The appetizers were great, including the oysters, Brussels sprouts, and scallops. The mushroom tart and drinks were also very good. However, I ordered the steak frites medium rare, and they were delivered well done. In my opinion that’s unacceptable for a French restaurant at this price point. The flavor was good, but I’ve never had a well done steak when ordering medium rare before. The disappointing thing was I could tell from just looking at them they were overcooked, I’m certain the chef and waitstaff knew as well; and I’m disappointed they didn’t correct their own mistake. Also we had a reservation and they seated us in table right behind the door… not terrible but not great. Overall there are better options in Eugene.
Taylor Stanley
We’ve been to the establishment twice now, and both times enjoyed it. The pros for us is the menu options, which are a step beyond what you can find elsewhere in our area. The mocktail menu could also be considered larger than other establishments. The service and atmosphere is wonderful. I read on a previous review that someone hated their two person table behind the front door. This is where we sat last night and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. I would say the only con is, I haven’t tried anything that has blown my mind. I typically have a favorite dish at my favorite restaurants, but I haven’t had something from here that I’m dying to eat again. However, we will be back to explore more of the menu options and to enjoy the ambiance.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Mike Jackson
Tldr: Bar Purlieu did the difficult things amazingly well, but the easier essential things slipped. Marche restaurant still wins crown for best local French haute cuisine in our experience.
Eugene Weekly had an announcement Feb '25 that Trevor Rivera recently took over as head chef at longstanding Purlieu. There appeared to be a turn around in recent reviews lauding the change from a slow decline over last few years.
Saturday evening reservation on advance for two landed us a quick seating by hostess upon arrival, but then a wait before waiting staff helped with drinks or food order. The lighting level throughout was dimmer than appropriate, and we saw diners in the booths repeatedly use phone flashlights to read menus.
Charcuterie Board was excellent with wonderful selection of liver pate and other "better than just salami and brie" fare. No notes, recommended.
Potted Foie gras was diluted severely with sauce where end dish was little different from a always delicious garlic butter toast.
Similarly, the Escargot, though tender, had none of the subtle snail flavor that aficionados seek. They were served WITHOUT shells, rising questions about freshness.
The seared scallops were cooked so perfectly with a caramelized crust like a campfire smore marshmallow, while still being tender medium rare in the center. Impressive. The sauce though was overly salty and took away from seared masterpiece.
The mushroom tart, lauded in reviews as Bar Purlieu's unique specialty, is better described as a "Biscuit and Gravy". Only the top layers of the puff pastry was correctly risen, leaving a dense core that could not even absorb the overly heavy sauce. The mushroom sauce would be wonderful on a steak or pasta, but didn't fit with the deflated pastry.
The Octopus, like the scallops, was impeccably cooked, tender like al dente pasta. Again, impressive. But the sauce was too salty, and the potato slices added very little except confusion in flavor and texture since they were cut to same size and shape as the octopus.
We had been looking forward to the Venison Tartare listed on their website, but new menu replaced with just Tuna. So for our desires for beef tartare and Foie gras, we've had much better results at Marche restaurant in 5th street market.
We enjoyed the dinner, and nothing but compliments to the fish and meat chef delivering the right texture. They still have work to do in saucier and accoutrement balance and service.
I reserved a table for valentine’s day and was greatly disappointed. When my date and I arrived we were sat at a table that shouldn’t have been there in the first place. It was tucked in the corner right next to the front door where there is no waiting area for people coming in. At first I asked the host if there were any other available tables, but they replied with “no this is the only one for you”, but despite this the next few couples that were immediately sat after us got other tables. I don’t understand why this happened or if it had something to do with our younger age but it was quite frustrating. We spent the entire night with crowds of people looming over our table while waiting to be seated and it was incredibly uncomfortable.
