David and Ana Lee, the duo behind neighborhood staple Pizza Jawn, are set to take over the nearby Manayunk Tavern located at 4247 Main St, which they will slowly transform into a new concept dubbed Bar Jawn.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to own a restaurant since my days supporting myself in college via the restaurant business,” David tells What Now Philadelphia. “This is only heightened by the opportunity to do it in the town that I met the love of my life and that I have started two other businesses.”
Ana echoed the sentiment, adding, “It’s always been a goal of mine to grow my real estate portfolio to include a mixed-use and/or commercial property. Having that property located on Main Street in Manayunk where we shared our first Valentine’s Day in February of 2007 makes it all that much sweeter.”
Despite the fact that the Philadelphia Inquirer ostensibly broke the news this past Tuesday, Feb 21, Bar Jawn’s origin story can actually be traced all the way back to July 5, 2022, when an innocuous photo of a beachside cocktail appeared on an otherwise nondescript account – the same account that teased Bar Jawn as “coming soon” earlier this week.
As for the concept itself, however, the Lees have said that they will not be closing Manayunk Tavern, per se, but rather, will be rebranding it to Bar Jawn while taking over ownership from the current proprietors, Joe Keough and Jeff Bender.
As such, there are no plans to shut Manayunk Tavern down, but guests can expect to see it slowly transform into Bar Jawn with revamped menu items and cocktails that reflect David and Ana’s vision and brand.
