In our Dining Reports, we share a firsthand perspective of a recent restaurant visit, covering everything from the vibe to must-get dishes. See more in the Eater app.
Chef Isaiah Martinez’s Yardy Rum Bar was Eugene’s most exciting opening of 2024. With more space than its former food cart, Martinez can play a bit more with the menu, which leans heavily on local ingredients to highlight Caribbean flavors.
- The crispy pan-fried chicken ($16 for three pieces) is the best in Eugene, if not the state. The skin is slightly spiced with a tender, juicy interior. Start with one or two orders depending on the size of the group (each basket comes with three pieces of chicken), and build around it with seasonally changing additions like pickle plates ($6), chunky potato salad with Creole seasonings, and rum raisin ice cream for dessert.
- Don’t miss the turmeric doubles ($7) topped with a sinus-clearing melange of chickpea curry and chutney.
- Mauby ($6) is a nonalcoholic soda with a punchy, spiced — almost medicinal — flavor that’s really in a class of its own.
- The sorrel punch ($10) blends sorrel, a bright and floral hibiscus beverage with spiced notes of cinnamon and allspice, with a hit of rum.
Like most restaurants in Eugene, Yardy is a come-as-you-are type of place. The intimate space, which offers two levels of indoor seating and a dreamy covered patio area within a residential house-turned-restaurant. Order at the counter as you walk in, or through a QR code matched to each table…