Party Downtown

Sadly, my experience was not what I had hoped for. It was clean and our service was fine, but I had some issues with the food and atmosphere. To start, the place is oddly layed out. It’s not entirely their fault since they share a building with Red Wagon, but it is very rectangular and all the tables are evenly layed out. It feels cold in there and the bar may as well be its own establishment since it isn’t even connected. We asked our server what he recommended for appetizers and he said the dates so we got those. After waiting awhile they bring out the date. Literally they brought out 2 tiny dates. When you are starving a restaurant gives you 1 date it is a slap in the face. I mean at least bring out a couple more so we each could have 2. Now I’m even hungrier and have to wait. Next comes the burger that we both ordered. The burger comes with fries but they aren’t fries. They are these little stringy things that you kind of have to eat with a fork or with your hands. Whatever is less awkward. To go with the fries is banana ketchup which is really just banana mush. We asked if they have regular ketchup and they do not carry regular ketchup which is weird. Now for the burger. It was juicy but the multigrain bun made no sense and the burger was pretty small. It was honestly a hipster meal. I was a little disappointed and although I wanted to like it, it fell way short.

Don’t let the low prices and understated ambience fool you. Party Downtown is a top-​notch restaurant. When my wife and I visited Eugene about a week ago, we wandered in for a late lunch. What a delightful surprise! Extraordinary flavors, delicate and nuanced. Every bite is worth savoring and the wine choices are superb. Restaurant dining simply doesn’t get any better than this. Five stars for top quality at budget prices.

I’ve heard rave reviews over this restaurant, however I wasn’t blown away by any means. Its got a strange ambiance about it and the food was a little on the salty side of things for me and didn’t quite fit the description that was provided on the menu. Their specials are great and its got great potential. There’s definitely a hipster thing happening here and I love that they use local and organic foods as much as possible if not always.

One of the best dinners I’ve ever had! Was there with a large group and tried the $ 30/​person 10 course small plate meal and it was more than worth the money!!!
Was able to try almost everything they offered and it was all delicious and a fun new way to experience dinner with friends and family!

This place is very nicely done for the small space. They have done a good job with their layout for tables without feeling too cramped. I was here for a round of birthday cocktails and appetizers with friends on a Saturday night. I am on a hunt for a great sazerac. Theirs was very good. I’m looking forward to trying more of their house cocktails since their cocktail menu had a lot of intriguing items. We split the gnocchi tots and the son in law egg. The dishes were fine, nothing spectacular. I hear their pickled items are great so I will try those next. We were helped by four different servers which was rather strange. They were all nice and helpful, but things tended to get lost in communication. One of us ordered a scotch, neat, that took about 15 – 20 minutes to arrive while all the other cocktails and appetizers were served promptly. We kept having different servers come over and talk to us about this scotch, but even with all hands on deck for this drink, it still took them that long to actually poor it into a glass and bring it to the table. Overall it’s a nice place that I look forward to going to again for drinks, just not scotch.

Tonight was just bizarre. We showed up at 8:30 and were reluctantly seated as they close at 9, but we were super down to eat dinner at a snappy pace. The entire evening I felt uncomfortably rushed, but at the same time the servers (multiple shared serving us) were very lackadaisical and unengaged. They were busy putting up chairs in other parts of the restaurant instead of asking how my food tasted. We started with the beet salad and it was very tasty. Nice balance of flavor and the crispy shredded beets were a nice touch. The gnocchi tots were alright, but something I could definitely make at home. The varying size of the tots was encouraging though, makes me think they were made in house! Continuing on, the buffalo mushrooms were a unique take. I was satisfied. Lastly was the burger. Cool effect on the potatoes, but our servers snagged our silverware so we dealt with broken pieces all up in the dipping sauces. As for the burger, the beef was definitely the star. Flavorful, moist and cooked just how we wanted– medium rare. But the white cheddar was undetectable and I was really hoping it would take a prominent stance in the burgers flavor profile. I can tell Party Downtown has got it going on, I’ve heard rave reviews but I just felt very unsatisfied tonight. I’ll give it another go sometime.

Mark and Tiffany not only know good food but are amazing people to boot. This little restaurant is a hidden gem and anyone that loves to try new and exciting food should definitely check them out. From refined pallets to people that just love food, this is where it’s at!

