The Ned occupies the former Midland Bank headquarters at 27 Poultry, a vast 1924 building by Sir Edwin Lutyens, and its ground floor banking hall is the most theatrical place to drink in the City of London. The hotel is named for Lutyens himself; Ned was his nickname. Where tellers once counted notes, a forest of verdigris clad columns now shelters restaurants, a stage, and the Nickel Bar.
The Nickel Bar is the anchor for visitors who are not hotel guests or members. The Ned's own listing describes a menu of time honoured American staples and classic cocktails, with a deep bench of bourbons and rye whiskeys, and the hours are long: 8am to 2am Monday through Friday, until 3am on Saturday, and until midnight on Sunday. Time Out covers it as one of the City's defining rooms, and the daily live performances on the Nickel Stage, from jazz trios upward, are the detail that separates it from every other hotel lobby bar in the postcode.
The scale takes a minute to absorb. The ground floor alone holds multiple restaurants alongside the bars, with Millie's Lounge and the Electric Diner sharing the hall, so the room hums from breakfast service straight through to the last cocktail. Despite the size, tables by the stage go quickly once the music starts.
What to order: a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned from the rye list, which is the menu's center of gravity, or a classic Martini if you want to test the room's polish. Cocktails sit in standard five star hotel territory, which in 2026 means high teens in pounds. Come thirsty for whiskey; the American selection is the best argument for the bar.
Who is it for? After-work drinkers from the surrounding banks who want somewhere with ceiling height, couples who want live jazz without a ticket, and out of town guests you need to impress on a weeknight. Shorts and gym wear will feel out of place; everything else passes. It pairs naturally with the rest of our London hotel bar picks.
Best time to go: weekday evenings from 6pm for the full City crowd and the first sets on the stage, or Saturday night when the hall runs latest. Sunday is the quiet day. Walk-ins are workable early; book through The Ned's site for stage-side tables. For more rooms in the Square Mile and beyond, start with our London guide and our after-work shortlist.
