Duke's Bar, 700 Michigan St NE, Grand Rapids ~ 8/15/23

 

So, we finally walked into Duke's and had a great experience.
Before we noticed the menu on the wall, we asked our server (Carlie) for menus. She was a little taken aback and said "this is a dive." Haha. But they did have menus, although with many prices crossed out.
Hazy IPA, Oberon, Sam Adams Cherry Wheat and vodka started us off along with some nicely prepared fried pickles.
Although still listed on the board, neither the Philly Stack nor the French Dip were available this summer. Not a problem 😉
We ordered two bacon cheeseburgers. I asked if my onions could be grilled, and since Carlie was not only our server but also our chef, she said she'd be happy to oblige.
The juicy burgers were excellent and came with a fresh tomato slice. The onion rings deserve special mention as the onion did not pull out on first bite but stayed with fried exterior. That may sound like a strange compliment but it's a pet peeve. Well done for a small kitchen and our server/chef!

The Patty Melt was not what one would expect from a traditional Patty Melt. The onions should have been grilled more and the bread was warm but not grilled. It was still a good sandwich but not traditional.
The olive burger was outstanding with its house-made olive sauce. There were plenty of big chucks of olive with the mayo, nice leaf lettuce and a ripe tomato. From a person who has sampled olive burgers throughout the city, Duke's currently stands as his favorite.
There were about 5 TVs on and quiet music playing so talking was easy. There were 12 seats at the bar and all the tables were high tops. Just two of the tables had condiments on them 😀
We tried to get some history on the place but the manager, Becky, wouldn't come over to talk with us. She did send Carlie back with an old photo when the place was "The Grand Tavern" and ladies were invited, date unknown. They don't have a website and I couldn't find any online history on Duke's or the building.
With some help from Michigan history fans, I found out that this building was the Legion Hall 459 (before it moved across the street). It became the Grand Tavern in 1936, the Plaza Bar in the 1980s, and then Duke's (date unknown).  Photos below are from Aloysius Cebelak who obtained them from the Grand Rapids Archives and Record Center, City of Grand Rapids Assessor's Collection.
According to Zillow, the building was built in 1931. 
This is an old exterior photo of Duke's before the full glass windows were installed a few years ago.
And here are photos from now with the new windows.

Was the name inspired by John Wayne? We don't know but there is some John Wayne on display.
Overall, this is a solid dive bar with pretty good food. We were told that some questionable people come in on weekends but we can neither confirm nor deny. Just don't try to use the back door after 9pm.
(Some history on its neighbor, the current Glass House)

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