Wednesday 3rd of September 2008 10:16:30 AM

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On an escape from the little one for the first time we dropped off the little one with Grandma and drove up to Eugene to get out and just see the world without a baby. First stop daddy needs to see a brewery. So we stopped here in Eugene and had a great lunch at the Steelhead. The food was awesome and the service was pretty good. We loved the atmosphere it was very beautiful and the chairs where so soft I never wanted to leave. I loved the beer it was fresh and had such a great character to it. We did not get to tour the brewery since it was a Sunday. Maybe next time we will visit on a weekday. Be sure t try the sampler there are tons of great beers and you will find one you love for sure. I will be back.

Friday 15th of August 2008 12:14:21 PM

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Steelhead has the “regular” ale lineup plus a good number of seasonal specials and some beer on cask. The regular Bombay Bomber IPA is good (as is the Imperial IPA Hopasaurus Rex).

Inside is a large space with windows on two sides. The brewery is visible through windows behind a long bar with stools. The walls are dark reddish wood and brick and the floor is tile. The space has many booths and dark wooden tables and chairs as well as a few tables with upholstered arm chairs. In the middle of the room is a classic old red British phone booth (yes, it has a phone). There are a number of flat screen TVs (sound off).

There are several outdoor seating choices and this is definitely the place to be on a warm Eugene afternoon. Along the sidewalk are dark metal mesh tables and green plastic chairs. Under a covered area just inside the arches of the building is more seating with gray metal tables and chairs. This area extends inside into a semi-outdoor space with a huge glass garage door, large enough for a two car garage, that opens in summer.

Food is traditional, but well made.

Monday 1st of October 2007 04:17:47 PM

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I get to Eugene for work and always try to stop here at least once on each trip.

The Steel Head is a nice, airy & smoke free brewpub. There is a long bar with seating for about 30. In addition, there are various seating areas, including an outside area, an area with comfy furniture. I liked the tall bar tables; these are great for small groups.

You get a clear view of the tanks from the glass wall behind the bar. Note the English style phone booth. I don’t think there is a phone in it, but I saw a few people use it as a quiet refuge when making cell phone calls. The bathrooms are clean and roomy.

There seems to be plenty of street parking and there is a city lot across the street. This seems to be a pretty happening area. They get great crowds on Wednesdays and Thursday, I’m guessing the weekends are packed. Seems to have a nice mix of students, professor type, business folks and regular working stiffs.

The service was fast, friendly and seemed to know beer. Always ready for a refill but not hovering. I prefer to sit at the bar, but table service is not bad.

The food was fresh and tasty. I had some very good grilled fish tacos & a decent pizza.

The beers were all good and the seasonal offerings can be interesting. It seems they offer about 6 regular taps and 2 or 3 rotators. They offer a cask option, but ask for a sample first as I have one very good beer and one bad cask beer here.

I think you will like this place!

Friday 17th of August 2007 02:06:01 AM

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We have been to Steelhead in Burlingame, CA so it was nice to drop by this location for comparison. This is the original location and we were told it has a larger brewing capacity than her sister brewpubs in CA. The restaurant is not quite as elegant as Burlingame but the inside/outside seating area is a nice feature. There were two bars, tall tables and other tables with some comfortable upholstered chairs. 8-10 house brews were on tap and I liked both the IPA and the Dublin Dry Stout. My wife had their Spicy Draft Root Beer and enjoyed that at well. The menu includes a nice selection of salads, burgers, pizza and pasta as well as several seafood entrees. Parking is available in a small lot out back.