Restaurants in Springfield

From the hormone-free Willamette Valley beef to the wall display of University of Oregon athletes, Tom and Johnny's kitchen champions all things local. Grass-fed beef burgers that have never known the icy touch of a freezer mingle with a staggering array of fixin's, ranging from guacamole to deep-fried pickles, on 20 burger combinations atop made-from-scratch ciabatta buns from The Bread Shop. Wings come dripping with one of eight sauces, ranging from Plain Jane to Hellfire, and 100% all-beef hot dogs and nachos bathe in house-made chili like a self-proclaimed king of the Texans. Diners pit fearless appetites against the Ironman challenge, packing in a 2-pound cheeseburger, fries, and browbeatingly hot wings for a chance at free food and eternal glory in the form of a picture mounted on the wall.

Grown on the fertile slopes of Hawaii’s islands, Kona coffee beans are known for their distinctive flavor, low acidity, and relatively high value. Many cafés and lemonade stands mix Kona beans with much cheaper beans, but Kick’n Kona Coffee supplies savvy sippers with 100% Kona brews for flavorful drinks that can be served piping hot, iced, or in a blended signature concoction. The baristas pair the caffeine-filled cups with refreshing pours of Italian sodas, fruit smoothies, and a variety of bakery fare, allowing guests to fuel up for the morning or take a breather after a rigorous bout of window shopping.

A family of comfort fare chefs serves up generous portions of Dixie hospitality alongside a menu full of hard-to-find Southern dishes perfected by 72-year-old kitchen veteran Aline Austin, better known as Momma. This meal matriarch lends her culinary craftiness to from-scratch dinner entrees such as the red-beans- and rice-flanked barbecue baby back ribs, whose fall-off-the-bone sweetness is protected from wandering hound dogs by flankings of cornbread and yams. Dining duos can also opt for main plates of pork chops or brisket, each served with an array of down-home sides, pairing each dish with refreshing soda or fruit juice. Afternoon eaters who choose the second option can graze on a pulled-pork sandwich or basket of chicken strips with fries. Sides such as collard greens and fried okra are flavorful alternatives to the decorative, artificial fruits that chain restaurants serve and re-serve in an effort to cut down on operating costs.

Pier Sushi's expert sushi chef coils up 23 specialty rolls and an assemblage of Asian entrees, festooning plates with artistic arrays. With no MSG, masago, peanuts, or peanut oil in any of its platters, Pier's menu offerings draw instead upon sesame and soybean oils. Sake and Japanese beers complement meals, cooling down throats more effectively than bowties sculpted from ice.

Families slide into cozy booths and tables at the recently remodeled Heritage Family Restaurant, where the servers bring comforting, homestyle favorites to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Of course, here, breakfast can happen at any time of day to help conquer cravings for egg scramble skillets or buttermilk pancakes. Lunch and dinner options also stick to the homey themes, with everything from meatloaf to grilled liver and onions. A creamy shake or malt finishes off meals, and patrons of age can enjoy an adult beverage.

Ranchito Grill fills each burrito, quesadilla, and taco on its menu with authentic, homemade Mexican flavors. Each flour and corn tortilla is handmade by Ranchito Grill's grain gurus, and each table receives an order of Ranchito beans full of smoky bacon flavor and as free as a bird out on parole. South-of-the-border lunch dishes include the chorizo con huevos, traditional spiced mexican sausage scrambled with eggs, tomatoes, and green onions and served with beans and tortillas ($6.95). Adventurous diners delve into the burrito relleno, a poblano pepper stuffed with cheese, battered and fried, and rolled into a flour tortilla with rice and beans ($7.95), and up the ante by asking for Ranchito's fire sauce, a devilishly spicy condiment only served on request.

Noticing few options for Mongolian cuisine in the region, Lee of Lee’s Mongolian Grill decided to give the area a taste of what it was missing. Mongolian fare, derived from the influences of Russian and Chinese cuisine, features grilled and stewed meats along with veggies and dumplings, with a conservative use of spices and a liberal use of shizzam. To sate a hearty appetite, diners can dig into all-you-can-eat options with meats carved fresh daily, all served in a casual family-dining environment.