Sweetwaters
1000 Valley River Way, Eugene, OR, 97401
Sweetwaters Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Eugene for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
1000 Valley River Way
Eugene, OR, 97401 - Phone (541) 743-2093
- Website https://www.valleyriverinn.com/sweetwaters/index.html
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :6:30 am - 9:3
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : No
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Brunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Classy
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Amber W.
Pretty good! People must have too high of expectations with the negative reviews here. This is a hotel in Eugene, there aren't many great ones, especially with decent restaurants. All in all, the food was pretty good, the waitress was nice and helpful (I was being picky). I wouldn't go far out of my way to go here unless it was sunny and I wanted to sit on the patio. I wouldn't go out of my way not to go here either. Fairly priced entrees, I got a salad, bread & sautéed veggies with my salmon & couscous entree for $28, and it tasted pretty good!
(4)Zac K.
A wonderful location, but their food is just so-so: you pay 5-star prices for the 4-star view and the 1-star mediocre food.
(2)C N.
We were very hungry after a day of bike riding. We had no reservations, but they accommodated us early telling us we couldn't linger because the table was reserved. That was fine with us and we appreciated that. The dinner was fresh and very tasty. I had the roasted beet salad-really good. Great cheese, great balsamic vinaigrette, beets sweet and just right, greens crisp. The port tenderloin was done to perfection & melt in your mouth wonderful.The snap peas again, crisp and delicious. Mashed potatoes yummy. Husband had the mussels in a spicy sauce over hand made pasta. Also very tasty. Can't beat the view of the river and the ambience. We'll come back.
(4)Leslie W.
I think Sweetwaters has given up. I hadn't been here in years but I remember a glorious buffet with fresh and beautifully displayed food and awesome fruit and pastry and eggs and meats. When the hotel gave us a voucher for breakfast we thought it would be a nice place to meet folks for breakfast. Okay, we got there at 10:00 AM, so maybe the buffet was on its last legs, but it was kind of pathetic and clear that what was left was picked over. So, we ordered from the breakfast menu, thinking, How Bad Could it Be? As we found out, it could be pretty bad: pretty salty and cold and overcooked and not as fresh as I would serve to guests. The river is pretty and the servers are nice, but I'd rather let the voucher go to waste and have a nice breakfast than eat here again..
(2)Mike B.
I was at the VRI for a conference and we decided to eat here. The menu selection was limited, and we were told the 'special' for the evening was a Flat Iron Steak. There were 7 of us in my party, and we were granted two wait staff. We were the only folks in the restaurant, but yet, we had to ask for dinner rolls, and water, and place settings. When the order for dinner was finally taken, the first person to order wanted a baked potato he was told that there were no baked potato and it would have to be microwaved if he really wanted it. Really? Steak is your special and you don't have baked potatoes? None of us ordered the special. The prices were astronomical for the service and food received. In today's economic climate, spend your dollars elsewhere, where you can get a better value.
(1)John E.
Best chicken and waffles around. Tho very different from the Roscoes style of C&W but equally awesome in a fancier way :) Definitely recommend!
(5)Terri M.
The food has definitely taken a downturn. My husband and I went out for our anniversary and wanted a fancy dinner. We were informed we had our choice of a "harvest buffet" (their special on October Fridays) or one of two entrees if we wanted a regular dinner. We decided on the buffet. The prime rib was tasteless (they obviously don't age their meat) and my end piece was extremely rare, the chicken was dry although the cream sauce was delicious, the vegetables were tasty but almost raw. The chocolate cake was dry and the cheesecake was frozen. The location is so beautiful, it is a shame the food doesn't do it justice.
(1)Karlee J.
Sweetwaters is a perfect place for a peaceful breakfast. We sat on the patio which has a beautiful view of the Willamette River. The bloody MIary's and mimosas were excellent. The buttermilk pancakes with berry compote had a slightly crispy edge and fluffy center, almost like French toast. The service was excellent. While I was there I learned they recently renewed their happy hour which looked awesome! I will definitely go back!
(5)Theodore K.
We stopped because it was along the bike path...let's just say we should have kept riding. Great place on the river that doesn't deliver food comparable to the view. Not worth it...I wish the chef would taste the food he/she is serving. Very disappointing!!!
(1)Chris N.
Things started out well in the bar. Suzie and Lucas were pleasant and knew their stuff!! Then when we went over for dinner, our server needs a drug test and probably gets confused which shoe goes on what foot each day. As for the food, everything took forever, I guess they had to hunt for roadkill for my 'steak.' I had to track down my server for a refill of tea; she was busy texting (probably her dealer). The food was overpriced garbage. I do not know if I would return even if it was free.
(1)Susan W.
I don't know what happened to this wonderful restaurant So sad. Took a friend there for lunch. I ordered the house salad-$10. It was a sorry handful of bag lettuce with very minuscule amount of carrots. I was truly embarrassed. Waitstaff was uninformed, slow, lazy and clueless. My friend got a flight of wine. It was crappy wine from Calif-Hobo? They used to advertise that they used local foods/fish/meat. I don't think so! I gave it one star because of the view.
(1)Eden W.
View , View ,View and that's about it. Sweetwaters used to be terrific but now it is drab with out dated furnishings and just so so food in one of the best locations on the river in Eugene. This resturaunt needs to get out of the 1990's and give the residence of Eugene a resturaunt to be proud of on the Willamette River.The food looks great on the plate but not on the palette for the price tag....Its a no go!
(2)Anthony K.
Love, love, love this place. There's only a handful of true breakfast spots in Eugene, but this is one of our personal favorites. The menu variety is fantastic, the food is wonderful, and the drinks are so tasty! We prefer to sit outside on the patio - and the ambiance is second to none. A must-try!
(5)Josh W.
My office and I had lunch here the other day. The place is rather dark, but I must say it does have a great view of the river. We had reservations for 9 yet, 2 couldn't show...so 7 it was. They started us out with bread, which was good. Nice and warm served with butter. There was a variety of breads in the basket as well which was nice to see the options. For appetizers we ordered Steamer clams, Calamari, Wings and Coconut shrimp. I like the traditional butter and steamers personally, dont really care for it all dressed up with types of different veggies in it like this was. BUT, it was still tasty. A-OK! for me. I never had Calamari before, but thanks to yelp and it's habit breaking ways, I decided to venture out and try it. Once I tried it? I was sold. LOVED IT!! Crispy, flavorful, light, very well done. A few calamari pros who were there confirmed they did a great job on it. They mentioned some calamari CAN be nasty depending on how it's prepared. Good thing I had it the right way my 1st time. When the wings were served, they had NO hot wing sauce that you would expect with "wings". Instead they had a type of a sweet tasting flavor, almost teriyaki like. STILL.....they were pretty good. not too shabby....just beware they're not spicy like one may hope for. Coconut shrimp was outstanding as well. Just like the calamari as far as light, flavorful and crispy. Not too much coconut flavor in it, you could still taste the shrimp and it wasn't overly battered or nothing. For my entree I had the ribeye sandwich. It was served with caramelized onions and some type of a cheese/horseradish sauce as well as a sweet mustard. The total combination wasn't bad at all, but i would give the sandwich 2 outta 5 stars still. It was small, the meat wasn't too flavorful and I was kinda surprised to see this after all these great appetizers. Ohhhh I can't forget. I did have a bowl of crab chowder. VERY VERY VERY Good chowder. My first bite was a HUGE piece of crab and i loved every minute of it. Not loaded with taters like Mo's is doing these days. Hands down the best chowder I've had in years. With 7 of us the bill came to about 300 dollars. Would I come here and spend my own dime? Maybe on a appetizers or something, but not on a full meal and drinks. We finished things off with dessert of course. THANKS BOSS!!! Had a slice of New York cheese cake covered with berry compote. I was absolutely stuffed, and thought my wife would like the cheesecake, so she had a few bites and I killed the rest :) The cheesecake was really good. But then again, I have a hard time not like cheesecake period. My tongue has no cheesecake prejudice taste buds at all!! Also.....Service was the slowest I ever experienced. Attentive, but slow. Food? you read the review right? We got there at 12:30pm and left at 2:30. I didn't mind the 2 hour break, but still it was quite a wait. We did have 7 people in the group, so i dont hold it against them too much...but still....2 hour lunch...yeeeesh!!
(3)Renee G.
Horrible. Had been there a year before with a great dinner menu AND a bar meu. Went for dinner and didn't like the dinner menu..very limited. Asked the waitress for the bar menu and she snippilty replyed there was no bar menu. Well, we were tired so ordered our medicore selections off the limited dinner menu (which was more like lunch with sandwiches and salads) Then, after we got our food, heard a different waitress behind us selling the skewers bar menu; and the guy at the other table g ot pizza...so? No bar menu? Sucks!!! We were staying at the hotel but refused to eat there again all 3 days...
(1)Heather D.
Sadly enough the nicest part of our meal was the view. The food was not very good. Service is better at Shari's. THIS used to be a favorite place of mine however last two times have totalled a $500 disappointment!
(1)Will H.
I'll begin by saying that this restaurant offers good food but overall is somewhat underwhelming; to be honest I'd say this is a 2.5 star given the price. I spent the night at the adjoining hotel after Oregon had a football game in the afternoon, and when I came into Sweetwaters for an 8:00 reservation they were very poorly stocked. My party and I didn't know this however, and we waited half an hour for our salads to come out. Fortunately they served us fresh and very warm bread early on. After having waited so long I was quite hungry, yet when the salads finally arrived I was disappointed to see that they were very modestly sized. The presentation was excellent though, something I did not expect, and the salads were very tasty. We waited for a more reasonable amount of time for our entrees, but yet again I was slightly disappointed. The bourbon soaked and glazed pork tenderloin that I ordered sounded excellent on the menu, yet when I found it really wasn't very special. It tasted good, but it wasn't extraordinarily flavorful and I could taste any bourbon. By that point I was just hungry and it was just meat to eat. It came with a sauce underneath but it wasn't incredibly special and there was very little of it. The mashed potatoes served with the pork were dry and I actually ate the macaroni from the plate another person in my party had ordered (after seeing the salads, we expected the low priced comfort macaroni to be just a small serving, yet it ended up being more food than any other person's entrée). Verdict: The food was erring towards expensive, but I don't think the quality really merited the price and the décor reminded me of a dinner, which wasn't a good thing in this case. The staff was very nice, and the food was by no means bad, but I suggest you spend your money elsewhere at some other restaurant in Eugene.
(3)Claire V.
