I moved to Eugene in February after having lived in Los Angeles for six years. Undoubtedly, I had to make some adjustments to settle in besides the obvious finally investing in a good pair of rain boots. I had to cancel my 24-hour gym membership since that franchise hasn’t existed here for many years. I had to delete the Lyft and Uber apps from my phone since those businesses haven’t yet discovered the lucrative benefits of Eugene. With only one location of a Trader Joes on the other side of town, I had to cut back on my weekly trips to my favorite grocer.

Subo Food Cart
Located in the Whiteaker district in Eugene, OR across from the Ninkasi tasting room
http://unamisushi.wixsite.com/unamisushi/subo

One thing, however, that I did not have to accommodate upon my relocation to the Pacific Northwest is my passion for drinking and eating delicious, healthy meals. Eugene is home to multiple microbreweries as well a plethora of eateries, restaurants, and cafés. In my 11 months of residency, I have only scratched the surface of the food options this town has to offer.

During my continuous journey of Eugene food discovery, there is one neighborhood I often find myself returning to, the Whiteaker area. The Whiteaker area has the similar charm of Silver Lake or Loz Feliz in Los Angeles, minus the limits on parking, 7 dollar lattes, and the smug disingenuous hipster attitude. Within walking distance you can have a vegan breakfast at New Day Bakery, have tacos for lunch at Tacovore, then an authentic BBQ dinner at Papa’s Soul Food Kitchen, followed by a whiskey nightcap at Izakaya Meiji. Needless to say, there are many options within this little hippie neighborhood. Including my all-time favorite thing to eat in all of Eugene.

Located across the street from the large teal green walls of the Ninkasi Brewery is a small food truck that offers something unique yet packed full of flavor. Subo combines the delicate Japanese ingredients often found in sushi compacted into the familiar packaging of a Mexican burrito, creating the Sushi Burrito.

Since I am a vegetarian my go to is the hipster with avocado substituting cucumbers since cucumbers are just the worst. All within one bit of this tasty goodness you get the sweetness of the oshinko paired with the saltiness of the seaweed salad, the crunch of the crispy mushrooms complemented by the softness of the sushi rice, and then the savory asparagus. Everything is held together by a delicate sheet of seaweed. I like to smear mine in the complementary dipping mayo. My only criticism is that due to the thin seaweed the burrito shape does not hold up very well. With the flavors being so delicious I don’t mind having to use my fingers to scoop up the drippings.

Whenever there is a beautiful sunny day I can often be found in the Whiteaker area, which means during the Summer, I was probably eating at Subo once a week. I have yet to find another dish to supplant The Hipster as my favorite thing to eat in Eugene, but I am willing to accept the challenge.