When I saw that this place was a Rogue Ale Public House, I begged my boyfriend and one of our friends to take me while I was in town. I was pretty disappointed. My friend loved it, my boyfriend and I were not impressed. First of all, all the beef is labeled "Kobe beef." I highly doubt it's real Kobe beef, because the taste quality is not there. As of September 2012, Kobe beef IS exported to the United States, but the menu was obviously old, so who knows how long they were charging high prices with lower quality meat. I ordered a taco salad because the menu is limited and generally unappealing. It was not the best. I ate it to be polite because the waitress raved about it.
The inside leaves a lot to be desired. There are holes in the booths, the inside is drab. I was here when a Duck's game was on and the place was desolate. I was surprised because I thought it would be hopping. The hazelnut ale I ordered also did not taste fresh. It tasted rather disgusting. I pawned it off on my friend.
We joined the Rogue club with blank cards. I haven't tried to use it, but it looks like other reviews state that it's not even worth trying. I don't think we'll be returning. I feel like the Northwest has better public houses and breweries to frequent.
This establishment, over the course of two years, has inspired more hatred in me than any other business I can remember in my entire life. There's the time when they denied my gluten-free friend his free Rogue Nation birthday drink because there were no ciders on tap. There's the time they denied me my birthday drink because I didn't have my blank Rogue nation card, which has been blank for two years because they've never had a working printer and they refuse to consult a customer database to confirm my membership, despite the fact that I've given them all my valuable personal marketing information. There's the idiotic signs on the bathroom doors. There's the fact that no server has ever been bothered to make eye contact with anyone at my table more often than once every half-hour. There's every single food item I've ever ordered, which has been absolute sh***se, . There's the fact that a single pint of the flagship Dead Guy, ordered _from the Rogue brewpub_, costs $5.75, which is out-of-this-world expensive by Oregon standards. There's the fact that there are no beer style descriptions or prices to be found anywhere in the bar or on any menus.
Rogue's marketing department is run by Nike people, and it shows. Every single aspect of the Rogue Pub is designed to shout, "Eff you!" and vacuum money out of the pockets of anyone who is not a regular customer intimately familiar with their staff and their entire offering of mediocre beers. There is a reason this place is always empty except for the hardcore alcoholics who grace the bar area. No one who goes here is ever tempted to return, except for their birthday, and even then it's usually a fight to the death to get the free stuff you're so cheerily promised when you sign up for Rogue Nation.
You can get a good craft brew for a good price from a smart establishment on practically any corner in Eugene. Rogue has somehow managed to distinguish itself from the rest of the city's offerings by being relentlessly predatory and extortionate to every customer that walks through its doors. They might be able to market elsewhere in the country, but they sure can't win any fans in their own backyard--and that's the sign of a company that's insubstantial and rotten to the core. If you're in Eugene and you like beer and you have self-respect, go to Sixteen Tons, go to the Bier Stein, go to Highlands, go to any restaurant, but for Pete's sake don't go to the Rogue.
My brother and I came in on a Friday night, which is apparently trivia night. Every single table was taken, and everyone was playing as far as I could tell. We went to the back and grabbed a couple of seats at the bar. At first, the bartender was kind of grumpy, but we've always been big fans of the Rogue beers we can get back home, and we were there to drink.
After we had put away a couple pints and started talking to the bartender about all of the beers, he opened up and was very friendly and knowledgeable. Actually, quite a few of the staff members ended up chatting with us and we had a great time. We drank a lot of beer from their excellent selection, and even ended up getting some food at the bar (which actually wasn't that great, but it wasn't what we were there for so I wasn't too upset). We racked up a pretty high bill, but he ended up throwing us the Rogue Nation discount on all of our beer (a very cool move which we didn't ask for) and also didn't charge us for one of the taster flights we tried. All in all, I could definitely see myself coming back here for beer and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys craft brewing. But maybe avoid Friday nights.
I see some people are upset about the bathrooms...really, just ask someone. It was kind of funny once they explained it (barley is sweet, hops are bitter - figure it out from there). I thought it was a nice touch, something I'll remember about the place.
There are just too many other options in the area to accept this poor excuse for food. Their beer may very well be worth it, I don't drink beer, my best friend does and likes Rogue, so by all means this annoyed feeling isn't due to their brews.
I just wanted a burger but it was so painfully basic. The regular beef patties appear to be preformed patties, they are pretty flavorless in general. The fries are the equivalent to any fast food place.