Sweetwaters has never seemed that great for dinner, but my husband and I have been enjoying Easter Brunch here for a number of years now. I must say, this year was the most disappointing brunch so far. The quality has very obviously gone down. I made our reservation three MONTHS ahead and asked for a booth with view of the river. When they called a week beforehand, they seemed to have no record of this information, but said they could easily accommodate it. Then when we arrived this morning for Easter bunch, they seemed swamped and were just seating people in random locations, wherever fit. They tried to assign us a tiny non-booth table behind the dessert buffet against a wooden barrier that would completely block any view of the river. I noticed a free booth for two a little further away and asked if we could perhaps have that, seeing how I'd made a reservation three months ahead and had just watched seat a walk-in in a riverview booth. They said that was fine, so we did get our booth, but it had a TINY round table and no view of the river. So much for doing them the courtesy of reserving well ahead. The food was not as good as previous years. Everything seemed just slightly less good, less abundant. The cheese was no longer in cubes but in weird thin little squares. (Basically what it would look like if you took a small cube and cut that into three tiny slices) You'd need three pieces just to cover a mini cracker. The meat station used to have various meats but only had ham and lamb this time. There was one chocolate sculpture and some little wrapped chocolate eggs for decoration, but no other chocolate like they used to have. There was still a waffle station but it seemed unmanned and just had a couple waffles lying in serving dish. The waffles were unusually bland, and instantly turned to mush when I put fruit on them. There were some strawberries in syrup there, by the waffles, but in the fruit section there was only melon and pineapple, no other fruits. There simple seemed to be less of everything and more 'space in between' dishes. They did have a LOT of bacon and sausage though, so that was nice. The food ended up making me sick though, so whatever I did eat, I now regret. The only really good thing was the staff. Our waiter was very courteous, and despite obviously being busy, constantly ready to refill glasses, get us more mimosas, and check if everything was going well, always with a smile. Unfortunately the whole staff seemed overworked by the restaurant which should've hired more. When we were waiting for a table there were about TWENTY people waiting to be seated at their reserved table. The wait must've been about 15 minutes just to be "processed", with tables sitting empty. Just not enough staff. I think this was our last year doing an Easter Brunch here. Next year I'll be asking the Yelp forum for suggestions.
(2)Marina B.
Went there for lunch yesterday and had the biggest, best Greek Salad I've ever eaten. I don't know how truly Greek it was but there was enough feta, olives, chicken, cucumbers, etc. to feed a small army. Now I'm craving it. The waitress was friendly and attentive. Enjoyed our visit immensely, especially since we scored a table by the window. Love that view.
(5)Matt S.
I've been here a few times over the years. The service has never been bad. The only thing I ever really enjoyed at Sweetwaters was the fancy Sunday buffet brunch. They stopped doing this a couple of years ago. The food is nothing special at all. Nothing interesting or creative about the dishes. The sides are small. We went for dinner last night and were completely underwhelmed. Sweetwaters is one of the very expensive places to eat in town, with nothing at all to back up what they charge. Yes, there is a captive hotel clientele but, at least last night, it was clear that quite a few Eugene folk were in there as well. I have no idea why. I was cashing in a hastily-purchased Groupon. That's my excuse. I still felt I paid too much. 1.5 stars. Stay away, you can do much better while spending much less.
(2)Greg N.
We went for a New Years Eve meal before attending a dance/concert at the same hotel. Maybe it was because the more experienced help had the day off. The waiter warned us that a 40 minuet wait for cooking was expected because they were so busy although I noticed 25% of the tables were empty, but for me waiting is no problem. I enjoy relaxing with a wine and would always want the cook to use care in preparation. People to often rush their meals. The menu was what I call "safe". Easy to cook and the flavors subdued as to not offend the unadventurous. We started out sharing an appraiser and salad. The roasted mushroom appraiser while overly generous was nothing remarkable and not actually roasted but pan fried. The mushrooms could have been porcini. I won't complain but there are some much better local mushrooms to chose from this time of year in Oregon and for the price and local grown reputation I expected better. Any herbs, garlic or spices used were barely noticeable. The main flavoring came from from the blue cheese sprinkled on top .The cheese quality used was sub par in my opinion. The beet salad was served with just 4 thin slices of the most flavorless beets I have had in some time, I suspected they were canned and I noticed they were sliced in a manner very similar to the typical canned beets from a grocery store, but their origin is just a guess. The low quality blue cheese used on the roasted mushrooms was also sparsely used. I ordered the $36 beef tenderloin, 8 oz. medium rare. It came well done and appeared to be barely 5 oz. My complaint over the cooking (not the portion size) immediately got me a better cooked piece that appeared to be of an appropriate in size, but still could have been cooked better. They said they took from someone else plate. The swiss chard side was barley two bites. The substantial side of carrots while not overcooked were soggy as if sitting in a water filled warming tray long enough to leach out any remaining flavor. The mashed potatoes were heaping tall and acceptable. My wife got the Elk. It was cooked OK and appeared to be cooked as a roast so the middle was pink tender and juicy. The sides were identical to mine even though they were described slightly different on the menu. Many people have the opinion that a good steak should be served without any herbs or flavoring and stand on its' own merits, so for them they may be satisfied but in my opinion well selected grilling herbs really make it more than just a piece of meat. I got a piece of meat. We had two glasses of wine that were a decent pour. The dinner cost $104 and for that I expect a better experience. This was our New Years Eve meal and in Germany where my wife is from they have a superstition or should I say a tradition that if you go into the New Year hungry you could spend the whole year hungry so food is especially important on this night. And while we were definitely full there was a worrisome omen we pondered. And unfortunately the next morning when we went out for breakfast this omen appeared to be reinforced, See my post on my breakfast at Brails here in Eugene. One compliment. They have outdoor seating right in front of the Willamette River and adjacent to a wonderful walk/bike path, so a beer in the summertime at this place can't be beat.
(1)Angela Pfaffenberger L.
The view, athmosphere, and service were good, but the food inconsistent. For the house salads you can choose between poor quality bottled dressing, or "House" which seems to be pure vinegar. One of the dinners was great, but the other very oily. We ordered medium priced wine, and our total check was well over $ 100 for two. I would rate it "not bad" by Oregon standards, but not good enough for the money.
(3)Virgil B.
Sweetwaters holds themselves out as one of the premier restaurants in Eugene, so expectations are high, along with their prices. We started with a their version of a Caesar salad, 3 small romaine hearts, whole, with maybe a teaspoon of dressing, why am I paying $8 to make my own salad? I ordered the New Orleans Seafood Creole which was the saving grace. It was outstanding and as expected overpriced $27 My wife ordered the special Friday and Saturday only Prime Rib. Even with the steak knife it was difficult to cut let alone chew. Sometimes a steak can be tough but taste good, not this one, it tasted absolutely terrible. Bottom line Denny's does better! Our gracious waitress, Tina suggested that she try the tenderloin with an Oregon Blue Cheese Demi Glace. After a long wait it arrived, a tasteless steak with an unbalanced sauce. A Demi Glace reduction sauce provided virtually all the flavor for such a dish. You're better off giving your $36 bucks to the guy on the corner, because you'll be throwing this one away. Two stars for one out of three dishes being what was expected and a fantastic server.
(2)Sandy H.
I was at this hotel because a friend had a very early flight out of Eugene. Read the reviews and was reluctant to try this, but figured breakfast was pretty easy.... Apparently NOT! My toast and ham were burnt! The over medium eggs were over easy. On the plus side: coffee was quite good (Starbucks), the waitress was delightful and attentive. On the negative side: it did not help that the other clientele that morning were a loud table using the F-word liberally and a group of religious folks who were talking all the help into their service that morning. Next time I will avoid this hotel AND this restaurant!
(1)Brenna M.
Overpriced, crap food and bad service. Just buy food and sit on the bike path yourself.
(1)Clare F.
My mom and I recently visited Sweetwaters Restaurant again, this time for our Birthdays in May, as we celebrate them together. We had an amazing experience with Lora, our server. She went beyond the call of duty to make sure we had a memorable experience. All the food tasted good today, with the exception of one item I had them re-do (my prime rib needed to be cooked a few minutes longer). But that was no problem for Lora, she immediately took it back to the kitchen and had the issue remedied quickly. During our meal, the couple at the table next to us overheard that it was our birthdays. (I believe their son works in the kitchen). The woman disappeared and came back with a plate of chocolate truffles for us, and began singing "happy birthday" to my mom and me! How delightful! Who would do that, except a very special person. I hope we run into her again. At the end of our meal, Lora arrived with our dessert, and comped us for it. That was very thoughtful. It was the end of the evening shift and we were the last of the customers, so she had a few minutes extra to chat with us. Valley River Inn has a great server in Lora and we will definitely ask for her section again.
(5)DENNIS K.
I had a great breakfast overlooking a scenic river. My server Boukine was courteous and a very good server. Being on the road a lot because of my music career, it is nice to find a place to just relax and recharge. Sweetwaters Restaurant at the Valley River Inn is just that place.
(5)Rebecca H.
What a brunch! 8 of us, almost $300. Thank goodness I wasn't paying. The brunch is really good. There's an omelet station (which I didn't try), a desert station (which I didn't try), and all the other food, which I did try. Blintzes, apple crepes, smoked sturgeon, smoked halibut, smoked salmon, eggs Benedict, bacon, sausage, pate, cheese, quiche....really, the list is endless. And good. Other than the bacon being a bit chewy, everything I had was tasty. And two drinks with brunch? Bring me a mimosa! Or two! The place has a distinct 70's vibe, but it is being remodeled. If you are going to be in town and want a damn good Sunday brunch, come here. It is spendy but worth it.
(4)Will H.
I'll begin by saying that this restaurant offers good food but overall is somewhat underwhelming; to be honest I'd say this is a 2.5 star given the price. I spent the night at the adjoining hotel after Oregon had a football game in the afternoon, and when I came into Sweetwaters for an 8:00 reservation they were very poorly stocked. My party and I didn't know this however, and we waited half an hour for our salads to come out. Fortunately they served us fresh and very warm bread early on. After having waited so long I was quite hungry, yet when the salads finally arrived I was disappointed to see that they were very modestly sized. The presentation was excellent though, something I did not expect, and the salads were very tasty. We waited for a more reasonable amount of time for our entrees, but yet again I was slightly disappointed. The bourbon soaked and glazed pork tenderloin that I ordered sounded excellent on the menu, yet when I found it really wasn't very special. It tasted good, but it wasn't extraordinarily flavorful and I could taste any bourbon. By that point I was just hungry and it was just meat to eat. It came with a sauce underneath but it wasn't incredibly special and there was very little of it. The mashed potatoes served with the pork were dry and I actually ate the macaroni from the plate another person in my party had ordered (after seeing the salads, we expected the low priced comfort macaroni to be just a small serving, yet it ended up being more food than any other person's entrée). Verdict: The food was erring towards expensive, but I don't think the quality really merited the price and the décor reminded me of a dinner, which wasn't a good thing in this case. The staff was very nice, and the food was by no means bad, but I suggest you spend your money elsewhere at some other restaurant in Eugene.
(3)Claire V.
