Duke’s

Small and dark when the sun goes down, it’s all abut the bar for us, squeeze in and order The Tommy. Cheap and cheerful with a bunch of regulars.

Chilling, people watching. Bartender can pour both bourbon and cold draft beer. They may also have other things. Not too loud. All around good place to meet people and relax. Just what I needed.

Legit big time sandwich. Great lunch draft special. Nice hole in the wall feel. I had the Italian, hot. Yum. Definitely will return. Staff really nice and welcoming.

Went in on a Friday night around 11:30. I’m so over shitty hipster service. You can be a douche bag, but as long as you’re fast, I don’t care. The bartenders apparently didn’t want to make money because they were three deep and didn’t seem interested in serving anyone, except for the few people that were of a similar demographic as themselves. There were plenty of non hipster adults, dressed like adults waiting for drinks as well. When I finally was served, they were dismissive and borderline rude. If you’re going to suck at your job, at least be nice. I immediately paid my tab, tipped 20%, slammed my drink, and left.
Giving an extra star because the bar itself is cute, and I would try again with some different people behind the bar.

Nuvo Burrito has been replaced! The owners of Duke’s made some renovations to the place which I think were really smart. The bar is along the back wall and curves up to the steps to the entrance on Clearview. The top floor next to the entrance is where the deli sits. I suppose I am explaining this backwards, but c’est la vie! They slice Boar’s Head meat right onto your sandwich. As a huge fan of the traditional deli, I respect Duke’s model. I got a half-​sammie, I probably should have done a whole, but you live and learn. Plus, I like that they offer half-​sammies. Sometimes I’m not that hungry!
The bar has a good beer selection and a great liqueur selection. It was bumping (music and a crowd) on the Saturday night that we stopped in. We also went around 4pm on a Wednesday and it was pleasant. There were a few people in there, but it was by no means packed. We were able to relax and have a conversation as the music was pretty low. FYI — seating is sparse. It’s not really their fault, it’s the space. They have seats at the bar, but otherwise it’s standing room only. On the deli side they have a few tables, but not a ton.
I guess Duke’s finds a way to marry deli sandwiches and a speakeasy bar. It’s kind of odd if you think about it, but it works. I gave Duke’s three stars because it’s new and I’m weird about sandwiches. I don’t like eating them for dinner. It’s a lunch item! So while it’s not totally my jam, it is A-​OK!

Great vibes, always gold music being played, usually a DJ spinning great jams from 10pm on. Fantastic sandwiches, I recommend the London Broil Beef served hot pressed!