I love visiting Eugene, Oregon. Just a short drive down from Portland, it is a delightful place to get away for a couple of days.

We always make a point to stop and eat lunch at Cornbread Cafe and have some of the best comfort food around. Above is their daily special, which was a fried polenta with a bunch of veggies and side of greens. The fried polenta was amazing, perfectly firm but not too greasy.

I got the bbq seitan sandwich and a side of mashed potatoes. So good! The gravy on the potatoes is cashew based and fabulous. We also got an order of their wangs but the sauce proved to spicy for me to eat many. But just look at that breading! Cornbread is the master of vegan deep frying. You also must try their cheescake in a jar, which I just ate instead of pulling out the camera. Best cheesecake flavor I have had outside of Brooklyn. They get the tang that is missing from so many vegan cheesecake recipes.

We also tried some new restaurants this time around and had the next day’s lunch at Morning Glory Cafe. I’d heard good things about their breakfast but was drawn to the black bean burger, which I got with a side of potato salad. The burger itself was good and sizable but the spicy mayo they slathered on was a bit much and I had to scrape a good bit off. My partner got a breakfast scramble/bean/chip mash up which he enjoyed. The soysage on the side we both really liked; a nice patty that held together well with good flavor that didn’t overpower you with fennel.

We also hit up the Lotus Garden because Portland seems to be lacking in some good greasy Chinese take out. Turns out Lotus Garden is a bit nicer than your standard every 2 blocks greasy take out stand a la NYC. We got the kung pao tofu and the mysteriously named broccoli brown slices (a soy beef with a pile of veggies in a soy based sauce). We were pleased with both dishes, though the tofu wasn’t particularly spicy and had leftovers to bring home for the next night. There was ample tea which I’m always fond of. We would definitely go back and loved the service, which was one guy covering the entire floor by himself. Tip well, y’all.

   Our final food destination was The Wandering Goat, which is thus far my favorite place in Eugene Oregon. The have excellent coffees and a great selection of vegan sweets, bagels, and biscuits. I had a lovely cranberry orange scone, which was the best scone I’ve had since the sad closing of Dovetail Bakery. Pictured below is the full order of biscuits and gravy. Brown food, y’all. Love it. The gravy river is flowing full in Eugene, because both this mushroom gravy and the cashew gravy at Cornbread Cafe are fabulous.

Eugene, Oregon! Panda gives it 2 paws up for vegan friendly eats and some super friendly service.