Wine tasting every weekend 4-6…read more You can take your glass/ splash anywhere on site. Servers know all about wine: "that's a nice light white from the volcanic soils of southern Italy" Full menu of tasty snacks Bottels galore w lots of info. Solid spot.

Visited with a friend the other day. We got the Beggar's Banquet, which is soup, fruit, baguette,…read moreand Brie. We ordered and paid, and a few minutes later were told the soup we chose wasn't available. The waitress upgraded me to the french onion soup without an up charge. My friend ordered the other soup, which we were told would be a tomato soup. What she got was a thick, lumpy white paste. My friend refused to send it back even though she didn't like it, but the waitress did offer to take it back or refund her. The wine is way pricier than I can afford more often (grad student budget here) but it was tasty. It's a cute place that felt fancy and fun for a girls night out.

There are restaurants that seduce you with promise, and others that test your patience before…read morerevealing their intent. Lion & Owl, on this particular morning, proved to be both--a place of evident talent, yet uneven discipline, where flashes of brilliance are offset by lapses that no serious kitchen should permit. Let us begin with the triumph. The buckwheat pancakes arrive not merely as breakfast, but as a composition. A stack of admirable loft and structure--evidence of a properly developed batter, handled with restraint and precision. The crumb is airy yet resilient, each bite yielding gently before dissolving into a delicate nuttiness inherent to buckwheat. A caramelized banana sauce pools generously, glossy and fragrant, its sweetness tempered by the cultured tang of crème fraîche. Toasted coconut chips scatter across the top like crisp punctuation, lending both aroma and texture. This is cooking that understands balance--sweetness checked by acidity, softness lifted by crunch, comfort elevated by technique. It is, quite simply, a five out of five dish. The kitchen, here, remembers what it means to nourish and delight. And then--alas--we encounter its counterpoint. The mushroom brioche toast, in conception, should be a study in harmony: buttery bread, earthy fungi, silken eggs, fresh greens. Yet the execution falters at its very foundation. The brioche--so essential, so central--is pushed past the threshold of caramelization into bitterness. In a bread so rich with butter and sugar, precision is everything; overcook it, and the entire structure collapses under a shadow of char. The garnish, too, feels careless--large stems of greenery draped without intention, rather than composed with purpose. It is a dish that looks promising from a distance but betrays its flaws upon inspection. A two out of five--a failure not of imagination, but of discipline. The brie and truffle macaron arrives as an afterthought--set aside, unannounced, uncentered, as though it were a spare utensil rather than a composed pastry. Presentation matters. It signals care. Here, there is none. And the macaron itself? A confection that should whisper with delicacy instead resists with age. The shell is hardened, the interior overly chewy--signs of time having passed unkindly. The flavor is confused: a sweet, almost vanilla shell encasing a mild, savory filling of whipped brie and timid truffle. Neither side asserts itself; neither yields to the other. It is neither dessert nor savory course, but a muddled compromise. A two out of five, and left unfinished--a silent verdict more damning than words. The mimosa, I am told, is bright and pleasing, though presented without flourish--a small omission, but telling in a restaurant aspiring to polish. A four out of five, competent yet unadorned. The pour-over coffee reveals a lighter roast profile: bright acidity at the fore, a nutty mid-palate, a gently lingering finish. It is, as you observed, "hipster coffee"--intentionally expressive, though perhaps too acidic for a more classical palate. On flavor alone, a three out of five. Yet the experience is marred by a most unforgivable intrusion: a hair in the initial cup. Such a thing should never reach a guest. Ever. And beyond the plate--there is service. Dishes arriving out of sequence. Eggs meant for one guest appearing with another's delayed entrée. A table divided, one diner finished while the other waits. Explanations that do not align with reality. Items placed without acknowledgment or intention. These are not minor stumbles; they are fractures in the very architecture of hospitality. The Verdict Lion & Owl is a restaurant caught between what it is capable of and what it consistently delivers. There is real talent in this kitchen--evident in the pancakes, in the conceptual ambition of the menu, in flashes of thoughtful composition. But talent without rigor is unreliable. And hospitality without coordination is hollow. For every moment of genuine pleasure, there is another of carelessness--overcooked bread, stale pastry, inattentive plating, lapses in cleanliness, and disjointed service. In the end, one must judge the whole, not the highlights. Overall score: 2 out of 5. A restaurant with promise--undeniably--but one that must remember that excellence is not achieved in moments. It is achieved in consistency, in care, and in respect for the guest at every stage of the meal. Until then, Lion & Owl remains... a place that almost is.

Really great fresh food with some interesting combinations. We came here on a whim (no…read morereservations) while visiting my wife's niece at UofO at around noon on a Saturday. Busy but they had a table for us. Very nice decor, rotating menu. We had the buckwheat pancakes with caramelized bananas, dates, and pineapple syrup which was sweet but not overly so since the pancakes underneath were not touched by the syrup ended up being a really nice balance. Bacon was like a cross between pork belly and bacon (very thick) but really tasty. Breakfast Sando was good with in-house ground pork and a nice aioli. We also tried the savory macarons (Brie and truffle) which are delicious. Creamy and a tad sweet. Not too much truffle. Coffee was a bright tangy pour over-not my favorite type but some people really like that style. Oh, and we had a blood orange mimosa which was really good Overall an excellent experience! Definitely going to again when we are in town!

