Keystone Cafe

It has a great location but is always so busy it’s not worth the short commute from my house. Last time I was there the waitress asked us to all sit on one side of the table to make room for another party they were about to seat. Which was odd because we already had our food and were settled in. Two of us ordered the daily special which had TINY proportions– I ended up having to eat another breakfast when I got home.

It’s a sad day in Eugene today. This was Keystones last day serving us Eugene residents. The owners sold the place so they could retire. We love all of you wonderful people that made Keystone what it was. Best of luck to all the great workers.

I used to really enjoy coming to this establishment for a yummy breakfast, but not so much anymore.
I had two friends from out of town come up for a visit and decided Keystone would be a good place to show them, given all the times I’ve had positive experiences. That wasn’t exactly how things turned out, unfortunately.
We were seated soon after we walked through the doors, and waited around 8 minutes before we were asked what we wanted to drink. Because it took so long to get our drink orders in, we’d already figured out what we wanted to order from the menu so we put those too, along with the drinks. We were read back our order and the drinks were brought out soon after.
Thirty plus minutes roll around and my two friends are brought out their breakfasts, and the waitress looks at me asking what i ordered. Um… did you forget? Or just fail to put in my order? I ended up reiterating what it was I wanted, and the waitress said she’d put in the order, and it’d be out in 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, my friends are enjoying their food and I am stuck waiting. My food finally comes out, but by this time my friends have already finished their meals.
Point of the story is, I don’t ever think I’ll go back. I’m not swearing Keystone off for good, but it’s definitely not a priority breakfast spot for me anymore.

My favorite breakfast spot in Eugene. Great food with quality ingredients, lots of staples and diverse offerings on the menu, relaxing and pleasant atmosphere. I like the self-​serve coffee bar and down-​to-​earth staff. I never feel rushed out the door here, I can relax and take in the morning at my own pace, which I respect. It can get a little busy on weekends after 10a when the villagers begin to stir, but during the week I’ve always been able to get a seat and service immediately.

Some of the best vegan French toast I’ve ever had! Fun atmosphere and great service! Self serve coffee and water bar. Lots of delicious options for all. Right in the downtown area.

The food here is really good — the service is good too but seems to come with a aloof attitude — do really like the Mexican breakfast and the sausage is some of the best I have had

Sadly we did not love breakfast yesterday at Keystone Café. The service was warm and impeccable, however the food was rather mediocre. My boyfriend and I both felt our dishes lacked flavor and anything special. There are definitely a lot of vegan/​vegetarian options though!

I had the breakfast burrito and it was delicious, chose not to have meat added although I bet that would be tasty too. I did add avocado, extra salsa and sour cream. My wife had the scotch egg and loved it! We also had a side of the fried red potatoes which were excellent as well. We also enjoyed the vanilla lattes– lite on the vanilla because we like them a little less sweet. Also Jennifer served us and was very personable and checked on us several times she is a keeper for sure!

I love the menu selection. Good options for vegetarians. Even vegetarian staples. Very varied breakfast and lunch items. One waitress is really rude and kept on saying there was no homefried potatoes at 10 am. So they can’t be made? There’s another waitress that’s more polished and accommodating. As for the food its inconsistent, one order of Nachos will be piled to the sky with everything you can think of, next time just a small plate of beans and cheese on chips. Maybe this depends on the number of «smoke» breaks the cooks are taking because this sure did take awhile to make but after seeing the Opulant nachos I can sure see how it could take so damn long! Foodwise everything is very tasty though the tempeh sausages are odd, just mashed tempeh with seasonings. Outside seating is comfortable and home like.

I don’t understand the hate for this place.
Service is quick and to the point. Food is simple, but yummy.
Lots of gluten free/​vegan/​freegan/​vegetarian/​lacto-​ovo/​raw/​organic/​inorganic/​paleo options.

If you want to be vegan friendly then why not charge extra for butter and make earth balance no additional fee.