Sweetwaters has never seemed that great for dinner, but my husband and I have been enjoying Easter Brunch here for a number of years now. I must say, this year was the most disappointing brunch so far. The quality has very obviously gone down. I made our reservation three MONTHS ahead and asked for a booth with view of the river. When they called a week beforehand, they seemed to have no record of this information, but said they could easily accommodate it. Then when we arrived this morning for Easter bunch, they seemed swamped and were just seating people in random locations, wherever fit. They tried to assign us a tiny non-booth table behind the dessert buffet against a wooden barrier that would completely block any view of the river. I noticed a free booth for two a little further away and asked if we could perhaps have that, seeing how I'd made a reservation three months ahead and had just watched seat a walk-in in a riverview booth. They said that was fine, so we did get our booth, but it had a TINY round table and no view of the river. So much for doing them the courtesy of reserving well ahead. The food was not as good as previous years. Everything seemed just slightly less good, less abundant. The cheese was no longer in cubes but in weird thin little squares. (Basically what it would look like if you took a small cube and cut that into three tiny slices) You'd need three pieces just to cover a mini cracker. The meat station used to have various meats but only had ham and lamb this time. There was one chocolate sculpture and some little wrapped chocolate eggs for decoration, but no other chocolate like they used to have. There was still a waffle station but it seemed unmanned and just had a couple waffles lying in serving dish. The waffles were unusually bland, and instantly turned to mush when I put fruit on them. There were some strawberries in syrup there, by the waffles, but in the fruit section there was only melon and pineapple, no other fruits. There simple seemed to be less of everything and more 'space in between' dishes. They did have a LOT of bacon and sausage though, so that was nice. The food ended up making me sick though, so whatever I did eat, I now regret. The only really good thing was the staff. Our waiter was very courteous, and despite obviously being busy, constantly ready to refill glasses, get us more mimosas, and check if everything was going well, always with a smile. Unfortunately the whole staff seemed overworked by the restaurant which should've hired more. When we were waiting for a table there were about TWENTY people waiting to be seated at their reserved table. The wait must've been about 15 minutes just to be "processed", with tables sitting empty. Just not enough staff. I think this was our last year doing an Easter Brunch here. Next year I'll be asking the Yelp forum for suggestions.
(2)Marina B.
Went there for lunch yesterday and had the biggest, best Greek Salad I've ever eaten. I don't know how truly Greek it was but there was enough feta, olives, chicken, cucumbers, etc. to feed a small army. Now I'm craving it. The waitress was friendly and attentive. Enjoyed our visit immensely, especially since we scored a table by the window. Love that view.
(5)Heather D.
Sadly enough the nicest part of our meal was the view. The food was not very good. Service is better at Shari's. THIS used to be a favorite place of mine however last two times have totalled a $500 disappointment!
(1)Renee G.
Horrible. Had been there a year before with a great dinner menu AND a bar meu. Went for dinner and didn't like the dinner menu..very limited. Asked the waitress for the bar menu and she snippilty replyed there was no bar menu. Well, we were tired so ordered our medicore selections off the limited dinner menu (which was more like lunch with sandwiches and salads) Then, after we got our food, heard a different waitress behind us selling the skewers bar menu; and the guy at the other table g ot pizza...so? No bar menu? Sucks!!! We were staying at the hotel but refused to eat there again all 3 days...
(1)John E.
Best chicken and waffles around. Tho very different from the Roscoes style of C&W but equally awesome in a fancier way :) Definitely recommend!
(5)Susan W.
I don't know what happened to this wonderful restaurant So sad. Took a friend there for lunch. I ordered the house salad-$10. It was a sorry handful of bag lettuce with very minuscule amount of carrots. I was truly embarrassed. Waitstaff was uninformed, slow, lazy and clueless. My friend got a flight of wine. It was crappy wine from Calif-Hobo? They used to advertise that they used local foods/fish/meat. I don't think so! I gave it one star because of the view.
(1)Mike Y.
Service is slow. Food is average. But eating brunch on the patio on a Eugene summer morning is awesome. I've had several things here. Never too great but nothing's ever been bad. I probably wouldn't eat here for dinner (unless it was out on the patio) but it's an ok place to go....especially if you're staying at VRI.
(3)Yvonne G.
Anthony was amazing! Perfect service and friendly advice about local happenings to fill out vacation time. We had a delicious breakfast with a beautiful view.
(5)Cherie D.
Breakfast buffet was nothing to really rave about. Over cooked potatoes, powdered eggs and bacon that tastes like something for a package. Fruit was delicious and wished they had more toppings for the oatmeal. Location though is awesome!! Right on the river.
(3)Bobbi G.
What a fantastic meal!!!!!The server Sarah was even better than the food. She reviewed the wine list with three people explained on details about items on the menu, and suggested a great wine. I felt so comfortable with a professional waitress like Sarah. We celebrated my son's graduation tonight in style Thank you Sarah for making this moment so special!!!
(5)Jennie M.
Excellent service and yummy food. Our waiter Anthony was super friendly and the view of the river is beautiful!
(5)Lorie D.
Well we have been here 1 hour and still no food in sight.........hopefully I can post an update that says the food was good. More coffee please. Food came 1hour and 20 minutes later. Sandwich not bad. With a party, paying separately still a forced gratuity. Yea!!!
(1)Ann R.
I had heard that the service was bad and the food was mediocre, but wanted to try it out myself since I was staying at the hotel. I honestly cannot tell you how the food was. I arrive there around 8:30 pm and there was only one table in my section. I was seated, and a few minutes later served a menu and water and the waitress walked away. I sat there for over 20 minutes and in that time, the waitress went to the table THREE times to serve them (dropped off a basket of bread, then a "to-go" box, then to pick up dishes. At no time did the server even look my way. I finally just got up and walked away. Not worth the time, not worth the horrible service!!
(1)Jill W.
Disgusting This restaurant/hotel at one time was beautiful and had wonderful service. It's now, the worst, most over priced place in town! My father has a terminal illness. He has a rare disease that is shutting down all of his organs. He is not able to leave the house and has not been out in 2 years. Two weeks ago my parents went to Valley River Inn for their 37th anniversary because they had their first date here. There experience was horrid!! They were treated horribly! They were asked to move tables in the middle of their dinner and essentially kicked them out. They were not wheelchair accessible and were discriminated against because my father was using a wheelchair. I had set up to pay for their dinner as a surprise and the manager screwed the surprise up! It was a disaster! The one special night out my dad was able to take, ruined! He was treated so badly and so embarrassed of his handicap that he will not leave the house again. My mom called the GM, who them completely disregarded her complaint. Thus, we've since contacted our family friend who is practicing type of law. I am very angry! I'm currently only 33 and in good health. But, I'm intelligent enough to know that we have a massive aging population. These people are going to need our help and treating them badly is not right!!! I have no tolerance for discrimination whether, you discriminate against my father or a person on the street! It's not right! I worked here during college in the early 2000's and things were ran like a military operation. I loved my boss and our staff worked hard. It has gone way down hill and something needs to be done! What a waste of beautiful riverfront property! Do not go here!!!
(1)Mark A.
If Sweetwaters were not attached to a hotel, I would give it two stars. For a hotel restaurant, however, it gets extra credit for doing some things pretty well. It's on the river side of Valley River Center, so it has great views and a big deck for al fresco dining when the weather is nice. Service has always been good when I've been there, whether they are busy or not. The décor is a bit tired. The menu is typical of a hotel, very safe and pretty bland. Travelers can be picky and unadventurous when it comes to food, and hotels tend to go for lowest common denominator choices: steaks, chops, pasta. Everything is presented nicely, but absolutely nothing stands out. Breakfast is decently prepared but again nothing unusual. Prices are in line with a hotel restaurant's scheme. If you like no surprises dining, this is your place. Expect the expected.
(3)Shane S.
Me and my out of town friend are both vegan. We ended up here because of her flight delay near her hotel. The menu is very meat heavy w/ little for us plant-powered folk, but the server checked in w/ the kitchen. The only thing on the menu was salad or bruschetta. The bruschetta was quite alright w/ great presentation. Thanks to help from our server the chef created some marinated portobello mushrooms, grilled veggies,and bland tofu. The portobello was great, but the tofu could have been a lot better. It was an impromptu vegan paleo meal. Kudos for providing sriracha, the service,and the Chef for making an effort. Beautiful setting on the river. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here, but was a memorable experience none the less.
(3)Victoria T.
The setting is blessed with a great view but the restaurant could use updating and a thorough cleaning. Staff dress code seems lax. The food is generally bland and the menu needs a thoughtful updating by a motivated executive chef who can ensure quality output from a cohesive kitchen staff. The plating of our meals was sloppy and visually unappealing as well as taking way too long on a slow afternoon. The last meal there (lunch): out of the soup of the day at noon with less than 25% of the tables filled and they continued to charge extra to serve the (tasteless) crab chowder instead. That's just bad business. The sandwiches were fair although a grilled one was positively greasy.
(2)Jesy B.
**Bar Review only** We came down here to stay for a celebration of life for my boy's amazing grandma. So it was a trip, but a lil' somber but it was nice to have family around to celebrate a great family member. So we stayed at the hotel and came to the bar both nights we were here. There was a bevy of crazy holiday parties go on in the hotels so at certain times the bar was slammed with party goers coming in to get more drinks. You can imagine some of those people were less holly jolly and more "time to get cut off". Back to that is a moment. There's plenty of places to sit and a huge fireplace to warm up by. They have comfy cushy seats, tables or bar seats. It's simple and on the river if you come down soon enough to see the view. Anyway - our bartender was Lisa - and she was such a dear! She remembered what we ordered after the first round and kept saying "darling" and "no problem dear" in a sweet manner. She was working her butt off but you wouldn't know it by her demeanor. And then....those people Those three guys in front of us being drunk jerks. Well two were, the middle guy was silently embarrassed by his friend's behavior. We watched them be loud and rude, sass the bartender in any way possible and overall be awful. They accused her of poor pours in drinks (which I can say NO WAY), overchargings (again, she kept our tab perfectly between two separate people) and polite in trying to cut said douchebags off. My boy and I finally had enough and told them to STFU and I sure hope those guys never came back. Jerk people to a sweet bartender, never okay. She took it all in stride never showing she was upset over such crap treatment. Kudos. The next night we came back she greeted us like old friends and the same great service. Loved it.
(4)Leslie N.
Sweet Waters has a new chef as of 6 months ago. The restaurant is transformed! The chef (Franz?) worked at the restaurant in the '80's, went to California, succeeded there and brought it all back here. He grows a garden on the premises. The cauliflower soup was honest and rich, the garlic rolls were heavenly. My salad was fresh and varied with candied pecans. The dressing that came with it was creamy and delicious. We were full by the time Susie brought our hamburger and fries to share. Delicious. Fresh. My coffee and cream came out right away and water was brought without asking. We looked out at the river and decided right then to bring friends back in a week.
