Eat Up! Philly's LOVE Park Enters Final Phase of Renovations With Restaurant in ‘Flying Saucer'

"LOVE" to eat?

Philadelphia's LOVE Park has already gotten a makeover but the revitalization of the park in the heart of Center City isn't over as a restaurant is added to the menu of options at the iconic park.

Mayor Jim Kenney and other city officials unveiled the latest and last phase of renovations — a full-service restaurant in the UFO-looking former Welcome Center in the park — Wednesday morning. 

"The flying saucer comes back to life," Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clark said.

Philadelphia has teamed with Safran Turney Hospitality to renovate the circular Welcome Center at the corner of 16th Street and JFK Boulevard, the City's Department of Parks and Recreation says. On Wednesday, officials gave a first-look at the eatery called Loveluck.

Loveluck is being run by Safran Turney Hospitality, the restaurant group of chef Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran along 13th Street that is behind Philly favorites like Barbuzzo, Little Nonna's Verde, Bud & Marilyn's and more.

Loveluck will feature 60 seats inside with 360-degree views through donated Saint-Gobain glass, officials said. There will be 40 more seats on the circular balcony and another 80 seats outside, the City said. The restaurant is expected to open later this year.

The eatery is being called final piece of a multi-million dollar redesign of the park.

As we wait for Loveluck to open, parkgoers can eat grab a bite at food trucks that are expected to ramp up as the weather warms.

Back in May, the ribbon was cut on the redesigned park. LOVE Park, officially named John F. Kennedy Plaza, was upgraded over a couple of years. Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE statue even was moved out of the park for a time. But the statue, with a fresh coat of paint, is back and so is the fountain with colored water.

Talk about love: the City is also now permitting a handful of weddings in the park as part of the Wedding Wednesdays initiative.

Critics say the new LOVE Park lacks the grunge and grittiness that helped make it an international skateboarding destination over the years while others say they appreciate the new, greener, park.