Duke’s

Fucking terrible experience. The bouncers are roided out pieces of shit low life’s who have poor manners and low confidence. They’re rough on the customers at the bar and it’s an uncomfortable atmosphere. Stay away.

The waiter assured me $ 7.50 Lagunitas was not a mistake. For his part, yes; my mistake for ordering it. I’m hoping they are just sticking it to the tourists and I can return for a beer after Labor Day, but at least there should be signs warning people that their beer is 250% what Big Felon’s charges.

If you want to spend all night and day in the bathroom after eating here, this is the place for you. I don’t recommend it though.

I was told by a fellow Unilocaler, that at some point, I should stop by Duke’s, for it is a chill spot. I was hoping to meet Lisa, seems she has a mixed fan base here hahahaha, nevertheless, I met Kristen, who was awesome! Very laid back atmosphere… full bar, 2 pool tables, spacious seating, ok for kids.
The Smoked Gouda, pineapple and grilled onions sounds devilishly, delish, will have to try next time there.
There is a smoking area out back, right at the back door as long as it stay closed, the smoke should not affect non-​smokers and kids.

OK been to Duke’s a few times and it is a local «Logans» type place. They have high tops, booths tables and a good size bar. They have typical bar food and regular meals. I have had the appetizers in the past and they are good. I was there last Wednesday night around 8 PM and sat at the bar and had a beer (Draught +1) and a chicken dinner which was pretty good. My only complaint is if you are not local, they seem to treat you differently at the bar at least, not at a table. In fact, when I asked about beers she told me what they had and I ordered one. When I got ready to pay and leave, two local guys came in and she told them about the $ 1 Draught special, but I guess she forgot to tell me… again I was a little irritated. Luckily I was just paying the bill and so I dropped the tip to ½ of what I would normally leave, which is quite generous.
I will give it a 3… only because my past experience at a high top was very good and the waitress (I can say that because it was a female). I went out the next night but avoided Duke’s.

Great place to watch a football game or games. Staff and service is great. Food is good bar food. Better than you expect.

I’m incredibly disappointed at the discrimination showed by one of the female bartenders tonight. She not only discriminated against me because I’m not white, but she also discriminated against me because I’m female… So terribly apparent that a male patron pointed it out and suggested that I have a male from my party «wait» to be served.
Sadly, having a male wait didn’t do the trick since she had already decided not to serve patrons who would actually tip her 20%
For being a bar that is so closely located near the military base of camp Pendleton, She should drop her «cool girl act» and discrimination off right before she clocks in.
Incredibly disappointed that this is allowed. The bar back was of no help either — even after asking for her assistants 5+ minutes into the waiting (it looked like she talked shit more than she tried to increase her hourly tip out).
Ps — it wasn’t even a «busy» night compared to what they just had
Overall —- save your tips for another bartender (you can find picture of the rude bartender here)

LISA is the bomb! Great food for a good price for lunch they have food specials. Lisa is always smiling and in a great mood to there and see new faces. Fully recommend this place for lunch and a drink… can’t beat $ 2.50 pbr, Coors light, or bud light… it’s good for hydration :) well drinks $ 3.50 I believe.

Good food, it was Taco Tuesday, good beer specials! The service wasn’t bad. Linda the bartender/​waitress could have used some help! Thanx Duke’s!

Great food at a good price, especially for being in a beach community. Good service, and were able to get a booth right away

Just moved to town and went to watch college football and was ignore by the skinny brunette bartender the entire night. I honestly felt hostility the entire time even though I was patient and kind. I ended up leaving and my boyfriend stayed to finish the game and she came up to him and decided to tell him that «his girlfriend was a bitch». Then a man came up to the bar saying his drink was not right and she said «I’ve been a bartender for 8 years. I know how to make drinks. Don’t question me.» Did she not think my boyfriend will tell me that she said that? I will never return here. Thanks for the welcome invite. So glad I gave you the great tip before you bad mouthed me in front of the entire bar. I will never return.

I’ve only been here for drinks on weekends, and it tends to get crazy crowded! They have a dance floor and a pool table which is fun. The bar tends to get CRAZY crowded, so plan ahead. If you’re looking for a good drink, ask for a rooster! This place is mainly filled with people you thought you would never run into after graduation. My one complaint is the bathroom — small, usually dirty and there’s zero ventilation. But besides that, fun place to hangout. Just know it gets crazy on weekends!

I had to write and dispel some negative comments regarding Lisa, the bartender /​waitress. I’d read some unwarranted disparaging reviews of her service posted.
Lisa is as attentive and efficient as she is warm and sweet. She is obviously well loved by her patrons as most know her personally. She demonstrates a sincere interest in her customers and their needs, and my very first comment to her was how hard working she was.
Aside from the good food and comfortable atmosphere, Lisa’s charm brightens the establishment and sincerely lifts the spirits of the bar. I’d guess the previous reviews were formed out of jealousy from two women that lacked her energy, enthusiasm, and sincere warmth, which are the assets and joy Lisa brings to Dukes.

Awesome atmosphere! We have been there a few times now and the best thing is their burgers for sure! Best I’ve had anywhere! The fries are really good as are their tacos and nachos… great bar and restaurant service! Can’t wait to visit San Diego again to go there!

This place is great for burgers and beer. Bring your parka. They will not turn off the air conditioning. So far 4 people have left to get jackets and coats from their car. It is so cold in here.

Great burgers and friendly service! If you are picky about ranch dressing, it is amazing here.

This place is located off the main strip in San Clemente and has very limited parking around back… it’s tight parking so I suggest not bringing oversized vehicles. They have a front and back entrances.
This place had a surfer vibe to them and was a laid back atmosphere. They had pool tables, but moved them towards the end of the night to make room for dancing. I sat at the bar and it took a very good minute before I received any sort of acknowledgement. They had multiple TVs for you to watch the games. The bartenders were friendly and accommodated me for my football game.
The food their was alright, nothing special just a little overpriced. They know their beers and will let you know if they’re sub-​par taste. The service there was slower than normal restaurants.
Overall 3 stars because of the slow service and the overpriced food. I would recommend this place for a drink and to watch a game.

Dukes is pretty fun for a Saturday night which is when my friend and our husbands decided to go. The drink service is a little slow, as you had to go up to the bar to order, or at least that was how it was for us. But, the bar food is pretty good! We had sweet potato fries, regular fries, and a plate of nachos.
They also have two pool tables, one in the front and the other in the back. As our husbands finished playing one round of pool (they had paid for two), they had to move it out of the way for room for dancing and we had to move tables. If they had told us earlier we had to move, we wouldn’t had sat at that table nor would we had ordered another game of pool.
Would we go back? Probably, but next time we’ll pregame some more before we come so we don’t spend so much and we’ll make sure we don’t sit too far in the back so we won’t have to move around after we’ve been settled.

I’ve been coming to Dukes for over a year and I don’t have a negative thing to say about this place. If you come in durning the day be sure to try one of their delicious menu items! Just trying to grab a drink with friends? Their daily Monday-​Friday Happy Hour is 11:00am-7:00pm which you can’t beat! $ 2 drafts, $ 3 well cocktails and $ 4 house wine! Looking to occupy your time on the weekends after a long work week? Swing by from 10pm-​2am to dance the night away with some of the best drink specials and music from the live DJs! From my experiences at Dukes, not only do they have exceptional service but the definitely have some of the best looking staff around!

Went here for drinks and ended up with the best barmaid in San Clemente. Kaarina was a fantastic person and very helpful. Dukes is lucky to have her as an employee.