Lioness
Italian restaurant · Phinney Ridge
7009 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
Highlights
Renee Erickson’s Lioness is a cozy Phinney Ridge wine bar serving Italian-inspired shareable bites, stellar cocktails, and a warm, buzzing vibe.
Renee Erickson’s Lioness is a cozy Phinney Ridge wine bar serving Italian-inspired shareable bites, stellar cocktails, and a warm, buzzing vibe.
"Any Italian wine bar can serve some fizzy Campari business alongside appetizers that merely require assembly. But Lioness in Phinney Ridge is a prosciutto-wrapped gift to North Seattle—and makes aperitivo hour actually exciting. The galley-style space feels effortlessly cool, like Ray-Bans or anyone who rides a Vespa. A soundbath of date night chatter swirls with high-BPM tunes. Flickering tea candles and a couple of chandeliers are the only light sources. The marble standing-only bar makes sitting seem passé, as folks mingle and sip bergamot-infused spritzes, frothy zero-proof garibaldis, or martinis so squeaky clean you could mop the floor with any rogue sloshes. And it takes serious restraint to not flip over the olive green-freckled ceramic to learn who the heck designed such criminally adorable plates. photo credit: Nate Watters photo credit: Nate Watters photo credit: Nate Watters photo credit: Nate Watters photo credit: Nate Watters The bites served on that dishware go way beyond the call of small plate duty. A would-be-boring ball of burrata has a surprising kick, and salumi is shaved thinner than parchment paper, an achievement in salt-cured pork we wish more restaurants gave a damn about. Past the excellent drinks and starters, it's safe to avoid the $18 over-spiced meatball—but dive headfirst into a bowl of brothy clams or bouncy cavatelli. If you’re only in it for the lighter bites anyway, that should soften the blow of the hassle it takes to get in. With limited reservations, you can expect to wait a bit for a table, even on a weekday. But it’s worth it for a night out fueled by falanghina and salami—stick it out and snack on. Food Rundown photo credit: Nate Watters Burrata Have you ever ordered burrata at a wine bar only to discover that it was just burrata? Well, Lioness’s take is more than “just burrata,” with pops of calabrian chile and lemon oil that pool with the stracciatella when you crack it open. Tack on an order of prosciutto, plop it all on fluffy toasted ciabatta, and you have an unstoppable drinking snack. photo credit: Nate Watters Smoked Black Cod Mousse We’d order this creamy fish dip purely for the homemade cracker slabs that come on the side—if only they were packaged in a cellophane bag to-go, you could catch us later in front of the TV covered in crumbs. A snapped shard spread with mascarpone-spiked cod puree and some ikura is a great bite of food. photo credit: Nate Watters Clams Don’t underestimate the power of a dependable bowl of clams. These Hama Hama manilas are tender and plump, served in a soothing broth that requires an extra slice of crusty toast for critical absorption. photo credit: Nate Watters Beef & Pork Meatball Besides the fact that this is a solitary meatball for $18, the meat crumbles like brown sugar upon fork contact, and there’s an aggressive dried herb in there that makes the whole thing bitter and taste like a spice cabinet accident. Steer clear altogether. photo credit: Nate Watters Cavatelli Pasta It’s refreshing to see this wildly underrepresented pasta shape in Seattle—and depending on the preparation, there's a good chance you could be delighted. A recent version with jammy sungolds invoke late summer in edible form. photo credit: Nate Watters Dark Chocolate Cake Here’s a brownie that got a doctorate. Crackly on top and fudgy in the center, this chocolatey wedge is already freaking perfect—and the barely-sweetened mascarpone whip flecked with ground espresso cuts through the decadence of it all. Do not skip dessert here." - Aimee Rizzo
"Opening: Fall We are inclined to get jittery about anything that Renee Erickson does. (You know, the owner of Walrus And The Carpenter, Bateau, Barnacle, Willmott’s Ghost, Deep Dive, General Porpoise, Westward, Boat Bar, and The Whale Wins.) Lioness is her newest upcoming spot. Located in Phinney Ridge across from Ben’s Bread, it will be a small wine bar and casual Italian spot with salumi, cheeses, and we’ll make a well-informed assumption that oysters will likely be involved too." - kayla sager riley
"It's tempting to load up on burrata and smoked cod mousse at this Phinney Ridge wine bar, but Lioness' desserts are just as important. The two available are always the same and always a worthy finale to a meal powered by Italian bubbles. Crackle-topped dark chocolate cake is essentially a brownie that got a doctorate, crowned with a plop of espresso-flecked mascarpone. And if cocoa's not your thing, the salty vanilla panna cotta with stewed fruit and olive oil will be." - kayla sager riley, aimee rizzo, gabe guarente
"Renee Erickson’s highly anticipated new restaurant is not really a restaurant. Sure, you can have a full meal here, but it’s really more of a place where you can engage in some Italian-style don’t-eat-without-drinking-or-drink-without-eating grazing while on your way to dinner. To be clear, there are some fantastic grazing opportunities here, like the black cod mousse, which comes topped with photogenic orange ikura. There’s an impressive list of Italian wines, and oysters (it’s an Erickson restaurant, so of course there’s oysters), and also a lot of beautiful tile and huge wine bottles that have been turned into candles. Lioness also boasts one of the few standing bars in Seattle, which means having a drink here technically counts as exercise." - Meg van Huygen, Harry Cheadle
"Lioness, Renee Erickson’s 10th restaurant, is opening on January 29. The Italian-influenced enoteca will feature an extensive collection of Italian wines selected by Jen O’Neil, the wine director of Sea Creatures, Erickson’s restaurant group. The menu will include snacky plates like oysters, seasonal salads, and crostini, reflecting Erickson’s style. Lioness is located in the Shared Roof development on Phinney Ridge, a popular address with establishments like Ben’s Bread and Doe Bay Wine Company. Erickson, a James Beard Award-winning restaurateur, adds Lioness to her acclaimed collection of Seattle restaurants." - Harry Cheadle
