The Eagle

I went to the Eagle last night for the first time in years. Had a fantastic mackerel with cous cous and chilli jam for a tenner, and my girlfriend scoffed a plate of gnocchi with sweet tomato and basil sauce for little more than five pounds. Great atmosphere, even though it was busy they found us a sharing table in five minutes and delivered the food in fifteen.

I really take issue with the negative comments posted here. They’ve done a great job in this pub, maintained a high standard in the kitchen and kept it open and accessible to all (unlike some of their poncy competitors). Keeping the place pubby and serving great food is the essence of what was a great idea and you’ll love it as long as you accept it for what it is – a pub with good food!
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ALAN - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Friday, July 29, 2011

First of all, there is no table service so you have to order food at the bar. This, in of itself, is no problem but it does become one when a surly bar manager comes over and asks/tells you and your two friends to move to one corner of your table to allow them to squeeze in other customers. Apparently we were sat on a 'table for six', although the scruffy, oval charity shop affair on which we were perched would just about comfortably accommodate four, in my opinion. I've been to other places, such as the Anchor and Hope, where you’re expected to share tables but it’s not a problem, for me at least, there as the furnishings are large, solid and square, making the placements and seating arrangements clearly defined.

The ‘service’ is hard to describe as you don’t really experience any unless you have a problem, or are silly enough to try and sit comfortably.. I would agree with others that say it’s all rather unfriendly; your food is plonked down in front of you without so much as a grunted ‘enjoy’ and that’s that.

The food itself is decent but nothing spectacular given the prices. My friends steak sandwich, apparently their signature dish, was sizeable but looked tough and I wasn’t asked how he’d like it cooked. The lamb shank with chickpeas was tasty though, although the meat a little grey. All would probably have seemed better in a different atmosphere.

I think it's often hard to know which reviews to believe on these kind of sites since most are polarised and, of course, based on personal expectations and experiences. Having said all that, I urge anyone thinking of going to 'The Eagle' to take heed of some of the negative comments on here as most seem to be accurate. If you’re prepared to be shoe-horned in to any available space and put up with non–existent service which is almost worn as a badge of honour then you could probably have a good meal. Why you’d bother, given the numerous other gastropubs in the area, I don’t know.
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Richard
5 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, February 23, 2011

First time in the Eagle last night. I'd just like to say we really enjoyed our meals. Lamb liver and mash was served with a perky sauce and the liver was perfectly cooked. My girlfriend's chicken tagine was sweet and enjoyable, the basmati packed with flavour.

We'd have liked a few greens with these mains, or at least the option to order some.

Don't come here expecting too much. It's a good gastropub. The prices were particularly good - £8.50 (I think) for the liver. And much tastier than my local wannabe gastropub in Camberwell.

The beer was good, there was a good atmosphere and the service was pressed but fine. The menu was diverse and there were a few options - grilled sardines, imam biyaldi - that I'd also have liked to try. I didn't much like the look of the steak sandwich though, I have to say...
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Ben P
7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Thursday, August 26, 2010

Oh dear. What was once at the vanguard of Gastrorama is now a sad shadow of its former self. Dull, over seasoned tomato soup was follow by a tasteless steak sandwich. Pathetic and the service was bland as well. Avoid.
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Toby Tucker
2 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Saturday, July 24, 2010

Had a mixed experiance here. Italian sausages served with lentils, tomatoes and roast red onion was more or less faultless, the steak sandwich however was very forgettable, like a shoe sole in a bap. Having asked for it to cooked rare, it arrived so well cooked this cheap bit of frying steak made for difficult chewing and general digestion. We asked for some condiments to help perk it up, (some mustard and mayonnaise) but were told the do not offer any condiments! We felt lucky to have salt and pepper on the table.

The service was fine but came without a smile. As a pub with pub style decor and grotty toilets, the prices and lack of condiments do not sit well with me.

With so many gastro pubs in the area they need to raise their game.
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5 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Saturday, June 19, 2010

Just been in for lunch (we work around the corner).

You may have heard report of good food, and an august history as London's first gastro-pub. But central London now has gastropubs lining the streets like paparazzi at the Oscars, and the Eagle has not moved with the times.

The food, notable when it opened in 1991, is patchy by today's standards. For the second time running, my main course was tepid and far too oily--this time it was also garnished with over-toasted bread, and undercooked onion.

But it's the service experience which is impressively poor. My plate was so oily that it was hardly a surprise the waiter carrying it dripped some of it on my trousers (which unfortunately are dry clean only). To the man's credit he and his colleague were apologetic and helpful. To the Eagle's discredit, despite admitting fault, they told me abruptly that "as a matter of policy" they would not cover the (£6) cost of cleaning.

The manager continued in a defensive vein. He told me that he didn't give a damn what people thought of his service, that the Eagle was rough-and-ready (a phrase he used several times as he became increasingly agitated) and that he didn't care if I never came back. For him, he explained -- by this point actually shouting into my face at close quarters -- it was a matter of principle not a matter of money. The Eagle was an institution, it had history. It had been in business for decades. "You don't understand the Eagle".

Perhaps not. But I've seen Fawlty Towers.

In case you haven't, and to help you "understand the Eagle", here are the basics: your eating experience will be "rough and ready" (for which, read "shoddy"), you should expect atrocious service, delight in a strikingly bad attitude "as a matter of principle", and anticipate oily, erratically prepared food.
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Greg
2 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
Thursday, April 15, 2010

Come here for inconsistently great food, served by charmless staff in attractive yet overcrowded room. Or maybe don't.
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Thought for Food - View all reviews by this user
5 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 7
Friday, January 22, 2010

I'm not sure I understand all the fuss about this place, the food is above average...which isn't really anything to sing about, the bar staff seem to think they are too good to be working in a bar, and the toilets (male) are grotty, I'd be suprised if they have seen a lick of paint in the last 10 years. Don't take my word for it, try it for yourself......before you eat there check out the toilets!!!
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donkey - View all reviews by this user
4 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 3
Wednesday, April 22, 2009