A gastropub or gastro pub is a pub that serves food of high quality, with a nearly equal emphasis on eating and drinking. The term was coined in the 1990s in the United Kingdom.

History

The term ''gastropub'' (derived from

gastronomy Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between Human food, food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well ver ...

) was coined in 1991, when David Eyre and Mike Belben took over The Eagle pub in

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell ( ) is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an Civil Parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish from the medieval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The St James's C ...

, London. Traditionally, British pubs were drinking establishments and little emphasis was placed on the serving of food. The growth of gastropubs influenced change in British dining and pub culture, and has sometimes attracted criticism for potentially removing the character of traditional pubs. "Pub grub" expanded to include British food items such as steak and ale pie,

shepherd's pie Shepherd's pie, cottage pie, or in French cuisine ''hachis Parmentier'', is a savoury dish of cooked minced meat topped with mashed potato and baked, formerly also called Sanders or Saunders. The meat used may be either previously cooked or fre ...

fish and chips Fish and chips is a hot dish consisting of batter (cooking), battered and fried fish, served with French fries, chips. Often considered the national dish of the United Kingdom, fish and chips originated in England in the 19th century. Today, ...

, bangers and mash,

Sunday roast A Sunday roast or roast dinner is a British dish traditionally eaten on Sunday. It consists of roast meat, roast or mash potatoes, and accompaniments such as Yorkshire pudding, gravy, and may include condiments such as apple sauce, ...

, ploughman's lunch, and pasties. In addition, dishes such as

hamburger A hamburger (or simply a burger) consists of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilis ...

s, chips,

lasagne Lasagna (, ; ), also known by the plural form lasagne (), is a type of pasta, possibly one of the oldest types, made in very wide, flat sheets. In Italian cuisine it is made of stacked layers of pasta alternating with fillings such as ragù ...

and chili con carne are now often served. In August 2012, ''gastropub'' was added to ''Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary''. In 1984, Spinnakers Brew Pub opened in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The first ever custom-built brewpub in Canada, it heralded a new wave of brewpubs and craft breweries in British Columbia that followed a major deregulation of the brewing industry in that province. Spinnakers served inventive cuisine, and Joseph Blake of ''Eat'' magazine claims it as the world's oldest gastropub. ''Difford's Guide'' credited David Eyre and Mike Belben with introducing the first gastropub to the U.K., when they took over the Eagle in Clerkenwell in 1991 and upgraded the standard food options to "restaurant quality". Gastropubs became popular in the U.K. and U.S. in the 1990s and early 2000s.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Gastropubs Restaurants by type 1990s neologisms

History

See also

References

External links