16 Tons Cafe

eh… i came here because they had more vegan options than all the other places in the area on a sunday. came in and it was dead, no one ahead of us or eating food. i ordered a beer that was $ 5 and they only filled half the pint glass… ordered chips and bean dip that was $ 8 thinking it was a big portion since i was with my friends and it came out looking only fit for one person… AND IT WAS $ 8… i also purchased a veggie burger that was $ 11 very bland and came with a small small size of tomato soup… not only was this ridiculously expensive but took forever to come out even though we were the only ones ordering food. just felt absolutely ripped off. not coming back

Don’t bother going for lunch unless you have all afternoon. I’ve been there a few times before and while service has never been a high point, I overlooked it because it is so close to my house. Today, I ordered an egg sandwich and a crêpe for lunch before noon and it took them 45 minutes to have it ready because they had two orders before us. Two whole orders. They didn’t even bring it to the table. I had to go ask where my food was and it was sitting on the counter. It’s not a difficult menu and should never take more than twenty minutes to get that food out. If they can’t manage it with the five staff behind the counter, they need to make their menu smaller and get some competent people to work there. I ended up eating my lunch out of a to-​go container back at work. I live in the neighborhood and they’ve lost a customer in me and everyone I tell not to waste their time at 16 Tons.

Went there tonight at 7:45pm and it’s a Saturday. The place advertise expresso and even had lit up expresso sign on the building. Well apparently they turn off there expresso machine at 6pm. All they have is regular coffee. So we got a mug and a crêpe. The coffee they gave us was cold. There was no half creamer out so the lady behind the counter asked her co worker to put some out and the co worker gave a bitchy sarcastic laugh and gave my husband some. The crêpe was decent. The coffee was shit. The lady said «oh that’s weird it’s cold, we made it a hour ago maybe our thermos has a sealing problem» and gave us our $ 2.50 back. So we went next door and got. Delicious latte from market of choice. Your better off going there. This place is a joke. Prob why no one was there.

Ballin place. Latte is all you need for a day on the grind. Great service, great drinks, great people. If I could get them in PDX I would buy a house on the same block. I shall return!

Recent changes have pretty much ruined a good thing, taking something simple and making it complex.
It’s apparently moving back to the supreme bean /​coffee shop thing, towards food and table service, both which they do poorly and slowly. Food is definitely not what makes this place a destination.
I’m sad to say, as a former regular, I won’t be returning to 16 tons. As it is, South Eugene has a mini disaster on our hands.

Goodness… what a difference just a few months can make. The atmosphere and energy of this place has changed pretty drastically.
For me, 16 Tons has always been a place for those of us in South Eugene to try tasters and order great beer/​coffee at the counter… grab a decent bite if need-​be. The ambience was laid back, easy-going…and especially in good weather, it was a perfect combination of being able to enjoy beer and/​or coffee with friends or by oneself at your own pace — simpler times.
Fast-​forward to today, and there’s no more access at the counter, only waitstaff, so things are more time-​consuming and a bit pretentious-​feeling, which I feel is mismatched given what’s offered.
I think a certain type of crowd will like the comparatively reserved feel and more rigidly organized operation of the updated 16 Tons Café. I’ll miss the old incarnation that I frequented for years (see my previous positive review, including a defense against a couple of naysayers). Best of luck with your new direction, 16T.
Peace out.

Praise Dog 16 tons exists down here in the café-​desert that is South Eugene. And yes I’m one of the ones staring away at her laptop while I take up table space here. But it’s a wonderful place to work, meet friends, have a business meet up. or just come alone to enjoy some tasty crepes, beer, or coffee.
What I especially enjoy is the culture of improvement that they seem to espouse here. Someone wrote on here some complaints about offerings for the kiddies. The next week they had everything the littles need including games and crayons. I almost never see places in Eugene getting better — usually establishments hit a mediocre fever pitch and ride it out forever with a core base of patrons whose standards have been whittled away in direct correlation to the amount of time they’ve lived here. 16 tons is hitting a lot of my simple benchmarks — It’s clean, temperature controlled, smells good, has good and friendly service, and delivers a good product. That’s all I ask for, folks.
The coffee is extraordinary, as are the revolving beer list offerings. They host special pairing nights, as well as trivia. They try hard here to get better and better, and that is exactly why I love it. It is not stuffy at all.
I’m sure some things could be improved, but I bet they will.

