Cruisy old-fashioned gay-pub atmosphere
Popular, unpretentious, nearly-all-male Vauxhall spot with very pleasing outdoor garden/smoking area. The bar tends to draw conventionally manly guys in their thirties and forties — with bulky-bear barmen dominating the floor — and in October 2012 restored the laid-back cruisy bent to its Mon to Thu evenings. At the weekend it caters to various subsets and interests, including bear-embracing Tonker [see separate entry], semi-regular Saturday clubs such as Carpet Burn (retro indie/rock/pop/house, first Sat) and R18 ("unrestricted cruise party" with no dress code, fourth Sat), plus the ever popular Sun evening boy/girl party Horse Meat Disco [see separate entry]. Underwear crept onto the menu in March 2013, held on monthly Saturday afternoons. Previously South Central and before that Duke's, the bar opened as the Eagle in 2004. An Expectations leather/accessories shop started trading inside the venue late 2012, and in February 2013 the bar expanded its horizons with its first 'sex entertainment license'; thus the addition of Club R18 to the raunchy roster.

Tags: Mostly Men , Leather , Bears , Cruise Bar , Pub/Tavern , Smoking Area , Outdoor Patio , Pool Table , Underwear , Sportswear