Lion and Owl relocating to South Eugene, rebranding as The Paddock

Lion & Owl’s last service at 60 E. 11th Ave. in downtown Eugene was Monday, March 2, and co-owners Kirsten Hansen and chef Crystal Platt plan to reopen a new version of the restaurant later in March at the historic Paddock, 3355 E. Amazon Drive in south Eugene. Hansen said the move follows the owners’ purchase of the Paddock building after leasing their East 11th space.

The shift closes a chapter that began when Lion & Owl started in 2017 inside a large Airstream trailer parked at the Backyard Farmer parking lot and then moved into 60 E. 11th Ave. in 2019, bringing the Airstream into the dining room. Hansen and Platt also opened Lemon & Olive next door at 50 E. 11th Ave. in August 2023; the sources do not specify any changes planned for Lemon & Olive as part of this move.

The Paddock building dates to the 1940s, with local accounts pinpointing a 1948 opening at 3355 E. Amazon Drive. LaMonte Cherrick purchased the bar in 2005 and ran it until announcing his retirement and the sale of the business on Oct. 2, 2024 after 19 years of ownership. The Paddock has long local ties — patrons remember it as a neighborhood tavern where Olympian Steve Prefontaine once worked as a bartender — and Hansen said she wants to honor that legacy: "I love the institution of that, and honoring the institution that’s there."

Hansen highlighted practical advantages of the south Eugene site, saying outdoor seating and on-site parking were big appeals because both are in short supply at the East 11th location. "There’s a few Lion & Owl staples that will come over for sure," Hansen said about the menu as the kitchen adapts to the new space.

Platt, who was a James Beard Award semi-finalist in 2023, outlined how the menu will evolve at the Paddock while keeping a seasonal, Willamette Valley focus: "We love the produce of the Willamette Valley, so we’re definitely going to have a vegetable section, still. We will have some bigger plates. Maybe more sandwiches." The owners also plan to repurpose the Airstream as an outdoor coffee truck at the new site.

Staff and community emotion were threaded through the final downtown services. Hansen said there would be happy tears at the last service, and Platt framed the relocation as a new phase: "It’s an exciting new chapter and we hope all the people who said they were excited come, because we need them to!" The owners say they hope to reopen in late March in the Paddock building and to bring Lion & Owl’s seasonal, sharable dishes into a more neighborhood-oriented setting with expanded outdoor space and parking.