Kaia

Kaia, located inside the iconic The Ned in the heart of London’s City, is an excellent option for those looking for a quick yet satisfying lunch without sacrificing quality or atmosphere. The concept is modern pan-Asian, with influences spanning Japan, Hawaii, and the broader Asia-Pacific region. The menu focuses on poke bowls, sushi, sashimi, and grilled dishes, making it lighter and more contemporary than a traditional Japanese restaurant, while still delivering bold, clean flavours. What makes Kaia stand out is its efficiency and accessibility, especially for the City crowd. Service is fast, the format is informal, and the open-kitchen setting fits perfectly with a business-district lunch schedule. Despite being inside a luxury venue like The Ned, the experience feels approachable rather than overly formal. From a food perspective, the quality of ingredients is consistently solid, particularly the raw fish, which is fresh and well-handled. Dishes are well-balanced, flavourful, and thoughtfully assembled, without unnecessary complexity. Portions are generous enough to be filling, yet light enough to avoid the typical “post-lunch slowdown.” Importantly, Kaia offers a very good value for money, especially considering its prime location and prestigious setting. Prices remain reasonable for the City, making it a smart alternative to more expensive sit-down restaurants or uninspiring takeaway options nearby. In summary: Kaia is an excellent idea for a quick lunch in the City — a tasty pan-Asian experience with a strong quality-to-price ratio. It may not aim for haute cuisine, but it delivers exactly what it promises: fresh food, efficient service, and a stylish yet relaxed environment, ideal for both business lunches and casual midweek dining

The hospitality and service are truly exceptional… and did I mention the fabulous food? Every detail is thoughtfully done, making the entire experience outstanding. Highly recommended. A special mention to the Kaia manager, Lucy, who is truly one of a kind and makes you feel genuinely welcomed from start to finish.

One of my favorites, and I love the atmosphere in The Ned with live music. The semi-fatty tuna is one of the best cuts of fish I've ever had. Every dish was solid. Definitely recommend this place!

Went for a work lunch with a colleague. The food was incredible, the staff were helpful and the atmosphere was lively. Would definitely recommend! Will definitely be going back! Recommend booking in advance as they are always busy at lunch time! We sat on the table where you sit opposite one another and there was a lamp in our faces which wasn’t ideal as whenever we spoke, we had to lean over the lamp 😂. We had four snacks and the crispy duck to share. This was enough food for both of us. I would maybe recommend getting a further dish if you are hungry people. All the food was lovely presented, tasted amazing and no faults at all.

The food was amazing, and our waiter, Prince, was excellent and very well spoken and accommodating. We’d definitely go back! The only issue we had was with the lamp at the higher tables, it doesn’t move and was blocking the view of the person sitting across from us, which was a bit annoying.

This restaurant, located inside The Ned, completely won us over. While The Ned itself is already a charming place, this restaurant made our evening even more special. Everything was delicious, but the sushi, in particular, was the standout.

Kaia delivers a visually stunning dining experience with beautifully presented dishes and a refined ambiance. The food quality is exceptional, showcasing an excellent balance of flavors and textures. Each plate feels like an artistic masterpiece, carefully curated to excite the senses. The standout dishes I tried were masterfully seasoned, fresh, and innovative—perfect for a special night out or casual indulgence. The only downside is the location of the restaurant, tucked away at the far end of the hotel in a corner, making it a bit tricky to find. Clearer signage or directions could enhance the overall experience, ensuring patrons can easily locate this hidden gem. Despite this minor drawback, the attentive service and exquisite culinary experience make Kaia well worth the visit. Highly recommended!

I was here today. Well.. it feels like a factory… huge factory..3 different waitors the first 45 mins… I was alone in the restaurant.. Food is absolute lovely! Ambiance and all at peak 👌 But service and attention to guest is..sorrry to say.. below ground level. Maybe I was unlucky.. 14 mins to get more wine..new waiter did know what I’m having. And at the end: the maitre d said «I’m sorry». That’s just a few ofbyhe grrsss.. I am very sorry that £200 for 1 person feels like this. I’m sorry.. 😯 If feel robbed. All the best, and merry Christmas Pleaer improve; I was really looking forward for tonight. Unfortunately.

Food was simple and tasty. Not a tremendous menu but good enough Service was good not great but not bad. You know what I mean...could use a bit more attention Ambiance is hectic, cool, casual and not Asian inspired but you are at the Ned! So there's live music and other things So overall i liked it and found a cool spot for a quick bite.

