The 5 Best Italian Restaurants in Eugene, Oregon

Eugene, Oregon, is home to an eclectic mix of dining options, with a wide variety of cuisine from around the world.

Eugene's Italian fare, in particular, is excellent, with a handful of restaurants that combine local-grown and produced ingredients with authentic Italian recipes.

Here are the five best Italian restaurants in Eugene:

Mazzi's Italian Restaurant

Mazzi's opened in Eugene in 1970, the brainchild of Frank Ernandes, whose father, Tommaso "Mazzi" Ernandes, brought the family to Oregon from Favignana, Italy.

Frank Ernandes used family recipes to create Mazzi's menu, taking advantage of locally grown produce and fresh local ingredients, including Pacific Northwest salmon, to create authentic Italian cuisine with a regional twist.

Attached to the backside of Mazzi's is Hideaway Bakery, which supplies all of the restaurant's bread, including the tasty rolls and calzones for which Mazzi's is best known. The cheesecakes and other desserts are also created on-site, as is the pasta and pasta sauce. In addition, the Ernandes family supplies much of the produce from its own Eugene-area farm.

Menu highlights include the Salmon Soffrito - pan-seared salmon flamed with brandy and baked with garlic, parsley and lemon, and served with seasonal vegetables and spaghetti pesto. The pizza, Stromboli Calzone, ravioli and lasagna are also favorites. Mazzi's atmosphere is cozy, with fireplaces blazing in every room on cold nights and low lighting that is perfect for casual or elegant outings. Mazzi's patio is open for outdoor dining during the warm months in Eugene.

Dishes range from $10-$20 per plate, on average, and Mazzi's offers a full bar with a wine menu and beer on tap.

Mazzi's Italian Restaurant
3377 E. Amazon Drive
Eugene, OR 97405
541-687-2252
mazzis.com

Beppe and Gianni's Trattoria

Located just a couple of blocks from the University of Oregon, Beppe and Gianni's Trattoria has occupied an old campus-area house since 1998. The restaurant is consistently rated among Eugene Weekly's annual "Best Restaurants" poll and features a casual-yet-elegant atmosphere.

Beppe and Gianni's has a seasonal fresh fish entree that has included salmon and is subject to market pricing. The Fettine di Carne is among the more expensive items on the menu at $22, but is well worth the price - New York steak, thin-sliced, grilled and served with roasted potatoes and fresh, seasonal vegetables. Beppe and Gianni's pasta dishes are fantastic, as well, particularly the ravioli, which is included as a daily special, with different variations each day.

Entrees range from about $15 to $20, on average, and the menu includes smaller, discounted portions for children and a wine and beer list.

Beppe and Gianni's Trattoria
1646 E. 19th Ave.
Eugene, OR 97403
541-683-6661
beppeandgiannis.net

Ambrosia Restaurant & Bar

Ambrosia is located in downtown Eugene, in an old brick building that obscures the true gem that lies within. Ambrosia's atmosphere is among the restaurant's biggest draws, with a huge, elegant, lit bar, a sprawling main floor with tables in several smaller rooms and secluded nooks, as well as balcony seating that overlooks the bar and the open areas of the main floor.

Ambrosia's food is every bit as good as its ambiance. Lunch menu entrees average between $10 and $15, and include a wide range of foods, from hamburgers and panini sandwiches to pizza, calzones and traditional Italian favorites such as ravioli, lasagna and spaghetti.

The dinner menu is a little pricier, with entrees ranging from $10 up to $24 for the Agnello - pan-roasted rack of lamb with a rosemary deem glace and creamed Yukon Gold potatoes. Ambrosia's Beef Stroganoff - braised, boneless short ribs, mushrooms and Papardelle pasta in a rich, cream sauce - and the Manicotti di Pollo - chicken, Shiitake mushrooms, spinach and Ricotta cheese with a Mornay sauce - are both fantastic and definitely worth trying. The menu also includes a range of appetizers and salads, including a pear and walnut salad and a beet salad that are both incredible.

Ambrosia Restaurant & Bar
174 E. Broadway
Eugene, OR 97401
541-342-4141
ambrosiarestaurant.com

Osteria Sfizio

Osteria Sfizio is among Eugene's newest Italian restaurants, having opened in June of 2010 and featuring an elegant, modern interior that is perfect for dates or parties.

The restaurant offers a lunch and dinner menu, with lunch entrees ranging between $10 and $15 and including panini sandwiches, pastas and salads. The dinner menu includes entrees ranging from $10 to $25 and features a variety of Italian dishes, with an emphasis on Pacific Northwest ingredients and seafood, in particular. Dinner entrees include items such as grilled octopus, oysters, prawns, mussels, clams and calamari.

The wide-ranging menu also includes chicken liver mousse, fennel sausage, winter squash and ricotta-stuffed ravioli, lasagna made with elk bolognese, braised lamb shank and grilled game hen.

The restaurant offers a full bar menu, as well as Oregon wines and beers.

Osteria Sfizio
105 Oakway Center
Eugene, OR 97401
541-302-3000
sfizioeugene.com

Noli Italian Café

Noli Italian Café opened for business in 2008 inside the Fifth Street Public Market in downtown Eugene. Owner and chef Davide Mulone hails from Genoa, Italy, and brings his authentic Italian recipes to the menu.

Noli serves a variety of pastas, soups and salads, as well as sandwiches and Italian desserts. The restaurant offers Oregon wines and beers on tap.

Most entrees are less than $10. The menu includes several sandwich options, including mini burgers made with gorgonzola cheese, grilled pancetta and red onion; a grilled vegetable sandwich with eggplant, zucchini, Portobello mushroom and roasted red peppers topped with mozzarella cheese and served on a grilled ciabatta bun with sun-dried tomato mayonnaise; and the Meatball Classico, meatballs on a hoagie roll with tomato basil sauce and mozzarella.

Pasta dishes include Gnocchi dell Chef, Lasagne al Forno and Fettucine di Mare, which includes sauteed shrimp, scallops, salmon and mussels in a white-wine tomato sauce.

The menu also includes several smaller-sized and less-expensive kid's items, such as a grilled cheese sandwich and penne pasta with meatballs.

Noli Italian Café
296 E. 5th Ave., Suite 201
Eugene, OR 97401
541-686-9199
noliitaliancafe.com

Sources:
Best of Eugene 2010-11, Eats, Eugene Weekly
Mazzi's Italian Restaurant
Noli Italian Café
Osteria Sfizio
Ambrosia Restaurant and Bar
Beppe and Gianni's Trattoria