The owners of Libertee Grounds, the Francisville bar with a mini golf course, plan to open a tavern on the Delaware River waterfront in Northern Liberties next year — and it will cater to Philly’s millennial crowd.
Lucky Duck is coming to a ground-floor space at the RiverMark apartment complex at 501 N. Christopher Columbus Blvd. The 3,800-square-foot space has bay windows that will open during the warmer months and offer panoramic views of the river and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.
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“We always find our niche,” co-owner Priyank Rhambia said. “We want to be a catalyst for this space on the waterfront. Right now, there are some great places to drink, but if you try to stay super late, it becomes a bit of a younger crowd. That older crowd kind of gets pushed out, almost by design.”
RiverMark’s 470 apartments are part of Northern Liberties’ decade-long residential building boom that has brought a greater demand for nightlife. The apartments opened last year at the former site of Festival Pier, a music venue area off Spring Garden Street that was once an outlet for crowds in search of late-night hangouts.
Rhambia said other bars along that waterfront stretch have more of a seasonal appeal, but Lucky Duck will be a year-round place for people to drink, socialize and listen to music with a 1990s and 2000s vibe.
“It will be a little bit nostalgic,” Rhambia said. “It’s definitely a space for the millennials that are looking for just a great bar to hang out at. Anywhere you get a great cocktail now, it feels like a lounge. It’s a sit-down spot and you need a reservation. We want to create a third place where you can just walk in with a group of six to eight people and stand around the bar or get a high-top.”
Lucky Duck will have an Americana-style menu with thin-crust pizza and small plates. Drinks will include classic and waterfront-inspired cocktails, a wine list and a Guinness pour. The space will have seating for about 135 people indoors and a total capacity of 250 when the outdoor space is open.
The RiverMark development opened a Sprouts Farmers Market earlier this year and has several other commercial spaces available for lease.
Rhambia is part of a group of investors that includes childhood friends Sanil Shah and Kanay Patel. They opened Libertee Grounds at 1600 W. Girard Ave. in 2021 with a nine-hold mini golf course. They expanded the business last year by adding another nine holes. For Lucky Duck, the trio is teaming up with South Philly’s Sidecar Bar & Grille owner Mike Metzger.
Rhambia said the group’s goal is to open Lucky Duck in early 2026.
“We really just want to be essentially this neighborhood bar that happens to be on the waterfront,” he said. “Our approach is to follow how New York has these awesome corner bars that are very cozy and comfortable, have great cocktails and great beer, but they’re unassuming. It’s not a super high-end and posh environment.”