Ducky’s Pub & Restaurant

A dirty, crowded hole in the wall, filled with hipsters. Yes they have a great song selection, but you’ll never be able to sing anything. We got there around 9:00, and left at 12:30 without even singing one song. The host assured us we would be «next» after every song, yet many people got to sing two or three times. Will not return.

I’ve been to Duckies a few times now and while I’m sitting here thinking through what to write in a review, all that comes to mind is that I have never made the conscious decision to ever go to Duckies. Duckies is the kind of place you just magically end up at, and are always wondering why you actually are there when 2am rolls around. It’s the place you go to when your plans fall through, or there’s no open table for your party at another pub. However, when you actually get there, you’re reminded of the true joy you experience from a 7 nights a week karaōke bar. Whether that joy be belting out songs you listened to ten years ago, or drinking room temperature drinks, that’s up to you.
A couple tips I have l learned over the last year are:
1. Always go to the bar for a drink. If you decide to sit at your table and wait for drinks, you’ll be be waiting forever. There’s typically 1 – 2 servers to take care of the whole bar, which is clearly not enough on a weekend night when the place is at capacity.
2. The waitresses aren’t always good at math, so sometimes you will end up over paying for drinks and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. So go to the bar to order your drinks so you don’t get over charged!
3. If you want a chance to sing, you have to be there before 10pm on the weekends. Otherwise it’s just same people singing songs that they requested hours ago. We were there from 10pm-1:30pm and three patrons were up on the stage each twice in that time frame, while no one from our party of 6 was chosen to sing any of the songs they put in for.
Overall, if your looking for a karaōke bar that makes you feel like your in a small rural town, look no further. You’ve found exactly what you’re looking for. Or if you’re looking for a place where you can sing your heart out regardless of the night of the week, you are also in luck. Just remember this place is best severed in small doses, and copious amounts of liquor. Cheers.

I’ve been to Ducky’s on many occasions. I’ve sung my heart on stage after round after round of drinks. Yet, I don’t recall ever making a decision to ever go to Ducky’s. It’s not the kind of bar you decide to go to, it’s the kind of bar you end up at.
You’re out on the town, having a great time with friends and you’re many rounds of drinks in and all of a sudden it hits you. You need to sing «Don’t Stop Me Now» by Queen at the top of your lungs in front of a bar packed full of strangers and there’s nothing anyone can do to stop you. After you pat yourself on the back for choosing a song with such a fitting title, you should head on over to Ducky’s
It’s a karaōke bar with a solid mix of party animals and regulars (who are also party animals) ready to rip up the microphone without even a hint of irony.
I don’t know what the food is like at Ducky’s because to me, it’s never really seemed like the kind of place you should order food from. They’ll let you order pizza from next door and eat it in the bar for free though. Order pizza — there’s a good chance it will be the best drunk decision you make all night.

It was horrible service and when I did get service they can’t do math and I guess unless you know the karaōke host or are a regular of the bar you don’t get to sing.
Karaōke host was so disorganized.
Keeps saying there’s no time but then has 2 min conversations inbetween each song… tell people they are on deck!!!
Let’s not wait 3 mins while Sally joe Bob are in the bathroom or doing a shot or smoking … Fit ur new singers in make them feel welcome
There were dirty glasses all over the tables. Spills everywhere. Didn’t see a cloth to be found to wipe anything. Smelt like a sewer
My glass had someone else’s lipstick lips on it
Waitresses couldn’t handle the room. All the staff and security staring at you but they aren’t cutting off the obvious drunks that are falling into tables chairs flying
What a experience! Sucks this is one of the only «karaōke» places in Calgary

Ohhh good ol Ducky’s! If you have a problem with this bar, you have a problem with yourself! Who doesn’t love letting lose on a Sat night? The karaōke is always amusing and they have every song you’ve ever heard of. They’ve also managed to cram a pool table in there for those who don’t want to have a ridiculously good time on the dance floor. They’re definitely understaffed but the service is still pretty good. If you’ve never been add it to your weekend list of drinking holes

Come for the karaōke (if you mostly like country).
As for karaōke bars, you usually only have two choices: Asian or random bar on a week night. Lucky for country singers, Ducky’s does karaōke on the nights that people actually want to drink/​To be fair all of the songs aren’t country and it may have just been the crowd who were there that day, but from what I saw it was mostly country. It will be busy, but what’s the fun of karaōke if you’re just alone? Service isn’t always the most reliable so you may have to walk up to the bar.
Reasonable drink prices, a good karaōke setting, and an all-​around fun time.

Really, my only probem with this place is lack of waitress and kitchen service. We flagged a server down and she was so swamped she couldn’t come back to us for another 10 mins then when we were finally able to order food at 10:50pm she came back at 11 to tell us the kitchen had closed 15 mins ago. Seriously? This place is open until 2am right? We were offered a menu for a pizza place down the street to make up for getting no food. They need more waitstaff and to keep the kitchen I open longer.

