoots. 2. Eugene Mission 1542 W. 1st Ave. 541-344-3251. EugeneMission.org. 3. St. Vincent de Paul 555 High St. 541-344-2115; 100 E. 11th Ave. 541-868-0200. SVdP.us.
1. Straight Outta Soul Food On hiatus, stay updated on Instagram. 2. The Better Living Room by Ninkasi 155 Blair Blvd. 541-735-9500. NinkasiBrewing.com. 3. Bar Purlieu 1530 Willamette. 458-201-7044. BarPurlieu.com.