Belly

My oysters did not taste fresh at all… Almost rotten actually, everything that came out seemed very mediocre and for a fine dining experience I just expected more

«return to belly 2.0»
after seeing that our favorite restaurant in Eugene changed owners, we decided to wait before trying it again. we did this weekend, and we couldn’t be happier about it!
we ordered drinks (wine and cocktail respectively) and the charcuterie plate, to start with, and the plate was incredible! their assortment of cured meat is great, the portion large, and a couple things were really world class, namely the duck liver mousse and the lamb meatball (it was like being back in Greece!!!)
for mains I got the pork chop with spatzle and my wife got the pasta ai funghi, and both were just perfect, with the pappardelle so thin that they melted in your mouth, and the sauce that wasn’t overpowering!
we were shown the dessert menu but we were both too full at that point! we’ll have to go back just for that!
prices are absolutely reasonable for the quality of food, compared to similar places in Eugene, so what are you waiting for?

Very nice atmosphere. Had a very diverse menu with lots of options and great cocktails. I was not overly impressed with the food. It was good, but nothing we had was to die for. We will be back to try some of the other great looking items on the menu.

Came with a party of six. We try new places about once a month.
Starters– the bacon wrapped dates were amazing, cheese plate was good, olives were quite unique with a fish flavor and an amazing sauce.
Here is how we rated Belly:
Everything was under $ 20.
10 — Smoked Chicken was AMAZing, moist, lite smoke flavor, and WOWingly tender!
10 — Pork Chop had an amazing sauce, 1inch thick, tender and moist.
9– Duck, sausage, Pork Belly Casserole. Duck was amazingly tender and moist with a nice game flavor.
8– Pasta was quite good though I thought it was a little under cooked or was sitting while the other dishes were finishing.
7– Beef Spare Ribs were well flavored with a Nice sauce but I thought there they were tough. Could have been a an oddity.

Took beloved bride for a romantic dinner last night to Belly. We’ve lived in Springfield/​Eugene for 3 ½ years and somehow this one fell off of our radar. Last night was eye-​opening. We did as many couples do… split dishes so that we can try more items. We ordered Gougères (gruyère and parmesan bread puffs), the beet salad, bread and butter, the soup (tomato) and papadelle ai fuhngi. Each dish was a stand-​out on its own. Most notably for both of us was the beet salad, which is a usual item for us to order… but this was exceptional. Perfectly dressed, with beets that were local and cooked to done without being over cooked. The papadelle was complemented by the perfect saucing and wide peels of cheese. We offset this with a glass of chardonnay for beloved bride and an Anchor Steam (from my beloved San Francisco).
We added in dessert — an Earl Grey tea infused crème brûlée. Fabulous! Of special note was our waitress Teresa. She was kind, gracious and offered us a lot of information about the dishes and we even got to discuss the competition and exchange notes. The service was excellent, the food was absolutely top-​notch and we will return as new converts. In all– a fantastic night!

Belly is a swanky little spot in the heart of downtown. Cool atmosphere and good drinks. Their appetizers are a great way to fill up. They are diverse and very appealing, with unique ingredient combos that make it fun to try without breaking the bank. Their entrées however are expensive and hard to commit to one. Small variety of mediocre choices. I’ve been there over 10 times and always leave with a buzz and a full belly even without ever ordering the entrée. I recommend the pork confit app!

My $ 8 beet salad was not worth $ 8. The waitress treated me as if I didn’t have the money to pay. She felt the need to ask how I was paying for the salad and the tea before serving me. Wow! I will never go there again.

We were looking for a place with good nibbles and local beer. We walked by Belly and its atmosphere and smells drew us in right away. We were greater right away and we’re able to choose a seat of our liking. The timing on service was impeccable. I have rarely gotten this good of service anywhere else between Anchorage Alaska and Eugene. Even Seattle places don’t match up. Then there was the food. A cheese plate with the best blue cheese I had ever tasted. A local from Rogue creamery that hit a minimum of 5 notes on the palate. There was an extra soft cream cheese from France that was a cross between Irish butter and brie. The third was a parm style that was hard and heady. They were served with quince paste, fig jam, hazel nuts and smoked honey. The spinach salad with quail egg was light and refreshing in both flavor and texture. We had a few local beers and they were all fabtastic. Crisp, complex and served quickly. It took a while to get our check, thus the four stars but it eventually came tucked in the pages of an H G Wells novel. Charming idea and overall, a fantastic place for a date or fun social occasion.

