The Duke in Camden

This pub, with its timeless charm and irresistible pints of Young’s Winter Warmer, offers a scene straight out of a murder mystery. Case in point: the four intriguing individuals at the bar. Each man brought a distinct air to the group, as if they’d just stepped out of the pages of a gripping whodunit. The First Man (far left): A picture of either agony or regret, his head buried in his hand as though shielding himself from prying eyes—or perhaps the consequences of his actions. Was he lamenting a misstep, or simply trying to block out the chatter of his companions? His hunched posture and downcast expression suggested a man with a secret weighing heavily on his mind. The Second Man (second from left): The most cheerful of the bunch, his face lit up with a wide grin, as if he’d just cracked the punchline of a joke no one else quite understood. But was his smile genuine, or a mask for something deeper? His puffer jacket and relaxed stance suggested someone who plays it cool—but every group needs a charmer, and charmers often have the sharpest edges. The Third Man (second from right): Dressed in a plaid shirt, he exuded a certain quiet confidence. His piercing gaze and slight smirk hinted at someone who observes everything, speaks selectively, and knows more than he lets on. If there was a mastermind in this group, he was the one pulling the strings, keeping his pint close yet barely touched. The Fourth Man (far right): Standing slightly apart in his denim jacket, he looked every bit the reluctant participant. His eyes were fixed on something—or someone—outside the frame, and his uneasy posture suggested he’d rather be elsewhere. Was he the one with a guilty conscience, or simply the wildcard of the group, privy to details the others hadn’t pieced together yet? Together, the four of them painted a picture that could only be described as “suspiciously convivial.” Their pints of Young’s Winter Warmer sat like props, untouched for just long enough to make one wonder if the beer was secondary to their true purpose here. The pub itself, however, is the real star of the story—a beacon of warmth and hospitality on a cold winter’s day. The patterned tiles, soft lighting, and friendly staff create an atmosphere where anyone can feel at home, even while harbouring secrets. The Winter Warmer lives up to its name, with rich malty notes that linger long after the last sip—perfect for fuelling both conversations and conspiracies. If you’re looking for a pub with fantastic beer, a welcoming vibe, and perhaps a cast of characters to inspire your own mystery, look no further

Lovely pub with original furnishings and beer on tap

A friend & I were meandering around the tiny Mews & Back Streets of WC1 & found this Cute & Unmolested British Pub, it has a lovely Feel &Setting Amongst the Hubbub of a Busy City, Friendly Staff & Nice atmosphere.

Just stopped in for a quick drink. Older type pub tucked away from the main road.

The Duke is a hidden gem. Great atmosphere at the Art Deco building with mixture of booths and high tables. Usual suspects of drinks with a couple of guest ales on rotation. Could improve the AF beer selection but that’s just nitpicking.

Amazing food, beer and service!

Beautiful old fashioned pub tucked away in a quiet corner of Bloomsbury. Staff very friendly. Only negative is the lack of any decent amber ale - it's all IPAs and lager, plus the quite rubbish Timmy Taylor.

Great building, genuine 1930s. Pub wine truly horrid, think it was a mixture of bottles end of day. Called in for a drink mid evening on way back to hotel after a busy day, sitting in dark but peaceful alcove to catch up on emails. I, and the other customers, were vv quiet Only three other people in whole room but got hassled fairly quickly by grumpy barmaid who came out from bar next door to back of room where I was sitting to try to snatch my glass from me. When I grabbed half full glass back she shouted something about why was I not finished yet!!! Seriously, there were few customers, a few shouty youngish blokes blocking doorstep in and out and it was well before closing time - 9pm. If they don't want single women in office dress going in there, do say so on your website and the door.

1930s pub tucked away on the side streets of Clerkenwell. It was fairly quiet when we went here on a Saturday evening in August and we were able to sit at a table outside the front. Friendly staff and most people there appeared to be regulars.