(5)Paige T.
Great food and beautiful view on the patio. My eggs benidict was made perfectly and the added crab meat put an interesting spin on an old favorite! My boyfriend ordered an omlette and he loved his as well. The price was reasonable (about 20 bucks per person on the brunch menu) and the waitresses were chatty, attentive and nice. I'm totally making this place our regular Sunday morning hangout! P.s. If you order a cocktail like I did...be advised. They mix them STRONG!
(5)Kim P.
Meh seems to sum it up rather nicely. Meh on the service. Meh on the food. Meh meh meh on everything. The eggs benedict I had was very meh. My boyfriend's clam chowder was meh. The empty water glass waiting to be filled was meh. And even the fruit was meh. Meh meh meh me thinks I won't be back. Perhaps I'm spoiled from brunches in Portland though. Meh.
(2)Robert B.
Sad, sad breakfast. Hard to see how this place stays in business. Must be the captive audience from the hotel. Had the combo breakfast. The eggs were fresh, but not real hot. The bacon was good. The biscuit could have been 2 days old, same with the hash browns. To top it off, the service was poor. Had to flag the waitress down to get more coffee. Too bad. This used to be a good place. It's a waste of a great location because the river view is very nice.
(1)Constance F.
The food is good. I always enjoy it. Service is consistently horrible. It takes a long time to be noticed to get a seat or a drink. Up the game on the service and the restaurant would be wonderful! I love the view!
(2)Terri M.
The food has definitely taken a downturn. My husband and I went out for our anniversary and wanted a fancy dinner. We were informed we had our choice of a "harvest buffet" (their special on October Fridays) or one of two entrees if we wanted a regular dinner. We decided on the buffet. The prime rib was tasteless (they obviously don't age their meat) and my end piece was extremely rare, the chicken was dry although the cream sauce was delicious, the vegetables were tasty but almost raw. The chocolate cake was dry and the cheesecake was frozen. The location is so beautiful, it is a shame the food doesn't do it justice.
(1)Karlee J.
Sweetwaters is a perfect place for a peaceful breakfast. We sat on the patio which has a beautiful view of the Willamette River. The bloody MIary's and mimosas were excellent. The buttermilk pancakes with berry compote had a slightly crispy edge and fluffy center, almost like French toast. The service was excellent. While I was there I learned they recently renewed their happy hour which looked awesome! I will definitely go back!
(5)Don B.
Sweetwaters has a lot going for it. It has a great view of the Willamette River with a nice patio a mere few feet from the water, it's the only restaurant in the Valley River Inn, and... well, that's sort of what it has going for it. The food is just so-so, the staff is friendly but can be forgetful, the drink selection actually has a few gems (Campari? Aviation Gin? Yay!) and the hours leave a little bit to be desired. My experience here consists of afternoon drinks by the river, late night drinks in the bar, and another evening of late night drinks in the bar. Each and every time the place was fairly empty but still seemed understaffed. During the afternoon session, our server seemed to be fairly out of it. The first night drinking session seemed to overwhelm the one bartender on (we had a group of 15 or so - just for drinks). She kept up with us and had a good attitude, but we could tell she was a little flustered. The second night, we kept them open late, and we could tell that we were wearing her a little thin, regardless of our very large tips and gratitude the night before. The only food I've had here is the mac n cheese, which is an odd offering with veggies and stuff mixed in. I ordered this because I was told that after a certain hour they only have the small bites menu, which surprisingly doesn't have much of anything fried on it. I found out after downing my mac that their pizzas are on offer late night too. I totally would have gone for that. With the location and the style (a classic retro 70's brick and leatherette chic) I was so hoping that the restaurant would live up to an even forgiving impression in my head. Instead it felt squarely like a hotel restaurant and bar.
(2)Susan D.
exceeds expectations both cuisine and wait staff
(5)Richard P.
The food is below average and over-priced. The service is terrible, and we've been treated rudely twice. It's the last place we'd go for a special occasion.
(1)Katie B.
I'm guilty of going here for back to back meals this weekend. Saturday night I dropped in at the bar and had the crab chowder which was really good. It had huge chunks of crab in it and was super tasty! Their bar has 44 North, a huckleberry vodka from Idaho, which is a rare treat to find in Oregon. The next morning I came in for breakfast and had eggs benedict with a mimosa. They did a great job of poaching the eggs and that was the easiest english muffin I've ever cut into. Definitely worth a visit for brunch because the river is beautiful from their patio.
(4)Mary Ellen A.
Would be a great place to take out of town guests. Or even suggest they stay at the Valley River Inn to take advantage of the view, location and food but... Really it comes down to two things. The View and the Location. That's it. Nothing special about the food. Needs to be redecorated and updated. I've been there 3 times, so I think I gave them a fair shake. But No.... I wouldn't go there again. If you have out of town guests, take them somewhere else. Did hear they are building a new eating establishment on the Willamette River right down the street. On Goodpasture Island Rd. Maybe then they will invest in a chef and decor! So sad whomever owns this place doesn't deserve the location, wish they would sell it to someone who does the setting justice.
(2)Theodore K.
We stopped because it was along the bike path...let's just say we should have kept riding. Great place on the river that doesn't deliver food comparable to the view. Not worth it...I wish the chef would taste the food he/she is serving. Very disappointing!!!
(1)Chris N.
Things started out well in the bar. Suzie and Lucas were pleasant and knew their stuff!! Then when we went over for dinner, our server needs a drug test and probably gets confused which shoe goes on what foot each day. As for the food, everything took forever, I guess they had to hunt for roadkill for my 'steak.' I had to track down my server for a refill of tea; she was busy texting (probably her dealer). The food was overpriced garbage. I do not know if I would return even if it was free.
(1)Amber W.
Pretty good! People must have too high of expectations with the negative reviews here. This is a hotel in Eugene, there aren't many great ones, especially with decent restaurants. All in all, the food was pretty good, the waitress was nice and helpful (I was being picky). I wouldn't go far out of my way to go here unless it was sunny and I wanted to sit on the patio. I wouldn't go out of my way not to go here either. Fairly priced entrees, I got a salad, bread & sautéed veggies with my salmon & couscous entree for $28, and it tasted pretty good!
(4)Zac K.
A wonderful location, but their food is just so-so: you pay 5-star prices for the 4-star view and the 1-star mediocre food.
(2)Leslie W.
I think Sweetwaters has given up. I hadn't been here in years but I remember a glorious buffet with fresh and beautifully displayed food and awesome fruit and pastry and eggs and meats. When the hotel gave us a voucher for breakfast we thought it would be a nice place to meet folks for breakfast. Okay, we got there at 10:00 AM, so maybe the buffet was on its last legs, but it was kind of pathetic and clear that what was left was picked over. So, we ordered from the breakfast menu, thinking, How Bad Could it Be? As we found out, it could be pretty bad: pretty salty and cold and overcooked and not as fresh as I would serve to guests. The river is pretty and the servers are nice, but I'd rather let the voucher go to waste and have a nice breakfast than eat here again..
(2)Mike B.
I was at the VRI for a conference and we decided to eat here. The menu selection was limited, and we were told the 'special' for the evening was a Flat Iron Steak. There were 7 of us in my party, and we were granted two wait staff. We were the only folks in the restaurant, but yet, we had to ask for dinner rolls, and water, and place settings. When the order for dinner was finally taken, the first person to order wanted a baked potato he was told that there were no baked potato and it would have to be microwaved if he really wanted it. Really? Steak is your special and you don't have baked potatoes? None of us ordered the special. The prices were astronomical for the service and food received. In today's economic climate, spend your dollars elsewhere, where you can get a better value.
(1)Josh W.
My office and I had lunch here the other day. The place is rather dark, but I must say it does have a great view of the river. We had reservations for 9 yet, 2 couldn't show...so 7 it was. They started us out with bread, which was good. Nice and warm served with butter. There was a variety of breads in the basket as well which was nice to see the options. For appetizers we ordered Steamer clams, Calamari, Wings and Coconut shrimp. I like the traditional butter and steamers personally, dont really care for it all dressed up with types of different veggies in it like this was. BUT, it was still tasty. A-OK! for me. I never had Calamari before, but thanks to yelp and it's habit breaking ways, I decided to venture out and try it. Once I tried it? I was sold. LOVED IT!! Crispy, flavorful, light, very well done. A few calamari pros who were there confirmed they did a great job on it. They mentioned some calamari CAN be nasty depending on how it's prepared. Good thing I had it the right way my 1st time. When the wings were served, they had NO hot wing sauce that you would expect with "wings". Instead they had a type of a sweet tasting flavor, almost teriyaki like. STILL.....they were pretty good. not too shabby....just beware they're not spicy like one may hope for. Coconut shrimp was outstanding as well. Just like the calamari as far as light, flavorful and crispy. Not too much coconut flavor in it, you could still taste the shrimp and it wasn't overly battered or nothing. For my entree I had the ribeye sandwich. It was served with caramelized onions and some type of a cheese/horseradish sauce as well as a sweet mustard. The total combination wasn't bad at all, but i would give the sandwich 2 outta 5 stars still. It was small, the meat wasn't too flavorful and I was kinda surprised to see this after all these great appetizers. Ohhhh I can't forget. I did have a bowl of crab chowder. VERY VERY VERY Good chowder. My first bite was a HUGE piece of crab and i loved every minute of it. Not loaded with taters like Mo's is doing these days. Hands down the best chowder I've had in years. With 7 of us the bill came to about 300 dollars. Would I come here and spend my own dime? Maybe on a appetizers or something, but not on a full meal and drinks. We finished things off with dessert of course. THANKS BOSS!!! Had a slice of New York cheese cake covered with berry compote. I was absolutely stuffed, and thought my wife would like the cheesecake, so she had a few bites and I killed the rest :) The cheesecake was really good. But then again, I have a hard time not like cheesecake period. My tongue has no cheesecake prejudice taste buds at all!! Also.....Service was the slowest I ever experienced. Attentive, but slow. Food? you read the review right? We got there at 12:30pm and left at 2:30. I didn't mind the 2 hour break, but still it was quite a wait. We did have 7 people in the group, so i dont hold it against them too much...but still....2 hour lunch...yeeeesh!!
(3)Eden W.
View , View ,View and that's about it. Sweetwaters used to be terrific but now it is drab with out dated furnishings and just so so food in one of the best locations on the river in Eugene. This resturaunt needs to get out of the 1990's and give the residence of Eugene a resturaunt to be proud of on the Willamette River.The food looks great on the plate but not on the palette for the price tag....Its a no go!
(2)Andrea P.
Stopped for lunch on way up I-5. Sat out on the deck overlooking the river. Super fantastic view. The service was good. Food was alright, spendy for what you got. It is a little more upscale than my usual hangout.
