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| - OK. Prior to stepping foot inside I remember passing by this metal shed each time I would go to a D-Backs game. I always felt like I would either get raped or shivved if I strolled in here. I told this to the bartender, who laughed and said "Well that is a possibility". So, being a pasty white boy, how could I possibly have fallen in love with The Duce when death is so certain? Well, its because this place is like a loving pit bull: Looks are deceiving!
~What to Do?~
You can drink....because it's a bar. You can enjoy a variety of eats and treats, if they have them. You can sing karaoke, if drunk enough...and you can entertain your large group of friends, if you have enough of them. Besides the wide open space in the main area near the bar, they also have Corn Hole and Ping Pong (or as they say in China: Ping Pang) tables ready to go!
~The Good~
Service is great. The bartender was relaxed and quickly made me a drink after I looked at him bemused by the mason jars and high-end liquors. All the liquor is high-end (blow me, Baccardi) and just adds to the utter ironic nature of this place. A big shed, slinging high quality cocktails in mason jars? Like Marv Albert would say: "Yessssssss!!!!" They also offer old-school beers which like dinosaurs I thought were buried long long ago... So long that most of us never would think would be offered at this point. So wrong! You can find them here! It's just different at the Duce. The drink menu is huge, and the drinks are as well. Prices are a bit steep, but these are top shelf liquors we are drinking and the sizes are huge. Do the division, the price is right! Food looks serviceable, it's a give and take menu filled with fun items that will fill most gullets. I am on a diiiet, as in, I die inside when I look at the items on the menu. Looks yummy, I must say. Dessert is off the chain, from regular pies and shakes to spiked floats and shakes as well!!
Plus, the atmosphere is so chill....so chill. Ping pong and Corn hole in the middle room is an awesome touch, as is the random boxing ring, which I imagine numerous drunks crawl on. Karaoke on Thursday (when we went) was totally fun, even when only 15 people were in the joint. The staff all know how and when to buddy up and talk to their patrons, and make the place even more inviting.
~The Bad~
So the desserts were pretty much all out. I was going to get Laura I. a surprise pie in a cup, and they were all out...lame. That's about the extent of the issues I had with the food itself. As for the venue, it's a tad dingy outside and inside (I mean, come on). I still am not sure about hitting this place up all by myself on a raging Saturday night.. Really though, this place has few flaws and sets itself apart because it rolls to its own beat.
~The Low Down~
There is so much space here! You can take huge groups and bring them for a good time. Whether its karaoke or just because, if you live in Downtown/Central Phoenix, The Duce is an awesome and ironic spot to grab a drink (or 10). I am yearning to go back and fight my fear of being shot. I am curious. Maybe that's why my friends call me whiskers. Because I am curious like a...
4 stars for well-made eclectic drinks, a solid and mouth-tempting Menu, A+ atmosphere, and another star because it said so! Can't wait to go back!!
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