Cafe Duke

I have gone to Dukes almost every day for a few years because I work on the block and never have time for lunch. The food is overpriced and not the best but it was fast. They all know me. All of them! So what happened yesterday was disgusting! I asked for a pack of cigarettes ($ 16 btw) and they told me I had to buy something additional if I wasted to use my debit card. I asked why. They said its policy. This is not legal! The reason was because they were getting charge backs on purchases of just cigarettes. Did I mention I went there every day and they all know me? You would think that they know my purchase wasn’t fraud. I’m never going back.

Would give them zero if I could. My co workers and I only go here because it’s a block away from where we work but thankfully we all found a new place (2 blocks down). The morning sandwiches? They microwave it before giving it to you… The meat they use for burgers? They also microwave before cooking. Prices? Disgustingly expensive. Customer service? None to rude! Honestly, if you’re going to overprice everything, at least be nice to your customers. They’re only nice to cops (I’ve witnessed her smile go back down when they left and she had to ring me up)

Duke is a weekly staple in my work routine. On the daily, this is a legit tightly run Korean deli. Breakfast sandwiches are always on point, customized to your heart’s desire and never messed up. Sandwiches and paninis at lunch are delicious. Their hot food bar is always bangin’.
Downsides — the make-​your-​own-​salad station is weak. Only 5 toppings and they’re fairly skimpy. There’s also nouveau-​Korean inventions in the back (bibimbop, jap chae and the like) and a pasta station, but I love real Korean food, so I don’t touch this shit.
Many of my co-​workers swear by their udon, but all I taste is MSG water.
Biggest downside — you always walk out «smelling like Duke’s,» but I say YOLO to that.
$ 5 CC minimum, no Discover cards, ample seating with a separate back exit onto Mercer St. (convenient), decent iced coffee.

NEVER ORDER FROM HERE IF YOU EXPECT GENERAL RESPECT AND QUALITY SERVICE.
I placed an order on a Sunday morning for a classic Turkey Bacon, egg, onion and spinach on a bagel… My food arrived and the breakfast sandwich is all wrong. No Spinach and CHEESE!
For healthy reason I can not consume dairy. I called back the store, asking to send me the correct sandwich and ill give you back the wrong order… The cashier said he can not send me my sandwich because the delivery guy didn’t get a bigger enough tip! So I lost my cool… I called back on Monday to speak to the manager Peter and he was more rude then the cashier. Told me customers are not always right, that he will have to see if i can get my money back for a sandwich i couldn’t eat…
PLEASE AVOID THIS PLACE! ORDER FROM BROADWAY GOURMET UP THE BLOCK! WAY BETTER SERVICE! Such places like this don’t deserve a location in SoHo.

Horribly overpriced, spent $ 6 on a turkey bacon, egg, cheese sandwich. My friend paid $ 15 for pasta and meatballs. Way too pricey for a lunch place. The only plus is the large variety

Stronger Remix — Kanye
I ask, cause I’m not sure:
Do anybody make real coffee anymore?
Bow in the presence of greatness
Cause right now Starbucks hast forsaken us

Just got out of a doctors appointment and was starving/​craving for pasta. The pasta ended up being $ 12! Super overpriced. The chicken was dry and there wasn’t much broccoli in the pasta.
Beware, pasta is $ 8.99/lb. They put extra cheese and penne to increase the cost of your meal.
On a positive note, this was the only café in soho that offers pasta.

DO NOT ORDER CATERING SERVICE!
Sushi wasn’t bad but the experience was terrible.
We ordered a platter for the office. The guy that we spoke to assured it would be enough food to feed the office, it wasn’t. When we called to tell them they gave bad information, they didn’t care. The guy on the phone told us not to order from them again, to which I say «Happily». There are plenty of other choices in the area.
Whole foods is also close if you want good sushi for a great price.

They sold me an overpriced sixpack of beer. When i got home i noticed that it tasted awful, and realized that it was expired!

This place is way too expensive but it’s one of the only shops to get quick food in soho. The service isn’t so hot either… the cashiers aren’t very friendly. They have fairly wide assortment of food though which is good. The selection comes in handy when you don’t know what you want to eat but it’s still overpriced. If you’re like me and work in soho, you know this place well, whether you like it or not.

I found plastic in my food at the salad bar.
I would have been very sick if I ate it.
Also, a woman at my office got norovirus here.
Avoid, avoid, avoid.

I had the turkey burger and it was horrible. Meaning, the turkey burger itself.
First off, the shape of the burger is not round; it is an oval shape.
Second, when you bite into it, it’s as if you’re biting into rubber or jello. It is not firm at all.
The taste is sorta there but the texture is horrible! I feel like crying right now… I can’t believe I forced myself to eat at least half of it while convincing myself it was okay with each bite. Also, I didn’t want to waste my money on buying it.
Duke Café is good for other things, I’m sure but please please please do not get the turkey burger!

Extremely slow and bad service .Undercooked, watery scrambled eggs. Cold buffet.
The cooks rarely get orders correct.
Can’t even get a coffee order correct.

I am in love with this place.
They have my favourite Korean and udon dishes… large selection of snacks and drinks for a reasonable price.
They have all kinds of stations as well… sandwiches, pasta, salad bar… you can get something different daily and be satisfied.
Customer service is friendly.
I’ll be back often!