The thing I did like was the mustard and ketchup that came with my friends hotdog. The ketchup had a kick, I hate standard ketchup because it's too sweet (ew). The mustard was spicy and yummy, I stole some to put on my bland burger, that helped for sure.
I was trying not to go to the Horsehead for dinner and failed miserably of course. I prefer table side service when I'm eating dinner before hitting the bars.
The service was okay but very slow. It seemed like they had one server working on a semi-busy night, she had to be flagged down by other tables because of their impatience. I'm okay with a wait, I wasn't about to get aggressive by any means but it just adds another reason to strike it off the list of places to go.
Rogue Ale Pub, Eugene
- In Eugene, give yourself a treat and go to the Rogue Ale Pub (in U of O's charming campus) for its tasty beers and good food! And, before you go into the restroom, please do make sure....!
DETAILS:
- On the way from Portland to Crater Lake back in late July, my wife and I stopped by Eugene for lunch break in its charming campus of U. of Oregon Ducks. A beautiful coed told us that Rogue Ale Public House was THE place to go for good food and beers.
- We took her advice and really enjoyed our lunch over a couple of great tasting draft beers.
This Rogue location used to be the Eugene City Brewery, and now under the new Rogue management, I think. Rogue is spacious with a casual and inviting atmosphere! Walls are lined with numerous awards of Rogue's creative beers; memorable pics of university's celebrity athletes of the past and present! There are a few funky artifacts by the bar, too!
- Also, be sure you know that the Men's and Women's restrooms are designated as Hops (Boys) and Barley respectively! So, don't mess up!!!
Our waiter was very friendly and helpful. Besides helping us with the orders, he also let us know that Rogue carried the ICONIC Voodoo Bottled Drinks, too, although not its famous donuts.
We had a large C. Salad (9.5), Rubin Sandwich with taters (9.5), 2 beers ($1.75 each; Tracktown and Honey Orange Wheat). The kitchen gave us fries istead of tater by mistake. So, the waiter got us a free order of taters, too, without our asking! They were all delicious! The beers were good and surprisingly cheap for $1.75! We also tried a bottle of Voodoo drink with bacon rasberry flavor, well, it was an acquired taste! It was so much fun that we stayed there almost an hour longer than we had planned!
We did not know that Rogue was a popular franchise. We loved the place and will start seeking them out while visiting different towns from now on.
Peterskis, August, 2012
It's pretty much like any brewery in Oregon. Â Plenty of indie beer if you are into beer. Â Decent pub food. Â I had a gourmet corndog as an example, and it was kobe beef. Â Pretty good. Â The service was also efficient which is a little unusual in Oregon. Â My big annoyance - naming the mens room "hops" and the womens room "barley." It isn't clever or cute- it's just stupid. Â I don't care much about blurring gender roles, but after staring at the doors for a couple of minutes and not being able to ascertain which fit a mens room better (hops or barley), I balked in favor of not walking into the women's room on accident and freaking some poor girl out who had managed to figure out the unneeded riddle. Â When I went back to our table my wife told me which was which. Â She had gone in the one with a urinal first. Â Maybe it seems petty to deduct a couple of stars, but it seemed so completely unnecessary to me that it needed to be noted.
Review Source:There aren't many bars that I really like, but this one definitely impressed me. When we (group of 4) sat down, we were immediately served tasters for the beer that they were promoting. Our waiter was attentive, very patient with my pickiness in ordering, and prompt. There aren't too many vegetarian options, but they're pretty open to modifications. I sceptically got the Gardenburger (not always good, depending on how they cook it), but I was pleasantly surprised. It was flavorful, and good to eat. I could even identify the vegetables in it which was very reassuring, as opposed to many places that blend the veggies with soybeans so you don't know WHAT you're eating. This bar definitely put some care into making it (and making sure it wasn't too dry), as they would the regular meat burgers. All in all, they impressed me with the amount of care and attention that they put in the food.
I especially liked the "Hoppy Meal", which adds a toy and Rogue Ale (which you are going to get anyway, trust me) to your meal for $1 more. Adults like getting free toys too! When I was there, they were giving away little rubber ducks that were dressed up as other animals.
By the way, this bar is affiliated with Voodoo Doughnut, and sells some of the their swag. If you're making a trip out here, definitely plan to visit Voodoo Donuts as well.
One more thing: make sure you read the labels on the restrooms :)
I'm all for drinking for no reason, but the real reason I first came to this place was trivia. Â It was the first thing I wanted to know about when I got to town, and it really is the quickest way to get me to a venue. Â That means that both times I've gone was on friday nights in which I stuck around for about three hours. Â I ordered beers, ordered food, behaved like I was at a restaurant (no idea how that happened). Â Anyways, the review:
Food: Â Adequate. Â It was bar food. Â I was happy to have something to match my beer, but I wasn't thrilled with what I got. Â This isn't a place I would come if I were coming just for the food.
