Dukes at Queens

Claudine’s Cocktail Bar at Dukes at Queens is a nice bar with decadent interior design and some really good cocktails. The food is good as well. It is unfortunately lacking a bit in atmosphere and does seem to have a general air of tiredness rather than vibrancy — perhaps a bit more lively music or entertainment might help. Nonetheless it’s a good bar and particularly good for resting in and enjoying a drink at the end of a long day.

This is a pretty nice wee bar, in fact, I would go far as to say this is an absolute must if you are heading out around this part of town on a bit of a pub crawl. Throughout my student days I went here on a number of occassions whilst on the raz, and me and my mates always had a great a great laugh.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think this place is world beating and its by no means the cheapest place you will ever have a drink and the music isn’t all that good but if you want something different and a bit of craic in teh afternoon then you won’t do too bad.
The staff are pretty efficent and the craic can be mighty. There is usually lots of people about so if you are on the pull you could do worse than head here.
The food is pretty handy as well, especially if you check out the afternoon buffet.

I have only been to Duke’s once for its lunchtime buffet and was enthusiastically put off dining here at another time, even though I know the quality of food is likely to be much better, but I have a short patience fuse when it comes to people giving me a mediocre lunch!
The lunchtime buffet was £7 and I was starving and looking forward to filling my boots, as you would expect from any buffet. Initially when I lined up with my plate, I thought the chefs serving out the food was a nice touch, but I soon realised it was for food rationing purposes.
I don’t know about you, but when I hear buffet, i think refillable. Not the case here. We were told one plate only, which was quite small, so you couldn’t try very much at all. Now this wouldn’t be too bad if the food was great quality, but it was really cheap and nasty stuff, with chips like they were frozen, rubbery sweet and sour chicken and bland, flavourless pizzas.
The interior is really nice, and the comfortable leather seat was the only highpoint. I accept this place may be better at other times, but I can only judge them on what I see, and that was totally mediocre! For this money I could have got a real buffet experience at China China round the corner, and there I would have had free ice cream to abuse!

Way back in the mists of time the drinking experience at Dukes was a rather rough and ready affair so when a friend suggested a quick drink there I had an involuntary shudder. Would it be full of drunken students and have a floor full of broken glass a la the mid-90’s?
Thankfully the place has changed beyond all recognition and after walking up the impressive steps and into the chic lobby I was ready for a whole different experience. We settled in the bar to the left and the décor can only be described as unique… I felt I had walked into a James Bond ‘baddies’ lair. The whole room was done out in purples and black with low slung leather chairs and glitzy mirrors on the walls.
After a beer or two we began to settle into the environment and it was obviously a ‘lost afternoon’ could easily occur in here. Having plans for later we called it a day and headed out blinking into the hustle and bustle of Botanic Avenue.
Pros: Laidback, large raised outside terrace, acclaimed brassiere next door.
Cons: Pricey drinks.

I adore Dukes at Queens. I come here for the fantastic pizza cooked in the middle of the restaurant in a huge oven– it really does make a difference! You can get whatever toppings you can think up on this and the large pizza is pretty big! The pizzas come out bubbling and slightly out of shape so you know they’re good! They have a great wine list here and I love their Chianti! The restaurant is part of Dukes hotel and the luxury from the hotel winds its way effortlessly into the restaurant, whilst also enabling you to feel relaxed and at home. The staff are great and mix up a great cocktail. Dukes serves range of foods including Sandwiches, Soup, Panini’s, Fish, Pasta dishes etc. But the Pizza’s really are the main selling point!

Dukes Hotel was never somewhere I would have even considered in it’s previous form. It has however been revamped and renovated recently and the chance is superb.
Dukes at Queens is the new flagship restaurant nestling in the hotel building. It does a range of breakfast, lunch and dinner and prides itself on it’s wood-​fired traditional pizza oven.
As far I remember the head chef used to work as a senior in Paul Rankin’s kitchen which is something to be applauded. Anyway, the four of us sat down in the dinning area.
Nicely wooded tables surrounding a huge stove in the middle for the pizzas. Bright, warm and airy inside you’re immediately comfortable in your surroundings.
We ordered a platter to share, a selection of antipasto. Superb. Thin slices of parma meaty, salty parma ham, thick chunks of fatty, oily salami, huge chunky, buttery and salty olives, fresh rocket and the star of the show, extra large capers. They were deliciously sweet and went brilliantly with the freshly baked bread provided.
I thought the pizza oven needed to make it’s impression so went for a simple pepperoni and jalapeño pizza. it did take a little bit longer than expected but it was certainly worth it.
A reasonable size, covering a large plate. The crust was a little misshapen and bubbled which is usually a good sign of fresh dough. The base was crisp, not overly floured and topped with a thin layer of tangy tomato, stringy hot mozzarella and chunky pieces of pepperoni. Definitely one of the best pizzas I’ve had.