The Eagle

The space

The Eagle is a former coaching inn, built around a central courtyard that predates most of what surrounds it in the centre of Cambridge. The main bar runs along one side of the building; the RAF bar - its low ceiling covered in signatures, names, and unit numbers left by airmen during the Second World War - runs along another. Both are worth your time, but the courtyard is the heart of the place, and sitting in it on a dry afternoon in term time, with undergraduates and tourists and locals all sharing the same cobbled space, is one of the more pleasurable things you can do in Cambridge.

What to drink

The Eagle is a Greene King pub, which means the cask ale range leans predictably toward that brewery’s output. IPA and Abbot Ale are the reliable choices - both well-kept, both improved by the fact that this is a high-turnover house. The selection is not adventurous, but it is honest, and the condition is consistently good.

The verdict

The Eagle earns its fame. It is busy, often very busy, and the staff manage that volume with professionalism. It is not cheap by Cambridge standards - nothing in the centre is - but it is not cynically priced either. The historical significance is real and tangible, not manufactured: the actual ceiling where the RAF left their marks, the actual pub where Watson and Crick drank before announcing the double helix. Go on a Tuesday afternoon if you can. The courtyard empties out and something very old and very English settles into it.