Darlene's Veg — Restaurant in Eugene

We have been dying to try this place! I love that a new vegan restaurant has found its home where Cornbread Cafe used to be. There are hardly any places in town to get vegan breakfast foods, but tofu scramble is one of my favorites. I wish they were open earlier so I could snag a breakfast burrito in the morning, but I could see myself going back and ordering an extra to have in the morning the next day :) The two people working (who I think were the owners) were so friendly. I love what they are doing here and the “fast food but vegan” vibe they’re bringing to Eugene. It’s such a great, simple concept to fill a niche in town. This place is absolute value for the money. I don’t think I have spent less than $10 on any restaurant in ages.

I am vegan, and I ordered the breakfast burrito with the small side salad (honey mustard), the potatoes, and also got a side of the tofu because I really wanted to try it. Everything was delicious and well seasoned. The portions were so large that I could only eat half, and I saved the rest to eat later.

My husband isn’t vegan, but he is very open to trying vegan food. He ordered the lentil bowl with the side salad (lemon garlic dressing). The salad dressing was made in house, and he loved it. He also raved about the “tofu nuggets” on the lentil bowl. He actually doesn’t like the texture of lentils, but he loved how these were prepared.

We ordered our food to go since we came in shortly before they closed. Somehow everything was still piping hot when we got home. Overall, I think we spent less than $25. They don’t accept tips (even though I tried), so I thought the best way I could support them is to encourage people to go check this place out. Food came out quick, and we played the games while we waited. Bring some quarters to play the fun games while you’re waiting for your food! The owner even came out and showed us how to play. We won a silly little slinky, but next time we will be saving up our points for the super neat 3D poster featuring their adorable mascot. If you don’t have enough points for a prize, they will give you a card so you can stock up your points to save for next time.

We will definitely be coming back, and we are so happy to have another place to add to our...

The person at the register was very friendly, and the prices are some of the lowest you'll find for food in Eugene. The food itself, however, was not very exciting.

The breakfast burrito comes with refried beans - which was against my initial expectations, but also the beans themselves were bland enough to really detract from the rest of the burrito. I suspect that people dropping by expecting Cornbread Cafe to still be there won't find the current offers super appealing, aside from the fact that they still cater to a vegetarian clientele.

The lighting and decor makes for a very strange feeling environment, even though everything is newly renovated and very clean. The menu is small and simple - which I think is important because then a restaurant can really focus on getting just a few items right - but the menu design makes it difficult to understand what items are available and how the combos work. I think the lights above the table need to have some kind of filter on them to diffuse the light, probably, because the whole place felt very dim but then too bright once you sat down. Everything feels pretty empty and maybe a little sterile in a way that's uncanny right now. I bet someone with the right interior design experience (not me, certainly!) could really make this place more appealing.

Despite my criticisms (which I hope are constructive), I'll probably give the place another shot and I'll update my review down the road if it's appropriate. I would love to support local vegetarian/vegan restaurants so...

Delicious and affordable vegetarian food in a fun and friendly diner set-up! This is my favorite new restaurant since Tiger Mama. All the dishes are inspired by various fast food items of the past. And I will say, service was quite fast especially considering this is real food that's not just being reheated or microwaved. We ordered the combo burrito, lentil bowl, potato wedges and pier burger. The whole order was out pretty quick, and everything was hot. Combo burrito is crazy filling for only $5 (as of 2024) and the soy chorizo is delicious. I added hot honey and sauce for a little more flavor. Potato wedges are pretty good, crispy skin and fluffy potato inside. The lentil bowl was my favorite item though. The fried tofu was delicious dipped in ketchup, the jasmine rice is fragrant, and the curry and lentils were really flavorful. As far as the atmosphere, it's kind of a retro diner from another dimension I guess? It's fun! There's pachinko machines, Mario arcade and a pinball machine. It's a fun little activity while you wait for your food. In summary: really delicious and filling fresh made vegetarian food (with gluten free and dairy free options). And actually affordable, more so than most of the other restaurants in Eugene. I highly recommend...