Fantastic pub with a lovely interior, good service and a great pint of Guinness

Ordered a half pint and right when I was paying they said it’s minimum £5 for card payments and I didn’t have cash on me. I didn’t wanna give them free money to reach the £5 because I genuinely just wanted a half pint and so I had to leave it and go to another pub (note that she had already poured it in the glass and yet didn’t make an exception). Ridiculous if you ask me that a pub in central london wouldn’t let you get a beer if you don’t have cash on you? Rude service, 1 star

Easily the best pub in bloomsbury

Camra Heritage listed pub. 1930's art deco interior. Well worth a visit. Nice pint of Black sheep

Haven’t visited this pub in years, wow what a difference New staff / owners are very welcoming & great selection of beers. Just booked my partners 40th birthday party here for October 🍻

Great looking pub on a quiet street. Good beer, friendly service. Nice atmosphere... Didn't eat here but hope to be back again soon.

I visited this hidden gem prior to dinner nearby having received a recommendation and after a bit of a search I found it. This pub is full of character with 30s decor and well worth a visit. I had a nice pint, partner a flavoured g&t

Wonderful, well preserved and restored Art Deco pub. Friendly service and enjoyed a pint of well conditioned Timothy Taylor Landlord. Recommended!

I visited The Duke pub in Bloomsbury this evening with a friend, and what should have been a pleasant experience turned into a disappointing and frustrating one. Upon ordering a half pint of cider and a pint of orange juice with sparkling water, I was shocked to discover that I was charged a staggering £9.65. What's more appalling is that a significant portion of this amount, £6.25 to be exact, was for the pint of orange juice and sparkling water alone. As a local resident of central London for over 25 years, I am well aware of standard pricing in the area, and I found this exorbitant charge for a non-alcoholic beverage completely unjustifiable. When I brought this concern to the attention of the owner, Bill, his response was nothing short of dismissive and condescending. He flippantly remarked that these are "central London prices," as if that excuses blatant price gouging. It's appalling to see establishments like The Duke resorting to such tactics, effectively pricing out loyal locals who have supported them for years. The audacity to charge such extortionate prices, especially during a time of widespread financial strain and a cost of living crisis, is utterly reprehensible. It's clear that The Duke has lost touch with its community and prioritises profit over the well-being of its patrons. Moreover, the atmosphere inside the pub was unwelcoming and sterile, further dampening what should have been a pleasant evening. It's evident that The Duke lacks the charm and hospitality that one expects from a neighbourhood establishment. In conclusion, I strongly advise anyone considering a visit to The Duke to steer clear. The exorbitant prices and unwelcoming atmosphere make it an establishment not worth supporting. Save your money and seek out establishments that truly value their customers. As for me, I will not be returning to The Duke anytime soon.

Hercule's leetle grey cells would dance a big here. Just look at the bar lights!! Lovely, 1938 gaff that deserves to succeed under new landlord/lady ..

I love this place. Really full of character. The income pew seats, the curved wooden bar. It oozes atmosphere. The music is always a bit retro. Service was good. They had a £5 card minimum spend. Usually fine but I had a coke and supplemented with crisps to overcome that hurdle. Really tucked away but a pub you can’t help but walk in if in the area.

The Duke is the ideal local pub. It's speak-easy vibe is enhanced by the dim lights and welcoming staff. You would be very lucky to experience better service in London. C I visited the Duke on 3 seperate days in a row. I visited during noon, afternoons and evenings, and was served by 6 different bartenders. All were equally approachable, professional, and conversational which made for great experiences. Great food would only enhance this pub's prolifically.

A simple pub. There is no more food. They closed the kitchen permanently, but no info about this on the website unfortunately. The atmosphere depends on the company, so it was actually okay for us even though we were hungry.

I have been going to this gem of a pub for twenty-five years: it used to be the fave drinking spot for me and some buddies. Sadly, under the new management, although the interior is as fab as ever, at my last visit, they no longer served food (Unless that has recently changed - please tell me!). It's a real shame as we won't back - need to eat with our drinking! And our spend was always around 35 a head, so I don't understand why they stopped the lucrative food offer. They could allow people to order in pizza at a minimum? The 'restaurant area' is usually empty now. I just tried to check the food situation but their website no longer works and the advertised phone number goes to voicemail. Get a grip, Duke!!