This is a general prepared food deli. They have pastas, salads, Panini’s, wraps and more. The staff is very fast at prepping food. The ordering is little hectic. The cashiers are very fast. Food was very good. Today I got the Chipotle Chicken Panini. The prices are a little high but not insane. Myself and my co-​workers do like this place. The place is pretty sloppy and smelt like a dirty mop while I was there.

Great deli and sushi. The place is always clean has a huge hot and cold food bar that covers everything. Food is always fresh and delicious. Staff is better at night that during the day. If there is a line it moves very quickly. You won’t be disappointed.

At times SoHo can unintentionally leave you with the need to gulp down the biggest coffee in sight to keep up with the hurdle of massive population. Perhaps your shopping adventures have came to a complete hault and you are desperate for a bathroom. Sales everywhere but no bathroom. Does this sound like a familiar dilema? Well then Café Dukes is one of the very few indoor cafes around the SoHo area that supplies coffee at a decent price (nothing extravagent over $ 3) and it’s a quite a lottery experience that they have a restroom up in here! I will also like to mention this is quite a toasty place to wiggle your toes around once the breeze picks up. Highly recommend defrosting here for a temporary caffeine trips.
Will also like to mention that I have seen this place make extravagant lunches so I purchased a gluten free sandwich once. The gluten free bread was the size of my fist and the chicken sandwich came out to more than $ 10. That experience was quite the tear jerker but those cozy coffee moments in the midst of such a rushy rush city make up for the sadness encounter with such a tiny sandwich.

Le café Duke n’a pas grand chose d’un café mais ressemble davantage à une mini halle commerçante dans laquelle on peut acheter à emporter ou consommer sur place.
Taillée tout en longueur, ce lieu est composé de multiples stands bien différents avec un comptoir à sushis, un comptoir casher, un comptoir pour les plats asiatiques cuisinés, etc… On se sert en libre service; pour ma part une boîte de sushis et californias ainsi qu’un thé chaï; et on paye à la caisse avant de se choisir une petite place, s’il y en a !
Le mieux est certainement de prendre à emporter mais il s’avère qu’une table était libre alors nous en avons profité mais ce n’était pas pour le confort de l’endroit car c’est relativement sommaire d’autant que ça sentait un peu la friture !
En résumé, un bon endroit pour déjeuner à midi entre deux visites ou balades et très adapté pour prendre à emporter.

This was my very first café/​bodega experience in NYC and I’m pretty sure (in my time as an intern years ago), I’ve sampled almost all the hot food options they have available. I just love that you’re spoiled for choice and that the fruit (typically) is ripe.
Years later, I’ve gone back a few times to grab a quick lunch and will always have a strange sense of nostalgia for the place!

Café Duke is definitely a location you visit out of convenience (when in soho)!
Their bagels are decent & those at the grill serve you in a moderate manner! They aren’t too personable, they just make your selection & hand it to you.
The staff at the register hardly say «hi», «hello», «how are you?» Even when asked if they’re okay! Not extremely welcoming they are about their business & nothing else.
I get the same bagel each visit & I noticed that the salt & pepper is always added to just one side… Not sure if it’s a coincidence or if they don’t put too much care into making sure it’s spread.
Nonetheless I enjoyed my breakfast & will return again whenever I make it in time for breakfast.
–Sherrise ½ of Sherelle
We Review: Food & That!

@sherellesfoodandthat (Instagram)

About 7 or 8 years ago when I worked on Howard Street, my former coworker Alanna and I would come here and usually take advantage of the piping hot lunch buffet or their pretty fantastic (albeit overpriced) make-​you-​own-​pasta station. Their Alfredo sauce was creamy, decadent and deliciously artery-​clogging each and every time…
Now I’m older and with that comes a slower metabolism and the need to take care of yourself more, eat healthier and blah blah blah so now I don’t do the pasta — I aim for healthy, protein-​filled sandwiches. No longer on Howard, but now smack in between Prince and Houston, I’m even closer to Café Duke than I was years ago and for the most part this made me smile. Emphasis on «for the most part» :-/​.
The quality of food here isn’t that bad, actually scratch that… it’s pretty good for what it is. There are not many quick-​service delis in this part of town and they do a damn good job at what they do, They’re also eons superior to Broadway Deli on Prince Street *glares at them* in terms of flavor, efficiency, organization and quality.
My biggest gripe about this place (and the reason they’re getting 3 Unilocal stars instead of the potential 4 – 4.5 that they cooooooooould have earned…) is that EVERY SINGLE TIME I GO HERE, I GET THE SAME DAMN THING. THE SAME EXACT THING — a simple turkey, swiss and mayo sandwich on a roll it AND IT ALWAYS HAS A DIFFERENT PRICE!!! It’s usually somewhere from $ 5.45−6.20 which is fine I mean whatevs, but yesterday it was $ 7.45. WHY CAN’T IT COST THE SAME EACH AND EVERY TIME?!
I really wished that Café Duke practiced pricing consistency. There is no reason to have to play «price roulette» with your lunch sandwich anywhere. Sigh.