Drink: Â I'd hate to betray my ignorance on beer (especially local ones) with an authoritative review on this subject, but here's my impression: Â the server was very helpful in suggesting the types of beer I might prefer and even bringing me a sample of one. Â At one point I tried to order something off the paper menu to find they didn't have two of the items listed. Â It wasn't a great loss, but a little frustrating.
Service: Superb. Â The servers have always been attentive and present. Â Around the time I would think I would need something, they would be there. Â When I wanted a small adjustment on a menu item, it was taken care of without mistake.
Bathrooms: Â The genders aren't labelled on the bathroom. Â Instead they say "Hops" and "Barley." Â Like anyone else, I stared at the labels for a minute, then just guessed. Â I guessed wrong. Â I have a pretty good sense of humor about that sort of thing and so thought it was funny and switched to the other bathroom. Â They could have been cleaner, but weren't disgusting.
I'll keep going to Rogue because I like the trivia (and the people I meet up with here), but will probably choose other places to go
YES. The beer is good. Not the greatest as some Pacific Northwest Beer but good. Let's also get this clear, they sell Rogue but they make their own here. It's going to be renamed Track City Brewery, so don't get confused. As a big track and field fan the names of the beer were fun and I did enjoy them. Not only that but it was bingo night and what a blast. They had creative winning options and good prizes. The gentlemen putting the bingo on were funny and kept it interesting. What happened when there was a tie? Take it outside for a runoff! What a blast. And since I didn't win at all I got a dollar. What fun. This place is cool, give it a look.
Review Source:The only reason that I don't give Rogue five stars is because I went there with a regular and I don't know if everything was great because of that. I plan on going back in the future, and will update my rating accordingly.
I had had Rogue beers in the past and had visited a couple of their breweries up and down the West Coast, but this place takes the cake. None of the other Rouge's hooked us up with a free sample as soon as we sat down (and this wasn't just because of the regular, I saw every table get one). Not only that, but the waiter, after a short talk about whiskey, brought us out some Dead Guy Whiskey, which absolutely blew my mind.
The selection was pretty amazing - with a lot of stuff that I hadn't heard of before - and the service was quick. We started out with some tater tots and then I got a Kobe steak sandwich. Both came out in a reasonable manner and both hit the proverbial spot.
I've noticed some complaints on here about how hard this place is to find (because it's called Rogue and Eugene City Brewery) and about the confusing bathrooms. I say loosen the eff up. I appreciate a place that's hard to find- that way it isn't full of tourist bung holes. As far as the bathrooms are concerned- it's supposed to be funny. If you can't handle accidentally walking into the wrong bathroom, or having someone walk in on you- then don't go to the bathroom there.
Oh ECB, where did you go wrong? Can I even count the ways??
Arrived on Saturday around 12:45pm. We have a party of 10 adults and 3 kids. Big? Â Yes. Overwhelming? Hardly. Â When it's the first day of Saturday market for the year, you'd think they would staff accordingly. As it was, there were 2 other tables with customers, so there shouldn't have been any problems. Â We ordered drinks. Took a quick 5 minutes for round one. I'm pleased.
We are provided exactly 2 menus for 10 adults. Really? Thanks. Whatever, we get it figured out.
By the time our obviously overworked server comes back, our $5.50 pints are long-empty. She starts taking orders for food. It's now 1:30. Â Yep, 45 minutes before our orders are even taken. BS. Reminder: We have 3 kids under the age of 6. Â If you want to ruin the meals (and likely the afternoons) of all your patrons, make hungry, whiney children wait all day. My poor sister is ready to have a coronary with her 18 month old, and I think my cousin is going to have CPS called if someone doesn't feed her 5 and 3 year olds. Â The rest of us can only stare in a state of shock and awe at the rampage of 3 small children who are clearly starved to death.
We finally get a second round of drinks, maybe 10 minutes before our food arrives. It's 2:20. Â
Once our food has finally arrived, the kids have turned into possessed demons, with full-blown head spinning and vomiting, Â and all the adults are ready to get hammered drunk just to tune them out. Â It's 2:30. Â I just want to go take a nap.
Server hands me my chicken pita (that I requested no onions on), and tells me 'here's your chicken pita, no onions!' Â I'm happy. I eat the fries first (which I have to say are tasty, albeit a bit low on quantity for a $10 meal) and when I get to the pita I realize it's caked in onions. Shocker!
