The Eagle

Generally regarded as triggering the phenomenon that was the ‘gastropub’, the Eagle landed on Farringdon Road in 1991 and has resisted all forms of gentrification over the years. Ever-lively and ever-popular, it parades its pubby credentials with ‘free eating’ at small tables and bar stools around the perimeter – although you can book. Order at the bar: choose one of the beers from the row of taps and pick your food from the day’s menu scrawled on the board over the stove. Edward Mottershaw cooks gutsy, country food from across Europe, but mostly from Italy and the Iberian Peninsula. The ‘bife ana’ rump steak sandwich has been on the menu since day one and still reigns supreme – although others prefer the heartier seasonally adapted dishes, perhaps smoked mackerel niçoise or grilled Napoli sausages with lentil salad, followed by panna cotta with raspberries or the near-ubiquitous burnt Basque cheesecake. Spain dominates the cracking list of quaffable and affordable wines, or you could plump for a well-mixed cocktail. ‘No fuss, no frills, and everything is done with a lot of love.’