(4)Karyn H.
Great service by Ryan. Enjoyed burger charred med rare. Great fries! Great vanilla latte. Really relaxing sitting by River.
(4)Jan C.
Went to lunch today with a friend. The food was very bland and my salmon lacked flavor. I left most of the food on my plate. I was served some type of Eggplant side that was horrible. I was so hungry I stopped on my way home to get something to eat. We were just about the only people in the restaurant. There were more servers than customers. They have just sold to another company so perhaps that's the reason for the quality of food, service was good. I was checking out the restaurant for a possible Thanksgiving venue for a group of 20, but after this experience we are going back to the Excelsior!! I
(1)harriot r.
It could be said this restaurant has an kind of Twin Peaks character to it- some charm, nice old bar, but the food and service have gone way down hill. We had a waitress who appeared to be drunk once... Be careful you don't go when they're having one of their conventions, such as The Anachronistic Society- who are these people? The place gets over run by medieval, costumed fantasists who take up all the tables and parking spaces. Too bad since this is one of the only places in town that is next to the beautiful river- shame how Eugene has so few places by the water. Keep your expectations low for this restaurant and for Eugene in general.
(1)Cary R.
Anthony and Malia where wonderful. The view is amazing and the food beautiful. They went above and beyond to make us happy .
(5)Susie G.
Had a wonderful breakfast today. Sat outside on the deck to enjoy the beautiful river view. I had the Greek Omelet -very good portions, tasty and fair pricing I thought. Shared a plate of pancakes with my dining companion because they sounded too good to pass up. Three buttermilk pancakes with lemon curd , blueberry compote and sprinkled with a few pine nuts. Only $10 and we wanted to lick the plate. Delicious ! Waitress was friendly. Had a vey pleasant experience. Small hitch was that they got quite a few tables seated at the same time so the food took a little longer than ideal.
(4)Matt S.
I've been here a few times over the years. The service has never been bad. The only thing I ever really enjoyed at Sweetwaters was the fancy Sunday buffet brunch. They stopped doing this a couple of years ago. The food is nothing special at all. Nothing interesting or creative about the dishes. The sides are small. We went for dinner last night and were completely underwhelmed. Sweetwaters is one of the very expensive places to eat in town, with nothing at all to back up what they charge. Yes, there is a captive hotel clientele but, at least last night, it was clear that quite a few Eugene folk were in there as well. I have no idea why. I was cashing in a hastily-purchased Groupon. That's my excuse. I still felt I paid too much. 1.5 stars. Stay away, you can do much better while spending much less.
(2)Sandy H.
I was at this hotel because a friend had a very early flight out of Eugene. Read the reviews and was reluctant to try this, but figured breakfast was pretty easy.... Apparently NOT! My toast and ham were burnt! The over medium eggs were over easy. On the plus side: coffee was quite good (Starbucks), the waitress was delightful and attentive. On the negative side: it did not help that the other clientele that morning were a loud table using the F-word liberally and a group of religious folks who were talking all the help into their service that morning. Next time I will avoid this hotel AND this restaurant!
(1)Brenna M.
Overpriced, crap food and bad service. Just buy food and sit on the bike path yourself.
(1)C N.
We were very hungry after a day of bike riding. We had no reservations, but they accommodated us early telling us we couldn't linger because the table was reserved. That was fine with us and we appreciated that. The dinner was fresh and very tasty. I had the roasted beet salad-really good. Great cheese, great balsamic vinaigrette, beets sweet and just right, greens crisp. The port tenderloin was done to perfection & melt in your mouth wonderful.The snap peas again, crisp and delicious. Mashed potatoes yummy. Husband had the mussels in a spicy sauce over hand made pasta. Also very tasty. Can't beat the view of the river and the ambience. We'll come back.
(4)Anthony K.
Love, love, love this place. There's only a handful of true breakfast spots in Eugene, but this is one of our personal favorites. The menu variety is fantastic, the food is wonderful, and the drinks are so tasty! We prefer to sit outside on the patio - and the ambiance is second to none. A must-try!
(5)Virgil B.
Sweetwaters holds themselves out as one of the premier restaurants in Eugene, so expectations are high, along with their prices. We started with a their version of a Caesar salad, 3 small romaine hearts, whole, with maybe a teaspoon of dressing, why am I paying $8 to make my own salad? I ordered the New Orleans Seafood Creole which was the saving grace. It was outstanding and as expected overpriced $27 My wife ordered the special Friday and Saturday only Prime Rib. Even with the steak knife it was difficult to cut let alone chew. Sometimes a steak can be tough but taste good, not this one, it tasted absolutely terrible. Bottom line Denny's does better! Our gracious waitress, Tina suggested that she try the tenderloin with an Oregon Blue Cheese Demi Glace. After a long wait it arrived, a tasteless steak with an unbalanced sauce. A Demi Glace reduction sauce provided virtually all the flavor for such a dish. You're better off giving your $36 bucks to the guy on the corner, because you'll be throwing this one away. Two stars for one out of three dishes being what was expected and a fantastic server.
(2)Clare F.
My mom and I recently visited Sweetwaters Restaurant again, this time for our Birthdays in May, as we celebrate them together. We had an amazing experience with Lora, our server. She went beyond the call of duty to make sure we had a memorable experience. All the food tasted good today, with the exception of one item I had them re-do (my prime rib needed to be cooked a few minutes longer). But that was no problem for Lora, she immediately took it back to the kitchen and had the issue remedied quickly. During our meal, the couple at the table next to us overheard that it was our birthdays. (I believe their son works in the kitchen). The woman disappeared and came back with a plate of chocolate truffles for us, and began singing "happy birthday" to my mom and me! How delightful! Who would do that, except a very special person. I hope we run into her again. At the end of our meal, Lora arrived with our dessert, and comped us for it. That was very thoughtful. It was the end of the evening shift and we were the last of the customers, so she had a few minutes extra to chat with us. Valley River Inn has a great server in Lora and we will definitely ask for her section again.
(5)DENNIS K.
I had a great breakfast overlooking a scenic river. My server Boukine was courteous and a very good server. Being on the road a lot because of my music career, it is nice to find a place to just relax and recharge. Sweetwaters Restaurant at the Valley River Inn is just that place.
(5)Rebecca H.
What a brunch! 8 of us, almost $300. Thank goodness I wasn't paying. The brunch is really good. There's an omelet station (which I didn't try), a desert station (which I didn't try), and all the other food, which I did try. Blintzes, apple crepes, smoked sturgeon, smoked halibut, smoked salmon, eggs Benedict, bacon, sausage, pate, cheese, quiche....really, the list is endless. And good. Other than the bacon being a bit chewy, everything I had was tasty. And two drinks with brunch? Bring me a mimosa! Or two! The place has a distinct 70's vibe, but it is being remodeled. If you are going to be in town and want a damn good Sunday brunch, come here. It is spendy but worth it.
(4)Jenna L.
Looks like a pretty good restaurant, but didn't quite hit the spot. It was perfect for a relaxing evening sitting by the river. I enjoyed our view, and the man in the bar playing the piano. We had the cheese fondue with crab which was the best part of our meal. Then we split an entree. A big plus for the service on that. For an additional $5, they split the meat but gave us both a full order of veggies. It looked like a full entree. But the pork was chewy and not very flavorful. The vegetables made up for it. Our waitress was great, but clearly distracted. Maybe she had too many tables or thought she was doing us a favor by showing up every 30-45 minutes. Overall, it was an okay experience. I would go for the view and relaxing atmosphere. There are probably some good things on the menu (ie fondue), but there are also just some so-so things. I'm not sure its worth the price you will pay.
(3)Kyle c.
It had been years since I last visited this resaurant and it will probably be years again. The food was good the service was just right. I went there on a date Friday night at 8, I didn't expect much of a crowd and was correct when I showed up. We started in the lounge with a glass of wine and a martini, the drinks were what they should have been but just that, nothing more. We wanted the baked brie for an appetizer and was told that the kitchen was out of brie...wtf. So we settled on baked mushrooms with blue cheese. It was good I think I could have done without the flatbread that came with it, I would have served a nice rustic french bread but whatever. It was a nice leisurely snack without being bothered by the waits staff. For dinner we ordered the seafood creole and the lamb chops. The seafood creole reminded me of more of cioppino and less a creole, but it tasted good albeit a bit bland. The lamb chops looked good and were cooked perfectly and the flavor was subtle but good. I had a glass of pinot that worked perfectly with the "creole". Overall its a great place for an intimate dinner. The wait staff seemed to have just the right timing letting us enjoy our time without being felt rushed which is a pet peeve of mine. The only thing I would lower the rating for is the fact it is a bit overpriced...the bill was right at $85. Considering that Eugene seems to lack many nice restaurants I suppose they can get away with being overpriced.
(4)Erin R.
The only reason this restaurant got one star, is it's view of the river. We went here for brunch on September 1st after the Duck game, and it was the most miserable customer service nightmare any of us had ever experienced. We were greeted by rude hosts, who took 20 minutes to take us to a table (the restaurant was only about half full). We should have left then, but we stayed and ordered some food. I overheard other diners complaining to the waitstaff, another indication we should have left. We waited over an hour for food. We finally asked our waitress about it, and she said 'I just can't get anything out of the kitchen today'. We asked for some bread, or something to occupy our very hungry kids, and she disappeared. We finally walked out. We told the hosts and the front desk, the response was 'we're not the manager'. Where is the manager? My dad sent an email with our concerns, no response. We will NEVER go to this establishment again. It's pretty sad this place is such a mess. I cannot believe the lack of accountability, especially in a tough economy.
(1)Matthew H.
Had my graduation brunch here in 05 and it was wonderful. Good food, great view, and great weather. Couldn't ask more for my last days in Eugene.
(5)Chad M.
Great Breakfast with an awesome view.
(4)Greg N.
