Cafe Duke’s Spicy Chicken Pizza: Best Non-Restaurant Pizza in Midtown

Date March 4, 2010

Unlike many Midtown desk jockeys, I do everything in my power to avoid eating at the “we have it all” deli.  The Café Dukes of the city are the enemy of little specialty shops everywhere, making up for mainly mediocre, high-priced food by offering more options than your mind can handle, all under one roof. But thanks to Café Duke’s Spicy Chicken Pizza ($8.66 incl. tax) the enemy doesn’t seem so evil.  And excluding pies from actual pizza restaurants like my Midtown-favorite Angelo’s, the Spicy Chicken Pizza is my top choice.  Read on to find out why…

Cafe Duke Spicy Chicken Pizza - NYCFoodGuy.com

Char-grilled diced chicken breast dressed in a fiery hot sauce concoction mingles with salty Monterey Jack cheese, creamy, slightly sharp Feta, and sliced red onion all atop a thin tomato sauce.  Make sure to ask for this personal pie to be cooked extra crispy inside Café Duke’s gas-fired brick oven.  Once it’s removed and sprinkled with fresh chopped scallions, you’ll need all the support the sweet, chewy crust can offer beneath the myriad of toppings melding together to create a mouth-watering confluence of salty, spicy and sweet.

Cafe Duke's Spicy Chicken Pizza - NYCFoodGuy.com

Of Café Duke’s three 24-hour Manhattan locations, only the one on 51st b/t 6th & 7th Ave serves pizza.  And specialty pies like the Spicy Chicken are only made until 9PM.  After that they’ll serve standard sized slices and pies only.  Where are your favorite pizza places in Midtown?

Café Duke 140 W 51st St b/t 6th & 7th Ave., New York 10020 (212) 445-0010

6 Responses to “Cafe Duke’s Spicy Chicken Pizza: Best Non-Restaurant Pizza in Midtown”

  1. Rob Dalton said:

    Hey, that’s right by 30 Rock. I’ll have to check it out.

  2. The NYC Food Guy said:

    Dalton!
    Long time no speak Rob, thanks for getting in touch. Definitely check out this pizza and let me know what you think. You’re a fellow eater I can respect. Have I missed anything in the area that needs reviewing?

    Here’s a big and cheap chicken parm from Luigi’s

    And here’s a review featuring one place with better sandwiches, a better but smaller chicken parm and better salads/entrees than most delis in the area and another place that’s my favorite Mexican spot in Midtown, with some of the best salsa in the city.

  3. PEPPER said:

    I like the BBQ Chicken too. And the Apple one. What’s that called?

  4. Suzee said:

    I’m in Murray Hill so my mid-town is a little further south of you. I am loving Firehouse Pizza (230 E 29th St) and their Aloha Pizza with pineapple, ham and crispy bacon with red sauce and cheese. Yum yum!

  5. Kevin said:

    Went there a few days ago. Not the best pizza in manhattan but fresh because it’s made on demand and you get more topping choices. Here are 2 more pics

  6. Kevin said:


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