Matto and I ended up at the Highlands with a couple friends on Thanksgiving. Last time we were in they had Lord of the Rings pinball- which is a lame game. However they currently have Batman- based on The Dark Night. None of us had played this game before so we got a little four person tournament play on.
For a brand new Sterns game it was actually quite fun! There is something overly simplistic about a lot of the newer games- I'm not sure if it's something about the graphics or the actual play, but they often seem to be missing the subtlety of late 80's through mid 00's pins. There was touch of that feeling to the game but I think all the moving pieces and locks made up for it: the rotating Joker figure, a moving wrecking ball arm with magnetized wrecking ball, and the Batmobile.
I could be biased by the fact I popped it on the first game but the Dark Knight  was surprisingly fun to play. I'll have to go give it second try sometime.
Sadly, this seems to be the best place in Eugene to play darts. Â My partner and I fell in love playing darts, so whenever we find ourselves in the mood to play, we have to go to Highlands. Â
There isn't much else I find redeeming about Highlands. Â It's not dimly-lit enough to be a dive, it's not bright-and-pleasant enough to scare away the scuzzballs who are wasted at 3pm. Â When the jukebox is playing, it is way too loud. Â Bartender-servers aren't unpleasant but none of them are going to win the blue ribbon for congeniality, either. Â Selection of beers on tap is o.k. with a lot of the typical local brews. Â It is an awkward place to watch an event, or be around an event (for example, a Ducks game) because only a third of the bar's floor space is dedicated for viewing and watching the smaller screens from somewhere else (say, near where you play darts) doesn't work nearly as well. Â
Truth is, I hate almost every bar I've ever stepped into in Eugene and, especially given the darts situation, I'll continue to suck it up and patronize Highlands every now and then. Â Just don't expect me to smile about it.
This was a good place to stop in for breakfast because it is within walking distance of a friend's house I was staying at.
The waitress was friendly and although she was the only one working, she was attentive and kept our drinks refilled.
I ordered the "regular" breakfast - which included eggs, hashbrowns, sausage and toast. It was alright, nothing spectacular. My friends ordered the breakfast burrito which looked pretty tasty.
The meal was cheap and quick, but overall just okay - not horrible, not fantastic. I will probably go back for convenience but I don't think I would make it a favorite stop.
Amazing beer selection. Â This place consistently satisfies my IPA craving with a choice of at least 3 on tap. Lately I've been digging the Laurelwood IPA. Â They offer enough beers on tap (maybe 24?) to make everyone happy. Â They also have an extensive menu and while I might not reccomend splurging on their fish and chips, the burgers are decent and made with Oregon Natural Beef. Â Their fries are pretty darn good and the nachos look gigantic.
Points for having a bunch of pool tables, ping pong and darts. Â An eclectic juke box and friend bar staff round out this pleasant neighborhood bar. Â Now I know where my husband is when he says he's going around the "corner".
On paper it is a great bar. Pool, free ping pong and lots of beer on tap. Unfortunately the beer is nothing new, the location is less then ideal, and the bartenders are hardly friendly. I won't be going back. And don't get your hopes up when you hear that they have ski-ball, it's one machine from the 70s that has plastic bouncy balls.
Review Source:We went in for a snack and "whoa!" What a menu!
Everything on their menu sounds delicious. I decided on the portabello sandwich- it was delectable. Thick sliced toasted wheat bread, a marinated portabello cap, sauteed onions and bell peppers with sun-dried tomato pesto and melted cheese. MmMm.
I can't WAIT to go again-
I forgot to mention all of the great beer and entertainment options- but I'm too distracted by the memory of that sandwich..
Watch out for drunk servers and bartenders.
Went to clear my tab and the bartender charged the wrong bill to my card and got defensive when I told him he messed up. Â We sat at a dirty table and he charged us with the people who were there before us.... wtf? Â
Definitely had to call my bank to reverse the charges.
This bar is definitely for those that like laid back bars where you can kick back and enjoy one another's company over good food and a pint. Â It's not a place that many college kids go to, and definitely not for people looking to dance all night. Â
But for what it is, I give it five stars:
DRINKS: affordable, wide selection, always fully stocked, strong (or if you request they can make it girly for ya), and even though they're strong it'll still taste pretty friggin good and goes down easy. Â I'm not a fan of weak drinks, so for fellow heavy drinkers, I highly recommend this place.
