Destination restaurants certainly have their appeal, but they don't often help us answer the question that we need to answer every night of the week, every week of the year: What's for dinner? Union and Finch wants residents to answer that question by heading to its bright, airy space in Allentown—especially residents within walking distance. It's the kind of place you'd stumble into, unexpectedly and delightedly, and wander in right off the street.
Owners Shahnaz and Ed Hanna took over the former J.P. O'Malley's in August 2016 and opened up the place considerably, adding more windows, removing walls, refurbishing the maple-and-oak flooring and bringing in custom-made furniture. Interior design touches include what's shorthand for the modern, rustic-chic restaurant: menus on chalkboards, retro-styled lighting and paneling from an old barn. Bonus points for replacing the old block-glass window with a new plate-glass one—it's an open invitation for passersby.
“We tried to make it feel spacious, bright and cozy—not like people sitting on top of one another,” says Shahnaz.
With the renovations that the Hannas have pulled off, the place is just as she describes it. The restaurant seats 95 across two rooms and a long bar. That openness carries over to the evocative original photography, much of it travel-oriented, lining the walls.
“This whole restaurant is a journey for us,” says Shahnaz, who runs Union and Finch with her husband, Ed. (He has a non-restaurant full-time job, and it's not as the meteorologist for WFMZ. The shared nomenclature is merely a coincidence.)
“We have a love of city living, the open road and empty, expansive spaces,” she says. This may seem paradoxical, but consider the following: The Hannas moved back to the Lehigh Valley (Ed grew up here) after living in Manhattan for a while. Shahnaz's background is in real estate. Space—having enough of it, having it work effectively and efficiently—is a recurring preoccupation in restaurants, real estate and cities such as New York.
Designed as a neighborhood bistro, Union and Finch wants to cultivate a regular clientele, and in less than a year, it's starting to accomplish just that. The vibe certainly helps. Easy-to-love items, the type you might expect from a modern spot, populate the menu—think pickled veggies, chicken and waffles, and burgers comprised of organic, grass-fed meat from Pat LaFrieda. “The burger is a combination of sirloin, brisket and chuck,” she explains. “It makes it very flavorful.”
There's something for everyone on the menu—including a special section for kids. But if you're vegan, vegetarian or require gluten-free options, Union and Finch has you covered. Weekly soups, such as a mushroom variation flavored with fresh dill, and dessert specials change with the seasons on a regular basis, which keeps things fresh for regulars. They had just run out of a blueberry tart, and so instead I was served a pie-sized slice of caramel apple bread pudding.
Restaurants are, on some level, personal statements that are made in public spaces, and Shahnaz, who moved here from Jordan as a child with her family, is definitely felt in the kitchen, although she's not the chef. (Currently, as of this writing, her brother Ayoub Abboud is.) In addition to comfort foods with Union and Finch's own twists—think mac and cheese with gremolata, poutine with pickled jalapeños—Mediterranean and Middle Eastern specialties are keenly felt here, too. Hummus is there, made from white beans with crudités,
Greek olives, cauliflower, arugula pesto and baguette. The brunch menu's shakshuka also earns lots of raves—imagine two fried eggs surrounded by stewed plum tomatoes with lime, cumin, shallots and garlic. If you've never had halloumi, a cheese made from goat and sheep's milk, give it a go. It's prepared the traditional way—grilled, over a bed of greens and grapes, and drizzled with olive oil. Even something like the crisp, refreshing crab and fennel salad receives a touch of the region, with pomegranate seeds, and their juicy pork chop is served with farro.
Food is central to so many cultures. About her family, she says with a laugh, “You eat until you are full, and then you have to eat some more.” This very thing happened when we sat down to talk about Union and Finch.
Family is of paramount importance to her, so much so that she leaves the restaurant during the busiest time—dinner service—to make sure her three young children know she's available and present. She makes dinner—and admits it's sometimes take-out or quick bites from Wegmans—as much as possible, “about four nights out of seven,” she says. Making those connections over meals is key. Growing up, Shahnaz says her family always had gatherings around the house, and that her father would often invite people to the house who were from America, visiting Jordan for the first time. (Her parents lived in the United States and Jordan multiple times.) Food, of course, was central to that sense of fostering community, she says.
“He understood how hard it is when you don't know anyone or know the culture. We came from very modest backgrounds, yet we always opened our home with open arms to families and friends,” she says.
That level of hospitality is exactly what happens in good restaurants: you feed complete strangers who leave as friends, hopefully to return again. Union and Finch encourages just that, but takes it a step further. Shahnaz wants you to be present and really engage with your dining companions while you're there. Take, for example, the sandwich board outside the restaurant, which reads: “Talk to each other. Call Your Mom. Pretend it's 1993. LIVE!” When questioned about it, she says, “I have a passion for connection.”
It's clear that she relishes meaningful connections with people—that's what really drives her. A love of food certainly helps.
“It's not about just serving the food and walking away. We want to make the experience grand, whether you are here on a date, with your family or for just a drink,” she says.
Union and Finch
1528 W. Union St., Allentown | 610.432.1522 | unionandfinch.com
Hours: Tues.–Thurs.: 11 a.m.–11 p.m.; Fri: 11 a.m.–2 a.m.; Sat.: 10 a.m.–Midnight; Sun.: 10 a.m.–10 p.m. (Brunch: 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Sat. & Sun.)
Parking: Street parking; off street parking with space for 20 behind the building on Rush Street.
Reservations: Strongly suggested for the weekends
Payment: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover
What to Order: Start with the pickle jar, full of dilly beans, green tomatoes, cukes and peppers; the light, refreshing crab and fennel salad; the Union burger; the chicken and waffle; the bone-in pork chop. For brunch, the shakshuka is popular.
Specials: Tues.–Fri. from 5–7 p.m., Fri. from 8:30–10 p.m. and Sat.–Sun. from 3–5 p.m.: all drafts are $3.50, $1 off all bottles, $7 specialty cocktails, $1 off house wine, $4 appetizers. Moules Frites on Tuesday $9; Unwine'd Wednesday (half-off bottles of wine); Wing It Wednesday, half-off wings and beer pitcher specials; Burger and Beer Thursdays, $10.
Union and Finch does a reverse happy hour, from 8:30–10 p.m. on weeknights—it just involves drinks—to encourage folks to come out after dinner. There's a small garden on site with herbs and veggies, to support both the kitchen and beverage program. The latter includes cocktails created from house infusions with fresh fruits, herbs and so forth. (You can also expect 14 taps, many of them local/regional offerings—those too, sometimes rotate.)
On most Thursday and Friday nights, you'll find live music ranging from acoustic rock to soul and Motown, whether it's a band or a DJ, from roughly 6:30–9:30 p.m. Thursdays are reserved for local, up-and-coming artists.
