Duke of York – Mayfair, London

The Duke of York is a Greene King owned pub on Dering Street on the fringe of Mayfair. Its interior is dominated by an ornate, old-fashioned spiral staircase which winds up to an equally quaint dining area ‘upstairs’. We came in as much for lunch and to quench our thirst on a hot summer day, as a reward for my patience towards my wife and daughter’s all-morning Oxford street shopping spree.

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The menu at Duke of York is bog-standard Greene King. It’s exactly the same you get in their other pubs and includes many stereotypical pub classics, i.e. pies, bangers, fried battered fish, etc. I don’t know why but a pub lunch to me has always meant Fish & Chips, so I ordered their much raved about £14.50 Ultimate Fish & Chips. My wife, who is on yet another low carb diet, ordered a slightly altered version of their Hunters Chicken, replacing the coleslaw with a green salad. What the Ultimate Fish & Chips lacked in seasoning it made up for in size, crispiness and real fish chunkiness – the pros outweighing the cons. I enjoyed it. My wife however complained her chicken breast was over dry.

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Service? Ha ha ha ha…what service? On the afternoon we visited, the staff were…let’s just say they were indifferent. Some say indifferent service is part of British pub culture – poppycock! Anyway, The Duke of York has enough going for it to warrant a recommendation from this blogger. Don’t drive across town for it, rather, consider it worth a visit if you’re in the general area.

Hey! Now read this –
Xerxes physically dines at, or orders from, each and every venue he reviews. He pays in full for whatever he and his companions eat, drink, take away or occasionally throw at each other. Xerxes accepts no money, gifts, discounts or free meals in return for reviews or favouritism. What you have read was NOT influenced in any way by the venue. Join me on Instagram @ravenousxerxes or email me on xerxes@dellara.com.