BARTENDERS: friendly, very entertaining, and always paying attention to the needs of their customers. Â If you don't order an alcoholic drink they offer you everything else they've got to make sure you're not left high n dry. Â And above all else they are damn GOOD at what they do! Â Drinks are strong enough so you get your money's worth for sure, but they still taste great so you'll want another and another. Â Girly drinks are also very, very delicious. Â What I like is that if I can't decide what to drink, I just give them a brief description of what I'm feeling and they rattle off around 4 or 5 suggestions of drinks that I've never tried before! Â Big difference from campus bars where bartenders usually suggest maybe one other drink that they can think of, and it'll guaranteed be a common one. Â
FOOD: I never expected my favorite place to grab breakfast to be at a bar.....If you're someone who likes their meats, eggs, and bread for breakfast, GO HERE!! Â They have to-die-for country fried steak and eggs. Â Thick cuts of beef steak, nice seasonings, and some pretty flavorful country sauce. Wide selection of omelets, all of which are served in large portions, not too dry but not too wet either; stuffed and savory indeed. Â That's just the breakfast though! Â Dinner is just as good, if not, BETTER. Â They've got the usual bar foods, but they also offer a very cheesy penne, lots of burgers and sandwiches that dudes seem to inhale cause they're so damn good. Â
ENTERTAINMENT: So when drinking I hate sitting around and getting fuller and fuller and sleepier. Â Thankfully, this place has a bunch of activities to do with whoever you're hanging out with. Â Darts, 6 pool tables, skee ball, pinball, and ping pong. Â Pool tables are all kept in good condition. Â
SPACE: Â we love watching ducks and blazers games here! Â Lots of tvs and chairs, lots of room to move around, and best of all LOTS of fans show up on game days! Â The walls are decorated in autographed sports jerseys, pictures, and gear praising this hidden gem of a pub. Â Seats and booths are cleaned and bussed constantly, and bathrooms are by far the cleanest and nicest smelling I've ever come across as far as bars go and college apartments go. Â Not ghetto at all and they always work! Â So overall Highlands is clean yet not fancy, still keeping that laid back, chill touch that a bar should have.
Five stars babee, without a doubt.
I really like this place. It's nice and out of the way so an older crowd tends to gather there. It's mellow, easy-going, and I really like the bartenders. I LOVE their bathrooms. This actually becomes really important, especially when they are out drinking!
The bartenders, especially the two sort-of shorter one, are really great. They make their drinks strong and for the most part are really fun to talk to (I hate when bartenders are grumpy or standoffish), Â Their food is good enough bar food. My favorite though is that there is stuff to do there. It isn't just a plain lame bar. It's bright and open with pool tables, darts, and ping pong.
So to recap--- I like (in order of importance):
1. that they make strong drinks.
2. their bathrooms are clean and nice
3. the bartenders are fun
4. older crowd
5. ping pong
I'm giving highlands high marks. The only negative I can mention is that there were only two servers/bartenders working so at times things could be a bit slow, but overall they kept up pretty well. The place is bigger inside than I expected and had pretty nice atmosphere and clientele. They have 32 beers on tap and the food was pretty good (had the smoky penne with smoked cheddar cheese and ham, yum). Overall I spent $20 for 4 beers and an entree, not bad.
Of course, as it turned out every other thursday night is trivia night. It was a blast and we all had a great time with some friendly competition. We ended up winning a bird feeder, photo album, board game (which I gave to one of the other groups who were being gracious sports about our trivia dominance) and a $20 gift certificate which paid for my night of fun. Trivia is completely free and takes place every other thursday.
They also have 6 pool tables, a ping pong table, skee-ball and a few arcade games. I was told wednesday night is free pool night.
Oh, did I mention 32 beers on tap and out of the way enough to avoid the college crowd? Deal!
The Highlands is fun, just unfortunately far away. But maybe that is what makes it so awesome... a hidden gem! The food is cheap and pretty good, and they have TONS of beers on tap. (well... like 12 or so at any given time...) and the pitchers are big. We just moved out to the south hills so I anticipate haunting this place regularly to play some pool (which is free on certain nights of the week!), grab some cheap grub and a beer every now and then. Definitely worth the drive.
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