Nine months after a fire forced it to go dark, Love's Restaurant & Lounge on Union Boulevard in Allentown is closing in on a comeback. Owner Bazz Jarjous says the venue is aiming to reopen within the next couple of weeks, and the team has been quietly rebuilding both the space and the concept behind it.
The fire struck in late January, causing what owner Bazz Jarjous described as minor damage primarily to the property's lower level, according to wfmz.com. The restaurant and lounge sits at 1019 Union Blvd. in a building that previously housed Top Diner and East Side Family Restaurant before Love's opened there in April 2024.
As for a firm date, nothing is locked in yet. Jarjous told WFMZ.com, “We're trying to reopen on Friday, Oct. 23, but we haven't finalized that yet.” He added that the reopening should occur within the next couple of weeks regardless of the exact date.
Electrical Fixes and a Fresh Coat of Nightlife Polish
Behind the scenes, the team has completed electrical upgrades and cosmetic updates, including new lighting and lounge furniture, the outlet reports. The former sushi bar has been removed to make room for additional lounge seating, a change that lines up with the business's broader shift away from its original full-service dining setup.
Love's first opened in April 2024 after what the same outlet's earlier report described as nearly a year of renovation work by a team of contractors, offering elevated American pub fare, sushi, craft cocktails and nightlife entertainment inside a space with indoor seating for roughly 85 guests. Jarjous previously operated East Side Family Restaurant at the same address from 2019 to 2023, so this stretch of Union Boulevard has effectively been his for years. Co-founder Brianna Morales serves as general manager of the business.
Sushi and Entrees Are Out, Handhelds Are In
When the doors reopen, the menu will look noticeably different. The report notes Love's is modifying operations with condensed food offerings and hours, and the post-reopening menu is expected to focus on made-to-order appetizers and handhelds, including wings, fries, burgers, cheesesteaks, sandwiches and tacos. Full entrees and sushi will no longer be on offer, a trade-off tied directly to the restaurant's pivot toward nightlife.
“We're going to be leaning more into the nightlife,” Jarjous said, according to the same report. That shift builds on a concept that always blended dining with a club-like atmosphere; LehighValleyNews.com previously noted that the nightclub portion of the restaurant, complete with lounge areas and a DJ booth, has been part of the setup from the start.
A Familiar Story Across the Lehigh Valley
Love's isn't the only local business navigating a fire-related closure this fall. The Morning Call reported that another Lehigh Valley restaurant damaged by a nearby hotel fire was also nearing a reopening roughly eight months after that incident. Not every business has had the same outcome, though — the same outlet separately reported on a Lehigh Valley restaurant that remained closed indefinitely after its own fire, with the owners writing on Facebook that they hoped to come back stronger and welcome customers through their doors again soon.
Love's hopes to avoid that fate within weeks. The business has reportedly filled all front- and back-of-house positions after holding hiring events, with some employees returning to the team that first opened the doors in 2024.
