Lowell's Worthen House Cafe is a bar where everybody knows your name, including Jack Kerouac and Edgar Allan Poe

Boston Globe

21 hours ago

In recent years, the friendly tavern has endured thanks to the Hamourgas family, locals who took over in 2001. Today, Dracut's Penelope Hamourgas, 40, runs the business alongside her mom, Penny, with the help of her younger sister — and a friendly young ghost.
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The Worthen House on Worthen Street in downtown Lowell.
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Tell me about the Worthen.
My parents bought the Worthen in 2001. My father was a musician. When the Worthen was for sale, I think he saw it as a perfect opportunity to bridge together everything that we're about. Our background is in the hospitality business. We own a travel company down the street. We used to own a club in Greece — we're Greek. We have a little bit of Greek-Irish fusion happening at the Worthen, which is awesome. Hospitality, food, and entertainment is what we're about. It seemed like a logical next step. And here we are, 24 years later, and hopefully for the next 24 years.
Who's the Worthen Baby?
Long story short: My mother was told she could never have kids again after multiple miscarriages. She was almost 40 years old.
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The previous [Worthen] owner was selling in order to start a family. Then, two weeks after passing papers, my mother finds out she's pregnant with my sister. She's the Worthen miracle baby. She's going to be 23. We have an 18-year difference. My mother is very adamant about her spending some time in corporate America first, and then coming over. She works here part time.
Let's talk about TV. How did the 'America's Best Restaurants' appearance come about?
Apparently 'America's Best Restaurants' is either via nomination from a customer, or the show goes out and actively seeks out different places. They reached out in October and said we'd been nominated. They really promoted it on social media and different marketing channels; then, last week, they came to visit us live.
I felt like I was getting married again: pictures everywhere. We had to feature three different menu items, and then J [Russell], the host of the show, would try them and talk about them. Then we did a little story on the history of the Worthen, which was established in 1898, so it's a pretty old place. It's the oldest [bar] in Lowell, and one of the oldest in Massachusetts.
My Nana went to high school with Jack Kerouac, and I know he used to hang out here. What role does the Worthen play in the community now?
The Worthen is a place where everyone has gathered, all types of people: literary greats, actors, musicians, poets, mill workers, blue-collar workers, all walks of life, all ages. It's a local gathering place. We always say that you can walk in and leave with a friend. We've had many people meet their lifelong partners here, and this continues to happen to this day. That spirit is still carried over, a century later.
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Of the notable patrons, there's Kerouac and Edgar Allan Poe. Come October, we're going to have sort of a mini-museum upstairs with three rooms. There's going to be a room dedicated to Poe and one to Kerouac. You'll be able to find the scroll of 'On the Road' and some other Kerouac-oriented items. Then we're going to have another room dedicated to Matthew, our friendly ghost.
Tell me about your ghost.
Our ghost is a little 10-year-old boy who fell down the stairs and died. Our stairs are very, very steep. He died back in the late 1800s. The lights will randomly shut off, the water will start running, random things happen out of the blue. His spirit continues to be with us.
How has the spirit of the city changed over time?
I think that we're having a resurgence now because many people from the city have moved out to Lowell. That eclectic, younger, fun crowd is in Lowell right now. We have the artists, the college students, the longtime locals, random visitors, tourists.
I think people are looking to feel comfortable, to be in a space where they can be themselves, where they can find a little bit of everything, and everyone feels like they're part of something.
It's funny. J, the host of 'America's Best Restaurants,' is from Arizona. He said, 'This city is amazing. Within a half-hour of being here, I've seen Asians, Latinos, African Americans, such a wide range of people. In Arizona, everything is just so dry, and everything is the same.' I do think there's definitely a fusion in Lowell that you're not getting everywhere.
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Tell me about some of the local characters. Who's your most memorable customer?
Maybe Cliff. Cliff is a special person. He's a nurse. He comes to the Worthen after his shift. He's on the board of the Kerouac Foundation. He helps organize all their events. He's a big literature lover. He just brings people together, a local. There's Eddie Murphy, Dan Bacon, Tommy the Firefighter. God, there's a giant list of regulars.
How would you describe the Worthen on a typical day?
You can talk to people about anything. The Worthen is a place that transforms any day. You could be having the worst day of your life, but once you walk through those doors, and you just sit and have a drink with all these people, it doesn't matter who you are. Nothing outside matters in that moment. … It could be your best day. It could be your worst day. Everyone is just here together.
How does your family cultivate that atmosphere, or did you inherit it?
I think it's something that we partly built. Our background is in hospitality. We're Greek, and Greek people are typically warm and friendly, as are the Irish. I think it's a great marriage of that Greek-Irish vibe.
I think the main thing, though, is the people who work here, our staff, our team at the Worthen, is exceptional. We have such low turnover. Some have been there a very long time, either through word of mouth or through just walking in and applying — but they're very good. We really have a good thing going.
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Tell me a little bit about the food.
The kitchen is subleased to Charr'd Grill. It's essentially a business operating within the business, but it's a partnership. [Chef] Chris DeMato owns his kitchen in there, and he features mainly American, pub-style food. We have great burgers, classic burgers, like the Whistler's Mother. The Whistler House Museum is right down the street, so this is a burger that pays homage. Another dish that we've had as a special but needs to go on permanently is the Mill Rib. It's a play on McDonald's McRib.
Our drinks used to be mostly beer and wine, and now we have many craft cocktails and local beers. We have an amazing espresso martini. Times have changed. When we make our margaritas, we make our own mix. We try to do as much homemade food as possible.
The Whistler's Mother, a burger topped with onion rings and barbecue sauce, is a Worthen signature.
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What's your go-to order?
Whistler's Mother. I love burgers. I love meat. It has onion rings, barbecue sauce, cheese, and bacon, and then you can put lettuce, tomato, whatever you want, onions. … I'm a hard-core meat-eater. I eat way too much meat.
Where do you hang out when you're not working? What Lowell businesses do you love?
Cobblestones, down the street. I have two young kids right now, so it's a little tough for me to get out at night. I used to go to the Old Court quite a bit, and The Keep is another good one.
Egg Roll Cafe is great, and Tasty Dumplings. I love Asian food. These are all new in the area. Koto is another one for good sushi. And the famous country singer Zach Bryan, who's a big Kerouac lover,
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What Lowell business do you miss the most?
The Olympia, a Greek restaurant. The owner passed away a few months ago.
Do you ever feel like you might be hosting the next Jack Kerouac at your bar?
At the open mic nights, there's a lot of talent — I don't necessarily know about on the literary side, but there are definitely very talented musicians in here.
What do you wish more people knew about Lowell?
That it's a much friendlier place than it appears on the outside. I think some people might have the idea that Lowell is a little rough around the edges.
Lowell is like comfort food. It's a place where you're not going to be judged; you're going to find anything you want. You can just feel at home. It's not stuffy, it's not pretentious. I wish people knew more about it.
I'll tell you: I was the first person, years ago, to say, 'I'm definitely moving.' Now, you couldn't pay me to move, because I feel invested in the community, invested in the business and making people feel good. People hear about the Worthen and they light up, and that's a really good feeling.
Interview
was edited and condensed.
Kara Baskin can be reached at