Amazing service. Seriously. Some of the most attentive, professional, and on-it servers in the…read moreentire valley. The kind of place where your water never gets empty and somehow everyone seems to know exactly what you need before you do. ...and the food. Wow. The menu gets a creative refresh every couple of months, which keeps things interesting, but they've also got a lineup of permanent heavy hitters that are basically perfect every time. Smash burger. Steak frites. Seafood ceviche. Tomahawk steak. I mean... come on. Also -- the bar! Some of the hardest-working pros in the Springfield/Eugene scene are behind it. Great wine list and cocktails that feel like smart little love letters to the classics. In short: this place is legit. Great people, great food, great drinks. If you haven't tried it yet... what are you waiting for? Go. Now. Your stomach will thank you.

This has been on my list for a while and I'm so glad we finally got to try it. It's got a great…read morevibe. Food and service were delicious. We got the smash burger and beet salad. Both VERY fresh and good. There's inside and outside seating. Definitely recommend.

We had a quiet little Wednesday dinner here. It was not busy at all, and we went right at open. The…read morerestaurant is dim and cozy. We had great attentive service. The sautéed shrimp we deliciously salty with chili oil and the Parker house rolls are indulgent with sweet butter. Our steaks were cooked perfectly with butter and bone marrow, with crispy potatoes on the side. You MUST get the fig sundae for dessert. Amazing!

If you are going to indulge on the bar a word to the wise.....keep it simple. As far as the food…read more OMG. The steaks were cooked perfectly and had wonderful flavor. The sides were delicious. All in all it was a good meal.

Was driving through Eugene and my hotel receptionist recommended North Fork Tavern for a great…read moreburger and she nailed it. Sat at the bar and the service was fast and attentive. Not too noisy for a tavern, full selection of beer and wine. Burger came out just the way I like it, medium rare and the fries were nice and crisp. I will be stopping back here on my way back to CA.

We've been coming here for years, but our recent visits have been really disappointing due to major…read moremenu and quality changes. Last time we came for brunch, we noticed the eggs Benedict no longer has the amazing Parmesan-crusted potatoes. The hollandaise is still decent and the focaccia bread is great, but losing that crispy crust was a big bummer. Today's visit for our usual wings and nachos was even more frustrating. First, they no longer offer ground beef for the nachos. We were told we could substitute steak, but that literally doubles the price of the dish. We opted for chicken instead, which was a steep $7 extra for maybe two ounces of meat. When the nachos arrived, they looked like low-effort, homemade oven nachos with just melted cheddar on top. The whole thing was fused together into one giant sheet of chips; we had to break it apart and manually pile the toppings back onto the chips ourselves. It was really weird. The biggest letdown, though, was the wings. It used to be a solid order of six traditional flats and drums. Today, we paid $14 for just four pieces, and they weren't even wings--they were frenched chicken thighs. Subbing a completely different, lower-quality cut of meat without telling the customer is false advertising, and they turned out dry. Plus, the sauce has changed from a traditional Frank's-style buffalo to a harsh cayenne sauce. Between the wings and the nachos, today's total came out to $34--and $40 with a tip. Paying premium prices for dry thigh meat, overpriced add-ons, and a block of fused-together nachos makes it really hard to justify coming back. I'm not sure if North Fork got bought out or what, but I really don't see a point in returning.

Came here for breakfast with my family on Friday. Very friendly and helpful staff. Place is…read moredecorated cute with old time signs. We got there at 830am in Friday with the place fairly empty and by 9 the place was packed. I ordered bacon and eggs. My husband had the peanut butter stuffed French toast. Our son had the chocolate chip pancake. Our server was very kind to our son and made sure his hot chocolate was at a drinkable temperature and was piled high with whipped cream and sprinkles. She came back several times to refill our coffee and check on us. Food was great! Would recommend!

Overpriced and gouging the customers! One of the worst meals…read moreand dives I've ever ate at! I think they made special large plates for there website photos! Over priced, small portions, poorly made and rancid food! Restaurant is dirty and smells like the burnt grease from there grill! Food smells and taste like the unclean burnt grease from the grill.

The cinnamon rolls are incredibly delicious, I think about them quite often, they serve a chai…read morelatte that has also proven very flavorful. The employees are very friendly, and understand basic customer service. It's a pretty sweet little place and I especially like the pictures/paintings on the walls.

The friendliest and tastiest cafe in South Eugene. Fab breakfast sandwiches and an always wonderful…read morechanging dinner menu. Be there or be square.

Amazing and awesome. So many choices! So many delicznew ciders and beers. Something for everyone…read more You can't go wrong and the food is legit!

We got food poisoning…read more My partner and I both ordered the jagerschnitzel, and we both had horrible diarrhea and stomach cramps two hours later. The following day, we're both queasy. The staff seemed pleasant, the bar had a decent vibe, though the music was too loud outside. But, like, we got terrible food poisoning. We aren't coming back.