At London’s Philly-themed bar, Eagles fans are learning to love their team again
Eagles fans will be out in force this weekend at JP Teti's London bar, which has now expanded to four locations in England's capital.
LONDON — Taylor Randel, a lifelong Eagles fan from Kennett Square, cut me off midsentence.
Just as I was asking her a question about the dismal state of the Birds, Randel plopped her lukewarm can of Pabst Blue Ribbon down on the carved-up counter beside her — right next to her shot of Buffalo Trace Bourbon, a British twist on the Citywide Special — to join the rest of the green-clad sickos in song.
“Excuse me for just one second — ‘FLY EAGLES FLY, ON THE ROAD TO VICTORY!’” Randel sang, finishing the rest of the song with the rest of the bar.
Randel was one of thousands of Eagles fans who visited Passyunk Avenue, London’s Philadelphia-themed bar near the London Eye, this week, ahead of the team’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
As the post-song chant subsided, Randel politely asked me, “Sorry, what was the question again?” as she took another sip of her PBR.
I understood. For her and most other Eagles fans in London, this trip injected some much-needed Eagles pride back into their lives.
Back in the States, the sky is falling. The Birds are off to a disappointing start (2-2). The new offense looks stale. The injury report is swelling. Then came the massive offensive line news earlier this week: Legendary tackle Lane Johnson abruptly retired on Tuesday, and center/guard Cam Jurgens was traded to the Baltimore Ravens a day later.
Fans can’t even use other sports as a crutch. The Phillies are done. The Flyers are winless. The Sixers haven’t started yet. Sports talk radio callers and social media comment sections are raging.
Here at Passyunk, Eagles fans are able to block out the noise (the £7 Citywide Specials help a little bit). Yes, WIP is blasting on the TV. And yes, you’ll hear the occasional “Sirianni needs to go!” if you eavesdrop on a conversation. But the mood is unmistakably positive — which is what most fans are craving.
“Things are just so negative back home — and honestly, for good reason — so I’m just happy to get out of there and party here,” said Steven Jennings of Bucks County.
The bar’s homey atmosphere helps. The neon lights of the “Passyunk Avenue” sign — written in Phillies font — stick out in the graffiti-filled tunnel where the bar is tucked into. Once you meander through the door, you enter a Philly sports cathedral — literally. Passyunk’s main room has three stained-glass windows: One with Chuck “Concrete Charlie” Bednarik on the left, another with Brad Lidge and Carlos Ruiz embracing in the middle, and the final with Bobby Clarke’s toothless grin on the right.
To the right of Clarke, there’s a batting cage. At one point, a Brit took a swing that would flood those WIP call lines (he was sporting a Kelly green “Birds across the Pond” shirt, so the Philadelphians watching gave him some grace).
Eagles fans haven’t gone soft, though. A Jaguars fan walked in and was instantly met with a raucous “E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!” chant as he entered.
The fan barked back with a wry smirk, “Yay, you can spell!”
Eagles fans booed him in response.
Passyunk hosted several Eagles-themed events leading up to Sunday’s game, all sponsored by Wawa. Watch parties. A meet-and-greet with Jay Ajayi — the only British-born player in Eagles history. A “victory parade” is scheduled for Monday and will march on whether the Eagles win or lose.
It raises the question though: You flew all the way to London just to go to a Philly bar you can see any weekend?
“We are sightseeing a lot, but we had to come here,” Randel said. “I mean, it’s a piece of Philly in London. How could you not?”
This was the vision bar owner JP Teti, a New Jersey expat, had when he got the idea for a London-based Philly dive bar in business school. What started as a humble cheesesteak truck blossomed into a four-location franchise across Europe’s third-most populous city.
“We were just a unique little cheesesteak shop and, well, now look at us,” one bartender joked. “It’s pretty mad.”
The cheesesteaks are still a fixture there too, of course. Passyunk gets their steak from “the best butchers in London” and uses British-sourced cheddar to make their own Cheez Whiz daily. Teti tried to import Amoroso’s rolls to use for the steaks, but it proved to be too complicated. His solution? Coming up with his own recipe that mimics the South-Philly born bread company.
So, how do Passyunk’s steaks compare to the greats back home?
“Better than I thought” Jennings said.
For over two decades, one of the guiding personnel principles of the Philadelphia Eagles organization has been to prioritize the offensive line. Through four games, and this past week in particular, the group has undergone dramatic turnover. Hall of Fame-caliber tackle Lane Johnson retired. Cam Jurgens was shipped to Baltimore in a trade. Their respective replacements have potential, but, compared to how general manager Howie Roseman has stockpiled talent on the line in the past, the options now seem less optimal. Did Roseman and the Eagles stray from a long-held philosophy? The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane retraces key decisions that brought the team to this point. Listen here.
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