New downtown Winking Lizard opens Feb. 9 Credit: Courtesy Winking Lizard

Winking Lizard will open its new downtown restaurant and bar today, February 9, at 11 a.m. Fans can find the contemporary eatery in its new home in the AECOM building (1300 East 9th St.), which has undergone improvements and added retail options such as Colossal Cupcakes and Anna in the Raw.

In the coming months, the restaurant will unveil an expanded patio that will benefit greatly from a southern exposure on St. Clair as opposed to the former “wind tunnel” over on East 9th.

“That patio was literally the last patio to open in the summertime and usually the first one to close in the wintertime,” Lane says of the old digs.

Winking Lizard closed its Galleria location last year and its Gateway District location in August of 2021.

Winking Lizard Downtown 1300 E 9th St, Cleveland Winking Lizard closed its Galleria and Gateway District locations over the past two years, but it opened a new downtown restaurant and bar in February. Fans can find the contemporary tavern in its new home in the AECOM building, which has undergone improvements and added retail options. In the coming months, the restaurant will unveil an expanded patio on St. Clair. Credit: Courtesy Winking Lizard
New downtown Winking Lizard opens Feb. 9 Credit: Courtesy Winking Lizard

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This article appears in Feb 8-21, 2023.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.