Went here for the first time today and I can’t wait to go back! Such an amazing range of breakfast, lunch, dinner and small plates and CREPES! Vegan/​Vegetarian options as well as gourmet espresso and beer/​wine! They have everything! The sandwich and coffee was wonderful and the outdoor seating is perfect. So excited to have found this place as its pretty much my new favorite eatery in town.

They’ve made lots of changes since I last visited, and it was a far better experience!
The food menu has been expanded quite a bit, with more small plates and snack options. Tomato soup seems to be a consistent offering now, and there’s more grilled cheez on the menu. Can’t go wrong there…
The beer menu now has porters and stouts — thank you! The Wild Ride Nut Crusher was outstanding — it’s a peanut butter porter, which I didn’t know until later. Very rich. There was an interesting Crème Brulee stout from NY, too. 16 Tons does a great job of bringing in microbrews from all over.
One wall has been painted red, giving the place a cozier feel, and the artwork is better.
Staff seem to be checking on tables more often, and they were very friendly.

I expected to love 16 Tons Café after loving the other 16 Tons location, but I was very let down. I brought a group of about 12 one evening, and the waitstaff understandably seemed a bit inconvenienced but let us move tables to accommodate the group. I ordered a bottle of wine, and was brought a pre-​opened, incorrect bottle (we ordered white and the waitress, who did not write out order down, brought red). She seemed immensely annoyed when we asked for the bottle of white wine that we had ordered instead of what was brought. She informed us of a special regarding the purchase of a bottle of wine and two entrees for around $ 25, so based upon her recommendation we ordered entrees. We discovered later that the deal was actually for $ 36.
The waitstaff announced last call around 8:50 pm, intending to close at 9pm. However, the posted hours said «open 8am-​10pm daily» and we were not told explicitly that they intended to close at 9pm. Around 9:20, my group was still there (because, again, their posted sign said they were open until 10pm) and we were then informed by a curt waitress that we had stayed past their desired hours and they were trying to close. As we left and were paying, we also discovered that the «deal» we were paying more for than originally told could not be separated into separate checks.
All in all, this experience at 16 Tons Café is more than enough to warrant my not returning. On their part, they did quickly refund me for a beer that they had double-​charged two members of the group for originally, however this correction of an original mistake is possibly the most positive thing I can say about the whole experience.

We keep trying to like this place but we get let down every time. We’ve gone numerous times on weekend mornings because we like the crepes but something always goes wrong with at least one part of our order, and often multiple errors… and they’re not fast to begin with so it’s doubly frustrating to start waiting all over again for them to do it again while half of us have our food. We can almost never seem to get our coffees and our food at the same time either. The staff are nice enough but they always seemed overwhelmed and harried, and when you point out an error you are definitely not their best friend. I personally am not usually one to send food back but when I ask for a buckwheat crêpe and they bring me a regular wheat flour crêpe which I cannot eat, I have no choice… sorry about that, 16 Ton staffers. We tried one more time today and so many things went wrong that we’ve sworn off going back. The two stars are for the crepes… when they get them right, they ARE good…

Imagine my delight at finding buckwheat crepes on the menu. After ordering, it was difficult to find seating, as every table was occupied by one person – all staring intently at their laptops. I ended up sitting at one of the high tables in the center of the room. (Do these make anyone else’s legs fall asleep from dangling?)
On the plus side, my food arrived quickly and with a smile. Sadly, however, the delicious goat cheese and pesto only filled about ¹⁄₃ of the broad, flat, dry crêpe.

