The Duchess is the kind of place that won't break the bank, a neighborhood dive with a well-earned rank. The food is average, nothing to rave, but it does the job when the cravings misbehave. The karaoke steals the whole darn show, with singers who shine or simply let go. Drinks are fair, the prices right, and the regular crowd keeps the vibe just right. Service is solid with smiles in the mix, though one "black-magic" woman seems to have all the tricks. She runs the room with a knowing grin, like she's casting spells while cashing you in. If you're chasing fine dining, keep driving along. If you're after cheap drinks and belting out songs, The Duchess is worth a stop or two... A dive bar through and through. read more

The Duchess bar and Grille - Billboard - Bars Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

This is one of those places you probably came to decades ago if you grew up in the area and wanted cheap beers with friends. Otherwise, there's really no reason to be here. Employees are different towards someone who's not a regular. The place is dirty, it smells bad, and it makes you wonder what the kitchen must look like. read more

worst service we have received in many years. Ordered our beers and thought She would be back. Wrong. Waved her down Got the order wrong and then argued about it. Nasty personality and became abusive. I have never stiffed a waiter in 60 years but did tonite. Tipped the cook separately as the food was good Won't be back and we live a block from this place. Have been going to this tavern for over 15 years. So sad. read more

Awesome old bar!!!! Great ambiance, food and service. Cheryl is great. You will be glad you came here. read more

Googled best dive bars in Phoenix. Great atmosphere, music and people and I should know as a veteran of the CC Club, MPLS. 1.5 miles from home! read more

John gets a 7 star rating for the world's best cooked, crispy, prettiest order of French fries Thanks John, Larry read more

Had a great time at this bar. The food was tasty and the prices on drinks are low. All the staff is friendly. I like this place to relax, have a drink and unwind after work. read more

The owner was lacking in customer skills asked why I couldn't finish my food when I asked for a to go box. Grabbed my bill when I said I couldn't read it and signed my name without asking. Never going there again. read more

I drive all the way from Tempe to see Karla! She is a ray of sunshine as is everyone there! It doesn't hurt that Petey makes amazing food! Highly recommend! read more

Went in for the first time last night after the Cardinals football game and as you can imagine we were tired and hungry. The lady who waited on us was very professional and made our first experience very pleasant, I believe her name was Kris. The food was great and drinks reasonably priced. Will definitely be back! Great place Victoria! read more

Love this place. I always enjoy myself,and the food is great Especially Friday fish fry! read more

Great food great service always a great time at the duchess bar and grille so check them out you can't go wrong with the duchess.

Best dive in the area. Slings great drinks and the simplicity of the new kitchen and menu is a win.

Great food and fun atmosphere! The staff were very friendly and I really enjoyed my hotdog and hamburger. We'll be back.

I would recommend the food! The cold beer! The atmosphere is fun and yet quiet enough to hang out if you had a bad day even

Karaoke great fun..friendly crowd...attentive service,except for one bartender ...don't know her name..not attentive or friendly..dark curly hair...wasn't comfortable around her or even asking for service..jyst cold n abrasive..other than that good experience read more

One of my favorite places in Mesa. Love Karla she's the best always so friendly. The food is always yummy

Hours need to be updated. Stopped by on a Sunday and closed at 10pm. Waste of my time

The food was well was just okay nothing to write about I could have made better with a cool helper

$10 for a single captain and coke. No wonder it's empty in here. The karaoke was terrible too

If you're from one of the Eastern states, especially if you're from one of the larger cities, you know what a corner bar is and you probably also know what a Friday Fish Fry is as well. Western states generally have neither, most bars out here are usually a themed chain "brew pub" or part of a restaurant (or both). And Friday Fish Fries are pretty rare but fortunately they seem to be quite popular in the Phoenix region's far East Valley. I know, I've been on a mission to find them and compare them for the past 6 months or so. This week I discovered The Duchess, about as close as we get to a corner bar - a small simple place tucked away in the corner of a quiet strip mall with a plain solid wood door that just has the words "Duchess" on it. Inside there's a bar, several tables and on this Friday night a couple of dozen people just sitting around drinking beer and having fun spending the evening with each other. It's not a fancy place ... some Yelpers have called it a Hole in the Wall or a dive. That's not far off from the truth. Others have called it some less flattering things, perhaps they took a wrong turn on their way to one of those fancy Scottsdale themed "brew pubs" and ended up here by mistake. It's a bar - what bar has ever been described as "spotless"? I don't think of white table cloths and romantic candles when I think of the word bar. Anyway, we were there to eat not to drink all night. Their menu says they have a Friday Night Fish Fry special and my weekly quest has reinforced what every Easterner knows, that some of the best fish fries can be found in some of the most unpretentious corner bars. On a scale of 1 - 10 The Duchess doesn't ring the bell as a perfect 10 on every measure. They are way up there though for quantity of food for the price, for size of their fish filets, for knowing how to cook them properly, for a nice light but crunchy breading, for tasty French Fries, for friendly and welcoming service from the waitress and for laid back non-trendy atmosphere that is a nice mix of ordinary working people. Their tiny cup of coleslaw is only pretty good but I've had worse but frankly if that's the only negative thing I can say I think this place is a winner worth trying out. The price for a dinner with two large filets is about $10 and with four filets is about $12. Neither of us could eat more than two so being able to take the other two home for leftovers made it a good deal. It you aren't into showing off and being seen in a corner bar doesn't offend you I recommend The Duchess as a surprisingly good place to hang out and chow down on some good food. read more

