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.

Fantastic staff, Hazel was a very effective worker. I love this place! Would come again with my…read moregorgeous girlfriend.

We met three other couples for breakfast this morning to try out the new breakfast menu. So glad we…read moredid-It was delicious! The chicken fried steak was cooked perfectly. The staff was friendly and attentive and remembered all of our names from when we were there last and the view is lovely. We will be back!

Great service parking is very easy and plenty of it…read moreWaitresses were outstanding Food you have to go with the clam chowder

It is super unclear to me why TJ's doesn't have higher ratings... far and away it's got the best…read moreCrab Benedict I've ever had, and that's sayin' a lot since we live on the water in puget sound and there is no shortage of amazing crab benedicts. Their omelette is also spot on, and while the menu doesn't show custom omelettes, you can, in fact, make them exactly the way you want it. Slightly less spot on is the sausage gravy and hashbrows, but they are definitely not losing points for it. Waitress was warm and inviting. Highly recommend -- wish we live closer!!

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.

A few words…read more chicharrones (Fresh)(Hot)(Amazing) Friendly service. Tots are great too.

Rough around the edges this sports bar is definitely not for everyone.. little bit dirty a little…read morebut sketchy. We stopped by because of the Yelp reviews. The service at the bar was a bit rude and the food was mediocre. I asked for a Food suggestion the bartender said the wings were amazing nice and meaty. The wings were not amazing they were skinny little baby wings. They had a handful of sauces you could choose. We tried a BBQ sauce and a really hot habanero sauce. The sauces were also mediocre nothing fantastic or memorable. I didn't even take photos zi just want to forget about it.

Rainy Day, Great Bar Seat, and One Memorable Meal…read more It was a cold, rainy Oregon afternoon when I stumbled into Castor, and I'm glad I did. There happened to be one open seat at the bar, which is my favorite place to dine when traveling. Sitting at the bar lets you talk story with the bartender, learn the menu, and watch the cocktails come together. If you're eating alone, I highly recommend grabbing a seat here. The bartender was friendly, easy to talk with, and clearly knew both the menu and the craft behind the bar. One thing that stood out right away was their use of fresh local ingredients, which really shows up in the flavor of the dishes and drinks. I started with the Golden Manhattan, made with a pecan-infused bourbon that was fantastic. It had a rich, slightly nutty flavor with warm vanilla notes and just the right touch of sweetness. Smooth, balanced, and a great way to kick off the meal. Alongside that I ordered the chorizo clam chowder, which brought a creamy base with just the right amount of spice from the chorizo. Comfort food with a little personality. For dinner I switched gears and ordered the Creole Sour. This one really stood out. Bright citrus up front, a smooth bourbon backbone, and a subtle spice note that tied perfectly into the Creole theme. It had that classic sour balance, tart, slightly sweet, and refreshing without overpowering the drink. Dinner was the gumbo with hot bread and butter, and it delivered. Deep flavor, a nice slow warmth from the spice, and hearty enough to make the rainy Oregon weather feel like part of the experience. To finish things off I kept it simple with a neat pour of Ben Holladay, which made for the perfect nightcap. The staff were welcoming and relaxed, which made the whole experience feel easy and comfortable. This is the kind of place that works whether you're dining solo, meeting friends, out with someone special, or grabbing dinner with a group. The price point landed right where it should be for the quality of food, cocktails, and service. If you're in Corvallis and can grab a seat at the bar at Castor, take it. Order a cocktail, settle in, and enjoy the ride. It turned a rainy afternoon into one heck of a meal.

Wonderful, friendly service. Enjoyed having lunch outside. Our lunches were very tasty. Can't wait…read moreto return. The cornmeal pancakes were perfect.

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!

Made to order burritos, bowls, and salads. I've had…read morebreakfast and lunch and enjoyed both. I will definitely go again.