Since our server hasn't been seen in 10 minutes, I take it to the bar. When the bartender finally acknowledges me, I tell him I can't eat onions, and that I'm super sorry for the inconvenience in my friendliest way possible, because I don't want my shit spit on. He apologizes and takes it back. I go sit down. FIFTEEN minutes later, another pita is handed to me. Everyone in my group is done eating and pissed off. It's 2:55pm.
The chicken pita sucked. Dry chicken, very little flavor. I honestly think at this point I'll be comped something. Hell no!! We were even charged for tarter and ranch. Â I'm now ready to hit someone. Nothing irritates me more than sneaky little charges like ranch. If there is a charge, PUT IT ON YOUR MENU, and allow me to make an educated decision about purchasing it. Sneaky bastards. I tell my server I never ordered tarter and she literally says, 'Fine, I'll have it removed and just pay for it myself'. Seriously???? First of all, if your company is going to take something like that our of your paycheck, you work for a crappy company and shame on you Rogue Brewery. Second of all, not my problem, and your passive aggressive little remark just cost you what little tip I may have left you.
I've never left a restaurant without leaving a tip. But because it took over 2 hours to eat lunch at a restaurant that was at less than 30% capacity, and our server was unapologetic and unhelpful, I left nothing.
My mom has lived in Eugene for 7 years and we always come here when we're in town. I will never ever come back, and I'm breaking all the kitschy rogue brewery pub glasses I own when I get home.
Suck it ECB.
I am a Rogue Nation member and have enjoyed Rogue beers in Portland for some time. Over the past weekend my husband and I took my mother to Rogue in Eugene and I was so incredibly disappointed by the experience I want to write and tell you about it.
We were there on Sat. 2/25/12 around 5pm. When we were greeted and told to "sit wherever we liked" we found the three booths in the place were dirty. The place had 4 occupied tables total. Not busy so I don't know why they hadn't bothered to clean the tables.
We ended up sitting inside the "bar" area and even that table was dirty. The same female who greeted us brought out menus and set them on the table as I said, "Uh, this table needs to be cleaned." Â She snapped, "Yes, I know and I will get to it." So- there were our menus on the sticky table from the previous person's food. Gross!
Then without asking she brought out 3 beer samples. One personal at our table doesn't drink and to just assume was awkward. The server said after she sat the samplers down that the beer had been made with a crustacean and that if we had any allergies to shell fish not to drink it. WTH?!
The place was freezing, it had been snowing outside and was barely warmer inside Rogue. We kept our coats on the entire meal and were really cold. The bartender said loudly that he was wearing three shirts just to stay warm.
If the heater wasn't working no one said anything. Maybe Rogue is trying to save money from the lack of customers by keeping the heat off?
The Kobe burgers were just okay, not very hot or taste any different from a regular burger. And the mac and cheese I ordered was tasteless. The menu said it was made from "Tillamook Cheese" but there was nothing melted or cheese like to the mac and cheese.
The bartender was so busy playing bar games and cursing with the table of guys next to us about what he'd done the nigh before and how shit faced he'd been and joking with the female servers it was like they were oblivious to the customers. Â
While we were eating, one of the female servers was cleaning the interior windows but not the dirty tables around us. The employee's priorities were messed up. Food was terrible.
Rogue's got great beer and a good thing going in Portland but the Eugene place is a mess. Â Terrible experience overall. I will not go back to the Eugene establishment. I honestly believe that unless they improve things that place will be closed within 2012. I want to note again, I've been a Rogue Nation member for years and go in every year for my birthday, I think maybe this year- I'll go somewhere else.
The only thing preventing this from being 5 stars are the slightly high prices. Other than that, the food is really good and there's always plenty of it on your plate. Tons of beers to choose from and a menu that nearly has too much to pick from! My secret recommendation for something they don't advertise: try the non-alcoholic Rogue Root Beer but throw a shot of vanilla vodka in it... CRAZY GOOD!
Review Source:I would definitely come back here- there are 42 beers or so and the thin crust pizza was great. When we didn't get full we finished up with a side order of tater tots- they also had a lego table for my three kids and we sat right next to it so we had the kid zone. This place is officially Rogue Brewery now I believe, but used to be Eugene City Brewing. Try it!
Review Source:I went there to celebrate friends and family who are leaving one job and moving on to bigger and better things. Â We enjoyed the Trivia game on this Friday night with Mister Bill. Â If you are a trivia player, this was a great venue and Mister Bill is entertaining.
