please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Nice enough layout, liked the booths for sitting and eating/drinking in. Not a great choice of ales/lagers but could live with that. Biggest problem at the Duke is the food. Nice selection on the menu but when the food arrived, it was very salty and we felt a bit sore with the price we paid for that standard of meal. Very limited snacks menu. Friendly service but left early after blowing more money than we initially wanted to on a very poor quality meal.
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Food - orientated pub in a quiet Bloomsbury side street, but signposted from Guilford Street.
Retains many original Art Deco fixtures - and is worth visiting ( probably just the once ) for that alone - but this is not a beer drinkers pub and neither the Adnams Broadside nor the Greene King IPA ( its only 2 real ales apparently ) were available yesterday lunchtime.
I have not sampled the food - but it's pricey
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I booked at table at this pub for a work Christmas lunch. We had to pre-order the food and I wasn't expecting too much as you do at this time of the year. However the reception we got was fantastic, the food was superb and the service was excellent. The wine list was not extensive but we got a few good bottles to go with the meal. It was a really lovely little pub with a nice atmosphere and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone. I'm looking forward to returning.
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Shocking. On a recent visit, we turned up with 30 people with the intention of spending literally hundreds of pounds - at 4pm. The owner berated us for not warning him and told us that the tables were "booked" from 6. So, with two hours to go, you wouldn't think this was a problem - but oh no. We were treated to utterly vile service and looked down upon in every way. A shameful place that should be wiped off the map. Avoid.
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For years this was a great little pub with a nice line in food. The downsides were that the staff were not always friendly, though this has been remedied recently. Unfortunately these days it breaks another of the golden rules of pubs in becoming a pub that is actually a restaurant. As such, mere drinkers can feel like we're in the way. I'd recommend it for a lunch if you're not paying as the food is very good indeed.
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Superb. Bit out of the way but all the better for it. We encountered no problems with the staff and the interior was well worth the visit. Hope it stays like this for a while to come.
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1930s pub with original features and a charming and cute atmosphere. The back room is particularly attractive, but is for diners only. Two casks on offer -IPA and Broadside in decent condition. £1.45 a half. Main downside is that the place is slightly tatty with a feel more of a village hall than a pub. Barman wasn't rude, but he was socially awkward. The place is quirky enough to be worth a visit if in the area.
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Not sure how or why I ended up in here as from the outside it's nothing special to look at. But I'm really glad I did. The Adnams beer was excellent and the staff were really friendly. The place was packed at lunchtime with people seemingly really enjoying the food. The clincher though was the pub architecture. Reminded me of a 1950s pub but with a serious Art Deco bent. Anyone know if its real? Overall a really pleasent surprise.
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I went there and although the staff were pleasant i shouldn't have to wait for my change while they take a phone call for 5 minutes. Great decor. Never been when they've been busy. Expensive looking food.
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I go to the Duke a lot, mainly for a drink but sometimes to eat, and I've never had any problems with the staff. They're rarely particularly friendly (occasionally they are) but noone's ever been remotely rude to me.
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I went there last week, admittedly just for a couple of pints on both occassions and am amazed by the comments regarding the staff, they were helpful and extremely chatty to me. Being away from home, having a pint to avoid the experience of your grotty hotel room, can be a depressing experience, but I left this pub feeling revived.
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We booked a booth for 8pm, only to come there at 7.50pm and find the booth occupied.. until 9.30pm. The staff was extremely unhelpful and didnt seem to care we had booked a table they had obviously given away. No compensation or apology was offered. The food was OK, nothing special really, can't even remember what I had. Good ambiance though. Might go there for a drink again.
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Classic Art Deco pub down a side street not too far from the famous Lamb in Lambs Conduit Street. Note particularly the classic red and black lino flooring and the 60's windows with the Ind Coope and Double Diamond lettering. Well worth seeking out just for being different. Food is ambitiously priced - Sunday roast was £12.50 - so you might want to eat somewhere else beforehand if you're planning a session here. Not really a beer drinkers pub, but the Adnams Broadside was on fine form, but then again at £ 2.80, you expect it to be
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agree entirely with comments re staff - we wanted to eat there and were made to feel really bad about sitting at one of their (very uncomfortable) tables. they really didn't want us to have the table - it was bizarre and extremely rude. the food was good and the decor is great but just for the staff alone i wouldn't go back. try some customer service! please!
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Well, I am quite old fashioned, so I like the paintings in the Duke! good quality choice there.
but I must say that "the bar staff are brusque" is a wild understatement!
Their top lips practically curlk in disgust!
I think, if you aren't an obviously rich businessman, you are insignificant to them.
Also, when I discovered a hair in my pint, I asked for a new glass. The staff simply took the hair out, and whiped the hair off their hands on our table.
I pay a lot for a pint, and don't expect to see a hair in there!
I advise to train the staff again.
A smile really never hurt anyone.
BTock - 18 Aug 2005 15:45 |
I registered on this site, just to comment on this pub. I have worked down the road from The Duke for 18 months, and since it is our 'local', have been there many times. Every time I have been, the staff are curt and unsmiling. They border on extremely rude. You feel that even asking for a drink at the bar, is putting them out hugely. Twice in the last month, we have been served houmous that is off, and once had mouldy bread to accompany it. When we asked for fresh bread and houmous, we were grudgingly and slowly served. No apologies or offers of money back when the houmous was substituted with a bowl of olive oil. Service is slow as well as surly, and the food, while admittedly very tasty, is expensive. The decor isn't bad, although some of the paintings leave much to be desired, but to be honest, the unfriendly staff and hard chairs, make a visit there quite uncomfortable. I certainly have given this pub enough chances to redeem itself, and I think it simply gets worse. So in conclusion, nice expensive food (when it's fresh) but rude staff and really not worth the bother.
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A decent pub - I tried it out last weekend. The decor is good, although I was sorry not to be able to enjoy it more, as there was only seating left outside. I'm a bit of a sucker for anything Art Deco, so I loved the design of the sign.
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A quirky little pub, tucked down a quiet little mews near Holborn. Tricky to find but well worth it. Has a continental vibe about it, from the parque flooring to the pop-art paintings of movie icons around the walls. Nice looking restaurant area in the back room, but haven't yet tried the food. Well kept beer (Adnams Bombardier) and Sunday papers make for a nice social.
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