Eagle, London

Gastropub.

Generally reckoned to be the country's first gastropub, even though that term did not emerge until several years later. It was opened in January 1991 by Michael Belben and David Eyre, acquiring a former Watney's pub that was being disposed of after "The Beer Orders". Belben is still involved in its day-to-day running. It perhaps pioneered the use of mismatched tables and chairs, with panoramic windows and solid ash floor, world music and jazz in the background. The founders of Hackney Brewery were employed here. The chef chalks the menu up five minutes before service and dishes come and go all the time in the course of the day. Their website has a live feed, updated at least twice a day! The Eagle Gallery was established by Emma Hill in the old function rooms above the pub and was one of the first alternative gallery spaces that opened in London in the early 1990s.