On to the food and beer. Â Since I was driving I had one beer and chose the Eugene City Brewery Honey Orange Wheat Ale. Â It tasted great and I would recommend it to anyone that likes ales and flavorful wheat beers.
I ordered the Kobe Bacon Burger (medium rare). Â I received a tasteless, DRY piece of meat that if I didn't order it I would have no idea what grade of meat it was supposed to be. Â At $15, it was a rip off. Â Even the bacon couldn't save this burger since there was little taste to the bacon too. Â How can you screw up bacon and make it tasteless?
The fries that came with it were great. Â Golden brown and crispy.
During the Trivia game we ordered a plate of tater tots. Â They were quite good.
It is a shame that the best thing to eat on this night were the french fries and tater tots; not really a foodies dream.
We started off with a server who was quite nice and competent but somewhere in the first hour she disappeared as they got busier to wait on other tables and we got another server, without an introduction or telling us that he would be our new server.
He was clueless and probably new so I will cut him some slack, but we didn't trust him with our credit card because we really would like to have it back sometime before we left. Â Not that we were worried about him doing something weird with it but got the feeling we might get back someone else's card and someone else might get ours although Mister Bill could have turned that into a fun, get to know someone else game.
I might go there for a few brews and snacks on Trivia night again, but I definitely wouldn't order a meal as they were overpriced and tasteless.
Will someone please explain the bathroom signage? Â Two people at our table were told different things about which restroom was for females and which were for males. Â Hops and Barley. Â WTF. Â I guess whichever one is empty is for you.
I did enjoy the feel of place and it was fun to watch the parade of characters walking past outside.
Im from Atlanta and one of the only microbrew's we get back home was Rogue Dead Guy Ale so when I moved out to Eugene I was already a fan. Â Unfortunately my roommate got a job there and I found out about the poor standards they have for food quality, the blatant lies about menu items, and the ownership that cared only about profits and nothing about their beer. Â They keep food in their kitchen that is expired far past the date and charge outrageous prices for ingredients like frozen Tyson chicken. Â ECB has a few decent beers but at $5.25 a pint I recommend going to sixteen tons where there are better beers and more reasonably priced pints.
Review Source:On the plus side, despite the fact that I had to violate the no cell phone policy in order to notice the same, I think the policy is terrific. Even better there is a replica British phone booth to take your cell phone call.
Sadly, the food is subpar. Also, Rogue's beers are not what they once were. I inquired of the fruitiness of the Un-Yuzu Ale on tap during my visit and was told it was "very mild." In reality it was flavorless. My Double Mocha Porter was over the top with too much dark chocolate bitterness.
I did order food--the "Cuban-style" ham sandwich which was "Cuban" in that it had ham and mustard with a tiny pickle on the side. The grilled bread was dripping with grease and fell apart in my hands. Ugh.
Dear Eugene City Brewery,
For your consideration, a list of grievances:
1) Get a sign with your name on it. We were looking for Eugene City Brewery not the Rogue Logo.
2) Your entrance is a weird glass tunnel through which one must bottleneck like an LA traffic detour.
3) Your expensive food sounds amazing and is actually pretty bad. Â The high expectations makes the sad reality of your food all the more disappointing.* food complaints below
4) Your waitress was nice and helpful and knowledgeable about the beers, but a total pusher for the Rogue Nation Club
5) Your bathrooms are labeled "Barley" and "Hops". Please explain how a normal person is supposed to intuit their appropriate gender of grain.
6) Why are your beers close to $6? Yes, they are tasty but COME ON, this is Eugene, not Manhattan.
7) Your Trivia Master makes me uncomfortable.
*Your ketchup was rancid
*Your burger bun was cheap, completely negating any amazing Japanese beef
*Did you get your fries at McDonald's yesterday? Â Eww.
*Why did I get chopsticks with my cheeseburger? Â No really, explain.
*No one who liked pickles received their promised spears, but the one dude in our party to request no pickles got double duty rammed into his ham sandwich. WTF.
Basically, a strange unwelcoming beer hall made only for regulars that were apparently born without taste buds. Â Moral of the Story: Never Again.
I love Rogue beers, even if they are on the higher end of price per pint. I was use to drinking in Hawai'i so 5.00 a pint isn't that bad to me. The cost of that can be offset a little if you become a Rogue Nation member, it's free.
I've had the Philly cheesesteak and it was pretty good and about 10 bucks if I remember right. I really like the fries they have as well.
