The Ax Billy Grill & Sports Bar

It was Monday evening, and the restaurant was empty except for a table of eight or so seniors. That should have been our first sign, but we figured we were ahead of the dinner rush. Turns out no one comes here for a reason. The service was hilariously slow for an empty restaurant, especially when the kitchen filled with smoke from burned bread. My partner ordered the "wagyu" sirloin, and I really, truly don't understand how anyone can allow this plate of food to leave the kitchen at ANY restaurant, much less a restaurant that charges $34 for dinner. The fingerling potatoes? Barely seasoned and dry as a bone. The carrots? Charred beyond belief and inedible. The "wagyu" steak? Cooked "rare" but somehow was as tough as a well-done hockey puck of meat and tasted like rehydrated beef jerky. It's laughably bad. So, so bad.

The best Caesar salad in Eugene. I've been doing a study for the last 2 years. Some high-end restaurants even use Marie's Caesar dressing. One even put mustard in the dressing!! None have met my standards.

This salad had absolutely perfectly seasoned croutons. . . made from locally-sourced (Creswell Bakery?) whole-grain bread. Freshly grated Asiago? And bite-sized romaine.

But this was the best part: this hint of an anchovy smear at the bottom of the bowl. Exactly where it belongs. My compliments to the chef.

As for other offerings. . . I'm not so sure if my partner enjoyed his hand-crafted "pizza."

Mother's Day Brunch today at Downtown Athletic Club was a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!! It was too much money$$$ for the quality and quantity of the food.

The buffet had few selections and what was there was at best mediocre. There was a substandard quinoa salad and a beet salad, but no greens. Two nearly empty bowls of berries and some yogurt. Pre-made (cold) French toast and waffles, cold dry scrambled eggs and bacon. There was some ham, dry salmon, and decent prime rib, but nothing worth a second helping. There were some questionable muffins and small cinnamon rolls but no plain rolls or bread. The dessert table was bleak and with an hour to go was down to two unappetizing choices and the self/serve luke-warm coffee was in an aluminum pitcher.

Our daughter is both gluten and dairy intolerant which is usually not a problem but there was very little she could eat today. The service was pathetic to non-existent.

$185 plus tip was a total waste of money. We will NOT GO BACK! We would have had a better meal at a diner. The only good part was time spent with our daughter and son-in-law.

Ate here recently for lunch and was pleasantly surprised by how yummy my hand made lemonade was! The bartender waiting on me made it right in front of me and she made it so yummy! The fries were so crisp and fresh with the best Parmesan sprinkled on top. She had a good recommendation for our order and was a delight. We will be back! Thanks Chelsea.

I have been eating here for years, and they have always had a bit of an identity issue. Is it a fancy restaurant, a sports bar, a members lounge etc. Anyway, recently they changed the menu, and it seems that they have decided to be a fancy restaurant, and charge accordingly. That's fine, but the quality of the food, service, and atmosphere are not what you would expect in a fancy restaurant. So, if you want to pay $30-$40 for an entree, while sitting next to people that just got done working out, and get mediocre service and food, go for it.

They did bring the steak frites back, which is cool, but they now cost more, are a lower quality of meat, don't come with a salad, or sauce. Also, mine last night was cold and the fries were soggy.

My friend and I decided to stop in for lunch today since we heard the pizzas were half off (score). And boy howdy, we were not disappointed! The margarita pizza was so tasty, and the lilac haired bartender took excellent care of us. My iced tea was never more than half empty, and she made my friend a couple of cocktails from scratch that my friend raved about. It's nice (and refreshing) to see people actually enjoying their job and embodying great customer service.

Do my eyes deceive? Am I in San Francisco or even Seattle? Nope, still the Eugene Downtown Athletic Club. Nothing has changed, except a few new small TVs on the wall.

We've been coming occasionally for as long as I can remember (think early Carl Woidek days) but particularly on Wednesday nights for half-price pizzas. Your service has always been top notch, but suffice it to say, food-wise there is 2-3x more competition around town now than when we first came in so many years ago.

Back to this evening: there were signs still downstairs advertising one of the better deals in town - around $7.00 for a small but satisfying brick oven pie. It wasn't until we went to place our order, the server broke the news: sorry, the deal is for DAC members only now. What??? Did Trump buy this place too???

Well Ax Billy, I hope your number crunchers are worth their snuff, because you've turned away a loyal crowd overnight, and being Eugene and all they will not be back.

I guess they thought they had to pay for those new TVs somehow. We wish you the best of luck!

Amazing food. Incredible staff. Great ambiance and view. Perfect location.
What is great is that you do not have to be a DAC member to enjoy the benefits of the restaurant and bar!

So happy how much this place has improved! The menu has been retooled and the kitchen is cranking out all sorts of yummy treats :-) the server was really funny and prompt. We are definitely coming back.

Date night with hubby
I had filet and he had chicken Marsala and both were done perfectly and both were delicious. We will be back!! Sat on balcony and enjoyed the view and our beer & wine. Server was great and attentive. Nice surprise in the DAC.