Eagle bartender George Gibbs

AFTER fears it might not survive the pandemic, a pub has now quietly celebrated its 31st birthday.

The Eagle in Farringdon Road missed out on having a party for its big three-oh anniversary last year because of coronavirus rules.

It opened in 1991 when David Eyre and Michael Belben wanted to open a restaurant without “the fuss”.

Their idea to serve restaurant food at reasonable prices, at a time when pubs were known for pork scratchings and peanuts, sparked a revolution – and led to the term “gastropub” being coined to describe The Eagle.

Manager Alun Thomas said this week that it was good to see the place packed out at lunch again and people slowly returning to the area after two years of lockdown and working from home.

Graham Norton worked at the Eagle

He said: “The Eagle is a family. All the lines are blurred – everyone does everything. We sell good, affordable food and the atmosphere we create is unique.

“We try to make it feel as though they’re in some kind of party, or like they’re abroad or something.”

The pub, which once saw a young bartender named Graham Norton pulling pints and doing stand-up upstairs, has always attracted an arty crowd, said Mr Thomas.

He added the upstairs gallery has led to a growing numbers of artists in the pub too.

And while scruffy wooden floors and mismatching furniture are now part of the gastropub uniform, Mr Thomas said at the time of opening, they were the first to do it.

“Everyone else tried to copy our décor,” he joked. “