I am not sure why there are so many negative reviews of Belly recently. We had always been patrons of Belly when Brendan Mahaney was the chef and owner and we were not at all disappointed in our visit tonight under the new owners. The menu is very much the same (French country /​comfort food) and the dishes are presented with a very upscale flare. We started off with the Shrimp appetizer with bacon, Manchego cheese and smoked paprika over a bed of kale and the special Scallop appetizer which had the most amazing green mystery sauce I’ve ever had. The scallops were cooked perfectly!
Our entrees were the Pasta ai Funghi with fresh pappardelle, wild mushrooms, sherry cream, sheep’s milk gouda, and truffle oil — the smoked chicken with kale, mashed potato, and herb jus AND the Belly Burger: Knee Deep Sirloin, pork belly, manchego, arugula, lemon aioli, brioche, and duck fat frites which was cooked perfectly medium rare and the duck fat frites were amazing!!!
And for dessert, make sure you save room for the Cardamom pear crisp, sea salt ice cream, with cinnamon sauce. It was the perfect ending to a fantastic dinner experience!
Our server was also very friendly — I think his name was Peter!

Soooo disappointed, was excited to try this place. The décor seems dusty and trying to look chic. We were ignored for a good 20 minutes after being seated. Our server even walked past us and didn’t look at us. When she finally came to the table she was nice, but it was just a weird experience. Won’t go back.

Service was super slow. We waited forever between courses and had a lackluster server. He didn’t seem interested in engaging with us and we felt like just another table. I had salmon risotto and my partner had the steak frites. The food was ok, and portions were fine, but I felt that it was a bit overpriced. It was our first time, and I can’t say we’ll return. I’m a full time student and I work full time. When I go out to eat I expect to have a more personal dining experience with exceptional food because my money is valuable. The many «best of Eugene» awards plastered to the door lured us in, but the experience overall left more to be desired. Bummer.

Was looking forward to trying what looked to be a promising dining experience (based on it’s location, rewards on the door, and lovely looking bar). The food wasn’t terrible, but it was way overpriced, the cocktails were a swing and miss, and the service was laughably abysmal. I walked out of there with major diner’s remorse. With Eugene’s wide array of excellent places to eat, this is not a place I would recommend to anyone, nor will I be returning. Too bad.

Food is good. Wide variety of alcohol as well as cocktails made by the bartenders. Definitely worth checking out. Staff is super nice as well.

I have dined at Belly several times (3 times now for dinner and once for lunch). We enjoyed all of our experiences until this last dinner experience. It breaks my heart to have to write a review that is disappointing but it feels like a bubble has been burst.
The pluses that have kept us coming back is the seasonal menu w/​local organic ingredients and the creativity of the kitchen staff. We enjoyed lunch recently where my partner ordered a pork belly sandwich which was «to die for». Extremely good sandwich. The beers/​wine and mixed drinks are very good and creative cocktails. The prices are very good for the creativity/​local sourcing/​mostly organic ingredients.
The minuses happened at our last dinner experience. We went on X-​Mas Eve when we found out that they were open for dinner. It was an especially special night for us since it was our 7 year anniversary and I shared that with the gentleman at the host station when we arrived. He wished us a happy anniversary and sat us down at a two top next to the front window. Our waitress was Gina and she came right over and poured water and took our drink order. We received our yummy hot apple cider w/​bourbon drink and ordered a full order (27.00) of oysters on the half shell. They arrived and the mignonette sauce was very dull tasting. The oysters were very clean (which is a plus) and were ok on their own but needed a kick of something. I asked Gina if there were a cocktail sauce I could have to dip the oysters in. She came back and said that they didn’t have any but would see if they could make something for me. She brought back a small dish of ketchup and some hot sauce. If only there was horseradish instead of hot sauce the cocktail sauce would have worked. Ok.
We ordered our dinners: my partner had ordered the only special item they had to offer which was a salmon w/​spinach and rice. I ordered short ribs w/​sweet potato gnocchi. The dishes came promptly. I was pretty disappointed w/​my short ribs. Not sure why gnocchi was accompying an item that really works well w/​a creamy starch like polenta or potatoes, but the plate just looked rather sparse. My partner’s salmon tasted ok, however it looked mysteriously white. We asked what kind of salmon it was. She said either Alaskan or Atlantic salmon. huh? This is not the kind of meal we have enjoyed in the past.
We were asked if we’d like to see a dessert menu. We accepted. Not one item on the menu had chocolate as an option so we passed. I was really put off by our service. This is sadly our last time eating at Belly. Maybe we should have noticed too few people in the restaurant this evening. I just figured it was because of a slowing economy, but now I think something else is going on.
Last anniversary we dined at Rye. Next year we hope to repeat our special occasion back at Rye.

