The Duke

Review summary

1. G

   Grace

   Oxford7 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Delicious good and great atmosphere. Staff very attentive and friendly.
   

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2. PH

   PHILLLOYD84

   London2 reviews

   2.0

   Dined on March 2, 2025

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 2

   This is a new restaurant/pub in Henley and we wanted to give it a try for Sunday lunch. Largely, it was really disappointing. Service was very poor (slow, not friendly, not attentive) and it just didn’t feel like they were trying given how keen they must been to impress newcomers. The classic situation of the restaurant being half full yet staff stood around talking when people needed service. The food was better than the service, but it’s a very strange menu, given the very obvious pub surroundings. The great debate in restaurants is whether you do a burger - they don’t. It is trying to elevate (no bad thing) but is simply very expensive for average quality of finished plates and fairly small portions. The roast pork Sunday lunch had two slim, albeit tasty slices. The surroundings are lovely and well done. But it’s the cost that is the killer - for two adults, two children, Sunday lunch, kids portions; no booze and no pudding was £124. It’s just too expensive for this position and town - Henley is a nice place with excellent country pubs around it - it is very hard to make fancy and v expensive work. Sadly the lack of decent service and very high cost means we wouldn’t visit again and wouldn’t say good things to our friends and family who live in Henley. The current menu/concept needs some major change to make it work.
   

   The DukeResponded on March 4, 2025

   Dear PHILLLOYD84, Thank you for your feedback. We're sorry to hear that your experience didn't meet expectations. We take your comments about the service seriously and will address these with the team to ensure better attentiveness moving forward. Regarding the menu, we understand it may not have been what you anticipated. We appreciate your honest opinion and will consider it as we evaluate our offerings. We’re glad you enjoyed the surroundings, but regret that the cost and experience didn’t provide the value you expected. We hope you might give us another chance in the future. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to discuss further. Best regards, Jason Herrington General Manager The Duke
   

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3. M

   Mary

   Oxford2 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on February 28, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Food is delicious but slightly overpriced for the size of some of the portions
   

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4. E

   Edward

   London1 review

   4.0

   Dined on February 21, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Very nice vibe. Busy but we liked that. Service was excellent. Not overbearing but always there when you needed. Food was really good. Nothing else like it in Henley The bill surprised us in a good say. Very good value for money.
   

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5. C

   Catherine

   Gloucestershire1 review

   4.0

   Dined on February 19, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   First time visiting. Easy to book on line. Had a confirmation text. Lovely and welcoming. Staff member explained how it works to order, sharing etc. ordered prawns, lamb lasagne, rump, chips. There were 3 of us. Prawns were lovely, there were 4 we shared, next came the lasagne (we shared) delicious, next came the chips. Oh my word, delicious and finally the rump. (We had kept some chips to eat with it) all food delicious. With a glass of wine and orange juice it was just over £75. With 20% added (which I should imagine could be taken off if asked) was around £86 . Lovely place, delicious food, very helpful pleasant staff. Only thing I would say was it was a little dark so hard to see the menu . Worth a visit. Sharing nice to share the bill. Lovely if going on your own too but not all food comes out at once and may work out more expensive if on your own
   

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6. p

   philomena

   London4 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 16, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   New arrival, and one to watch in Henley. Very pleasant and helpful staff, interesting and beautifully presented menu and the first time I’ve ever been invited by a chef to visit the kitchens!! Most impressive, and well worth a second visit.
   

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7. S

   S

   London1 review

   5.0

   Dined on February 14, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great experience overall. Perfect cocktails, spot on service and really delicious food. On the expensive side but worth it. Great addiction to the Henley restaurants. Will recommed to friends and will be back for sure.
   

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8. S

   Susan

   London7 reviews

   4.0

   Dined on February 14, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Super tasty food, good service, it is noisy though no music. We still had a good time!
   

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9. L

   Lavinia VIP

   New York City9 reviews

   5.0

   Dined on February 8, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 3

   Great dinner at the Duke… the food portions are very small even considering they are tapas style, so would have liked to see them a touch bigger but everything we ate was delicious especially the prawns, pork belly and lasagna. Shortage of lactose free dishes sadly so one of my friends could not eat very much but perhaps this will come with time. The cocktails were amazing and service was very good and attentive. Music got turned up quite loud towards the end of our dinner and even us, a table of 30 year olds were struggling to hear each other speak, but I do understand the need to try and please all. Will definitely go back!
   

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   The DukeResponded on February 12, 2025

   Thank you for your review! We're so pleased you enjoyed your dinner at The Duke, especially the prawns, pork belly, and lasagna. We appreciate your feedback on portion sizes and dietary options—it's something we’ll certainly take into consideration as we continue to refine our menu. We're also glad you loved the cocktails and service! Apologies if the music was a little loud toward the end of your meal; we’ll keep this in mind to ensure the best experience for all our guests. We look forward to welcoming you back soon! Best Regards, Jason Herrington
   

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10. P

    Patricia

    Berkshire1 review

    4.0

    Dined on February 7, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4

    Good food. Lovely service. A bit chilly and noisy with people coming in and out for a smoke.
    

    The DukeResponded on February 12, 2025

    Thank you for your feedback! We're so glad you enjoyed the food and service. We appreciate your thoughts on the temperature and noise—we’ll take that into consideration to improve the experience. Hope to see you again soon! Best regards, Jason Herrington
    

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