Early 2010s music makes its way through conversations straight to your ears as the warm scent of freshly deep-fried garlic fries travels to your nose. In between sips of signature beer, you try to tune into the brain-hurting trivia occurring in the background, all while you wait for the clock to strike 9 p.m. so you can tee off for your nine holes of mini golf.
Libertee Grounds, located at 1600 W. Girard Ave., Philadelphia, flashes you back in time to middle school dances with music by artists like Paramore and Maroon 5 blaring in the background. A graffiti wall decked with Phillies players embracing each other with the phrase “brotherly love” spelled out underneath them, Philadelphia landmarks and a random Danny DeVito cartoon sketch adjacent to Ben Franklin greets you as you walk down to the lower level basement. Libertee Grounds establishes the perfect balance between millennial core quirkiness and a dine-in experience that makes for a good time.
The food leans heavily on the bar food side, but, surprisingly, there are a lot of Asian-inspired meals to choose from the menu — like the Spicy Chicken Sando, a signature sandwich with chicken coated in Sichuan chili oil, a ginger sesame slaw to add a cooling, creamy texture all served on a warm, seeded brioche bun.
If a happy hour is more your speed, come in before 6 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays to enjoy $2 off all drinks and appetizer specials, like $7 Masala nachos. The drink menu feels bottomless, with a wide variety of fruity cocktails, draft beers and even prosecco if you are feeling more of a country club golfing vibe.
Embedded into the name, Libertee Grounds’ most notable aspect is the options visitors have to tee off on the nine-hole mini golf course located in the basement or rent out a private room to experience a driving range simulation, with the starting prices for a 60 minute session during off-peak hours (Tuesday-Thursday nights) being $45, and $55 for peak hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The mini golf course is Philadelphia-themed, with the first two holes marking city landmarks, like the famous Rocky steps and Boathouse Row. The other holes of the course are shaped to spell “PHILLY.” If you’re too competitive and focused on the game, it may take you until the second “L” to notice this.
While your normal hometown or boardwalk mini-golf may be priced similarly and hosts the average 18 holes, here you are paying for the atmosphere — but let’s be real, you are paying for the easy accessibility to food and drinks. You literally pay to putt at a bar.
If you’re 21 or older and looking for an excuse to relive your youth, Libertee Grounds encapsulates the nostalgia you may be looking for. Sprinkled with a hint of immaturity, neon LED signs brighten up the place with sayings like, “Talk birdie to me” or “Who’s your caddy,” leaving you feeling like a middle schooler at your local putt-putt, all while you enjoy a cold one, if that’s your thing. It combines the love of a modern bar atmosphere with the nostalgia of traveling back to those childhood memories we all crave on a weekend night.
