Best Sushi

1. Izumi Sushi and Grill 2773 Shadow View Dr. 541-683-1201. IzumiSushiEugene.com.

2. Akira 359 Mill St. 458-205-8288. Instagram.com/AkiraOmakase.

3. Sushi Pure 259 E. 5th Ave. 541-654-0608. SushiPureEugene.com.

Before the pandemic, when Izumi was my Sunday night happy hour special go-to, I met up with a friend who used to do sushi restaurant reviews for magazines in Moscow. Turns out Russians are big on sushi. Under her guidance we’d always start with the Izumi Roll (krab, avocado cucumber topped with salmon) and then experiment with the other rolls on the menu, never going wrong. I’d sip the house hot saki and she’d have tea, and we’d chat for hours. While I miss those evenings, they are not entirely gone. Now we drop by, pick up the sushi to go, and eat it six feet apart in my yard. I miss those cozy evenings and the wait staff always willing to make sure we got the perfect salmon on our roll, but the sushi tastes just as good outside. Who knew sushi was comfort food?

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!