3-11 Commercial Court,
BELFAST,
BT1 2NB
(028) 9024 1062
The ViewBelfast Review
An old-fashioned pub, The Duke Of York is welcoming and warm and is one of Belfast's gems.
The Venue
With its white exterior featuring old-fashioned metal adverts for whiskey and Guinness and hanging flower baskets, The Duke Of York has a fetching look. Property on this site dates back to 1710. When the pub was bombed in 1973 it was rebuilt three years later. Inside it’s got stone and tiled flooring and lots of mirrors with drink adverts as well as posters.
It's got a brick bar and to the right is a raised area with booths, little Guinness emblazoned red lamps and a tiny mirrored snug at the end.
At the back through a small metal gate there’s a long atmospheric room with a dark wood ceiling, wooden benches on both sides, green wooden stools and glass cabinets full of whiskey bottles of rare or discontinued distillations - a treasure trove for whiskey connoisseurs - including an example of Bailey’s short-lived foray into the whiskey market.
There’s also some paraphernalia from the printing presses that were in operation around here, too. The room on the first floor has been used over the years for live music and it’s where Snow Patrol played some of their first ever gigs.
The People
The Duke of York has its own loyal crowd of drinkers who are generally known by the licensees. There’s a peak at lunch and after work and the age range is late 20s to 50s. They don’t advertise, so it’s all word of mouth and it gets very busy during the weekend. James Nesbitt has been known to pop in for the odd bevy and Gerry Adams used to work behind the bar.
The Food and Drink
They’ve got a great selection of Irish whiskeys - around 150 in total - including lots of smaller productions. You can have a quarter bottle of wine for £3.40 and on draught there’s Harp, Carlsberg, Bass, Budweiser, Tennent’s, Guinness and Magner’s. And in bottles there’s Corona, Budweiser, Beck, Stella, Peroni, Heineken, Coors, Hoegaarden, Staropramen, Tiger, Asahi and Leffe.
The only food is toasties and sandwiches and the smell of toast drifting down the alleyway always entices casual punters. The Irish ham and cheddar toastie is delicious at £2.60. Others include crispy bacon and vine tomatoes.
The Last Word
A charming pub with friendly staff and a homely feel - all that and it’s right in the trendiest part of town.
Duke Of York has been reviewed by 5 users