So happy I stumbled upon this place! I first came here after one of my usual breakfast spots was closed and was pleasantly surprised with their selection of crepes. I had the ‘to Brie or not to brie’ on buckwheat, which was tasty but a little dry. Next time I’ll try the regular batter.
However to the highlight of this place, they have an excellent selection of craft beers and ciders on tap. I was very impressed that they had Stiegl Radler on tap, as I’ve not been able to find it anywhere else and it’s one of my favourite drinks. To top it off, the staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. I will definitely be recommending this place to my friends and stopping by whenever I’m in the area!

Love it here. Great location, good beer, nice staff and I really like their crepes. It’s a nice place for quick dinner or a post grocery shopping drink.
My kid loves 16 Tons, they have crayons and games and the courtyard is perfect for running around. Trivia night is particularly fun.
@Josh B regarding the lack of baby-​friendly amenities: sorry, but I agree with the owner on this one. A business doesn’t have to have all of the baby amenities to be kid friendly, especially a place that primarily sells booze. I think 16 Tons is very kid friendly. I think you’ve grown accustomed to other breweries that cater to parents which I find to be out of the norm. Full blown toy areas and games galore. I think it’s a strange phenomenon to see bars cater to little kids so much. I am not saying that they should kick kids out, I am just saying that babies don’t really need this stuff. Parents think they do, but honestly what do you really need to care for a child? Not much. I get it, I have a 3 year old and it is easier to have a changing table and high chairs. But you can’t go around giving bad reviews to bars for not having these things.

Living in South Eugene 16 Tons is my go to for a good grilled sandwich to go and a quick beer! I come in late night often, and was surprised to find a huge crowd filling the room on a Wednesday night! They host trivia, and although I was too late to participate, it looked like a blast and I will be back!
They also carry some of the most amazing coffee, and crepes for your morning fix!

I’ve been here a few times, and so far so good. Love the selection of beers on tap, and more importantly they host a weekly trivia night. So if you need a weekday excursion, not a bad place to go.
The space is fairly spacious for how small it might seem, and the patio area is fabulous when the warm weather gets going. Nestled between Market of Choice, Pegasus Pizza and Laughing planet you really can’t go wrong. They have a limited amount of food on the menu but seem to be okay with outside food… please don’t quote me on that.
16 Tons seem to host a number of events including the Cheese Wars which I am more than sad that I could not get ahold of tickets for. They play host to a number of beers on tap, such as: NInkasi, Sierra Nevada, Breakside, Lagunitas, Oakshire, Archrock, and Silver Moon Maui, to name a few.
Also: Every Tuesday starting February 10^th at 16 Tons Taphouse, we will be tapping a keg of a rare barrel-​aged or other uncommon beer. Don’t miss out!

Good coffee, good breakfast crepes (especially for the cheap price), who knew? This place is not all beer. I am definitely coming back!

There are so many places in eugene to eat and drink that I feel are way better than this place. The cider I wanted was tapped out and the staff had no interest to change it or even let me know that they are officially out out. Like others before me mentioned, the food is not impressive. Staff was meh. This is my experience in the month of aug. 2014

It’s been a little while since I’ve been here but they have (or had maybe? I think they still do) nice trivia on Weds but it gets full very quickly so go earlier (like 6/6:30). Their crepes are yummy and they generally have great beers on tap. I would recommend asking for a taste first as I’ve had a few incidents where I ordered one that was probably there for too long and had gone flat. They also have a nice German sausage and a good snack selection. I also appreciate the coffee and beer aspect — it’s nice to have the options.

I’m surprised at these tepid reviews; I’ve always enjoyed a rotating tap of new and old familiar brews on hand for growler fill or pint. Isn’t that the fun of drinking craft beer?!
As to the cleanliness, I’ve not once seen trash or dirty glasses lying about. Both locales seem perfectly clean to me, from the bathroom to the tables and bar area. Nice coffee selection (although I’m partial to another spot in town) and service is about average for beer snobbery. They know their stuff and aren’t afraid to tell you otherwise. I can appreciate that. I enjoy the members discounts, specials from time to time, and of course, the best trivia night in Eugene!
Will I be back? Absolutely. Could they keep a more diverse tap selection? Sure. I’d like to see some more nightly events (dare I say a card night?), then we’re talking 5 stars!