Duke's Cardiff Office aka The Office

The Office in Cardiff

How about some overtime at the office?
Article written by Kristel Boe
You’ve had a hard day at work, the boss isn’t giving you any slack, your computer was moving in slow motion, and the fax machine ate your important document. Sounds like you need to have a drink at The Office. No, not THAT office! Dukes’s Cardiff Office that is. Known as “The Office” by locals, it has quickly become the biggest-little bar in North County. Nestled into a hidden strip mall in Cardiff, it really is easy to miss this bar. There aren’t any flash on the outside to lure you in either. There aren’t any neon signs, not a line of beautiful people waiting outside, really no sign of life other than a parking lot filled to the brim and a faint sound of base pulsating inside. What is this place? I thought before I stepped inside. I was a little confused as to what all the fuss was about.

Once you step into the office, you are almost teleported to a different time and place. It has an early 80’s cabin-esque feel, with wood paneling not only on the walls, but also on the ceiling. Multi-colored Christmas lights were strewn along the perimeter as well as other tacky forms of decoration on the walls and ceiling. And not to be missed, a wooden train on a little wooden track makes its rounds over head as it circles the bar. It is essentially an interior decorators nightmare. It was an eye-soar that also kind of felt like home, in the same way your grandma’s tacky furniture also felt like home.

I looked around and suddenly realized, not only was the place packed to the brim, but people were stoked to be there. Everyone was having a fantastic time and no one cared if the place looked like it was furnished by the Salvation Army. I had a moment of clarity, possibly brought on by a few alcoholic beverages but none the less, I realized that I have been so used to going to bars that match their carpet with their drapes, and their leather booths perfectly compliment their wall paper, and their bar logos are flawlessly printed on their napkins and straws and toilet paper and whatever else they could afford to brand….that I was completely missing the point! The point is who cares what the place looks like! The point is to have fun and to fellowship with friends, and strangers, and toss back a few cold ones. If you can handle a little bit of tackiness and a whole lot of fun, then The Office is your place.

They have a full stocked bar, a juke box that is going off throughout the night, amazingly nice bar tenders, seats around the bar and a few tables if you are lucky enough to snag one. On a separate lower level room there are two pool tables, a fooze ball table, and a dart machine. Throughout The Office are TV’s, usually showing surf, skate, and snow boarding videos. Fact or not, I couldn’t help but think a lot of the guys in the bar were probably featured in one of these videos! The scene is laid back, predominantly surfers from the area and locals swarming the bar. You are fine in flip flops, you could probably even get away with shorts, but if you feel like dressing to impress you’ll blend in as well, since most of the females in the crowd seemed to have every hair in place and traded their bikinis for nicer threads.

The Office is the type of bar you’ve been looking for. It is a dive, but it is a popular one. It can be packed but everyone is laid back. There is a lot to do, a lot to see, and a lot of friends to be made.
Having a bad day at work? Had a crummy week? How about some overtime at the office?