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Open Sundays, even though it says closed. This is definitely a hole in the wall bar in the back of a strip mall but my dad swears they have the best burgers. Very small, very dark interior, but friendly staff and excellent food and cheap beer. I love a good bar especially the food. And dad was loving his burger. We will be back. They have specials daily. Nothing fancy, just good food! read more

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That Friday night Bartender rips off everyone that comes in that Bar. She will gouge you on every drink as well as food. She is unfriendly and doesn't care about the customer, she's there to make money on whoever she can scam. Too bad the Owners don't know how she treats Customers. We won't be back as well as our friends. read more

This is our go to "We need a burger" place!!! Pete (cook) is amazing & takes pride in the food he prepares. The staff is always friendly & welcoming!!! When we bring our little...they graciously make her a Shirley Temple and candy for after her dinner. LOVE this place!!! read more

The short-haired blondish server on Friday nights is just so "over it" with providing customer service. Went to place a food order and I assumed that she took our orders because she says "I am only going to take your orders once. So go back to your table and go see what everyone else wants". WHAT THE HECK???? She gave us the drinks then after 20 minutes asked her if the food was ready yet. She replies, " oh did you really want that food? I was hoping that you weren't serious because I don't want to cook anymore tonight ". REALLY???? read more

My cousin and I were looking for the closest bar showing the Monday Night Football game and this was the place. Walked in not knowing what to expect. It's definitely a neighborhood regulars spot. The literal definition of a dive bar so if that's not your thing don't even bother showing up. Being a Monday it was slow and we got there about 7:30. We were told that the cook was getting ready to leave so we should get our food order in right away and when I ordered we were told that the burgers were on special on Mondays. The specials were insanely cheap! 1/2 lbs burgers for $6! I ordered the chicken cordon bleu sandwich from the menu and the server told me they might not actually have it. Turns out they did. The server was super attentive. Also overheard her say to someone that if they were going to show up they'd stay open otherwise they'd close up. Don't know if that was in reference to tonight or the upcoming holidays but either way I get the feeling they are a just wing it type of operation. I can totally respect that being a small business. If people are drinking and not eating you send the cook home early. You order stock for what you think you can sell. You stay open as late as you're still being profitable. I'm a pretty go with the flow person though. If that's not your thing this may not be the place for you. So my food comes out. It was shockingly good. The fries were perfect. The sandwich was huge. It was a dripping mess and I loved every bite. The honey mustard sauce was delicious! I saw they are known for their huge pork tenderloin which I'm excited to come back and try. Now to the other patrons and workers. The cook came by to check on my meal and see what I thought on his way out. That was pretty cool to see. The server was on top of it. One of the bar patrons on the way out said, "The food is amazing isn't it?" and we chatted for a second. The only "issue" if you could call it that was there was one older smaller guy that everyone seemed to know that was a little weird. I'm guessing he's one of those guys that every bar has that is always there and just hits on everyone. He kept coming over and standing right by our table and staring at my cousin who is a female. He never actually said or did anything but literally would come over just a foot or two in front of our table between us and the TV and stare her right in the face. Not just once but several times. Then every time he went to the restroom he'd completely turn around and stop and stare at her. He must have done it maybe 6 times in the hour and a half we were there and when we left he followed us out. He didn't say anything but got in his car and drove off after we got in my car. So if you're a single lady you may want to just make sure you have someone there with you. That's definitely not the bar's issue though. So yeah, the food was an absolute surprise and very reasonably priced. Really liked the place but if dive bars and winging it aren't your thing it's probably not the place for you. PS-there was a 50 cent surcharge on my bill for paying with a card which I understand because card companies charge transaction fees on businesses. Definitely not a big deal, but it was something not mentioned up front and I didn't know going in. read more

The Duchess bar and Grille - Massive chicken cordon bleu sandwich that takes 2 hands and makes a mess but is shockingly good! - Bars Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

This business has a kitchen that is closed before 8pm on a Saturday. They tell me that they can't hear me when I call, and their phone has a boat horn on the other end. I cannot believe a business as rude as this has survived so long. read more

Every time I go to this place they always surprise me. I met a sexy little waitress named Misty this afternoon and she was super cute! Oh...the bacon cheeseburger was awesome as usual. This place is a diamond in the ruff! Love it! read more

To many bar fights. Was there on my husband's Birthday. Harrassed by two regulars. Not going back.