I love the overall feel of the place, somewhere to come and drink a few pints after work, or meet up with some friends. The music isn't very loud so you can actually talk to people, also don't plan on using your cell phone unless you use the phone booth.
If you're looking somewhere to get smashed for cheap and listen to music goto John Henry's. Â
Also on Tuesdays if you wear a Hawaiian shirt your second beer is free. And from 12:00-1:30 PM beers are two bucks if you're wearing a Hawaiian shirt and the second one is free.
Trivia night on Fridays!! Â It was a lot of fun! Â Make sure you go in early on a Friday because a lof of tables have names of the regulars, and they get to kick you off whenever they show up in the restaurant. Â I like this idea a lot because you get to have your "own" table every time. Â Our regulars were real nice though and sat at the bar to let our group of 10+ have the table. Â
I got the Kobe Cheeseburger, and it was pretty good. Â Service was great as well. Â I only wished they'd stay open a little longer on a Friday night because the turn around rate is not high on Trivia nights. Â Any why would they close at 11 when everyone is enjoying a night out in downtown Eugene?
If you LOVE Rogue beer, come here, otherwise I think other gastropubs should be higher on your list :-(
In all fairness, it's actually not a terrible place (I've always had nice servers, but often they are overworked/understaffed), but it's disappointing when you compare what you get vs. what you pay.
Food and prices drag it down to 2 stars, otherwise it would have been a solid 3.
1) pints of their local Rogue brews: $5.25. Â WHAT?!?! Over $5 for a bloody pint?! are people so desperate for a micro that they'll pay anything? Â Especially when Horsehead (laid back dive bar) and Jamesons (a little classier w/ a super long HH) are just a block away, unless you REALLY love Rogue brews or their food, I don't see why this place is so special
2) Food: not bad, but overpriced for the quality. Â Kobe burgers average ~$15. Â Add on a pint, and it better be the best burger & beer you've ever had in your life; in that respect, it didn't meet expectations :-(
3) Every brewpub should have a Happy Hour, and I didn't see they had one (though Yelp says yes) :-(
Fair warning, I only come for the Friday night trivia night, which is great fun in a group, so my opinion is somewhat biased by that.
I love excellent Rogue beer selection, plus I think that their Track Town beers are pretty decent too. The food is decent, not awesome, but certainly not as awful as some reviewers have painted it to be. I will have to agree that the prices are a little high, and that two or three beers per person will result in a pretty steep bill at the end of the night.
Notwithstanding the somewhat elevated food bills we get here, my girlfriend and I try to go there for the trivia nights with friends every few weeks. Considering that it's free to participate, and you often get coupons for money off of the tab among other freebies, I think it's a great addition to an evening out.
I recently came back here with a friend for lunch and am happy to say that the service has improved considerably since my last experience here. The server was fast and friendly and came back at just the right times to check on how things were.
Unfortunately the food was not up to par. My fathers burger was under cooked and my clam chowder had a very odd taste to it that did not sit well with my stomach.
I will try this restaurant again to see if they can get customer service and food quality together.
I go to ECB from time to time. The beer is always good and the service is always solid.
The food here is forgettable though and it is a bit expensive. The look and feel of the place is of a typical brewpub.
In the bar area there are plaques on the counter of people who have had tons of beers at the establishment. Always thought it would be cool to get the plaque but I don't have the cash to dish out for this place all the time.
Let me first say that I've never eaten any food from this establishment, for no other reason than I've always stopped in just to have a pint or take home some microbrews.
That said, I've been a fan of Eugene City and Rogue beers for some time. And so I keep coming back for me. The selection of wonderful microbrews at this establishment is expansive. And if you're looking for some nice Rogue or Eugene City Brewery branded gear, this is a great place to shop. The atmosphere is standard for a pub but the downstairs room is quite enjoyable to spend time in. Busy times at the ECB can get noisy but that's expected in the pub scene. Too, situated in downtown Eugene, it's well within walking distance of dozens of other businesses and restaurants and the night life (and walking) is pleasant.
Interestingly, and somewhat fun to watch, the restrooms are not clearly labeled for males and females. Instead, they're labeled "hops" for men and "barley" for women...but if you're not familiar with the place, it's not entirely clear which is which! And watching buzzed patrons try to figure it out (and often head to the wrong one) is amusing in and of itself.
All told, I dig their beer and the place.
