East Village Eats

Food & Drink recommendations straight from the East Village, New York City

Duke’s Bar on its last legs?

Posted on | August 2, 2011 | 2 Comments

Duke's BarDuke’s bar on Avenue C has been my haven from huge crowds & douchebags for quite a few years.  It’s a low key bar that offered cheap beer, pool, Buck Hunter, darts & a promise of no hassle.  A few months ago, the bar lost access to the basement, meaning they had to pull all of their taps & serve bottled beer only.  I figured that this was only a hurdle, but the place has been slowly falling apart.

On/Off?Cleanup by the dart board!It seems that the owners have let the place fall into disrepair, a precursor to closing the spot.  I went there a few nights ago & it’s looking pretty grim.  There’s broken tile & dripping water from the ceiling.  They are still open for business, but the manager told me that the place is on it’s way out.  As a regular, I’ll admit I’ll be sad when they finally throw in the towel.

Ceiling Funnel ContraptionOdds are that there will be a snooty wine bar in there before then end of the year *sigh*.  Avenue C seems to be changing, as evidenced by Banjo Jim’s closing last night.

Exterior shot by EVGrieve
Update: Duke’s is now closed.

Comments

2 Responses to “Duke’s Bar on its last legs?”

  1. The Day | Rent is Back, So are The Smurfs - The Local East Village Blog - NYTimes.com
    August 3rd, 2011 @ 6:25 am

    […] Banjo Jim’s closed last night, and EV Grieve notes that the“artisanal” cocktail bar that will replace it is now known as The Wayland. Elsewhere on Avenue C, TenEleven is also closed while it awaits its liquor license renewal, and EV Eats frets that a low-key favorite, Duke’s, is “slowly falling apart.” […]

  2. Bobwhite Counter : East Village Eats
    January 12th, 2012 @ 4:22 am

    […] they had done on the space. With a few of the recent closures in the ‘hood (Joe’s & Duke’s in particular), it’s really nice to see a new place open that I actually enjoy.  Ok, now on […]

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