While living in Eugene, my friend Debbi and I would ENJOY riding our bikes to 5th Street Market. It is a little upscale shopping area with an international food court. On my recent trip, I knew I wanted to eat at the food court because it was either never open, or I wasn't hungry, whenever I would be walking by.
There are five restaurants in the food court: Bricks (sandwiches and burgers), El Pato Cafe (Mexican), Cafe Glendi (Greek), Casablanca (Middle Eastern), and Dukko's Eatery (Italian).
Casablanca was under renovations when we went, so I immediately ruled that one out. It was a tough decision between Dukko's Eatery and Cafe Glendi, but alas, Italian food always wins my heart and stomach over.
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Bricks: The (Double) Smokey [$9.45]
Smokey Pablano pepper, grilled onions, bacon, Gouda Cheese,
field greens, chipotle aioli |
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| Dukko's Eatery: Carbonara [$10.00] |
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| Dukko's Eatery: Pesto Fettuccine [$8.00] |
I ordered the pesto fettuccine which was fairly priced. It was freshly made and the quality was unmatched for a food court. The pesto sauce was creamy and the shaved parmesan added another texture that really added to this dish. The pasta came with two free slices of garlic bread, which was as amazing as it looks. It was nice and toasty, the only thing that could have made it better is if it had a stronger garlic taste.
Now, as I said, this was actually my first time eating at 5th Street Public Market, so you're probably wondering, "how could she have possibly been in love with it already?" The atmosphere. The simple answer is that the atmosphere is so peaceful and amazing. You won't find many college students here.
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The Rooster Fountain
The market stands on top of what used to be a chicken processing plant.
The rooster was adopted as the logo of the market as a homage
to condemned birds. |
Another cute addition to the 5th Street Market is the candy store known as Goody's. It sells everything from popcorn to candies from ANYONE'S childhood. I don't even care for candy, but there is something about the retro vibe that makes me so happy! Whenever I enter this store "The Candy Man Can" song from Willy Wonka and the Charlie Factory plays in my head. I felt like I wanted to reach out and grab my Wonka bar!
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| Goody's |
The two highlights of the 5th Street Public Market are all things I haven't actually experienced, because they are too expensive. One is the Inn at the 5th, a 70-room, boutique style hotel. Apparently, each room is uniquely designed! One room has a Bach festival theme after the annual classical music festival that takes places in Eugene. The other is the Marche restaurant. This restaurant is known for their elegant dining atmosphere and delicious French cuisine.
Visiting this place could be as cheap or as expensive as you want. You can just walk around (which doesn't cost a dime), or you can splurge and eat at Marche. It all depends. I would recommend just getting something small at Marche Provisions or the food court, and just people watching.