#CorvSMB #Eug #Eugene #local #Oregon
I'm torn on the Eugene City Brewery... On the plus side, I love the atmosphere and selection of beer. The kids love it too, especially since the kids meals are served on a Rogue frisbee. Although the service can be a bit slow at times, the server's I've had have always been very friendly. Â
Now the negatives... First, it's expensive. I've had nights where I had 3 beers and an appetizer and got a nearly $30 bill at the end of the night. Â Sure, I had the pricey special beers and a not cheap appetizer but it's still a bit shocking to see that bill. The food is also very hit or miss. I've had Kobe Blue Balls (teeheehee) that were phenomenal, and I've had them dry and flavorless. The burgers are usually good, although I take issue with them calling them Kobe beef, since Kobe beef only comes from Japan and is currently illegal to import to the US. They are likely imported japanese cattle and while better than regular old Choice grade beef, it's not really amazing enough to justify the premium price they put on them.
So, not to sound harsh. I really do like this place. I almost always have a good time going there, I just wish the food was more consistent and the prices weren't so high...
The beer on tap was good and what a selection but don't order food. That is a mistake. It's expensive for what you get - really poor quality ingredients and lackluster presentation.
I ordered the kobe beef tacos and was really shocked at how little effort they put into preparing them. The small corn tortilla rounds were microwaved, the cheddar was a cold shredded pile from a bag, and the meat was over seasoned and interspersed with canned jalapeño peppers.  My husband tried some kind of salmon on an English muffin with swiss cheese thing served with undercooked fries for $11.50.
Drink if you go but plan to eat elsewhere.
Parents Note: Even though I panned this place, I have to admit it is not a bad place for kids if you sit by the right of the door as you are walking in. They have a tiny play area. They also have a kids menu (ultra-unhealthy) and high chairs.
If you're looking for tasteless food, mediocre beer and forgettable service, this is your place.  The beer is just OK and nothing to write home about.  The food is borderline awful - oily, tough, and carelessly thrown together..  I actually chose this place over Steelhead because past experience has proven that the  food at Steelhead is also terrible.   I had salmon.  How do you screw that up?  They managed to create a hockey-puck-like, flavourless piece of fish. Â
I have to wonder why Rogue bought this place. Â I felt sorry that the staff had to push the Rogue Nation thing. Â It brings back memories of the birthday club at Chi-Chis. Â Did Chi-Chi's even have a birthday club? I don't know but you get the drift. Â
Aw, yes the service.. Â immature, inexprerienced and too arrogant to notice. Â I think my expectations for Eugene are far too high. . Â hopefully this will be my last dinner in Eugene for awhile.
First of all, do not come here if you have any sort of temporary ID (state, drivers license, etc.) because they apparently do not trust any sort of paper ID even though it is printed by the state. Â They will turn you away regardless of your age and will not accept your temporary ID with any sort of other ID.
Secondly, Rogue beers are pretty good, but they are hyped up and are very expensive. Â You're looking at at least 5$ for any pint. Â If you get an XS brew, they are even more expensive for less volume.
The food is good but REALLY expensive. Â The fermenter's platter (an appetizer) is one of the tastiest items on the menu. Â You're looking at 15$ for any entree.
For a better time I would go to the horsehead right across the street and eat delicious southern food, and then go to starlight right next door for good beer (ninkasi).
Also... they serve Kobe burgers.... I mean, if you're going to eat Kobe beef, shouldn't you eat it with all the deliciousness intact and not grind up all that goodness?
I also wrote Rogue a letter regarding my disappointment and never received a response.
In all honesty I don't like Rogue beers. I keep drinking them because I figure eventually they will make good ones. Eugene City Brewery has a great location and I love the theory behind Eugene City Brewery: It's got a great logo and a great name.... but it just doesn't make great beer.
I hadn't tried any of the Eugene City beers but decided to have one at a brewfest type deal during the US Olympic Trials. The beer was called the 200 meter and it seemed like the right time and place to give it a try. Whoa! To my surprise it was actually good. Could I have been wrong all this time? Had Eugene broken the Rogue curse. I had to check out the brewery to make sure.
I went out to dinner a few days later at the downtown locale and sat in the bar ready to recapture the magic in a glass I'd found at the Trials. I started out with a taster tray of all the beers specific to Eugene City... No luck. I tasted through a few more that sounded interesting but they were duds as well. Where had that beer gone that I tasted before. I don't know but it wasn't there and I had learned my lesson again.
Service was all right, a little confused at times and the food was decent. Atmosphere was good, spacious, open but with lots of memorabilia to give it a legit pub feeling. Outside seating is nice with choices in front on the sidewalk or out back or along the side alley. I like beer too much to go back but I wouldn't discourage others from giving it a try.
