Cafe Duke’s Spicy Chicken Pizza: Best Non-Restaurant Pizza in Midtown
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…
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.
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
March 4th, 2010 at 7:59 am
Hey, that’s right by 30 Rock. I’ll have to check it out.
March 4th, 2010 at 9:41 am
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.
March 4th, 2010 at 11:51 am
I like the BBQ Chicken too. And the Apple one. What’s that called?
March 7th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
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!
May 2nd, 2010 at 8:50 pm
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
May 2nd, 2010 at 8:53 pm