Ninkasi's Better Living Room in Eugene is an awesome local find!
Ninkasi has always been one of my favorite Oregon Breweries, so on my last trip to Eugene I had some extra time and thought I would stop by the brewery and check it out. To my surprise Ninkasi has put together what they call the "Ninkasi Better Living Room" right next to the brewery and it is an awesome place to enjoy some of their beers and food. Here is how they describe it on their website:
The Ninkasi Better Living Room is a restaurant and gathering space to celebrate beer, food, art, and community. Our kitchen celebrates locally sourced food and flavors of the region while complementing the unique flavors craft beer drinkers enjoy. Plus, our expanded bar provides more taps to share our unique and innovative small-batch beers brewed on our 5-barrel Pilot Brewery.
From the minute I walked it I felt right at home. Couches, loveseats an comfy chairs were situated around brewing equipment, in this warehouse style building. As I walked further in I found the bar with ample seating that led to an outside courtyard with more seating. Since it was a beautiful September day in the Pacific NW, I decided to grab a table in the courtyard.
The Ninkasi Better Living Room has seating for any mood!
They have are great online ordering system, so after a brief conversation with my waitress I was able to order everything on my phone. Once I ordered it, almost immediately one of several very cool servers would magically appear at my table with my order. I know many places are struggling to find help these days, but not here. I must say that the service was absolutely outstanding.
As I was looking through the menu, the guys at the table next to me said "Get the Burger - No Question" so I took their advise and ordered the The Better Burger with bacon. I also ordered a Pilot Batch 96 Hoppy Amber to go with it. Turns out they gave me great advise, the "Better Burger" was absolutely amazing and the beer was fantastic!! A perfect choice for this cool fall afternoon.
The "Better Burger" with one of Ninkasi's Small Batch Beers available at the Better Living Room.
I finished the burger, but I could not leave without having one of my all time favorite beers - Ninkasi Total Domination IPA - so I ordered one on my phone, and and added an some of their house made Potato Chips & Dip to go along with it.
Total Domination IPA with Chips and Dip - AMAZING!
A few minutes later, another happy server delivered the beer and chips to my table. The beer of course was great, and the chips and dip were absolutely fantastic. The charred onion dip was crazy good! I will definitely order this as an appetizer next time I drop by and I would highly recommend you do the same!
Be sure to put this on your list of great local places to visit next time you are in Eugene.
Thanks for reading
Bill