#82
Have you ever had the pleasure of Eugene, OR? If not, you might be missing one of life’s greatest pleasures – especially if you miss out on the Keystone Café.
This tiny little gem is located not too far from UO on the outskirts of the little city. There were tons of tattooed and pierced Oregonians walking along the sidewalk, and there were a few UO students as well. A tiny line of hungry customers littered the sidewalk, so we took our place among the hungry.
My friend’s son, Eli, was with us and he told me he loved this place. «Well Eli, it looks like you are not alone,» I told him. Maybe 6 year old kids have seasoned palates???
When we got inside I realized rather quickly why Eli loved this place so much – the kid’s play station! They have toys, books, puzzles, etc. for small kids, medium sized kids and big kids as well. Plenty to pass the time. Chris grabbed us a few glasses and made us water, I thought, «What the heck are you doing» But apparently, this is how it is done.
Jennifer, the hostess/​cashier/​server told us we could take a table outside and she would be there shortly. I used to work in a restaurant, I know how busy she looked, so I was ready for a long wait – no problem, I get it. But, to my chagrin, she was there pretty quickly. She even stopped to make small talk with us about where we were from. Chris said, «Portland,» Eli said, «Eugene,» I said, «The Bay Area,» Amanda said, «Seattle.» Jennifer said, «Seriously, I hear a twang in ALL your accents!» Oooooooohhhhhh… you meant originally??? Here we go again: Montgomery, AL; Birmingham, AL; New Orleans; Atlanta… Jennifer told us she was from ATL also, so her and another friend chopped it up about that for a minute, and then we ordered.
The menu offered Bread Choices that were organic and house made. There were even several vegan options – my mommy would be in heaven! They had egg whites instead of eggs or even simply beaters plus butter options like Earth Balance – this place was really concerned about vegan lifestyles. How cool!
Several beverages were ordered, since we already had our waters, and then we were well on our way to eating:
The Hangover
Farmer Omelet
The Angler
The Hangover was a dish with eggs, biscuits and gravy and potatoes. The Farmer omelet had bacon, onion, garlic, mushroom and cheddar. The Angler was delicious with lox, cream cheese and spinach. Jennifer offered us tempeh mix instead of bacon, but Chris let her know I was the only meat hater at the table – thanks Chris. It is not that I «hate» meat per se…
The food was impeccable, the service was even better! 5 stars for Jennifer and her southern hospitality all the way in Eugene, Or.
Stephani Smiles for Keystone Café ;)

I have had the Vegan Powerhouse, vegan hangover and the biscuits and gravy. I really enjoyed the meals and dining experience. This is our favorite breakfast spot and the perfect place for a Mimosa with brunch. I just wish they were open 24hours.

Why haven’t I been here yet?!
They have an entire section of Southwest-​style breakfast dishes on the menu. That alone…
The jalapeño fried polenta was incredible with mozzarella (or pepper jack) on top, and I took some home it was so filling. The shredded cabbage side with tasty mole sauce on top of a fried cheese disc (yes, you read that correctly) was a tiny bit of heaven.
Service was friendly and casual, and they came around just enough. The diners were eclectic, and this has a vibe similar to Morning Glory. Lots of vegan and vegetarian options, and I hear the potatoes are great.
It was a quiet Sunday morning, and the patio out back was lovely. Part of it is covered with some open-​air seating.
Self-​serve coffee is an interesting touch. I like it!
Definitely going back!

Such a disappointment. Environment was charming, presentation was beautiful. Food quality was «meh» at best. My boyfriend had Eggs Benedict made with the hardest English muffin that not even a steak knife could penetrate. I’m all for dense, but this was ridiculous! The eggs were not poached, they were boiled.
My plate was the «wild caught salmon patty» which turned out to be some frozen hockey puck that was so dry not even the ‘sat too long in the condiment cup’ dill sauce could fix. Over easy was over done.
Service started out great but then I think the evil witch killed the princess because the one that took over made it painfully obvious that she hated her job. We voiced our issues with what should have been a lovely breakfast and she didn’t even try to suggest something else, she begrudgingly gave us half off «because you are some» (after cutting us off with an «ok, I get it»). We didn’t want a discount, we wanted breakfast that was as good as we had expected! No concerns that we weren’t pleased or asking if she could remake or get us something else. Incredibly rude person.
Polenta was great. Jam was tasty. Potatoes were very nice.

Would be Zero stars but couldn’t.
As a Food Service Industry member myself, I was upset at how long it took them to check with us if our order had gone in.
We arrived at 12:30, ordered promptly by 12:35. Simple stuff. The Hangover and an omelette. Easy enough.
But after 1:10, about 35 minutes in to the whole ordeal, a different server came to ask if we had placed an order. Yes, we had, over a half hour ago.
Apparently that order never got put in to the computer. We saw our server write down our order.
To top it off, it was fairly dead, it was 4 tables with 2 – 3 people per table at most. In that time I saw 3 tables get their orders. How convenient we got missed?
Had been there PLLLEEENNNTTTYYY of tines, we live 6 blocks away. Used to love going here. They have great menu. But, if the servers can’t do their job, don’t expect to eat.
Feel free to get ahold of me any member of management.
–Flavio

