While COVID delayed the 2020 opening of Loveluck, a restaurant by Safran Turney Hospitality, Chef Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran expect the restaurant to open its doors in 2022, Philly Mag reports. Loveluck’s home is at Philly’s historical Welcome Center building in LOVE Park at 15th Street and JFK Blvd. The full-service dining restaurant and bar will be located in the park’s flying saucer building, where diners will have 360-degrees views of the park. But creating a round restaurant wasn’t the easiest feat.
“I never knew how difficult it would be to a build a restaurant in a round building. Definitely a challenge for our architects Stokes Architecture + Design and designers Rohe Creative,” Safran said on Loveluck’s Instagram page.
Loveluck will have indoor seating for about 50 to 55 and outdoor seating for 135 on the balcony and adjoining park-level terrace. The building’s new exterior glass panes are a part of the park’s multimillion-dollar reconstruction, which also includes a new roof, interior finishes, lighting, security, and mechanical systems, according to the Fairmount Park Conservancy’s website.
“Loveluck will transform the Welcome Center into a destination for quality dining and socializing. This opening marks another positive step in the rebirth of LOVE Park,” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney told Curbed Philadelphia.
Over the summer, Safran Turney Hospitality opened an outdoor pop-up inspired by Loveluck in front of the UFO building called The Lawn at Loveluck serving delicious casual dishes like curly fries with cheese sauce, cotija, and scallions, Mexican street corn, and crispy chicken sandwiches with a hot and smokey spice shake, pickled carrot-cabbage slaw, pickles, and herby ranch on a potato roll out of their food truck. The Lawn at Loveluck also served some killer fresh frozen cocktails like their watermelon margarita and blood orange cooler. Customers were invited to dine in an outdoor seating area designed by Groundswell Design Group with picnic benches, string lighting, and gorgeous greenery. The Lawn at Loveluck closed up shop in November for the change in weather. Stay tuned for updates on Loveluck at loveluckphilly.com.
