Lion & Owl and Lemon & Olive announce move to The Paddock

QuickTake:

The restaurant and bar will remain at their 11th Avenue locations until the end of the year, when the couple who own the two businesses plan to transition into a new space.

Kirsten Hansen and Crystal Platt, the couple who own and operate Lion & Owl restaurant and Lemon & Olive bar, announced plans to relocate to The Paddock location in south Eugene in 2026. The announcement was made on their Instagram account Aug. 20.

The Paddock opened in 1948 at 3355 E. Amazon Drive. LaMonte Cherrick purchased the bar in 2005 and ran it until he announced his retirement and sale of the business Oct. 2, 2024, on the Paddock’s Facebook page, after 19 years of ownership.

Kirsten Hansen and Crystal Platt celebrate with wine — Drinks manager Kirsten Hansen and James Beard-nominated chef Crystal Platt are excited for the chance to own their own building. Credit: Kirsten Hansen

Exterior of Paddock, Kirsten Hansen holding keys in front of For Sale sign — Drinks manager Kirsten Hansen and James Beard-nominated chef Crystal Platt are excited for the chance to own their own building. Credit: Kirsten Hansen

The new venture for Hansen and Platt will likely not be called Lion & Owl or Lemon & Olive, but will maintain the restaurant’s commitment to local sourcing, high-quality ingredients, and community connection.

“I don’t think I’m trying to hold on to the brand of either Lemon & Olive or Lion & Owl, but it’ll be us doing our thing,” Hansen said. “We’re definitely going to renovate it and make it our style. We’ve learned a lot with these two places, and we feel attached to them and a love for them,” but this is an opportunity for a “reimagining.”

Hansen said she and Platt felt a connection to the history of the building and its connections to Eugene that they want to honor.

Over the years The Paddock has been known as The Paddock Tavern and The Pad. The bar was named The Paddock because the original owners had horses which they kept on the property. The Paddock is also known as a place where Olympian Steve Prefontaine worked as a bartender.

Interior of Lion & Owl — Lion & Owl started in an Airstream which is parked inside their high-ceilinged space. Credit: Kirsten Hansen

Lion & Owl started in 2017 as a bar and restaurant located inside a large Airstream trailer, which they parked in the parking lot of Eugene Backyard Farmer. With success came growth, and Hansen and Platt moved into the current space at 60 E. 11th Ave. in 2019. They parked their Airstream inside the bright, airy space. Hansen, who handles the drinks program, and Platt, the James Beard-nominated chef, opened Lemon & Olive in the space next door, at 50 E. 11th Ave. in August 2023.

Hansen said they typically close the business for a couple of weeks at the end of the year, so their plan is to continue operating as usual until that time. Then they will reopen in early 2026.

“We want to ride out the year and enjoy Lion & Owl and Lemon & Olive for what they are, at least through the end of the year,” she said. “The fall feels like a really good time to celebrate what we’ve built and what we have in this current space. But everything’s kind of up in the air in terms of timelines.”