A large continental-style cafe bar on the flourishing Princes’ Avenue, Dukes primarily serves food and coffees during the day and wine and beer by night.

The Venue
Open from 11am and serving food until 9pm (7pm at weekends), Dukes is very similar in type and function to a number of other bars in the area. The large glass front helps illuminate the venue and provides a great view onto the bustling avenue. Outside patrons can sit and watch the world go by, while inside, numerous chairs and marble topped tables cram the floor space. The back wall of the bar is decorated in Paisley print wallpaper which, along with the odd potted plant and abstract canvas, unfortunately adds little in the way of (much needed) character. The bar looks unremarkable and can only be described as somewhat bland.

The Atmosphere
Despite its less than striking appearance, Dukes still proves popular with locals and, depending on time and day, can become very busy. Daytimes see the venue fill with friends and couples meeting for coffee and workmates catching lunch, while evenings see an influx of the young (and young-at-heart) fighting their way to the bar.

During the day background music (inoffensive chilled out pop) is kept to a minimum but the bar itself still seems noisy. The kitchen and washing up area is partly open to the main space and the clashing of crockery mixed with the chattering of diners can be slightly intrusive. Staff, however, are extremely efficient and polite, with meals taking less than 10 minutes to arrive, even at busy periods.

The Food
Breakfast is served until 4pm - handy for those late risers with empty fridges and rumbling stomachs. A full English costs £5.25 with a vegetarian version at £4.95. Croissants (£1.45), scrambled eggs and bacon sandwiches (both £3.95) are also available.

Wraps and sandwiches with a variety of fillings (tuna, chicken, steak) start from £3.95. The chicken tikka (daily special) on a granary baguette is not dissimilar to something you might purchase in a bakery but is creamy and filling nonetheless. The tomato, mozzarella and pesto ciabatta sandwich is fresh and the ingredients are satisfactory in quality. Hummus and Greek platters (£4.15 and £4.95 respectively) offer a plentiful selection of olives, crudités and bread and make a light, wholesome snack.

Main courses start from £5.45 with a Thai green curry at £5.95 and a Mediterranean vegetarian risotto at £6.45. The liver and onions casserole sounds like a lovely winter warmer while in hotter weather a range of salads, such as bacon and stilton (£5.95), are also an option. Thai fishcakes, Texan chilli, pasta dishes and burgers, from £4.95, are representative of the remainder of the menu. Sunday lunch is available for £6.25 while it is always worth checking the large specials board for one-off dishes. Desserts are somewhat sparse and include apple pie and a range of homemade cakes from £2.35.

The Drink
Dukes offers a not particularly extensive wine list with both red (Merlot Cabernet) and white (Savignon Chardonnay) starting at £9.95 a bottle. The bar provides an adequate choice of draught and bottled beers (and ciders) including Hoegaarden, Kronenberg, Strongbow, Guinness, Stella Artois and Carling, with Beck’s and Budweiser in bottles.

An impressive list of coffees is in place with a latte priced at just £2.

The Last Word
The food and drink choices are pleasant but unremarkable and this, coupled with the lack of atmosphere, renders Dukes somewhat superfluous in comparison to more diverse establishments in the locale.

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