My partner’s smoked rib eye was not acceptable, tough cut of meat prepared well but that does not make it easy to chew; too expensive for this shortcoming. Mine was the salmon & it was excellent. Ambience great but we will not be back. Not taking a chance on the meat again. Not a great value.

Really nice and chill restaurant, more about drinks than food… felt kind of like Silver Lake in Los Angeles, very hipster, croquettes are awesome!

*Update: beware of posting negative reviews. The restaurants employees will come after you on Unilocal!
This is an obituary more than a restaurant review.
I went to belly this weekend and was sorely disappoint in what I had found. The restaurant has been sold and is now under the control of owners that is steering this restaurant from a former Tartine-​esque, James beard nominated chef owned shop to a Costco bought Asian fusion sham.
At first glance I assumed I was again seated in an old favorite eccentric place. At first glance of the menu I was shocked to see the immediate and abrupt departure from the world of scotch eggs, charcuterie, and seasonal goodies to egg rolls, gyoza and sushi. I was shocked but intrigued. After realizing there was literally none of the old staff whom I was familiar with, I asked my new server what was up.
The short– the restaurant was abruptly sold, everyone walked out or was fired and now the recipes that have been bought are hacked and the appetizers are store bought from Costco.
Goodbye Belly, we loved you and you will be missed.
As a side note– Belly Taqueria is still alive and well.

We have been here a couple of times now that the ownership has changed. The previous incarnation seemed to run hot and cold, with very busy weekends and very quiet weekdays. Food was usually good but pricey, and delivered in small portions. The new owner is opening the place for lunch and somewhat downscaling the menu, offering fewer options but at lower prices to bring in more business. I think it’s working.
DLW and I stopped for a Saturday lunch, and a couple of weeks later for a dinner with business associates. They still offer cool cocktails and a nice, but fairly limited, beer list. The usual menu has a half-​dozen small plates and a like number of entrees. Understand that you won’t be bellying up to the trough when you eat here. Huge portions are not on the agenda. Still we all had enough, and flavors are all on point.
It’s still on the high side for pricing, but not out of line for the experience. Put it on the list of «nice» places in town.

The food is phenomenal, but I have yet to experience service that does not entirely ruin the evening. My partner and I have been four times. Our first occasion was excellent; we were seated promptly, served quickly, and the food inspired us to try new things at home. However, on every occasion since then, we have had to wait at least fifteen minutes before ordering (once was understandable, when the restaurant was packed, but the other two times were sparse, on evenings in the middle of the week). The wait for food was long enough that we began checking our watches. Again, the food was excellent, of course, but then there was a 20+ minute gap between when our plates were cleared and a check came. On every occasion, we felt uncomfortable, and twice had to ask for it.
Again, I couldn’t recommend the food more, but the service has consistently ruined the experience for us. It may be difficult for you to leave in under two hours, even if there’s just two of you!

Good food and drinks. This restaurant reminds me a lot of what’s going on in Portland and San Francisco. There’s not enough places like this in Eugene.
The staff are always friendly, knowledgable, and quick. The bartender that works weekends always makes killer cocktails.
There needs to be more restaurants like this in Eugene. It’s a perfect spot for a date or to entertain out of towners.