1. Bon Mi 153 E. Broadway, 541-505-9349. 849 E. 13th Ave. 541-650-6129. BonMiEugene.com.

2. Pho The Good Times 2729 Shadow View Dr. 541-357-4971. PhoGT.com.

3. Tam’s Place Vietnamese Cuisine 2777 Friendly St. 541-214-0562. Find on Facebook.

Seeking shelter from a bitter storm whipping through downtown Eugene, I found myself huddled in an odd sort of place. With the look of a Vietnamese sub shop, Bon Mi lives up to its name; incredible banh mi sandwiches, but most importantly, time tested pho. 

On a trip to Bon Mi, you may not receive the traditional fixings or style of the Vietnamese-French cuisine because owner Yun Bigot is Korean American. However, she says when living in L.A. she found herself in the heart of the Vietnamese neighborhoods, eating their food and soaking up their culture like a sponge. Considering the origins of Vietnamese cuisine came from the splice of traditional ingredients and French colonization, Yun is keeping the spirit of the vietnamese fusion alive. 

After moving to Eugene, the cold weather provided Yun the perfect business venture — to take what she learned and give the city of Eugene great pho. She crafts all the recipes and spares nothing in her process. For the longest time she says she wouldn’t even let others make the soup, until she finally felt comfortable with a cook that would accomplish the level of culinary perfection she had landed upon. Just as she planned, only eight years later, I found sanctuary from the cold with a phenomenal cup of pho. 

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