Beautiful pub but don't tell anyone!

A lovely art deco pub, tucked away from the busy streets. I didn't have food, so I can't comment. The service was good, and we were offered samples before we chose our beer. Sadly, there were only two cask ales on offer. One was a Greene King Christmas offering, and the other was Timothy Taylor's Landlord. I chose the Landlord, but it was far too cold. I was disappointed with such a poor selection. There's a lot of breweries in London, so this pub should be able to do better than Greene King and Landlord. Great art deco pub, but sadly, the beer didn't meet its wonderful surroundings.

This is a beautiful building, if you're into buildings. It's also a jewel of a pub, and everyone is into pubs. So definitely go there.

Visited on a Friday evening. No food available. Polite staff and a nice atmosphere, but did not stay because of the lack of food offerings.

Incredible 20th century icon with very friendly owner. A real London gem with superb interiors and downstairs loos fascinating. Throughly recommend. Classi London. Nice crowd.

Doesn't accept Scottish bank notes. How 1980s. Won't be back. Staff had to phone the boss who refused it. Person behind bar was very good. She just had a lesson in anti-Scottish discrimination in London.

Great pub with a lovely atmosphere! Will definitely be back over Christmas.

THERE IS NO FOOD ANYMORE !!!!!! Much to my annoyance they have stopped serving food. Still a great little pub.

Timothy Taylor’s a very reasonable (for London) £5.80. Very quick service, good range of beers and plenty of room. A somewhat hidden gem.

Service was very rude. Ended up leaving after one round of drinks when planned to spend the entire evening there. Very disappointing and would not return.

I visited this delightful pub on a recent trip to see my London family. It's situated in a quiet, "mewsy" neighborhood away from the throng but a stone's throw from some great Bloomsbury restaurants. There is a wide selection of lagers and ales, the bar staff were friendly and welcoming and the clientele seemed like locals or the after work crowd. Loved the cozy booths and old-fashioned decor. Definitely get off the beaten path and check this place out.

A lovely place. Great atmosphere and made to feel very welcome.

We were just asked to leave after sitting down for 5 minutes without a drink. We'd been standing for an hour with drinks and waiting for a table, then sat down and were about to order drinks and asked to order or leave. The pub isn't even particularly busy!

The Duke is a great little pub that provides a great atmosphere in a friendly quiet environment. The outdoor seating area is great for enjoying a quiet, relaxing drink with friends. Bill and Maddie provide excellent, friendly service and love hearing about their customers’ experiences and provide excellent advice about local attractions. We enjoyed dropping in after our exploration of London and it is a great place for a nightcap if staying nearby. Love this little gem of a pub!

Fantastic pub, bar staff always extremely friendly and great selection of beers!

Gorgeous traditional pub in central London. I ventured in alone after a shoddy job interview and found solace in a pint and two lovely local humans who offered me a friendly ear and their own tales. We chatted and laughed, and the importance of these timeless watering holes was confirmed. A gorgeous private nook in the middle of the Capital with the lovely Maddie and Bill at the helm. Gorgeous new energy in a preserved piece of history. I will, like Arnie, be back. *Didn't eat food so no rating here

I walked past The Duke 3 weeks ago and didn't save the location on the phone. So, 3 weeks later i found the place. Do not do what i did as you'll miss a fine old London pub.

Under new management, really superb. Excellent beer, proper pub and welcoming hosts. Will definitely go back.

Nice pub and Bill and Madrid are very nice . Shame is not my local pub.

I can’t say enough about how much I love this place. After I got married, we had drinks here. Then I got divorced. But hey, I’ll always be in a relationship with The Duke.

Don’t imagine it’s changed much since it opened in 1938, which makes it interesting in a time-capsule/ curio kinda way, right down to the music and the slightly officious service. Tick for the traditional handled beer mugs but don’t like the profusion of signs which tell you what you’re not allowed to do. Pubs like this often struggle to survive, the best ones make more of an effort. #20 #4

What a find. Beautiful boozer tucked away down a lovely, quiet side street.

