As well as being renowned as a tech-related city, Eugene is a city focused on outdoor recreation with outstanding sports facilities. Participating in any sporting activity burns off calories and builds an appetite. The pizza chefs of Eugene understand that and so Eugene has become known for its thick crust pizzas. Thick crust pizza is a great deliverer of much-needed carbohydrates and a satisfying thing to munch on if you've been pounding around the athletics track. Thick crust pizza is a pie that originates from either Greece or Italy depending on who you're talking to. You'll find both Italian and Greek-style thick crust pizza in Eugene so you'll be able to investigate for yourself which you prefer. The only notable difference between the two is Greek thick crust is cooked in a metal skillet and Italian thick crust isn't so can often be a little bit charred on the underside of the base.

Best delivery pizza in Eugene, Oregon

One of the best delivery pizzas in Eugene is served up by the Mezza Luna Pizzeria. Roughly translated, Mezza Luna means crescent moon in Italian, but you won't get a partial pie from these guys. It'll be a full round from whichever of their premises you order from, whether it's the one on Shadowview or their premises on Pearl Street. Make sure you call the one closest to your location and your pie will be there in a flash. Get the wrong one and your pizza will be doing more circuits of the city than a ten-thousand-meter runner. While Mezza Luna's pizzerias don't have a uniform décor, their pizzas are exactly the same no matter which one you get your pie from and that's far more important. They cater for all tastes too and so will have something to suit if you're a meat lover, vegetarian, or need to stick to gluten-free.

Best takeout pizza in Eugene, Oregon

Pegasus Pizza has been in the pie-making business since 1989. Drop by there to get a pie and you'll get the best take-out pizza in Eugene. You've got three different locations to choose from so there's bound to be one of their premises close to you, whether it's the pizzeria on Willamette Street, the one in the Oakway Center, or the one on East 14th Avenue. After taking a look at the business and pizza names on Pegasus's menu, you'll quickly get the impression that their pies have a Greek influence. Their Zorba, Apollo, Mt Olympus, and Mt Helen pizzas are a bit of a dead giveaway although there's not much noticeably Greek about the restaurant other than the winged horse on the logo. Their pies are legendary though, especially the roasted veg calzone, and so much so, you'll be hard put to decide just which one to grab for your take-out.

Best pizza near Eugene, Oregon

Vida

When you want to go on a leisurely Sunday afternoon drive, take the OR126 out of Eugene and follow it where it runs alongside the meandering path of the Mckenzie River. After twenty-eight miles you'll be in a quaint little town called Vida which is backed by the stunning scapes of the Cascade Mountains and the Willamette National Forest. Snap photos of the river's white water section and the covered bridge then stop at Ike's Pizza on the McKenzie Highway for a pie on the way home.

Goshen

Goshen is a sleepy hamlet eight miles south of Eugene where not a lot happens on a daily basis but if you want to learn about the flora and fauna of the Will Valley, it's the place to go to. On the outskirts of Goshen is the Mount Pisgah Arboretum, a two-hundred acre nature reserve and educational facility dedicated to teaching visitors about the Oregon countryside. Take a guided walk through the riparian forests and over the prairie, then pick up a pie from Joey's pizza in Springfield on the way back to Eugene.

Junction City

Twice a year there's a good reason to head north from Eugene to Junction City. During March is when the two-day Daffodil Drive Festival is held and you can follow the signposted route through the fields and verges full of the blooming yellow flowers to the Long Tom Grange where there is all manner of farm-related activities. Go back to Junction City in August and you'll find the city overtaken by the four-day Scandinavian Festival. If you're not into pickled herrings or Swedish meatballs, pick up a pizza from Abby's Legendary Pizza on Pacific Highway West.