I wanted to like it.
My Smoke Break drink was good, unique, and flavorful.
Beet salad was nice with blue cheese not overwhelming and had a delicate crunch… very good.
My hamburger just failed. I wasn’t impressed by its presentation. The only color was a flag poked into my bun. The bun itself so dry. Also cut crooked so bottom was maybe ¼ to ½ thick on a slope. It was so soggy soaked with grease. Even so it still could have been good when I tried it. But it was not. It was just salty. The only flavor was salt. I like white cheddar but it didn’t really read in the flavor. It was like eating a large grainy dry top bun, with a thick salt burger, and a soggy bottom bun. No good flavor though. It needs some love to help it out! Some veggies of color on the side could be one choice. Possibly cut salt from recipe if topped with white cheddar. Cut the bun more evenly so not to accentuate the grainy dryness. Dry off bottom of burger before ruining bottom bun!
Within walking distance there are 4 restaurants serving burgers.
Ps. Fries were great!!!
Please!!!
Sincerely,
New customer

It’s pretty simple: If you like creative cuisine, made from honest, good and local ingredients, and you don’t require a formal atmosphere, Party is hands-​down the best restaurant in town. Always exciting, always new, always delicious.
Cocktails are excellent as well. The wine list is small-​ish and OK — if you’re a real vinophile, you might want to bring your own bottle. Excellent prices though!
Overall, you just can’t go wrong with Party, unless you have to impress your date with how much money you have (in which case, they probably don’t want you there, anyway) :)

Ok, so I’ve been here twice now and think I can go ahead and give them 5 stars (I usually try to wait until the third time, but what the heck!). The first time we came to Party Downtown we ordered the Kitchen’s Choice which is a steal at $ 30/​person ($ 25 extra for drinks, which we did… duh). It was a great variety of small plates and at least one larger plate (I think). This was a while ago, so I can’t really recall all of the items exactly, but there was a wonderful salad, some gnocchi tots, a beef dish, something chicken I think and an amazing little dessert sampler plate (although I remember the brownie being kind of sad – it was so hard I accidentally flung it off the plate trying to cut it), PLUS an apéritif, 2 cocktails and wine. More recently we stopped back in for a very quick dinner and shared some gnocchi tots again, which are really good and the dipping sauces are really unique – the white BBQ sauce has a really interesting flavor and the apple ketchup has the perfect amount of sweetness without being weird. We also got the son in law egg which was quite good, very lightly battered and fried so the outside gets just a light skin of crunchy goodness. The Jamaican jerk spiced sweet potatoes were the highlight of the meal, they were creamy and the flavor was indescribable – slightly spicy, slightly sweet, the texture was sublime – they just melted in my mouth like butter! I had never had poached sweet potatoes but now I’m itching to make them at home, so good! On top of that we also had their party pickle plate which had some hits – carrots, beets, asparagus, mushrooms – but a couple that weren’t really my style – green strawberries (the texture was too weird for me) and chard stems (too bland). This is another great Eugene eatery that focuses on seasonal, local food, so the menu changes weekly. I also have to mention that the staff is so friendly and professional, and I absolutely love the décor and ambiance. The first time we came we sat in the bar which is cozy and romantic and decorated with warm tones and a lot of copper; the main dining room has a very naturalist vibe with lots of dried plants, wood and other natural décor. Basically it looks like my dream kitchen, and speaking of the kitchen, theirs is open so you can see what’s going on. I love this place, it’s one of my new faves.

Five stars seems sorely insufficient!
The saga continues with a chanterelle stuffed sweet potato with house made goats milk mozzarella. I have yet to order a menu item that is not drool worthy.
I have to give a shout out to Thor (in Thor’s Velvet Room, aka, the bar) who managed to remember me even though this is only the second time I’ve been in within the last six months. Props man, props!

The ever-​changing menu is always creative, and they use fresh, locally-​sourced ingredients. Presentation of plates is very nice, and the Red Wagon Creamery adjoining is an added bonus.
That being said, I haven’t been here often enough to appreciate the good food, and should give it another chance. It’s been a while (about a year) but the service was pretty bad both times — once I got the wrong order and another time the server forgot to take it when I was sitting at the end of a large table. It WAS busy, but it didn’t feel worth it to pay those prices and get subpar service. I’d rather have Party Cart prices and expectations.

After reading the reviews I expected much more. It was a warm Friday evening but the place was only ²⁄₃ full while the creamery had a line out the door. The fried gnocci had a crispy coating & was perfectly cooked but was way too salty. The burger was very rare, tasteless & the bun disintegrated. Never tasted the cheese. Potato chips were great, the best I’ve had. No complaints on the service & the décor was very pretty. We won’t be back.

Party Downtown has become our «go to» place for a grown-​up evening, date night, friends, whatever. Its delicious every time! Of all our visits, we’ve only disliked one drink and they promptly made us something else. The staff is knowledgable, and friendly. Just the right amount of service to make sure you’re happy.
I can’t imagine ordering anything but the «kitchens choice». It’s an adventure and i love not thinking about choosing my food. I just know that my taste buds will be happy with whatever they bring.
Bön appetite!

