On any given Friday or Saturday night (hell, even some Thursdays), the queue to get into the Duke of York will extend the length of the venue’s verandah, and at times down to one of the side streets around the bend. Sometimes these queues get energetic. Sometimes it’s not a great idea to ride a bicycle alongside them (Time Out learned that one the hard way). For the young crowd, the Duke's constant drink specials and team of Adelaide’s finest party DJs are highlights of any given weekend. For the rest of us, the Duke is actually a pretty good pub in its own right, despite its rightfully rowdy reputation.
After-work drinks at the Duke are an institution and for good reason. The pizzas are legendary, partially because the pepperoni, margarita and Hawaiian varieties sell for $3.50 with any drink purchase ($11 for the pizza and two lagers). The other pizzas are also competitively priced, and come with toppings such as the intriguing ‘lamb yiros’ ($11.50). The larger menu contains a large list of favourites, like a tasty mushroom risotto, if the parmi doesn’t get to you first.
The Duke is another of the rare city pubs to have largely escaped the recent fetish for renovation. The front room is perfectly pub-like, with a few high tables and stools, and a series of leather-padded booths around the side. A narrow corridor leads to a small beer garden, with the toilets to the left, covered floor-to-ceiling with comic book collage. There’s a dining room to the right, with more and larger booths. When it’s not party time, the music is lovely, if a little incongruous – Radiohead’s haunting 'Street Spirit (Fade Out)' is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever recorded, but is ill-fitted to soundtrack the pouring of a jug of pale. Those jugs are $20, but can be gained for $2 less if you sign up to become a Duke member. Don’t worry if you forget – the bar staff will be sure to remind you every time you order.
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