If you’re looking for a Friday afternoon scene in Eugene, look no further than the sunny springtime patio at Hideaway Bakery. The tables will, undoubtedly, be packed with retirees meeting up for lunch, folks working on laptops, and parents corralling busy toddlers. For locals, students, and grads, this spot needs no introduction. It’s an enduring Southeast Eugene destination for all things bread, pastries, and coffee (and pizza… and pasta… and) tucked away off Amazon Drive near the park and trail.
What to order
- Of the savory pastries (pesto Parmesan pinwheels, ham and Swiss croissants, and more), I gravitate to the baseball-sized samosas ($5.50), which are crisp on the outside, speckled with sesame seeds, and stuffed with a dense mixture of lentil and potato curry. On a recent visit, I branched out into the Cornish pasty ($5.50), but prefer the warming spices of the samosa.
- The sweet pastries often incorporate local ingredients such as the filbert-forward hazelnut orange roll ($4.75) — a crisp-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside spiral.
- If you’re in the neighborhood, you might as well take home a loaf of wood-fire-oven-baked bread, be it a savory Kalamata olive sourdough ($11) or a hunk of raisin walnut ($10). There are also voluminous artisan bagels ($2.50), which can be dressed up with cream cheese ($3) or ordered in sandwich form during breakfast from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with lox, capers, and pickled onions ($9).
The vibe
There’s indoor seating here, but the patio is the point. It’s both shaded and very sunny with lots of herb and flower planters separating the space from the parking lot. Stand in line and place orders at the counter, which are called out at the walk-up
window. Bring a book or grab a Eugene Weekly from the stand next to the entrance. Wear sunscreen.
Insider tip
If you arrive during weekend brunch hours, the line will be long — up to 40 minutes to get to the counter. Weekdays are still busy, but generally the queue is more manageable if you want to avoid the crush. Consider carpooling or biking, because the parking lot is frequently full.