4* Party Downtown
55 W. Broadway
Eclectic menu
Casual atmosphere
Loved the tomato apple gnocchi
The goat chop was tasty
The burger with bacon was superb
Friendly food service by Brandon

I don’t get to come here nearly as often as I would like, sadly, but each return visit shows me that the folks at Party are on a great course. The place just keeps getting better, and while I miss character of the rotating chalk menu, they didn’t lose a thing in moving to the printed menu format. (and, frankly, it makes deciding on an order that much easier /​less awkward).
The food here is rich and the flavors are strong. It’s comfort food, without being too heavy. Perfect for the name. It really is a party IN YOUR MOUTH. The serving sizes are perfect for this type of dining experience. It’s easy to share with friends, or to gorge selfishly on a plate that is not so big as to fill you up before your next delicious plate arrives (and you should order as much as possible or do the chef’s tasting/​choice menu). Local, good value, very friendly service, pleasant atmosphere, great cocktails. All the superlatives are belong to them.

Typically when I go out to eat, I’m accompanied by my mother now in her 70s, and my teen, and I’m in my 40s. The trick is always finding a restaurant where we all like the food.
Party Downtown has delivered and then some!
We have enjoyed the ever changing menu, the casual décor, and the fact that Red Wagon Ice Cream is just on the other side.
If you are looking for gigantic mass quantities of food, this would likely be a challenging restaurant for you to visit. If you are looking for appropriately sized portions of extremely tasty food, this is the place. What I found most interesting, as I tend to be a very ahem hearty eater – truly flavorful food fills me up quickly. That’s exactly what happens when I eat at Party Downtown.

Dining should be fun and Party has a great reasonably priced menu that is great tasting and great fun. With a trip to Eugene.

So happy to have found this place since moving to Eugene from Southern California. Not gonna waste time talking about how off-​base the negative reviews are. Experienced Unilocalers know that Unilocal draws a certain group of people who are never gonna be happy with anything. It seems that several of them are represented on this page.
So! I have had several dinners at Party Downtown. I have always found the service to be professional while living up to their fun name. Party! I’ve also eaten some of the most surprising flavor combinations and have only been disappointed once – when a cauliflower dish was a little too salty.
It’s my understanding that this business started as a food cart that specialized in lunches. That would be my one change – they currently are not open for lunch. Their casual sort of Euro décor would lend itself well to a hearty but simple «peasant lunch» of soup and bread for the winter. I would be there every day, if such a thing existed.
If you’re looking for food that will impress out of town foodie guests, or you just want to know that the source of you food is local and organic, this place should be your go-​to. It’s definitely mine.

Um. Omg. Hands down, the pour over style service of Wandering Goat coffee is the highlight. I haven’t had coffee that good in *years*, people! Then add to it the holy-​ish delicious breakfast casserole (what I personally ordered) and omfg it was a food-​gasm. It’s difficult to describe the extraordinary flavors of the food. Just trust me, try it *all* for yourself.
Congratulations, Eugene, you’ve *finally* risen to culinary standards of larger metropolises like Portland or Seattle. Now if you could open another dozen places as excellent as this, I might move back to you…

