Not only is the University of Oregon a great school with an amazing campus, but it also has the best food in Oregon. Everyone in Eugene sports the “O” on game days, plus they all know where to grab food after a big win.
My mom and I traveled to the Pacific Northwest in search of my future college, hitting a total of 13 schools in less than a week. Since we only had about 24 hours in Eugene we had to search for all the best eats—and fast!
Dinner 1: Morning Glory Cafe
We arrived at the University of Oregon on a Thursday afternoon and were starving after spending hours on the plane. After some searching, we discovered Morning Glory Cafe, my FAVORITE of all the restaurants we visited.
It’s a vegetarian breakfast/lunch stop with a ton of vegan-friendly options as well. It was so hard to choose from their menu items, such as tofu sandwiches and tempeh Caesar salads. After much deliberation, I ordered the Blue Moon and my mom tried out the Triple Lucky Noodles.
Blue Moon: Herbed flatbread topped with sunflower seed pesto, two soysage patties, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, shredded carrots & cucumbers. Drizzled with vegan Caesar dressing plus I ordered some extra veg on the side.
Triple Lucky Noodles: Wide rice noodles sautéed with tofu, broccoli, zucchini, green onions, carrots, purple cabbage & garlic, tossed in spicy peanut-cilantro sauce.
Breakfast: Morning Glory Cafe (again…)
So the next morning, we may or may not have ended up at Morning Glory again for breakfast… I had a running tour of the campus at 8 and needed fuel.
On our run, we got to see their beautiful student garden and run on Hayward Field where the Olympic track trials are held. Tempeh scramble, almond milk, and a banana nut muffin filled with chocolate chips hit the spot to tide me over through multiple rounds of tours.
Mama’s Tofu Scramble: Mexi-cali tofu scrambled with broccoli, zucchini & fresh cilantro. Served with herbed glory potatoes and whole grain of toast.
Lunch: Caspian Mediterranean Cafe
After a long morning of touring, I was ready for lunch. Campus runs straight into 13th Avenue which has a bunch of great spots to eat, such as Caspian Mediterranean Cafe. Falafel and hummus, what more could you want?
Falafel Plate: 4 falafel balls, hummus, caspian feta salad, and pita bread.
Dinner 2: The Vintage
After lunch we went on a steep hike to the top of a beautiful “hill,” which felt more like a mountain. From the top, you could see miles and miles of Oregon’s sky and trees. The view was breathtaking.
But after all that climbing, our legs were sore and we were starving. There’s only one solution to cure that—fondue.
Behind The Vintage there was an adorable outdoor garden area where we enjoyed cheese and chocolate fondue. By the end, both bowls were wiped clean.
Creamy Jack Fondue: Carrots, broccoli, apples, and bread for dipping.
Dark Chocolate Fondue: Pretzels, marshmallows, rice cereal treats, strawberries, bananas, and cheesecake bites for dipping.
Our time at the University of Oregon was a blast. We were treated well by students, staff, and their fantastic eateries. I have no idea where I’ll end up next fall, but this college will definitely be at the top of my list.