1. Black Wolf Supper Club 454 Willamette Street. 541-687-8226.
2. The Wheel Apizza Pub 390 Lincoln Street #101. 541-735-3860. Thewheelapizzapub.com.
3. Party on Friendly 2757 Friendly Street. 541-683-2079.

I’m always on the lookout for more restaurants in Eugene with good ambiance. Far too many in town are either too brightly lit, too casual or on the other end of the spectrum, too fancy and bourgeois. I’m always looking for somewhere that’s just casual enough that it feels homey, but just hip enough to feel good hanging out with a group of friends or a date. Black Wolf Supper Club hits that mark perfectly. Black Wolf, which lives in the building that housed the old Belly Taqueria, has the sort of ambiance that is likely too cool for Eugene, and I obviously mean that in the best way. The split-level spot has a variety of different seating, fun and eclectic artwork and, not to mention, delicious food and drink — which earns it the top spot in our Best New Restaurant category. Black Wolf serves up Cajun and Creole delights like biscuits and cornsticks with honey butter, Andouille and fried chicken wing gumbo, and blackened salmon and dirty rice. They also put their own Eugene spin on dishes like kimchi collard greens. They’re usually also bumping hip hop or rap, which is a nice vacation from the smooth jazz, electro swing or indie mixes that fill a lot of Eugene restaurants. If you’re looking for a new and unique spot to get your eat and drink on, this is a great one.

Also, big shout out to our runner-ups, The Wheel Apizza Pub, with a variety of extremely tasty sourdough pizzas, and Party on Friendly, a deli spot I frequent probably way more often than my sad bank account wants me to.

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