Great food! Pies are home made and can be customised if ordered in advance. Great choice of beers. Art deco carefully maintained by landlord.

Not an great experience. Many of dishes were sold out at 6 pm and the glasses were dirty and had lipstick of the previous person on it. The waitress seemed bored.

Great place to stop in for a beer and food. Glad we stopped by!

Looooovely place, delicious food and kind staff. Calm atmosphere. Try fish ‘n’ chips!

Nice pub tucked away in the heart of central London. Close to a number of stations. We sat downstairs in the party room (an old air raid bunker?) which was quirky.

On a bien aimé Le service est très sympa, dans un pub authentique. On a goûter ke fish &chip et le chicken pie, bon et copieux.

Real old school pub on the edge of Holborn. Good selection of beers, and great pub grub! Try the pies... Handmade and really tasty!

Great pub nice atmosphere been using it for years sadly won't be going back now they don't except cash anymore

What a pub! Decor amazing ❤️❤️❤️

Pub qui n'était pas loin de notre logement. Une chouette ambiance! Un vrai pub a l'anglaise. Niveau nourriture, on a notamment un burger qui est de bonne qualité! Le dessert était une réel découverte! Je conseille vivement si vous êtes dans le coin et que vous souhaitez découvrir l'ambiance d'un pub

Slow to get served but great pub and nice location

Brilliant pub, amazing service and good food. Not too busy or loud, and really wonderful interior. Big thanks to Cathy!

Awesome pub with a post war feel about it!

Fantastic back street boozer serving well kept real ales & decent bar snacks, just a 15 min walk south from Euston & Kings Cross

Lovely london boozer down a quiet alley and mews. The landlady seemed really grumpy with us. I just think she must hate her job

Lovely pub - great beers and service

Really nice and cute pub with very good food. The waitress was nice and had good recommendations. We tried the pies, the beef pie is to die for, it was amazing. The prices are ok; we've seen a lot of very interesting and cool people there.

Good atmosphere great beer and tasty food.

The Duke has a limited menu which helps to ensure a high-quality food offering. The most appealing item on the menu are home backed pies, with plenty of freshly cooked vegetables. The pub is well attended but not crowded. Well worth a visit. People should book.

Excellent fish and chips, nice crispy batter and fish not overcooked.

Always good. Black Sheep a bonus

Absolutely lovely, made space for a bigger party and helped in our disabled friend. Really friendly and excellent service.

Good pub. Tucked away a little (which is good given how heaving other pubs in the area can get) and nice ambience and 1930s decor. Good selection of ales and decent food.

Hidden away in the back streets of Bloomsbury/Mt Pleasant. Lovely bar staff and excellent Guinness and Black Sheep. Beautiful art deco building on the corner. Booths against the window and what appears to be a separate dining area. Well worth the visit

Lovely pub with lovely staff, great 30s building, and some great streets around it as well

Just a great place, incredibly cool)!

Lovely hidden pub. Food amazing, fresh and great quality. Atmosphere- awesome. Staff welcoming and pleasant which is rear in this area. Definitely will come back.

Nice local pub, friendly staff and plenty of beers on tap.

A superb reflection from a gentler age. Great homemade food, friendly and polite staff. Will visit again. We did visit again- food even better with more choices.

First time here. After passing Doughty Mews hundreds of times, I decided to explore and try this excellent tucked away pub at last. Good beer selection.. not often seen Old Hooky which was good but a tad flat and not cool enough (I am a Camra member so not complaining from a lager drinkers POV). Unfortunately, my smiling "Hello" was met with only a slight nod, and at no point in the transaction was there a smile, a thank you or even a single word uttered by the totally disinterested barman. What a shame. Seems like such a nice place otherwise, with a friendly buzz from the fellow drinkers and diners.

Good beer, notable exterior, and a lovely interior. Warm and cosy, it’s a great example of a period pub which is different from the vast majority of central London pubs. Something different that’s worth visiting.

Always nice yo visit this pub, it's one of the best in this part of London.

