Ham Yard Bar

The latest hotel from the Firmdale group (who also run Covent Garden Hotel, Soho Hotel, Haymarket Hotel, and Charlotte Street Hotel) is their flagship – bigger and even more centrally located than the others, about two minutes’ walk into Soho from Piccadilly Circus. Part of their courtyard has tables for outdoor dining, but a few are reserved for bar customers on a first-come basis. Inside, waves of flunkies are there to greet you, guide you to a seat, and collect the 12.5% service added to bar bills. The drinks list is vertiginously priced, with most cocktails on the wrong side of a tenner; but with a  long pewter bar stacked with premium spirits and bar staff who are underworked enough to take time and care making the drinks, it’s just about worth it. The large, comfortable bar area segues into the restaurant; both areas are decorated in an eclectic mix of modern and ethnic artefacts: tribal-lite. There is also bar near the basement bowling alley, but it’s only open to guests.