February 22, 2023
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Pizza Jawn owners David and Ana Lee are purchasing Manayunk Tavern and turning it into Bar Jawn, a sister restaurant. Located at 4247 Main Street, it will slowly transition into Bar Jawn without closing.
The owners of Pizza Jawn will soon be serving cocktails and other alcoholic beverages too.
David and Ana Lee, the proprietors of the pie shop, teased an upcoming addition, Bar Jawn, on Instagram Wednesday morning. The couple is buying Manayunk Tavern, just up the street from the pie shop at 4247 Main St.
"Coming soon, @bar_jawn, what are you hoping to see coming out of the lab?" the post reads.Everything comes full circle for the Lees with the purchase of the bar; it's where the couple shared their first Valentine's Day dinner, back when it was called Sole of Manayunk.
The restaurateurs said that the transition from the current tavern into Bar Jawn would happen gradually and that they would not be closing the business. Instead, slowly and subtly, patrons will see updated food menus and alcoholic drinks with the new owners' twist, first reported by the Inquirer's Michael Klein.
The deal has yet to be finalized; the next steps include the building sale and a liquor license transfer from current owners Joe Keough and Jeff Bender. That is expected to happen sometime this spring.
Formerly a pop-up business that handled catering and special events, Pizza Jawn opened as a brick-and-mortar restaurant in August 2020 at 4330 Main St.
David, who has a passion for making dough, turned his hobby into a business, which started as a mobile pop-up shop that catered to private events throughout Philadelphia. Then, with the ever-changing landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lees began offering pizza that could be purchased for pickup from their home, culminating in the storefront.
The popular pizza spot was featured on Hulu's competitive cooking show, "Best in Dough," last year, when David competed for $10,000.
Last week, Pizza Jawn was a finalist in the "Good Morning America" United States of Pizza competition, another contest with a $10,000 top prize and bragging rights as the ultimate pizzeria. Unfortunately, it lost to Wrecktangle Pizza, located in Minneapolis.