My friend and I enjoyed brunch at Keystone café this morning. It was the first time I have been since 2004 or 2005 and after an enjoyable brunch I wonder what took me so long to visit there since my return to living in Eugene in Jun 2014.
It was busy for a Fri morning. We sat ourselves on the heated patio. Right next to our table a tuxedo cat was taking a catnap and this set the mode for the relaxed atmosphere.
We both shared the «vegan powerhouse» which was just the right amount of food for each of us as my friend is a lighter eater than me. Our «vegan powerhouse» had a choice of brown rice or potatoes, tofu or tempeh, kale or spinach, and choice of gravy.
We opted for potatoes, tempeh, kale, and half nutritional yeast and half mushroom gravy. Both of the gravies were excellent yet the mushroom gravy was slightly a notch or two above the nutritional yeast gravy. The portion was hearty enough for both of us to share leaving satisfied with nothing to take home. If we each ordered separate dishes taking our own tubaware or pyrex from home would have been called for.
The tuxedo cat wandered over to another table and took a catnap on someone’s backpack. They didn’t seem to mind. The menu had many great affordable vegan options from French toast to Mexican breakfasts to tofu scrambles.
I would easily put Keystone up there as one of the top breakfast places in Eugene up there w/​Morning Glory and Corn Bread Café’s weekend brunch. It is a little more laid back here yet that isn’t a bad thing and is a quintessential Eugene experience to have brunch here.
We are excited to go back to explore more and glad me made a new friend in the tuxedo cat :)

Important piece of information: you get your own coffee and water.
Had the breakfast enchilada and it was delicious. AND made to order to it took awhile but came out piping out in a lasagna dish. I’m a fan of the various Mexican breakfast options offered.
Service was to be desired. Our server seemed to not want to bother, barely acknowledged us, let alone taking the order of two tables first even though they arrived after us. I’d give this place a higher mark if I had enjoyed the service.
Besides that I’d go back.

This place is pretty cozy and that means tight, but not necessarily in a bad way. I came in for breakfast at around 10:30 and had about a 20 minute wait. It was pretty busy, but I didn’t feel crowded where we were seated.
I came in with a party of 5, two of which are vegan. The menu offers a wide variety for vegans or meat eaters. The pricing isn’t too bad at all. I ordered the vegan powerhouse and paid a little extra for avocado and spinach (you have to pick from spinach, kale or mushrooms and I wanted spinach and mushrooms). That added up to about 10 bucks.
I had been worried about waiting long for our food, but it was about an average wait for a sit-​down meal even though, as I said, it was pretty busy. Service was decent. So, I’d probably come back to try some other other menu options.

Before the change of ownership I had the most horrible experience at Keystone in all the years i’ve been coming here. So bad I refused to come back. And the review woulda taken so long… they didn’t deserve the feedback and I wasn’t coming back
Today, dying for a Vegan Powerhouse, I thought I’d give the new owners a chance.
Sign says please wait to be seated. Girl at the counter hands me a menu and silverware wrapped in a napkin and tells me to,“Seat yourself.” No mention of water or the self serve coffee.
I sit in the heated sunroom… so peaceful.
Tall red head waiter-​guy (here to for known as Red) notices me but says nothing. I’ll give him a break, he was heading to place an order for another guest.
After waiting 10 minutes for any kind of service I decide to go grab my coffee… thank goodness I knew it was serve yourself.
I drained the last of the cream and told Red it was empty. He acknowledged me and said he would take care of it.
So out to the sunroom again. And after leisurely draining my coffee (another 15 minutes) Red takes my order.
I follow him in to help myself to cup #2 of joe. Add organic raw sugar… yumm and head for the cream. WHAT?! EMPTY!!! This time I walk the container to the counter and Red ambles over to take it from me only to ask, «Is it empty?»…UM, DUH!!!
With no effort at all he opens a cupboard and pulls out another full container. I don’t’ know why the hell he didn’t do that 15 minutes ago is beyond me. But at this point I’m becoming pretty critical especially after my last lousy experience.
Breakfast was amazing! Although I was wondering where my extra mushrooms? I didn’t have rice or potatoes so I asked to sub extra mushrooms. Look at my itemized receipt, no mention of extra mushrooms… look at my plate, no extra mushrooms.
Not once did any staff… let alone Red… come back and check on me. 5 or 6 times staff walked by and smiled, but no one said a word.
My experience before the new owners was 10x worse. This experience still sucked. The food here is always good. There is nothing like the vegan powerhouse and hot peanut sauce anywhere in town or the plate size oatmeal sesame pancake.
So, will I be back?
Hell yes!!! But I’ll go in with the full expectation of getting as much service as I do at McDonalds. Then it’s all about the food ’cause there is no service!
My rating…2! Food is a 4 and service is ZERO so that averages out to 2. Sorry Keystone… you’ve still got work to do.