Great pub and staff. Excellent food and beer. An art deco vibe .

Absolute hidden gem of a pub with a time capsule feel and beautifully kept cask beers. Didn't eat, but the dining room looked gorgeous! A bit off the beaten track but utterly worth it. At a time when the hospitality industry is suffering this place needs your support!

I visited the Duke pub yesterday for the first time. For someone interested in history, particularly the 1920s and 1930, this place is an incredible find! It's perfect in every period detail and would be fantastic for a themed party. The staff were very friendly and the house red very nice, as were the beers so my friends tell me. It was so lovely I looked into booking the downstairs room (great for dancing!) for my birthday. Now here is the bad news - unfortunately the pub looks set to close at the end of this financial year unless there is a change in their fortunes. It would be a tragedy to lose such a glorious 1930’s pub. If you are at all interested in this sort of place, I would get down there quickly before its gone!

Stopped by last night for the first time in years for a few beers. Still awesome. Still feels like a real pub.

Extremely friendly old school pub selling quality food and good ales , lagers and wine.

very lovely. Old fashioned and homely with 1930s music playing and beautiful decor.

Great friendly clean pub with lots of choices on the menu.

A hidden gem. The stars say it all. Beer, food, friendly service, location and value for money prices.

A cosy and traditional pub hidden away in the backstreets, away from the noise and commotion of the city.

What a stunning little pub. As others have mentioned, a 1930s gem packed full of original features and lovely staff as well. Too quiet for a pub with such character, please go and give it some love

1930s backstreet pub time capsule with many individual booths which were purpose built with terrific separations. Guinness, Doom Bar, Meantime and a great early 60s music playing. The Duke is a winner!

Great, unspoilt (i. e. no boring modern decor) 1930's pub. Super friendly lady there on our visit. A true hidden gem. Like stepping back in time and great music too!

Very stylish pub - tucked away on a side street, would recommend to anyone who is looking for a decent pint in Central London.

Love the Duke , great pub and good food

Lovely place, Bar Lady was brilliant, xx

Lovely old traditional pub tucked away in quiet street in Bloomsbury. Nice beer and small selection of well cooked and well presented pub food. Go for the pie of of the week

Dinner section service was very good however the vegetarian menu was very limited, I ordered the nut roast which was burnt and bland. The service at the bar however was terrible, a fairly empty pub and yet it took forever for to get the bartenders attention. Quite disappointing really.

Service was a little slow but very friendly. the bacon burger was amazing. This was the best burger I have had in London and one of the best flavor bursts I have had in years. It is just around the corner from the Charles Dickens museum.

Popped in with my wife for a spot of early evening dinner. The pub styles itself as Art Deco which attracted us. It didn’t disappoint . Lovely ambience and nice touches. Food was delicious. My wife loved the fish and chips and cleared her plate. Lovely crisp batter enveloping perfectly cooked fish. I had the veggie burger which was substantial, filling and delicious. The accompanying salad and jacket chips were great accompaniments. Sienna looked after us with an excellent balance of attentiveness with space. Shame this is likely to be a one off visit as we would come back again. Well done The Duke.

Brilliant place. Great value meals and beer. Proper British bub with robust meals and a warm atmosphere.

A haven from the hustle and bustle tucked away on John's News. Modest range of draught beers, lively and friendly atmosphere and some hot food options in the evening too.

Friendly little pub with good beer and reasonable food.

It’s a great pub we used to go as students and I decided to meet my friend there for a pre Christmas drink. I still think the place is very atmospheric and nice as a pub, but please don’t touch their food. We had two burgers, basics pub special. Mine was really unbearable with pre-froze bun not even reheated properly and burger that was overcooked and hard as a shoe sole. I will go back for a drink but will never order food there. I complained to the staff about the burger (I literally had a bite of the meat but it was so small in a huge white bun that I put aside and did not eat), they looked at my plate and said well you had quite a go at it so can’t be that bad. I asked the lady to touch the bun (which was wet as when you reheat the frozen bread not quite long enough so it’s wet and sticky). Mistake if it comes to food. Ok for a drink. W