Until this week I had never heard of Party Downtown (or Party Cart) but one of my friends posted something on facebook about it this week and urged everyone to try it out. So last night, my Husband and I did just that.
We walked in through the Ice Cream parlor entrance and first came to the adorable tiny bar area. We noticed it had a couple open tables there but proceeded to the Main dining room. It was very full (and therefore very noisy) so we decided to head back to the bar area since it was date night for us and we wanted a bit more of an intimate setting. The bar area was perfect for that.
We actually didn’t realize that you are supposed to order your food at the counter or get your own utensils or water like other reviewers had said. A waiter came over and did say that the full menu was at the front dining area but we knew that we didn’t even need to look at it because we wanted to try to Kitchen’s Choice. He put in the order and brought us water and utensils. So maybe that had changed or maybe it is different in the bar vs. the dining room?
The bartender came over to take our drink order and we decided to keep the theme of letting them choose what we would be receiving. He made me a bourbon drink, a Scofflaw, which was so delicious. I’m not gonna lie, I had three of them they were so good. My Husband enjoyed his Vodka drink as well. I will say that the drink size was very small and normally I’d have quite the buzz after three, but I didn’t. They were really good though. And the bartender was very attentive and knowledgeable.
We went with the $ 30 per person Kitchen’s Choice (they also have a $ 20 option that offers less plates). I’ll try to list them all. It was about 12 dishes in all.
I was a little scared to have the kitchen decide what I would be eating because I am normally a very picky eater and really don’t consider ourselves to be big ‘foodies’. They did ask if we had any food allegories or dietary restrictions so they could adjust as needed. Despite my fears, I was very pleasantly surprised that I ate nearly everything that was served. Our server was very good about explaining everything that was on the plate. (I had not tried many of the things served and was glad that they explained what things were even though I didn’t retain most of the information)
1) We started off with a lamb & vegetable dish. It has all sorts of tiny vegetables, some of which I had no idea what they were but they were all delicious. It was actually probably my favorite dish of the night.
2) Next we had the Gnocchi tot breakfast casserole. This was actually the first time I have ever had Gnocchi and this dish was so good. I want to go back for Brunch for this dish.
3) Then was a Kale salad which they explained should have been served first but we didn’t mind the order. My Husband loved this one but I wasn’t a huge fan. Just my preference though.
4) Then they served us deep fried hard boiled eggs. I am thinking those must be called the Son-​In-​Law eggs on their menu and these little things are SO good. Get them.
5) Then we had some little biscuit sliders with rabbit Canadian bacon and cheese. Those were really good as well.
6) Next we were served Charred asparagus on a sesame toast. This was good. Nothing too spectacular, but good.
7) Then we received the Goat slides and these were amazing. Slightly spicy. Full of flavor. I would order these again for sure.
8) Next it was the purple sprouting broccoli with chili garlic. These were also very good but hard to cut and eat so it was a little messy.
9) Then we received my least favorite dish of the night. The Duck Confit Pappardelle. This was a spicy but very salty noddle dish with Bok Choy and a mint chili sauce. To me it was pretty spicy but also so salty that I really didn’t taste much else. The Duck was very tough (jerky-​like). Just not my cup of tea.
10) Lastly we received the Braised Rabbit leg with wild rice and lentils. This dish was ok. I am not a fan of lentils. I wouldn’t order this dish again but I didn’t mind having it in the overall dinner experience.
11) and 12) were two different desserts. We received chocolate chip cookies with some sort of creamy spread on them. Those were so good and I wanted to order more. Just one cookie each wasn’t enough. The next dessert was a lemon custard. It was good. Not something I would order again, but good. My husband really liked it though.
Our bill totaled $ 98 for the two of us which is more than we normally spend on an average night of dining out. Which unfortunately means that it won’t be one that we get to dine at as frequently as we do other places, but we will get to look forward to going for the occasion date night. We do often have clients who come from other States/​Countries and I think it will be a good place to take them for business dinners.
I will definitely recommend this place to friends.

Saturday mornings always present an agonizing «first-​world problems» mental trial about where to brunch. This past Saturday, as I lay in bed moaning with hunger & abject sadness («Why is Addi’s so far away? Where is bacon when you need it?»), a hopeful thought popped into my head– «Wait– didn’t Party Downtown recently open their new location? You think they’re open for brunch?»
AND INDEED THEY WERE.
I enjoyed a wonderful wild rice «congee» with smoky shredded grilled pork, garlic, and soft boiled egg. The «son in law» egg was equally yummy and thought-​provoking: it was hardboiled, fried & served with crispy shallots, rhubarb sauce and fresh cilantro. The «biscuits & (turkey porcini) gravy» came with a mouthgasmy turkey leg confit that was prepared & fried to ridiculous perfection.
My coffee came in ware that would make avid Pinteresters’ minds explode with adoration (see picture) and the overall décor of the restaurant was correspondingly eye-​pleasing. Raw copper, silver, turquoise & wood tones are beguilingly found in all the restaurant’s little details– recycled water glasses & tiny vases, mason jars, copper pitchers, ceramic turquoise sconces, old polished silverware & a be-​pennied bathroom floor add a certain vintage charm that is hard to pull off IRL.
It’s an added bonus that after your meal, you can walk straight back to Red Wagon Creamery (which I did & you will do as well) & enjoy a cone in more vintage style.
In fact, I enjoyed brunch so much that a few hours later, I came back for dinner. (Don’t judge me.) Dinner– which consisted of housemade bread & butter, Ling cod with pickled rhubarb, braised greens and fried corn cakes, a perfectly executed pot-​au-​feu (Kimchi braised beef with parsnips and radish and scallions), shrimp salad with wild watercress on brioche (I would eat this forever), and an inexplicably mouthwatering Filipino sausage with wild ‘dirty rice’– was just as good as brunch, though I’m more partial to the prices & sense of well-​being (mostly from rolling out of bed and into Party Downtown) that I derived from brunch.
Aside from PD’s allegiance to sourcing organic & locally (and keeping the menu interesting in a groundbreaking ‘big-​city’ way), it also consistently achieves this great contrast of flavors in all its dishes– every other bite yields some yin-​yang harmony of savory, sweet, acidic, full, fresh & floral flavor. This is magic. This is downtown revitalization. This is why I’m going to live in Eugene forever. (Sigh…)
Anyway, TL;DR. I’m so glad the Party Cart has an official indoor dining space. Makes me so much more willing to make it rain for food. =) Thanks, Tiffany & Mark!
Bottom Line: PARTY.