We went for a New Years Eve meal before attending a dance/concert at the same hotel. Maybe it was because the more experienced help had the day off. The waiter warned us that a 40 minuet wait for cooking was expected because they were so busy although I noticed 25% of the tables were empty, but for me waiting is no problem. I enjoy relaxing with a wine and would always want the cook to use care in preparation. People to often rush their meals. The menu was what I call "safe". Easy to cook and the flavors subdued as to not offend the unadventurous. We started out sharing an appraiser and salad. The roasted mushroom appraiser while overly generous was nothing remarkable and not actually roasted but pan fried. The mushrooms could have been porcini. I won't complain but there are some much better local mushrooms to chose from this time of year in Oregon and for the price and local grown reputation I expected better. Any herbs, garlic or spices used were barely noticeable. The main flavoring came from from the blue cheese sprinkled on top .The cheese quality used was sub par in my opinion. The beet salad was served with just 4 thin slices of the most flavorless beets I have had in some time, I suspected they were canned and I noticed they were sliced in a manner very similar to the typical canned beets from a grocery store, but their origin is just a guess. The low quality blue cheese used on the roasted mushrooms was also sparsely used. I ordered the $36 beef tenderloin, 8 oz. medium rare. It came well done and appeared to be barely 5 oz. My complaint over the cooking (not the portion size) immediately got me a better cooked piece that appeared to be of an appropriate in size, but still could have been cooked better. They said they took from someone else plate. The swiss chard side was barley two bites. The substantial side of carrots while not overcooked were soggy as if sitting in a water filled warming tray long enough to leach out any remaining flavor. The mashed potatoes were heaping tall and acceptable. My wife got the Elk. It was cooked OK and appeared to be cooked as a roast so the middle was pink tender and juicy. The sides were identical to mine even though they were described slightly different on the menu. Many people have the opinion that a good steak should be served without any herbs or flavoring and stand on its' own merits, so for them they may be satisfied but in my opinion well selected grilling herbs really make it more than just a piece of meat. I got a piece of meat. We had two glasses of wine that were a decent pour. The dinner cost $104 and for that I expect a better experience. This was our New Years Eve meal and in Germany where my wife is from they have a superstition or should I say a tradition that if you go into the New Year hungry you could spend the whole year hungry so food is especially important on this night. And while we were definitely full there was a worrisome omen we pondered. And unfortunately the next morning when we went out for breakfast this omen appeared to be reinforced, See my post on my breakfast at Brails here in Eugene. One compliment. They have outdoor seating right in front of the Willamette River and adjacent to a wonderful walk/bike path, so a beer in the summertime at this place can't be beat.
(1)Angela Pfaffenberger L.
The view, athmosphere, and service were good, but the food inconsistent. For the house salads you can choose between poor quality bottled dressing, or "House" which seems to be pure vinegar. One of the dinners was great, but the other very oily. We ordered medium priced wine, and our total check was well over $ 100 for two. I would rate it "not bad" by Oregon standards, but not good enough for the money.
(3)Shane K.
OK. I have to tell you that I was never disappointed with a meal that I ate at this hotel. It's nice that the restaurant focuses on seasonal local ingredients as much as possible. Their menu changes 4 times a year with the seasons. Whether it was dinner in the restaurant where I had an avocado and greens salad and beef tenderloin that was so tender and flavorful that it melted in my mouth. Oh and I normally HATE brussel sprouts. Hate probably wasn't strong enough of a word, I could stand to smell cooked brussel sprouts and the texture, or rather the thought of it grossed me out. Well the culinary staff at Sweetwaters converted me. I had amazing brussel sprouts. Breakfast was a chorizo omlette with potatoes and english muffin. The omlette was very good. It could have had a bit more chorizo for my liking, but that is just me. Lunch was amazing crab chowder with tons of crab in the bottom and a great fish taco. Trust me, one was enough because it was good sized. Dinner the next night was more of the crab chowder. How could I resist it again? It was swallow your tongue GOOD! To be followed up by baby back ribs with MORE BRUSSEL SPROUTS and white cheddar grits. Oh so good. Ok. Let me take a step back to tell you about the amazing view you have from the restaurant. It sits on the Willamette River and every table in the place offers views. They also have outdoor seating when it is warm enough to be outside. And the staff is wonderful and knowledgable. This is a definite favorite when I come to town.
(5)Mark H.
Eugene and restaurants. Restaurants and Eugene. What is it about restaurants in Eugene? I've been to a bunch of them and they just aren't quite it. Sweetwaters looks like it could be a good restaurant, but it's not. It's more of a typical hotel restaurant, where the food is good but not great, the service lacks polish, the interior is dated and depressing, and the prices are high. The view is nice. The staff is friendly. It's just not there as a high-end restaurant.
(2)Tina B.
After reading the other reviews, I'm kind of surprised with all the negative reviews. Are the prices high, you bet, highest I believe in Eugene. But I stayed at the hotel recently, only because of the renovation, and we ate here for breakfast and for dinner 3 nights. The food is always fresh and no there aren't a lot of selections but they will make you anything. And the view of the river is wonderful.
(4)Kathleen A.
The view from the patio at Sweetwaters cannot be beat: Willamette Riverside, sunset & a full, blue moon! The service, however, needs more attention...Waited 20+ minutes for a menu after seated on the patio (self seating, tried to call to request a reservation & was informed that ALL tables were booked until after 9 pm-this wasn't true based upon the number of empty tables [there from 6:15 until after 9] so we took our chances & lucked out with a patio table). The server filling our water glasses, Sarah, came to our rescue (waitress disappeared, never returned?) & provided menus & friendly service (short staffed?). I ordered the Cobb Salad (1/2 order) on her recommendation, without onions. When the dish arrived, it was 1/2 full of large chopped pieces of green onions- was this a joke? Otherwise, delicious salad, complimentary bread & even champagne not on the menu :D This is not a place to go for a quick bite, yet a lovely place to spend an evening, in spite of the inconsistent service/food. Will return before the autumn rains begin...and hope to again enjoy the patio.
(3)Brooks B.
So I chose this place hearing that is the nicest place to eat while having a waterfront view. I made the reservation with the hostess and confirmed there were heat lamps outside on the patio. First glare, server took a very long time initially come. Once it got cold, they wheeled our heat lamp that was at our table which was not yet lit, over to another table that requested because they asked first. Bs. They had two other lamps on the patio and I asked three, THREE, different servers to light one and bring it over as the girls were getting cold and my good friend was about to get down on a knee and propose. Told the staff, and they were worthless!!!! None of them said that we couldn't do it because the lamps are broken they just said oh yeah well try and fumbled around for ten minutes at a time. Thirties minutes later after freezing we literally carried our meals indoors to finish dining. When youre spending 200 on a nice dinner, you should mot experience this. Prime rib was good but I won't go back just bc the staff lacks integrity and ownership. My friend did ask the question and it was wonderful.
(1)Anne R.
Two (very obvious) strikes and you're out, SweetWaters. Sorry, but you don't even get a shot at a third. Based on recommendations from several of his co-workers, my boyfriend bought two ($50) Groupons for SweetWaters. We were new to the area when he purchased them, so excited to try "fine dining" in Eugene. The first time we visited, we went for dinner. The service was surprisingly bad (especially for such high menu prices), and all of the food was incredibly lackluster. In taste, not a single dish came anywhere close to its highly appealing menu description. Like many of my fellow Yelpers, I was also rather shocked by the very small portion sizes (again, especially considering the high prices). Our final bill far exceeded the $50 Groupon, and it just wasn't worth it. The BF & I both left with disappointed palettes, and (unnecessarily) emptier wallets. This morning, several months later, we re-visited SweetWaters for its highly-touted weekend brunch. Despite our first (poor) dining experience, we were optimistic about giving SweetWaters another chance (especially since the positive recommendations we've both received have been based on their brunch menu). I started with a mimosa that had far too much orange juice to be considered a legit mimosa (especially for $6), and the BF had a (decent) latte. In an attempt to get our bill as close to the $50 afforded by our Groupon as possible, I began with a side salad, which was very (very) small, and nothing spectacular (but, hey, it's just a side salad). For brunch itself, I ordered a play on Eggs Benedict (2 x a poached egg atop a sausage patty atop an English crumpet), and the BF chose Stuffed French Toast (the ordering of which I [very regrettably] encouraged, since it was supposed to be stuffed with ham & brie, and topped with berry compote -- sounded positively scrumptious!). As soon as the Stuffed French Toast was placed in front of my boyfriend, I was sad for him. "Stuffed" it absolutely was not, and properly soaked prior to cooking/deliciously moist it absolutely was not. The (very obviously) stale bread was simply grilled on the outside, it clearly hadn't been soaked in any sort of egg batter prior to being cooked. The "stuffing" included one (very thin) slice of ham and an even smaller slice of brie cheese... excuse me, the RIND of brie cheese. Basically, he received an incredibly sorry excuse for a ham & cheese grilled sandwich (and it wouldn't have been worth eating, even under that description; a sandwich is normally about the [abundance of] ingredients between the [non-stale] bread, no?). Despite adding the berry compote, some chopped walnuts (the offering of which seemed odd to me), and some maple syrup, the french toast was simply awful... inexcusable & definitely not menu-worthy, in my opinion. After just two bites, the BF chose to push the plate aside. So, we moved onto my dish. While the portion size was more impressive than most of SweetWaters's plates, remarkable flavor just wasn't there. We both summed it up to a deconstructed Egg McMuffin (and yet not as good as an Egg McMuffin [sometimes they just call to me]). The hollandaise sauce was incredibly lackluster, and I kept mistaking it for the yolk of the poached eggs (in truth, I'm still not convinced that there was even a hollandaise sauce on the dish at all). The side potatoes weren't cooked all the way through, and definitely could have used some salt & pepper (it seemed they were only seasoned with paprika). The standout on the plate was the "garnish slice" of pineapple... boo. Sooooo... that's that, SweetWaters. We've gotta be through with you. Our taste buds can't take another flavorless bite, and our wallets certainly can't afford another absurdly overpriced meal. Too bad, so sad.
(1)Shane K.
OK. I have to tell you that I was never disappointed with a meal that I ate at this hotel. It's nice that the restaurant focuses on seasonal local ingredients as much as possible. Their menu changes 4 times a year with the seasons. Whether it was dinner in the restaurant where I had an avocado and greens salad and beef tenderloin that was so tender and flavorful that it melted in my mouth. Oh and I normally HATE brussel sprouts. Hate probably wasn't strong enough of a word, I could stand to smell cooked brussel sprouts and the texture, or rather the thought of it grossed me out. Well the culinary staff at Sweetwaters converted me. I had amazing brussel sprouts. Breakfast was a chorizo omlette with potatoes and english muffin. The omlette was very good. It could have had a bit more chorizo for my liking, but that is just me. Lunch was amazing crab chowder with tons of crab in the bottom and a great fish taco. Trust me, one was enough because it was good sized. Dinner the next night was more of the crab chowder. How could I resist it again? It was swallow your tongue GOOD! To be followed up by baby back ribs with MORE BRUSSEL SPROUTS and white cheddar grits. Oh so good. Ok. Let me take a step back to tell you about the amazing view you have from the restaurant. It sits on the Willamette River and every table in the place offers views. They also have outdoor seating when it is warm enough to be outside. And the staff is wonderful and knowledgable. This is a definite favorite when I come to town.
(5)Mark H.
Eugene and restaurants. Restaurants and Eugene. What is it about restaurants in Eugene? I've been to a bunch of them and they just aren't quite it. Sweetwaters looks like it could be a good restaurant, but it's not. It's more of a typical hotel restaurant, where the food is good but not great, the service lacks polish, the interior is dated and depressing, and the prices are high. The view is nice. The staff is friendly. It's just not there as a high-end restaurant.
