‘Bankers are people too’: Inside tongue-in-cheek bar The Pregnant Man
The Pregnant Man is celebrating a decade this January. But there may well be celebrations before their birthday as they are one of the finalists for the Best Bar gong at our Toast the City Awards.
As a judge, I find it impressive and heartening to find so many original, diverse places to grab a drink in and around the Square Mile: places that have real personality and heart, a million miles away from the assumptions historically made about the post-work options in the City.
The Pregnant Man is as unique as its name. Part owned by Saatchi & Saatchi and originally an agency-only pub in a car park, it’s now a fully-fledged bar and restaurant open to the public on Chancery Lane. It takes its title from one of Saatchi & Saatchi’s most successful advertising campaigns from the 1970s, promoting safe sex, and there’s a tongue-in-cheek vibe to everything here.
The Pregnant Man: leave corporate shtick at the door
Prints hang on the walls with slogans like “Bankers Are People Too” and there is a bust on the bar covered with lip-stick kisses from the late-night, amorous crowd.
Matching the industrial chic with modern art and colourful touches, the clientele is an eclectic mix of trendy young creatives and the neighbouring legal community, which the bar staff refer to as “nice suits”. The energy of the place is upbeat and friendly, somewhere to leave the corporate shtick at the door.
By day The Pregnant Man is a restaurant, churning out excellent salads, burgers, tacos and pizzas. Once the post-work crowd descends, it steps it up a notch, turning into a swinging bar with a comprehensive cocktail list and large outdoor area.
Bar staff high-fiving customers
It definitely looks like a bar, but the managers want to emphasise that it has the atmosphere of a pub. During my last visit, the bar staff high fived at least four customers coming in for a lunchtime pint like they were old friends.
On Mondays these pizzas are 2-4-1 and every day there is a 2-4-1 happy hour on cocktails between 5pm to 7pm to keep the crowds coming. I was recommended the signature Brittania, a British style gin-based cocktail guaranteed to perk you up after the afternoon slump.
For those looking for a gentler start to their evening, this bar is proud to specialise in craft beers with an impressive rotating list of ales and lagers on keg, though I was talked into trying their Baby Guinness, which I suspect packs more punch than you realise. This is a place that knows how to get the party started.
Go to thepregnantman.co.uk and cityamevents.co.uk/toast-2026