Lucky in love: Philly has a new outdoor oasis

With the approach of the weekend and the start of the official summer season comes an all-new pop-up in the city, and this one is full of love. 

On Saturday, June 26 at 3 p.m., Philadelphia’s world-famous attraction – the Robert Indiana LOVE statue at LOVE Park – will share its grounds with an all new pop-up of food and fun: The Lawn at Loveluck. The new pop-up comes from restaurant connoisseurs Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran who have spent the better part of the last two decades building their own foodie and merchandise empire on 13th Street with a few of their hotspots in the past and present including Lolita, Jamonera, Barbuzzo, Bud & Marilyn’s, Verde and Marcie Blaine (Jamonera recently closed and Lolita is temporarily closed for the summer to accommodate private events). 

According to the release, for this pop-up, Chef Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran of Safran Turney Hospitality (STH) partnered with Terence Lewis, a longtime manager and beverage director for the pair’s restaurants who has worked alongside them for over 14 years. Popping up in late June through October, guests may visit The Lawn at Loveluck along the 15th Street side of LOVE Park, adjacent to the famous photo opp for a leisurely bite and transportive respite in the heart of the city.

Food-wise, the fare being served up at the new outdoor oasis will match the weather that comes with this season—light and sometimes a little bit spicy. Some starters and shareable include a chilled spicy cucumber and watermelon salad, zucchini baba ganoush, old school taco nachos, Mexican street corn, plus sandwiches spanning from a burger, Nashville spicy chicken sandwich, mushroom and barley burger, and BBQ pulled pork. To complement the meal, diners can also order up some curly fries or some curly fries with the added Bud + Marilyn’s cheese sauce. 

Spirits-wise, there is also a ton to choose from. For cocktails, the new pop-up is serving up a Blood Orange Cooler, Watermelon Margarita, Loveluck Lemonade, Philly Mule and a Pickelback. For canned beer and cider, think options spanning from Yards Pale Ale to Sweetwater’s Hazy IPA to Double Nickel’s Vienna Lager to Blake’s Flannel Mouth Hard Apple Cider. For wine and seltzers, diners can also purchase the Coastal Sparkling Rosé, Scarpetto Lambrusco, High Noon seltzers, Arnold Palmer spiked half and half and much more. For soft drinks, Philadelphians can also sip on housemade lemonade, soda, water and more. 

In total, the Lawn at Loveluck encompasses over roughly 9,000 square feet of the public park and offers seating for 200 to dine at one of the many picnic tables or relax in comfortable Adirondack chairs placed throughout. The release also states that STH tapped Philadelphia-based Groundswell Design Group to create an oasis for both locals and visitors alike. Over the past few weeks, Groundswell added lush greenery and plant life, including over 1,400 native pink and purple perennials and pollinators, transforming the grassy knoll into a dreamy escape that will bloom throughout the summer. More than a dozen Sunset Maple trees have been temporarily planted, creating natural canopies to shade guests from the summer sun. When the sun sets, the area will be softly lit by hundreds of vintage-inspired Edison bulb string lights hanging from those trees. With visiting families and their own toddler in mind, Safran and Turney also asked Groundswell to build entertaining lawn games and sandboxes for little ones to enjoy.

Philadelphians can check out this new pop-up before Safran and Turney turn their attention to completing the buildout of its full-service namesake later this Fall. The pop-up will be open Tuesday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. As they did for the pop-up, Turney and Safran also partnered with Lewis on Loveluck, which will be their sixth Center City restaurant. 

For more information about The Lawn at Loveluck, visit loveluckphilly.com and follow on Instagram @loveluckphilly.