Duke's Beach Grill — Restaurant in Ventura

Ah Dukes, next to Lure, this is one of the place that all of the locals I speak to recommended to me. How did their recommendation go? Overall, it’s pretty darn pleasing.

I’m a little torn, I feel like they deserve a solid 3.5 stars, but as you’ll see, some of the food is good enough to kick them up to a four.

We got: Whole Ball of Wax with Sweet Potato Fries, a Fish Taco and a Shrimp Taco with some brews.

Whole Ball of Wax: I got a double (hey, I’d just run the LA Marathon, I earned it) and asked if they could cook it medium rare, to which our server said “No problem!” The only problem being when it came, it wasn’t. However, it wasn’t overly dry or a hockey puck or anything, so I wasn’t too annoyed. The flavor was pretty decent. They even put mustard on the bun, which I kept commenting on as it’s pretty unique for most burger joints. I’d think of these as great diner-style burgers. Keeping that in mind and you’ll be happy. Sweet Potato Fries: These were great! Though, admittedly, I’m a sucker for sweet potato fries. One strange thing is that they serve them with blue cheese. That was a new one for me. Regular Fries: I ordered sweet potato fries, but when the burger showed up, it came with regular fries. A quick conversation brought me the ones I ordered, but I still got to try the standard fare. How were they? Not too shabby. A little extra salt and we’re really cooking. Fish Taco: Alice got the tacos and in her words, “I think these are some of the best tacos I’ve ever had.” So there you go. Shrimp Taco: See above. Amazing though.

Overall, it’s good service, pleasant food and good beers. My only complaint is that I’m still looking for a bit of burger nirvana. These are decent, but just not quite what I’m looking for when looking for a hardcore burger. As far as diner burgers go,...

I love the food, but parking lot is not safe. A man in a wheelchair chair yelled at my husband when he parked in the Dukes only parking lot that he can’t part there, because it is restaurant only- but my husband was going in the Duke’s restaurant. Then the man in wheel chair asked some men to “get him” when my husband was leaving the restaurant. I can’t have my husband’s life threatened just because I sent him to get me food NOT OKAY

Update:

I need to clarify, because the reply to my earlier comment contained incorrect assumptions. My husband did not go to the yogurt shop, and he did not go to the beach. He walked directly into Duke’s, picked up our to-go order, and came straight back out with the bag in his hand. He used the Duke’s parking lot exactly as intended: in, grab food, out. Nothing more.

Despite that, the man in the wheelchair still yelled at him, and even told a group of men to “get him!!” as my husband was leaving with the bag. That is threatening and completely unacceptable.

We know how the parking works, and we respect it. This was a simple food pickup, nothing else. For my husband to be yelled at, harassed, and threatened despite doing everything correctly was upsetting and it’s unfair to accuse loyal customers of going places they never went.

We’ve lived in Ventura for over 30 years, and my husband doesn’t eat yogurt or go to the beach. This was clearly a case of mistaken identity. We usually spend over $80 per visit at Duke’s, but after this experience, we feel unsafe and very disappointed.

I truly hope this is taken seriously. Loyal customers should never feel threatened over a misunderstanding especially when they are clearly seen walking into Duke’s and walking back out with a to-go order.

I wish you the best and be careful who you trust with your...

Used to frequent a place across the street from Duke's with the most amazing fish'n'chips, but alas they closed, dont know why... I treat dining experiences by being a pseudo pedagogue because grading of menu entrees can range up or down in a myriad of ways. It sounds elementary but it fulfills my belief system. Duke's is rustic, beachy, and very casual. Being a block to the sand off of Seaward in Ventura, it is a good fit for the location. Not cheap, but affordable to us, it has a comfortable inside, and a bright island feel on the outdoor enclosed patio. We chose a table there. Of course our order was fish'n'chips, with a bowl of clam chowder. I favor sweet potato fries when available, so the regular fries were sub'd. Placing the number on the table's edge, we breathed in the ocean air and solitude of the patio. The order arrived about 10 minutes later, and the appearance was pleasing (no photos my bad). I could'nt resist the chowder and was surprised... then happier, then really pleased. The subtle seasoning obsessed my taste buds and I wished there were more in the bowl; A+. The fish was tasty, but my gold standard was a memory (from across the street). Tasty; B+. Sweet potato fries were crispy and seasoned to my standards. Not equal to my gold standard, but pleasing; B+. Cole slaw was on the platter and was fresh and tasty also; B. These are pretty high grades for me and I will acquiesce to say that Duke's is my gold standard for clam chowder. It was'nt a vacation or some festive outing that brought us here, because I live 10 miles up the coast, and we dine out weekly at least in a regular way. I will...