(2)Tina B.
After reading the other reviews, I'm kind of surprised with all the negative reviews. Are the prices high, you bet, highest I believe in Eugene. But I stayed at the hotel recently, only because of the renovation, and we ate here for breakfast and for dinner 3 nights. The food is always fresh and no there aren't a lot of selections but they will make you anything. And the view of the river is wonderful.
(4)Kathleen A.
The view from the patio at Sweetwaters cannot be beat: Willamette Riverside, sunset & a full, blue moon! The service, however, needs more attention...Waited 20+ minutes for a menu after seated on the patio (self seating, tried to call to request a reservation & was informed that ALL tables were booked until after 9 pm-this wasn't true based upon the number of empty tables [there from 6:15 until after 9] so we took our chances & lucked out with a patio table). The server filling our water glasses, Sarah, came to our rescue (waitress disappeared, never returned?) & provided menus & friendly service (short staffed?). I ordered the Cobb Salad (1/2 order) on her recommendation, without onions. When the dish arrived, it was 1/2 full of large chopped pieces of green onions- was this a joke? Otherwise, delicious salad, complimentary bread & even champagne not on the menu :D This is not a place to go for a quick bite, yet a lovely place to spend an evening, in spite of the inconsistent service/food. Will return before the autumn rains begin...and hope to again enjoy the patio.
(3)Jenna L.
Looks like a pretty good restaurant, but didn't quite hit the spot. It was perfect for a relaxing evening sitting by the river. I enjoyed our view, and the man in the bar playing the piano. We had the cheese fondue with crab which was the best part of our meal. Then we split an entree. A big plus for the service on that. For an additional $5, they split the meat but gave us both a full order of veggies. It looked like a full entree. But the pork was chewy and not very flavorful. The vegetables made up for it. Our waitress was great, but clearly distracted. Maybe she had too many tables or thought she was doing us a favor by showing up every 30-45 minutes. Overall, it was an okay experience. I would go for the view and relaxing atmosphere. There are probably some good things on the menu (ie fondue), but there are also just some so-so things. I'm not sure its worth the price you will pay.
(3)Matthew H.
Had my graduation brunch here in 05 and it was wonderful. Good food, great view, and great weather. Couldn't ask more for my last days in Eugene.
(5)Chad M.
Great Breakfast with an awesome view.
(4)Anne R.
Two (very obvious) strikes and you're out, SweetWaters. Sorry, but you don't even get a shot at a third. Based on recommendations from several of his co-workers, my boyfriend bought two ($50) Groupons for SweetWaters. We were new to the area when he purchased them, so excited to try "fine dining" in Eugene. The first time we visited, we went for dinner. The service was surprisingly bad (especially for such high menu prices), and all of the food was incredibly lackluster. In taste, not a single dish came anywhere close to its highly appealing menu description. Like many of my fellow Yelpers, I was also rather shocked by the very small portion sizes (again, especially considering the high prices). Our final bill far exceeded the $50 Groupon, and it just wasn't worth it. The BF & I both left with disappointed palettes, and (unnecessarily) emptier wallets. This morning, several months later, we re-visited SweetWaters for its highly-touted weekend brunch. Despite our first (poor) dining experience, we were optimistic about giving SweetWaters another chance (especially since the positive recommendations we've both received have been based on their brunch menu). I started with a mimosa that had far too much orange juice to be considered a legit mimosa (especially for $6), and the BF had a (decent) latte. In an attempt to get our bill as close to the $50 afforded by our Groupon as possible, I began with a side salad, which was very (very) small, and nothing spectacular (but, hey, it's just a side salad). For brunch itself, I ordered a play on Eggs Benedict (2 x a poached egg atop a sausage patty atop an English crumpet), and the BF chose Stuffed French Toast (the ordering of which I [very regrettably] encouraged, since it was supposed to be stuffed with ham & brie, and topped with berry compote -- sounded positively scrumptious!). As soon as the Stuffed French Toast was placed in front of my boyfriend, I was sad for him. "Stuffed" it absolutely was not, and properly soaked prior to cooking/deliciously moist it absolutely was not. The (very obviously) stale bread was simply grilled on the outside, it clearly hadn't been soaked in any sort of egg batter prior to being cooked. The "stuffing" included one (very thin) slice of ham and an even smaller slice of brie cheese... excuse me, the RIND of brie cheese. Basically, he received an incredibly sorry excuse for a ham & cheese grilled sandwich (and it wouldn't have been worth eating, even under that description; a sandwich is normally about the [abundance of] ingredients between the [non-stale] bread, no?). Despite adding the berry compote, some chopped walnuts (the offering of which seemed odd to me), and some maple syrup, the french toast was simply awful... inexcusable & definitely not menu-worthy, in my opinion. After just two bites, the BF chose to push the plate aside. So, we moved onto my dish. While the portion size was more impressive than most of SweetWaters's plates, remarkable flavor just wasn't there. We both summed it up to a deconstructed Egg McMuffin (and yet not as good as an Egg McMuffin [sometimes they just call to me]). The hollandaise sauce was incredibly lackluster, and I kept mistaking it for the yolk of the poached eggs (in truth, I'm still not convinced that there was even a hollandaise sauce on the dish at all). The side potatoes weren't cooked all the way through, and definitely could have used some salt & pepper (it seemed they were only seasoned with paprika). The standout on the plate was the "garnish slice" of pineapple... boo. Sooooo... that's that, SweetWaters. We've gotta be through with you. Our taste buds can't take another flavorless bite, and our wallets certainly can't afford another absurdly overpriced meal. Too bad, so sad.
(1)Kyle c.
It had been years since I last visited this resaurant and it will probably be years again. The food was good the service was just right. I went there on a date Friday night at 8, I didn't expect much of a crowd and was correct when I showed up. We started in the lounge with a glass of wine and a martini, the drinks were what they should have been but just that, nothing more. We wanted the baked brie for an appetizer and was told that the kitchen was out of brie...wtf. So we settled on baked mushrooms with blue cheese. It was good I think I could have done without the flatbread that came with it, I would have served a nice rustic french bread but whatever. It was a nice leisurely snack without being bothered by the waits staff. For dinner we ordered the seafood creole and the lamb chops. The seafood creole reminded me of more of cioppino and less a creole, but it tasted good albeit a bit bland. The lamb chops looked good and were cooked perfectly and the flavor was subtle but good. I had a glass of pinot that worked perfectly with the "creole". Overall its a great place for an intimate dinner. The wait staff seemed to have just the right timing letting us enjoy our time without being felt rushed which is a pet peeve of mine. The only thing I would lower the rating for is the fact it is a bit overpriced...the bill was right at $85. Considering that Eugene seems to lack many nice restaurants I suppose they can get away with being overpriced.
(4)Brooks B.
So I chose this place hearing that is the nicest place to eat while having a waterfront view. I made the reservation with the hostess and confirmed there were heat lamps outside on the patio. First glare, server took a very long time initially come. Once it got cold, they wheeled our heat lamp that was at our table which was not yet lit, over to another table that requested because they asked first. Bs. They had two other lamps on the patio and I asked three, THREE, different servers to light one and bring it over as the girls were getting cold and my good friend was about to get down on a knee and propose. Told the staff, and they were worthless!!!! None of them said that we couldn't do it because the lamps are broken they just said oh yeah well try and fumbled around for ten minutes at a time. Thirties minutes later after freezing we literally carried our meals indoors to finish dining. When youre spending 200 on a nice dinner, you should mot experience this. Prime rib was good but I won't go back just bc the staff lacks integrity and ownership. My friend did ask the question and it was wonderful.
(1)Erin R.
The only reason this restaurant got one star, is it's view of the river. We went here for brunch on September 1st after the Duck game, and it was the most miserable customer service nightmare any of us had ever experienced. We were greeted by rude hosts, who took 20 minutes to take us to a table (the restaurant was only about half full). We should have left then, but we stayed and ordered some food. I overheard other diners complaining to the waitstaff, another indication we should have left. We waited over an hour for food. We finally asked our waitress about it, and she said 'I just can't get anything out of the kitchen today'. We asked for some bread, or something to occupy our very hungry kids, and she disappeared. We finally walked out. We told the hosts and the front desk, the response was 'we're not the manager'. Where is the manager? My dad sent an email with our concerns, no response. We will NEVER go to this establishment again. It's pretty sad this place is such a mess. I cannot believe the lack of accountability, especially in a tough economy.
(1)Mike Y.
Service is slow. Food is average. But eating brunch on the patio on a Eugene summer morning is awesome. I've had several things here. Never too great but nothing's ever been bad. I probably wouldn't eat here for dinner (unless it was out on the patio) but it's an ok place to go....especially if you're staying at VRI.
(3)Katie B.
I'm guilty of going here for back to back meals this weekend. Saturday night I dropped in at the bar and had the crab chowder which was really good. It had huge chunks of crab in it and was super tasty! Their bar has 44 North, a huckleberry vodka from Idaho, which is a rare treat to find in Oregon. The next morning I came in for breakfast and had eggs benedict with a mimosa. They did a great job of poaching the eggs and that was the easiest english muffin I've ever cut into. Definitely worth a visit for brunch because the river is beautiful from their patio.
(4)Mary Ellen A.
Would be a great place to take out of town guests. Or even suggest they stay at the Valley River Inn to take advantage of the view, location and food but... Really it comes down to two things. The View and the Location. That's it. Nothing special about the food. Needs to be redecorated and updated. I've been there 3 times, so I think I gave them a fair shake. But No.... I wouldn't go there again. If you have out of town guests, take them somewhere else. Did hear they are building a new eating establishment on the Willamette River right down the street. On Goodpasture Island Rd. Maybe then they will invest in a chef and decor! So sad whomever owns this place doesn't deserve the location, wish they would sell it to someone who does the setting justice.
(2)Yvonne G.
Anthony was amazing! Perfect service and friendly advice about local happenings to fill out vacation time. We had a delicious breakfast with a beautiful view.
(5)Cherie D.
Breakfast buffet was nothing to really rave about. Over cooked potatoes, powdered eggs and bacon that tastes like something for a package. Fruit was delicious and wished they had more toppings for the oatmeal. Location though is awesome!! Right on the river.
(3)Andrea P.
Stopped for lunch on way up I-5. Sat out on the deck overlooking the river. Super fantastic view. The service was good. Food was alright, spendy for what you got. It is a little more upscale than my usual hangout.
(4)Karyn H.
Great service by Ryan. Enjoyed burger charred med rare. Great fries! Great vanilla latte. Really relaxing sitting by River.
(4)Jan C.