The next problem we faced was the service. My date had a dirty plate sitting at the edge of the table waiting to be taken for over half the dinner, despite mine being taken away. Finally when the last course arrived (filet mignon) my steak was greatly overcooked and much smaller than my dates. When the bill arrived I was shocked to find this unpleasant experience to cost almost $300. It was unclear when making the reservation that the 50$ deposit per person wouldn’t cover the bill. I understand the price given the food that was provided but mixed with the quality of service I am quite upset
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Shacklferd 541
Sadly a group of us went here for a birthday party. We spent over $800. and the service was terrible. Our orders were wrong the wine pairing was not brought out with the paired dish. All of this could have been overlooked but after spending $800+ with a 20% gratuity attached the server refused to split the check between 4 cards. I believe it is because she already got her tip and is lazy. It left a very bad taste for the entire dinner party. None of us intend to return. Keep looking if you want have a good experience because this isn’t it.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Kelsey A
***Racism incident:
My boyfriend and I just ate here tonight. He is not fluent in English and very visibly a person of color. He didn’t like his steak, no big deal. He described the taste as bleachy, because he doesn’t always have the right word in English. He repeated the word like five times and our waitress just kept saying “what?” until I (white, English speaker) said he thought it tasted bleachy. Whatever, we just brushed it off. We still racked up a decent bill and had a great time together. We both thought it was strange that when he returned his steak that they didn’t recommend another dish for us (he would have paid for it), but we figured they were just busy.
Fast forward to a half hour later. They dropped the check and I went to the restroom. Our waitress apparently thought that was an appropriate time to confront him saying that “everyone in the kitchen tried the steak and it wasn’t bleachy.” He tried to explain it was undercooked and hard to cut. Once again he doesn’t speak a lot of English and that’s super clear. She then offered him to cook it more even though we were obviously through with our meal and she had already taken the food a half hour before? When I came back from the restroom he told me what happened. He was totally embarrassed and already gets anxiety eating at majority white places because stuff like this can happen.
Why the heck did she 1) offer to recook the steak after we had the check and had just finished dessert? And 2) why the HECK did you all wait until the one English speaker at the table wasn’t present? And 3) make the one visibly Latino and non English speaker feel even more awkward than he already did? Why wait until I left?
I went back to tip them and confront them about it because he was pissed and embarrassed and just wanted to leave. We gave them a 20% tip (I’ve been in the industry for over a decade and get that tips are important) and I apologize to the short haired blonde girl I snapped at (that was my bad, you were incredibly patient and great). Our waitress was a long haired brunette wearing an elephant necklace and she was who was completely inappropriately handling the situation.
Girl, if you’re gonna offer food after you drop the check and tell the one brown guy in the restaurant that the whole staff disagrees with him when it’s clear there’s a language and race barrier and make him feel embarrassed when you KNOW if he were a white dude you wouldn’t have said a darn thing (people don’t like their food all the time, just refund it and move on), do better. Don’t humiliate him while his white girlfriend is in the restroom.
That’s the most passive aggressive racism we’ve seen in a while. Absolutely not. I know y’all know better than that.
Ovad A Metab
Great food great service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
J Bahling
Definitely recommending this place to friends and family. Impressed by the sea bass, tomato salad and the lovage gin cocktail. Overall a wonderful experience. The outdoor space could've been tended more.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pan Seared Sea Bass
Jeremy March
Definitely in the top three best restaurants in Eugene! Amazing food
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Carolina Palacio
I had never had such a great cocktail as I had! Food was amazing and we could have great conversation as the place was lively but not too loud Would return any time!
Had a fantastic meal here. Service from both the hostess and waitress was phenomenal and every dish and drink was top notch. It’s on the pricier side but well worth it for a fancy meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seared Scallops, Pan Seared Sea Bass
Tere
Just had the best sauce I've ever eaten in the Steak Frites. The filet was among the best steaks ever, also. The mushroom tart was right behind. Given the quality of the food, the prices are reasonable. Great yourself too a phenomenal meal!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mushroom Tart, Grilled Steak Frites
Wriha Timalsina
completely overpriced and not good tasting. Not worth going in. the food arrived cold and the chicken tasted fishy.
