The Eagle Pub in Farringdon Rd, just outside the Square Mile of the City of London is 30 years old this January. One of the co-founders Michael Belbin (who is now 68 ahem..) has been giving interviews. There is a decent one in today’s Financial Times (16th Jan) unfortunately its paywalled, but if you have access do give it a read.
I worked for some years in the 1990s in the old BT Fleet Building down the road (on the other side of Holborn Viaduct) in Farringdon St. It was an engineering monolith stretching over an entire block in the City, so much so that I accumulated several offices in it. Its since been knocked down,all the network stuff re-routed, and a whole new building has arisen in its place.
Anyway that meant that while not a regular at the Eagle I certainly frequented it in the afternoon for lunch from time to time. I havent been in recently (its currently closed obviously) but before recent times I passed by on the bus from time to time and it always looked busy still.
The 30 year anniversary is being spun as the Eagle being the original gastro pub. Well,yes and no.
As Belbin doesnt quite underline in the FT piece the Eagle was and is democratic. A turn up, no reservations and see if you can get a table place. The gastro model I think tended towards the more formal. Secondly as Belbin does underline it was a pub. It was leased from Banks and Taylor. It sold handpumped cask beer (something some later gastro pubs rather ‘forgot’). Albeit the beer was not zeitgeist even in the 1990s but it was drinkable enough.
Thirdly the food. It wasnt expensive, it wasnt trendy takes on ‘pub classics’. It was from memory at this time often more Portugeuse focused than not. I’m sure this is where I first tried pastel de nata for example.Again all rather democratic.
Let’s hope it survives into a post lockdown world
When I was on NEC of IPMS and TUS Chair of BBSRC TUS I used to meet daughter. (then doing PhD at UCL) for a meal at the Eagle when staying over. It certainly had an Iberian menu at the time.