We had the absolute pleasure of visiting here for our weekly date night! Chef Petey is amazing, has great charisma, and is so humble! Food was amazing (and inexpensive) and so were the cheap beers. Patrons had nothing but to say about the place and we were more than pleased. Thank y'all for a good and simple date night. read more

Small (hole in the wall type bar) had fish on a Friday, eh just ok . My wife had a patty melt. Was so good & juicy. Highly recommend that . Cold beer , good prices , friendly staff. read more

I really like this bar. It's just a small place in a strip mall. It's right behind the little Mesa Cafe that's on Main Street. For a Class 6 liquor license bar that doesn't have to serve food, their food is really quite good. The the "Huggy Burger" is the first thing I tried there about 10 years ago oh, and they had me ever since. They have karaoke on Thursday Friday and Saturday, but I usually go on Thursdays cuz there's less of a crowd and I get to sing a little more. Cheap beer and good prices on the food. Fish fry on Fridays tasted really good. I don't know what is like in the day time. This place used to be a very popular place, but since no smoking laws and the very strict DUI laws now, fewer people seem to come out. I think food stops according to demand on karaoke nights. And I think online it says they close at midnight, but that also seems to be about demand also, since I've been there til 2am. Nice little hole in the wall. I would love to see an influx of new people to come in there. More people singing would be fun. read more

The Duchess bar and Grille - Bars Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Went here for Karaoke on Saturday Night, to begin with this is a little hole in the wall bar full of regulars. When we walked in my first thought was this place could totally use a deep cleaning. The nextdoor venue had a event going on and the bass and noise was drowning out the karaoke in the bar. The Karaoke guy went over there and had them turn it down a bit but it still bled over pretty bad. The karaoke guy was awesome, the system was better then most and he had all the songs! That night we were starving and ready for some chow, so I asked if I can order some food. The bartender/ waitress told me to please take it easy because she was also the cook... So anything fried was my choices. I got chicken tenders and onion rings... She came out with a stack of each! I was shocked, our table shared the baskets and couldn't even finish them all, the food was basic bar fried food. The bartender was super sweet but definitely needed some help with at least the cooking portion. It was a good night, however be ready to see some people that are definitely over served... One dude was relentless at trying to hit on one of our friends, im sure that guy regretted drinking that much the next morning. Instead of cutting him off they just kept serving him, drinks, and shots... All in all it was a good time, try to avoid the drunk regulars by not making eye contact. read more

classic French dip. added cheese and jalapenos! winning! couple of cold 4 peaks and local conversations and you have a good night. My kind of setting! I definitely will return next time Chicago won't let me back in! read more

This place isn't the fanciest bar/restaurant in the world, but Petey, the main cook-delicious food. Largest, tastiest burgers. The fish frys are tasty, as well as we've enjoyed some great omelets and fried potatoes for breakfast. We even order the burgers and fries and bring them home. Friendly staff, and we've been customers for so long they know my husband by name, and usually knows what he wants, as soon as he walks in the door. That goes a long way with my husband. read more

A little hole in the wall place in retiree Mesa. Bullet holes in the shop window next door. Definitely a snow bird hot spot. My friend and I were the only ones there under 60. Nachos were good. read more

I went here looking for a drink and some wings, and I'm glad I'm picked this spot. Definitely going back to try more flavors. Highly recommend for wing nuts. read more

This bar itself is good but what makes this bar really great is the bartender Shelly and the karaoke host Josh-e rock. Shelly makes great drinks and always has a positive attitude. Josh puts on a karaoke show like you're actually at a concert and plays to the crowd that is at the bar. read more

Very friendly bar. Small and comfortable, with great food, amazing service, drink specials and karaoke 3 nights a week. Hidden in a plaza behind Little Mesa Cafe. The burgers are delicious. All you can eat fish on Fridays. Thursday nights, Nate hosts karaoke at 8:30. Josh hosts on Fridays and Saturdays starting at 9. Both are very good at what they do! read more

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I don't think this place lives up to such a fancy name but is a nice hole in the wall stop with a friendly staff and decent food and drinks. The prices are not bad and the location is easy. It is not my first choice but is in the top three when I go out with a group for a casual experience. read more