There are a few things you should know.
Attitude: Bold Beers for Baby Boomers who Still Got It (And You!)
...$4-$5.50 pints mostly of the fabulous line of Rogue brews, including up to half a dozen Eugene City brews made right in the building and out back. They run through a nice list of rotating guest taps. There's usually something great or rare on the list, especially if you're an IPA fan. If nothing strikes your fancy, ask which brew they have on the nitro. If it's the Shakespeare Stout, you should probably just do that.
*Last night they had Hair of the Dog Blue Dot Imperial IPA -- <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbeeradvocate.com%2Fbeer%2Fprofile%2F173%2F25265&s=57f872494f3d3a030b3c749b0a84b40c9c839b29ac59118889f016f7619eef3c" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://beeradvocate.com/…</a> (That's a great beer, and usually an expensive one!)
Food: Most of it is too expensive to make a regular habit, but there are some highlights. I'm a fan of the Kobe chili dog topped with Kobe beef chile. I just tried (to my delight) the "blue balls" sliders: it's a hamburgerlet made with a blue cheese infused Kobe beef meatball. The chef's cheese selections have been great every time; they seem to always include a good blue.
Birthdays: Join the "Rogue Nation" beforehand and you have a great birthday present coming--A free t-shirt and big ol free beer (they used to serve it in a tall half yard glass, but now they just do a big ol mug because I think all their super-tall glasses broke). For the cost of making your friends pay for expensive food and drink, you get all this wonderful stuff! (Join the Rogue Nation for free by filling out a card at any of their locations.)
Eugene Growler Club: They'll fill almost any container, a growler is $15-$18, guest taps excluded.
Jan. '09 Update: I'm going to keep my review at 4 stars even though it seems to have gotten even more expensive. If you're going to go, join the "Rogue Nation" so you'll get a $.75 discount on pints.. The sad part... they're still $4.75 after discount. No depression deals here. They still earn good stars because they have decent character, I think. I follow @Rogue_Ales on Twitter, and learned about weekend build-your-own bloody mary for $4, which I want to try soon.
For a Rogue brewery, this place elft somethign to be desired. Granted, you can go there and get free beer and a t-shirt on your bday...but that is the highlight.
I had some kobe beef meatballs that were overcooked and inedible. It took a good 10minutes for the waitress to come inquire how everything she dropped off was. By that time, I had finished my beer and was wanting to leave.
My brother's food was better, but still not worth the $. The honey wheat orange beer was refreshing and would be great to sip outside, then move on for dinner.
I love beer. Â But I swore I wouldn't drink the night before my first marathon... I would just sit there at the bar while my traveling companion drank some of the best beer in the nation, and i would smile, and sip my sports drink from a bottle.
Oh, if only.
2 beers were all I could handle in my "focused runner" state, and race day I was a little, well, woozy. Â But it was 100% worth it. Â This place is owned by Rogue and has all the Rogue beers plus their own brews. Â Take a seat at the bar and listen as the locals order their schmancy mixes- the "snickers" is a hazelnut brown mixed with chocolate stout, yum! Â Lots of oddities and small batches, and the bartenders are friendly and will let you taste them all before deciding.
The food's pricey and not all that interesting, but who's going to a brewery for food?
Just down the street from the Home of the "Ducks" in Downtown Eugene.
I liked the atmosphere, but would have like this place better if the food was a good as the price was high. Â Maybe what I chose to eat...the Pizza served up at the table next to us looked better.
Great selection of T-Shirts and other fun Rouge Wear. Â
We sampled some of the local beer, bought a jug for our Lovely Beer Jug collection and headed out.
Would have liked to visit on a late night after finals to see what they are all about then!
Very few brewpubs offer great beer, great food and great service. Good brewpubs may hit 2 out of 3, most get 1 of 3. The beer and food at Eugine City Brewery is great, and the service is very good, so this is a brewpub that stands apart from most.
The Kobe beef burgers are outstanding - especially with the Oregon Blue cheese. I'd had one at the Issaquah brewpub years ago, and having recently enjoyed the gourmet burgers at The Counter in Palo Alto, I was eager to try one again. I honestly can't say which I prefer better - the two are tied for first place (in my book) for best burgers.
I've never been a big fan of the "normal" Rogue beers, but the "XS" series are amazing. The "Natty" Imperial Red, Russian Imperial Stout and Old Crustacean are among my favorite beers, as is the Imperial IPA (I^2PA), which they were out of.
It was one of the best brewpubs I've ever been to - and I've been to many dozens (perhaps a hundred).
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