Punch Room

Tucked at the back of The London EDITION on Berners Street, the Punch Room is a fumed-oak den built in homage to the punch houses and private clubs of nineteenth-century London. A single fireplace throws light across teal-velvet banquettes, worn leather club chairs and a curved brass-topped bar lined with silver punch bowls. The room seats around forty-five and holds sixty standing, which is the whole of it: a small, low-lit space that trades on intimacy rather than scale.

Punch is the house specialism. The bar takes its name and its reason for being from the shared bowl, and its menus run through the drink's history, from centuries-old recipes to modern single-flavour compositions, served by the glass or ladled from vintage bowls for the table. Since opening in 2013 it has been a fixture on London's best-bar lists, and it keeps a reservation-led, in-the-know atmosphere that rewards knowing it is there at all.

For a private event the Punch Room works best as a seated reception or a standing party for a close-knit group, and it is available for exclusive hire through the house. The London EDITION's kitchens handle food and service, and the bar team can build a punch and cocktail list around the evening. It suits a launch, a milestone celebration or an after-dinner gathering where the point is the room and the drink in hand.