The appetizers were great, including the oysters, Brussels sprouts, and scallops. The mushroom tart and drinks were also very good. However, I ordered the steak frites medium rare, and they were delivered well done. In my opinion that’s unacceptable for a French restaurant at this price point. The flavor was good, but I’ve never had a well done steak when ordering medium rare before. The disappointing thing was I could tell from just looking at them they were overcooked, I’m certain the chef and waitstaff knew as well; and I’m disappointed they didn’t correct their own mistake. Also we had a reservation and they seated us in table right behind the door… not terrible but not great. Overall there are better options in Eugene.
We’ve been to the establishment twice now, and both times enjoyed it. The pros for us is the menu options, which are a step beyond what you can find elsewhere in our area. The mocktail menu could also be considered larger than other establishments. The service and atmosphere is wonderful. I read on a previous review that someone hated their two person table behind the front door. This is where we sat last night and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. I would say the only con is, I haven’t tried anything that has blown my mind. I typically have a favorite dish at my favorite restaurants, but I haven’t had something from here that I’m dying to eat again. However, we will be back to explore more of the menu options and to enjoy the ambiance.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Tldr: Bar Purlieu did the difficult things amazingly well, but the easier essential things slipped. Marche restaurant still wins crown for best local French haute cuisine in our experience.
Eugene Weekly had an announcement Feb '25 that Trevor Rivera recently took over as head chef at longstanding Purlieu. There appeared to be a turn around in recent reviews lauding the change from a slow decline over last few years.
Saturday evening reservation on advance for two landed us a quick seating by hostess upon arrival, but then a wait before waiting staff helped with drinks or food order. The lighting level throughout was dimmer than appropriate, and we saw diners in the booths repeatedly use phone flashlights to read menus.
Charcuterie Board was excellent with wonderful selection of liver pate and other "better than just salami and brie" fare. No notes, recommended.
Potted Foie gras was diluted severely with sauce where end dish was little different from a always delicious garlic butter toast.
Similarly, the Escargot, though tender, had none of the subtle snail flavor that aficionados seek. They were served WITHOUT shells, rising questions about freshness.
The seared scallops were cooked so perfectly with a caramelized crust like a campfire smore marshmallow, while still being tender medium rare in the center. Impressive. The sauce though was overly salty and took away from seared masterpiece.
The mushroom tart, lauded in reviews as Bar Purlieu's unique specialty, is better described as a "Biscuit and Gravy". Only the top layers of the puff pastry was correctly risen, leaving a dense core that could not even absorb the overly heavy sauce. The mushroom sauce would be wonderful on a steak or pasta, but didn't fit with the deflated pastry.
The Octopus, like the scallops, was impeccably cooked, tender like al dente pasta. Again, impressive. But the sauce was too salty, and the potato slices added very little except confusion in flavor and texture since they were cut to same size and shape as the octopus.
We had been looking forward to the Venison Tartare listed on their website, but new menu replaced with just Tuna. So for our desires for beef tartare and Foie gras, we've had much better results at Marche restaurant in 5th street market.
We enjoyed the dinner, and nothing but compliments to the fish and meat chef delivering the right texture. They still have work to do in saucier and accoutrement balance and service.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Seared Scallops, Charcuterie Board
I reserved a table for valentine’s day and was greatly disappointed. When my date and I arrived we were sat at a table that shouldn’t have been there in the first place. It was tucked in the corner right next to the front door where there is no waiting area for people coming in. At first I asked the host if there were any other available tables, but they replied with “no this is the only one for you”, but despite this the next few couples that were immediately sat after us got other tables. I don’t understand why this happened or if it had something to do with our younger age but it was quite frustrating. We spent the entire night with crowds of people looming over our table while waiting to be seated and it was incredibly uncomfortable.
