Friday Saturday Sunday’s Lovers Bar could win the James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar this year — an impressive feat, considering the establishment took home the honor for Outstanding Restaurant just two years ago.
“I’m completely shocked. Absolutely, completely shocked,” said Hanna Williams, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband Chad. “To be back there two years later as a finalist is wild. It’s absolutely wild.”
Still, long before the spotlight and national acclaim, the Williamses made a risky bet when they took over the historic Philly restaurant in 2015.
Friday Saturday Sunday has been a go-to staple for date nights and delicious dinners for over 40 years. Chad is the chef, while Hanna runs the front of the house. The decision to buy the beloved space a decade ago and give its menu and decor a total revamp – while keeping its name – was far from a safe move.
“I don’t think we were fully aware of how powerful the history was going to be,” Chad said. “We had a ton of people who were really mad at us for changing everything. So from the jump, we were like, Ooh, maybe this was not the best idea keeping the name, because there are expectations.”
Fortunately, the duo has more than conquered those initial reactions, transforming skepticism into acclaim. The best bars often go beyond delicious cocktails and often come with a lived-in backstory. The Lovers Bar delivers theirs in spades.
The bar received its affectionate name due to the restaurant’s rich romantic history.
“The number of stories, after a while, is just overwhelming,” Chad said. “Hundreds of people come in – literally hundreds – about how they either started dating and they come there still, or their parents did. It’s really wild.”
(I personally know what he’s talking about. My parents met at Friday Saturday Sunday on a blind date over 40 years ago, on August 8, 1983. They still go there for anniversary dinners.)
What’s more, in true iconic fashion, the Williamses actually got married in the restaurant before they opened it.
“When that happened, it’s because we were completely out of money,” Hanna said. “We had just bought this building. We were trying to open this restaurant, and we ran out of money well before then. Looking back on that, if we had all the funds in the world, I wouldn’t have changed that. It’s totally unique to us, and made the place special.”
Part of the reason that the Lovers Bar has been such a success is because of how central the couple sees it to the dining experience.
“Chad and I have always been bar people,” Hanna said. “We’ve always kind of wanted to go out to dinner on a whim, not making reservations. The bar is the best way to do that for the most sought-after reservations.”
According to the couple, the bar is a staple, not just a waiting area while you count down the minutes until your table is ready. Foodies should not snooze on a good bar dinner, because the experience can be even better than at a seated table. Their goal for the Lovers Bar was to create a space that was big and comfy enough for customers to order cocktails, and dine at the counter.
“It was meant to be its own space and have its own identity, from the beginning,” Hanna said.
Both Williamses are spirit forward in their cocktail preference, and recommended ordering the “Assassin’s Handbook,” which comes with cognac, Jamaican rum, averna and a kick of habanero. They agree that their go-to dish on the menu is the “octopus and beans.”
“That’s been on the menu since we opened,” Hanna said. “That’s just a pretty special plate altogether, not necessarily for a first date, but for any time.”
And, of course, any bar wouldn’t be complete without a good vibe.
“Lighting is important. Music is important,” Chad said. “It’s the way you feel when you try to add up all those things. You know, the textures that you have in the space, the bar, the seats, just a bunch of ingredients that go into making it welcoming and intimate.”
The stools at the Lovers Bar are upholstered in zebra-patterned fabric, and the countertop is cut from wide marble. Soft, ambient lighting hangs above the seats, casting a warm glow over the space. The restaurant is in a historic row home, and there are rich wood tones all around.
The couple is excited to celebrate this other element of Friday Saturday Sunday experience in Chicago. The last time they traveled to the James Beard Awards as finalists, they celebrated their win at a karaoke bar. Chad said they turned in early, but Hanna protested that he may not have the best memory of the night due to certain boozy shenanigans.
“We did not go home early!” she jumped in. “We were out until 4 a.m. We went to the after-hours bar … Chicago showed us the absolute best time. So, the first time around, we were there with the whole staff. Well, most of the staff anyway, so everybody was just on cloud nine, celebrating.”
The Williamses are blown away with the positive feedback they’ve received from their restaurant. They’re already experiencing acclaim beyond their expectations, and are trying to take everything moment by moment.
“To be in the finals is kind of already a win,” Hanna said. “So we’re all just looking forward to being back in Chicago and hanging out with one another and celebrating the success that it already is … We’re up against some of the best in the business.”
“We’ve been doing this for almost 10 years,” Chad added. “It’s a quarter of our life, or more so it really has become an extension of who we are, and I think we’ve become more of the restaurant. We are one unit right now. You know, we don’t have a bunch of other restaurants, it’s just this one. So it is very personal. It still feels very personal, even 10 years in.”
