Make a night of it at Nellie’s

Since he worked at famed West End brasserie Joe Allen in the 1970s, Jeremy King has loved both restaurants and the theatre. So when, after a 25-year pursuit, he secured the grand and storied restaurant Simpson’s in the Strand, he knew he wanted it to contain a classic Theatreland bar. It had to feel a little “late night”, comfortable and slightly club-like. “To be frank,” King says, “it had to be somewhat mysterious and sexy.”

The result is Nellie’s Tavern, new but as if it’s always been there. Archive photographs of theatres, actors and backstage tableaux are hung salon-style, framed by swathes of velvet; banquettes are upholstered in a safari of animal prints. The lights are low, the service polished. It’s as glamorous and cocooning at 5pm as it is after midnight, when Simpson’s revolving entrance closes and guests slip in and out by a secret alley door.

House martinis come mini or main-sized; more elaborate cocktails – all with Nellie Melba-themed names – are variations on classics: a sling, vieux carre, boulevardier. All are £16, wine starts at £11.50 – not cheap, but not bad for this kind of bar in this part of London. (Next door at the American Bar at the Savoy, cocktails start at £24 and wine at £18.) “Theatre world practitioners are not necessarily flushed with money,” King says, adding that with rising costs as well as diminishing late-night spaces, it’s increasingly difficult for those in the industry to have a drink after work. Here, as in previous venues, King gives a discount to members of Equity (the trade union for the performing arts). It’s a discreet ovation from a lifelong fan: “If you’re in the theatre, know you’ve got someone who loves you, supports you and wants to see you.”

simpsonsinthestrand.co.uk/nellies