Seafood Bar To Replace Old Morrisville Water Works

MORRISVILLE, PA —The old Morrisville Water Works along the Delaware River is being rebranded as a seafood bar.

The Yardley Restaurant Group —operated by Nicole and Frederick Rabena of La La Lobster fame—have acquired a one-acre parcel at 650 North Delmorr Avenue that sits on the Delaware River, adjacent to the Calhoun Street Bridge.

The property will be transformed into Calhoun's River Deck Raw Bar, which will offer a unique waterfront dining experience and feature a menu showcasing a raw bar with fresh, locally-sourced seafood, a variety of tapas dishes, and craft cocktails, beer, and wine.

Fred Rabena told Patch on Thursday that he is not sure when Calhoun's River Deck Raw Bar will open, but that the Lower Makefield Township couple is expected to close on the property in two weeks.

The Yardley Restaurant Group, though, does plan on opening another new enterprise this summer.

The Yardley Distillery Tex-Mex will open sometime this summer at the old Friendly's property at 897 West Trenton Ave., Fred Rabena said. He said the property will serve as a new location for Yardley Distillery and also encompass a Tex-Mex menu.

The Yardley Restaurant Group operates La La Lobster, Mil-Lee’s Yardley Diner, Sauce Yardley and the Yardley Distillery besides the two new additions.

"We are thrilled to be expanding our portfolio with the acquisition of this prime waterfront property," said Nicole Rabena, chief executive of the Yardley Restaurant Group. "We believe this location has tremendous potential, and we are excited to bring our vision to life. The Delaware River is a beautiful and historic location, and we can't wait to offer our customers a truly special alfresco experience at Calhoun’s River Deck Raw Bar."

Construction on Calhoun’s River Deck Raw Bar is set to begin in the coming months. The restaurant will create jobs and provide a new gathering place. For more information, visit www.calhounsriverdeck.com.

"It's a large property just under an acre," Fred Rabena said. "It also has the water tower and a large deck that we will be converting to a beautiful space to overlook the water. We will also be applying one of our liquor licenses there so everyone can enjoy Yardley Distillery cocktails with our lite tapas menu and raw bar items. We are extremely excited to continue the expansion of the Yardley restaurant group."