Went to lunch today with a friend. The food was very bland and my salmon lacked flavor. I left most of the food on my plate. I was served some type of Eggplant side that was horrible. I was so hungry I stopped on my way home to get something to eat. We were just about the only people in the restaurant. There were more servers than customers. They have just sold to another company so perhaps that's the reason for the quality of food, service was good. I was checking out the restaurant for a possible Thanksgiving venue for a group of 20, but after this experience we are going back to the Excelsior!! I
(1)harriot r.
It could be said this restaurant has an kind of Twin Peaks character to it- some charm, nice old bar, but the food and service have gone way down hill. We had a waitress who appeared to be drunk once... Be careful you don't go when they're having one of their conventions, such as The Anachronistic Society- who are these people? The place gets over run by medieval, costumed fantasists who take up all the tables and parking spaces. Too bad since this is one of the only places in town that is next to the beautiful river- shame how Eugene has so few places by the water. Keep your expectations low for this restaurant and for Eugene in general.
(1)Cary R.
Anthony and Malia where wonderful. The view is amazing and the food beautiful. They went above and beyond to make us happy .
(5)Susie G.
Had a wonderful breakfast today. Sat outside on the deck to enjoy the beautiful river view. I had the Greek Omelet -very good portions, tasty and fair pricing I thought. Shared a plate of pancakes with my dining companion because they sounded too good to pass up. Three buttermilk pancakes with lemon curd , blueberry compote and sprinkled with a few pine nuts. Only $10 and we wanted to lick the plate. Delicious ! Waitress was friendly. Had a vey pleasant experience. Small hitch was that they got quite a few tables seated at the same time so the food took a little longer than ideal.
(4)Bobbi G.
What a fantastic meal!!!!!The server Sarah was even better than the food. She reviewed the wine list with three people explained on details about items on the menu, and suggested a great wine. I felt so comfortable with a professional waitress like Sarah. We celebrated my son's graduation tonight in style Thank you Sarah for making this moment so special!!!
(5)Jennie M.
Excellent service and yummy food. Our waiter Anthony was super friendly and the view of the river is beautiful!
(5)Lorie D.
Well we have been here 1 hour and still no food in sight.........hopefully I can post an update that says the food was good. More coffee please. Food came 1hour and 20 minutes later. Sandwich not bad. With a party, paying separately still a forced gratuity. Yea!!!
(1)Ann R.
I had heard that the service was bad and the food was mediocre, but wanted to try it out myself since I was staying at the hotel. I honestly cannot tell you how the food was. I arrive there around 8:30 pm and there was only one table in my section. I was seated, and a few minutes later served a menu and water and the waitress walked away. I sat there for over 20 minutes and in that time, the waitress went to the table THREE times to serve them (dropped off a basket of bread, then a "to-go" box, then to pick up dishes. At no time did the server even look my way. I finally just got up and walked away. Not worth the time, not worth the horrible service!!
(1)Victoria T.
The setting is blessed with a great view but the restaurant could use updating and a thorough cleaning. Staff dress code seems lax. The food is generally bland and the menu needs a thoughtful updating by a motivated executive chef who can ensure quality output from a cohesive kitchen staff. The plating of our meals was sloppy and visually unappealing as well as taking way too long on a slow afternoon. The last meal there (lunch): out of the soup of the day at noon with less than 25% of the tables filled and they continued to charge extra to serve the (tasteless) crab chowder instead. That's just bad business. The sandwiches were fair although a grilled one was positively greasy.
(2)Robert B.
Sad, sad breakfast. Hard to see how this place stays in business. Must be the captive audience from the hotel. Had the combo breakfast. The eggs were fresh, but not real hot. The bacon was good. The biscuit could have been 2 days old, same with the hash browns. To top it off, the service was poor. Had to flag the waitress down to get more coffee. Too bad. This used to be a good place. It's a waste of a great location because the river view is very nice.
(1)Jill W.
Disgusting This restaurant/hotel at one time was beautiful and had wonderful service. It's now, the worst, most over priced place in town! My father has a terminal illness. He has a rare disease that is shutting down all of his organs. He is not able to leave the house and has not been out in 2 years. Two weeks ago my parents went to Valley River Inn for their 37th anniversary because they had their first date here. There experience was horrid!! They were treated horribly! They were asked to move tables in the middle of their dinner and essentially kicked them out. They were not wheelchair accessible and were discriminated against because my father was using a wheelchair. I had set up to pay for their dinner as a surprise and the manager screwed the surprise up! It was a disaster! The one special night out my dad was able to take, ruined! He was treated so badly and so embarrassed of his handicap that he will not leave the house again. My mom called the GM, who them completely disregarded her complaint. Thus, we've since contacted our family friend who is practicing type of law. I am very angry! I'm currently only 33 and in good health. But, I'm intelligent enough to know that we have a massive aging population. These people are going to need our help and treating them badly is not right!!! I have no tolerance for discrimination whether, you discriminate against my father or a person on the street! It's not right! I worked here during college in the early 2000's and things were ran like a military operation. I loved my boss and our staff worked hard. It has gone way down hill and something needs to be done! What a waste of beautiful riverfront property! Do not go here!!!
(1)Mark A.
If Sweetwaters were not attached to a hotel, I would give it two stars. For a hotel restaurant, however, it gets extra credit for doing some things pretty well. It's on the river side of Valley River Center, so it has great views and a big deck for al fresco dining when the weather is nice. Service has always been good when I've been there, whether they are busy or not. The décor is a bit tired. The menu is typical of a hotel, very safe and pretty bland. Travelers can be picky and unadventurous when it comes to food, and hotels tend to go for lowest common denominator choices: steaks, chops, pasta. Everything is presented nicely, but absolutely nothing stands out. Breakfast is decently prepared but again nothing unusual. Prices are in line with a hotel restaurant's scheme. If you like no surprises dining, this is your place. Expect the expected.
(3)Shane S.
Me and my out of town friend are both vegan. We ended up here because of her flight delay near her hotel. The menu is very meat heavy w/ little for us plant-powered folk, but the server checked in w/ the kitchen. The only thing on the menu was salad or bruschetta. The bruschetta was quite alright w/ great presentation. Thanks to help from our server the chef created some marinated portobello mushrooms, grilled veggies,and bland tofu. The portobello was great, but the tofu could have been a lot better. It was an impromptu vegan paleo meal. Kudos for providing sriracha, the service,and the Chef for making an effort. Beautiful setting on the river. I wouldn't go out of my way to come here, but was a memorable experience none the less.
(3)Constance F.
The food is good. I always enjoy it. Service is consistently horrible. It takes a long time to be noticed to get a seat or a drink. Up the game on the service and the restaurant would be wonderful! I love the view!
(2)Jesy B.
**Bar Review only** We came down here to stay for a celebration of life for my boy's amazing grandma. So it was a trip, but a lil' somber but it was nice to have family around to celebrate a great family member. So we stayed at the hotel and came to the bar both nights we were here. There was a bevy of crazy holiday parties go on in the hotels so at certain times the bar was slammed with party goers coming in to get more drinks. You can imagine some of those people were less holly jolly and more "time to get cut off". Back to that is a moment. There's plenty of places to sit and a huge fireplace to warm up by. They have comfy cushy seats, tables or bar seats. It's simple and on the river if you come down soon enough to see the view. Anyway - our bartender was Lisa - and she was such a dear! She remembered what we ordered after the first round and kept saying "darling" and "no problem dear" in a sweet manner. She was working her butt off but you wouldn't know it by her demeanor. And then....those people Those three guys in front of us being drunk jerks. Well two were, the middle guy was silently embarrassed by his friend's behavior. We watched them be loud and rude, sass the bartender in any way possible and overall be awful. They accused her of poor pours in drinks (which I can say NO WAY), overchargings (again, she kept our tab perfectly between two separate people) and polite in trying to cut said douchebags off. My boy and I finally had enough and told them to STFU and I sure hope those guys never came back. Jerk people to a sweet bartender, never okay. She took it all in stride never showing she was upset over such crap treatment. Kudos. The next night we came back she greeted us like old friends and the same great service. Loved it.
(4)Leslie N.
Sweet Waters has a new chef as of 6 months ago. The restaurant is transformed! The chef (Franz?) worked at the restaurant in the '80's, went to California, succeeded there and brought it all back here. He grows a garden on the premises. The cauliflower soup was honest and rich, the garlic rolls were heavenly. My salad was fresh and varied with candied pecans. The dressing that came with it was creamy and delicious. We were full by the time Susie brought our hamburger and fries to share. Delicious. Fresh. My coffee and cream came out right away and water was brought without asking. We looked out at the river and decided right then to bring friends back in a week.
(5)Paige T.
Great food and beautiful view on the patio. My eggs benidict was made perfectly and the added crab meat put an interesting spin on an old favorite! My boyfriend ordered an omlette and he loved his as well. The price was reasonable (about 20 bucks per person on the brunch menu) and the waitresses were chatty, attentive and nice. I'm totally making this place our regular Sunday morning hangout! P.s. If you order a cocktail like I did...be advised. They mix them STRONG!
(5)Kim P.
Meh seems to sum it up rather nicely. Meh on the service. Meh on the food. Meh meh meh on everything. The eggs benedict I had was very meh. My boyfriend's clam chowder was meh. The empty water glass waiting to be filled was meh. And even the fruit was meh. Meh meh meh me thinks I won't be back. Perhaps I'm spoiled from brunches in Portland though. Meh.
(2)Don B.
Sweetwaters has a lot going for it. It has a great view of the Willamette River with a nice patio a mere few feet from the water, it's the only restaurant in the Valley River Inn, and... well, that's sort of what it has going for it. The food is just so-so, the staff is friendly but can be forgetful, the drink selection actually has a few gems (Campari? Aviation Gin? Yay!) and the hours leave a little bit to be desired. My experience here consists of afternoon drinks by the river, late night drinks in the bar, and another evening of late night drinks in the bar. Each and every time the place was fairly empty but still seemed understaffed. During the afternoon session, our server seemed to be fairly out of it. The first night drinking session seemed to overwhelm the one bartender on (we had a group of 15 or so - just for drinks). She kept up with us and had a good attitude, but we could tell she was a little flustered. The second night, we kept them open late, and we could tell that we were wearing her a little thin, regardless of our very large tips and gratitude the night before. The only food I've had here is the mac n cheese, which is an odd offering with veggies and stuff mixed in. I ordered this because I was told that after a certain hour they only have the small bites menu, which surprisingly doesn't have much of anything fried on it. I found out after downing my mac that their pizzas are on offer late night too. I totally would have gone for that. With the location and the style (a classic retro 70's brick and leatherette chic) I was so hoping that the restaurant would live up to an even forgiving impression in my head. Instead it felt squarely like a hotel restaurant and bar.
(2)Susan D.
exceeds expectations both cuisine and wait staff
(5)Richard P.
The food is below average and over-priced. The service is terrible, and we've been treated rudely twice. It's the last place we'd go for a special occasion.
(1)