The next problem we faced was the service. My date had a dirty plate sitting at the edge of the table waiting to be taken for over half the dinner, despite mine being taken away. Finally when the last course arrived (filet mignon) my steak was greatly overcooked and much smaller than my dates. When the bill arrived I was shocked to find this unpleasant experience to cost almost $300. It was unclear when making the reservation that the 50$ deposit per person wouldn’t cover the bill. I understand the price given the food that was provided but mixed with the quality of service I am quite upset
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Sadly a group of us went here for a birthday party. We spent over $800. and the service was terrible. Our orders were wrong the wine pairing was not brought out with the paired dish. All of this could have been overlooked but after spending $800+ with a 20% gratuity attached the server refused to split the check between 4 cards. I believe it is because she already got her tip and is lazy. It left a very bad taste for the entire dinner party. None of us intend to return. Keep looking if you want have a good experience because this isn’t it.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
***Racism incident:
My boyfriend and I just ate here tonight. He is not fluent in English and very visibly a person of color. He didn’t like his steak, no big deal. He described the taste as bleachy, because he doesn’t always have the right word in English. He repeated the word like five times and our waitress just kept saying “what?” until I (white, English speaker) said he thought it tasted bleachy. Whatever, we just brushed it off. We still racked up a decent bill and had a great time together. We both thought it was strange that when he returned his steak that they didn’t recommend another dish for us (he would have paid for it), but we figured they were just busy.
Fast forward to a half hour later. They dropped the check and I went to the restroom. Our waitress apparently thought that was an appropriate time to confront him saying that “everyone in the kitchen tried the steak and it wasn’t bleachy.” He tried to explain it was undercooked and hard to cut. Once again he doesn’t speak a lot of English and that’s super clear. She then offered him to cook it more even though we were obviously through with our meal and she had already taken the food a half hour before? When I came back from the restroom he told me what happened. He was totally embarrassed and already gets anxiety eating at majority white places because stuff like this can happen.
Why the heck did she 1) offer to recook the steak after we had the check and had just finished dessert? And 2) why the HECK did you all wait until the one English speaker at the table wasn’t present? And 3) make the one visibly Latino and non English speaker feel even more awkward than he already did? Why wait until I left?
I went back to tip them and confront them about it because he was pissed and embarrassed and just wanted to leave. We gave them a 20% tip (I’ve been in the industry for over a decade and get that tips are important) and I apologize to the short haired blonde girl I snapped at (that was my bad, you were incredibly patient and great). Our waitress was a long haired brunette wearing an elephant necklace and she was who was completely inappropriately handling the situation.
Girl, if you’re gonna offer food after you drop the check and tell the one brown guy in the restaurant that the whole staff disagrees with him when it’s clear there’s a language and race barrier and make him feel embarrassed when you KNOW if he were a white dude you wouldn’t have said a darn thing (people don’t like their food all the time, just refund it and move on), do better. Don’t humiliate him while his white girlfriend is in the restroom.
That’s the most passive aggressive racism we’ve seen in a while. Absolutely not. I know y’all know better than that.
Great food great service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Definitely recommending this place to friends and family. Impressed by the sea bass, tomato salad and the lovage gin cocktail. Overall a wonderful experience. The outdoor space could've been tended more.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pan Seared Sea Bass
Definitely in the top three best restaurants in Eugene! Amazing food
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had never had such a great cocktail as I had! Food was amazing and we could have great conversation as the place was lively but not too loud Would return any time!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
This is the best restaurant in Eugene imo
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had a fantastic meal here. Service from both the hostess and waitress was phenomenal and every dish and drink was top notch. It’s on the pricier side but well worth it for a fancy meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seared Scallops, Pan Seared Sea Bass
Just had the best sauce I've ever eaten in the Steak Frites. The filet was among the best steaks ever, also. The mushroom tart was right behind. Given the quality of the food, the prices are reasonable. Great yourself too a phenomenal meal!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mushroom Tart, Grilled Steak Frites
completely overpriced and not good tasting. Not worth going in. the food arrived cold and the chicken tasted fishy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 4
Amazing food
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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