A Eugene tradition since 1976
Our Story
Going on fifty years of baguettes, sourdough, and French and Viennese pastry on Willamette Street.
Eugene's European-style bakery
Metropol opened its doors in 1976 and has been Eugene's European-style bakery ever since. At one point Metropol ran three locations around town; the Willamette Street bakery and café, with its Pavailler ovens constructed on site by French technicians, is where the tradition lives today.
The Metropol crew — photo © Brian Lanker Archives
The founder
48 years, one standard
Founder Donna McGuinness owned and ran Metropol for 48 years, and her standard never wavered: everything made from scratch, nothing ever frozen, and presentation that matters as much as taste.
I love the presentation. That's really important to us.
October 2025
A new chapter
Maria Martin, owner
On October 1, 2025, longtime manager Maria Martin became Metropol's new owner. Maria moved to Eugene in 1998 — drawn west by the cooking show Great Chefs, Great Cities — and started at Metropol's former Willakenzie Road location that same year. In nearly three decades she has held every job in the building, from decorating cakes and baking bread to running the shop.
Elizabeth Leroue, pastry chef
Head pastry chef Elizabeth Leroue has been finishing Metropol's cakes for more than 22 years. She came to baking through her love of art — and it shows in every hand-decorated dessert that leaves the case.
The Pavailler ovens
Our deck ovens were built on site, stone by stone, by French technicians. Decades later, every loaf still bakes directly on their stone hearths.
Eugene Weekly
“Rising to the Occasion” told the story of the bakery's ownership transition in November 2025.
KVAL Tasty Tuesday
KVAL stopped by the bakery to feature our Strawberry Gateaux on Tasty Tuesday.
Visit
Come taste the tradition
2538 Willamette St., Eugene, Oregon 97405 · Open 8am–4pm, everyday