Everything about it is really «small town» — divey, dirty, interesting wait staff, cheap beer, and a very mixed crowd… make sure you drink enough and bring your own party, and sing!

The first time I came here it was for a friend’s ex-gf’s request. This place was bewildering as fuck and was full of characters. My friends kept getting accosted by this drunk guy whose silver jeans kept ripping that at the end of the night he was walking around with thigh-​high shorts. My friend’s ex-​gf kept getting propositioned by this slick old italian guy who eventually got dragged out by his collar when he uttered the sweet words «You must be more beautiful in the bedroom». I was so shook I didn’t dare to touch the mic.
The only plus side on this night? Cheap drinks and my friend’s ex gf’s hot sister doing a sexy rendition of Metallica.
FFWD years later to a UYE arranged by Arc and this place was a little less divey, not that I was asking for it to be divey to the max. The people were less subdued but were out to get drunk. Then again it was on a Wednesday. Unfortunately there were still a lot of people I only got to go twice on the mic. But a few drunken riffraffs decided to make the most out of it and got everyone dancing. It was my intention to put on the heat with Goldigger to get at the ladies but only got my chance at midnight, when they were all gone having been disappointed because they never got to see a cool Filipino guy lay down hip hop supremacy. Also the drinks weren’t cheap anymore, SUPER DISAPPOINTED.

This place is the superstar of dive bars in Calgary. I love it, but only because of the karaōke. I have been here a few times and I must say that the performances range from holy-​smokes-​you-​could-​of-​been-​a-​pro to oh-​the-​humanity! But the spirit is always there! The karaōke usually starts after 9:30.
Last time there I got so intoxicated that I forgot my bag at my table. Found myself inquiring about it a couple of days later (because of the recovery) and not only did they have my bag, they stored it in a safe place because it had valuables in it. Stand up place with waitresses that might just shank you if you get out of line.
If you haven’t guessed I am a big fan, though it is way too over-​crowded on weekends!

The time to go to Ducky’s is not on a weekend. In fact, it’s way too busy on a weekend. When you’re wanting karaōke and you need a bit more of an updated song selection than Nanta’s, Ducky’s can be your stage on a weekday night… like a Wednesday for instance which is where I found myself after hitting up Model Milk.
Karaōke starts right around 930. Don’t get there too early. Because, really, there’s not a whole heck of a lot of reasons to head to Ducky’s early anyway… unless it’s to peruse the one karaōke book that’s already set out and get your songs in early.
The song selection is vast, and you’ll get the odd awesome old person there to serenade the women in the crowd with lovely oldies (gentlemen, take note. I don’t know a girl out there who doesn’t melt when a man is singing her an old school love song. Any man… grab that mic and work your charms).
That’s the thing about Ducky’s… it’s not so dive-​y that it scares me to go, but enough so that everyone kinda fits in.

7 days a week Karaōke?! Heck yes! Get there, sign up earlier in the night, if you want to sing. Their song selection is the most extensive I’ve seen, soooo many songs to choose from! The drinks are average prices, and I’ve never tried their food, but the karaōke is substantially entertaining. There are sometimes regulars, like the guy with the harmonica who sings and plays along to some country songs. It’s a great opportunity to sing if you’re shy (the crowd is always warm and cheers for you no matter how wonderful or terrible your singing is!). Spots to sing fill up quite fast around 10 – 10:30.
Once there was a group celebrating at Ducky’s by having a staff party outing, which would be a super fun ice breaker!
Only note is that if you’re looking for something along the lines of a chill pub, steer far away from Ducky’s, because the last thing it would be is quiet.

You wouldn’t expect a little hole in the wall Karaōke bar to be as busy as Ducky’s is, but it manages to pack in a crowd weekend after weekend — and has done so for years. I totally have a soft spot for Ducky’s — whenever I get homesick for a small town vibe, this is where I head! I’ve met some really great people there & always look forward to a run in with my favourite karaōke regulars.
Ducky’s is really nothing special in terms of décor, drinks, etc. It’s your run of the mill strip mall bar. It’s the kind of place that snobs and hipper-​than-​thous look down their noses at. That’s exactly why I like it — that and the fact that I am highly entertained by karaōke; good singers, bad singers, all singers included. It’s the kind of place where you absolutely don’t care what you look like dancing and it’s not an option to take yourself too seriously. The vibe is one of kinship — to be a room full of people publicly singing is not to be in a room full of judgement. No matter how bad a singer, everyone gives a good natured cheer and raise of the glass.
Sure, Ducky’s is more fun when drunk, but that’s not exclusive to Ducky’s — most bars are more fun when drunk on a weekend night out. But how many bars can boast years of packing the house or guaranteed good times? For this, Duckys, you have a small piece of my heart and 4 stars :)

I love duckys for a drink after work. Friendliest staff in mission. The people are REAL, no phonies and have a good sense of humour (unlike original joes, great service and just great people who frequent this bar.