Visited early afternoon after a frigid outside walking tour. My hands were so cold they were slow to work. After being seated at the bar by a delightful hostess, it was not long before I was given a menu and asked for an order. "I need a moment, but please, I am so cold, may I have some hot Darjeeling tea and water with lemon?" 5 minutes later, the server asked if I was ready, to which I responded, "No, I need a moment, just the tea please". 10 minutes after this, upon the servers return, I placed my order, and stressed that I would appreciate drinks, (did not even have a place setting). Soon after this, the food arrived, and still no tea or water. I was unhappy and my hands were still frigid. AJ, the manager appeared and said to me: "I thought you wanted the tea later," while hurriedly placing down the tea, water, and a place setting. What possible reason would someone have for saying this after having a customer wait for 20 minutes with no drinks, and long enough to receive their food order? Clearly I was unhappy, and clearly AJ, the manager did not care. I was charged for a bottle of water, which was to be expected, but at that point, I did not have time to drink it. "Whatever, I just want to be done," I thought after enjoying the delightful, fortifying tea. My appetizer was ok, but the service was off-putting and disappointing. My dual purpose was to find a spot for a company outing. And Kaia is OUT!

Love this place! Amazing experience, delicious food, and impeccable service. Tried all the snacks menu and a bunch of rolls and deserts to die for. Highly recommend this place for groups and couples.

Great for a group! We ordered the entire snack menu, a few rolls, and dessert. We needed a second round of some stand out items. Service and sake phenomenal! Thanks, Georgiana!

I had a really nice quick lunch here a few weeks ago. I had the double ahi tuna with the hyashi and spicy edamame beans. Id probably go salted next time just because they are less messy but this was a really nice quick lunch spot in the city

They do an all you can eat Sunday brunch (for £45 I think) including sushi, sashimi, lots of hot dishes, and a big selection of desserts. Its a great place to come if you have a small group. Decor is stunning as it is in The Ned hotel. Qualitywise, the food is decent, but for me I'd rather go a la carte and get better quality sushi and sashimi for the same price in other restaurants. If this was around the £35-£40 mark I think that would be good value.

For the atmosphere. These guys make their mixed cocktails in the morning ...and then serve them to you (over ice) at midnight. Yuck.

Went for lunch as it was on the groundfloor of our hotel. Quite flavorless lunch, ordered the double tuna poke bowl which was small and had no sauce, and the edemame was all salt.

Came here for dinner one evening with a party of two. Neither of us had been here before but chose a place halfway between either of our workplaces, and this was it. It's slightly confusing when you first enter The Ned as the restaurant is off to the right immediately upon entering but doesn't have any signs, and the place is so big and spread out it could be anyone's guess what that is. The seating we were given was at a gigantic long buffet-style table where we were seated across from one another on tall bar stools (not comfortable, which I'm guessing is intentional to try and keep you from staying too long). I didn't love how loud it got as the restaurant filled up, the acoustics were horrible and sitting in close proximity with strangers bumping elbows was awkward. We were also told when we were seated that we could only have that spot for an hour. Not sure if this is a common thing in London or at restaurants like this, but I found that a bit odd. The menu is very limited and more tapas-style than actual meal style, but the food was good and very quick. My companion really enjoyed her poke bowl, and we shared the Japanese fried chicken and pork gyoza, both of which were great. I had the chicken meatballs, and the waiter indicated they could serve as an entree if paired with a side, like rice, but I didn't find them to be all that filling, but the flavor was good. They did seem a bit undercooked, which for chicken is a bit concerning, and I did have some intestinal discomfort, so that was questionable. The food came out really quickly, and we had fairly consistent service, so I can't complain there. Overall I don't think I would recommend Kaia at the Ned to others unless they were really wanting a poke bowl and couldn't find another place in the area.

I typically don't bother to write a negative review - however my experience at Kaia was so horrible that I feel obligated to warn others. I went for brunch with a large size group - the service was horrendous. Incorrect orders made and instead of apologizing and correcting immediately the waitress was rather defensive insisting "she was right" (although my whole group all heard otherwise). Even the drinks or orders we put in, never came to our table or drinks or we received duplicate drinks by separate waitresses. Who would have though water took 30 mins to bring to the table (even if you asked every waitress that walked by. Organization of the service staff was absolutely horrible. NOW FOR THE FOOD - in the moment I would have said the food could have been Kaia's saving grace (that JFC!!!) - I would have returned to the restaurant as a regular despite the horrible service because I'm a massive foodie! BUT after 5 people in my party, receiving food poisoning, fever, headaches, vomiting, rashes, etc because of eating eating at Kaia - it's simply not worth it to go. There are so many great/non-poisonous restaurants in London - why risk the health issues you'll have because of going to Kaia???

The location is fantastic if you appreciate architecture. The historic bank building is beautiful. The food was good and unlike others, our group received attentive service. Poke bowl was solid. Noise level was loud.

Poor service & food poisoning. Went with a party of 10 for brunch and for of us came down with symptoms ranging from vomiting and diarrhoea to stomach pain, fever. The service was poor as well. They took very long to take orders and get water to the table, misunderstood some of the orders (some of the waitresses struggled with English and couldn't tell corn from cod). They also didn't manage to smile or be friendly and tried to argue with us rather than just bring out what we asked for in the first place. We ordered a bottle of Prosecco and dessert with candle to celebrate and asked it arrive at the table at the same time and poured into glasses. Instead the waitress poured at he table, ran out before getting everyone some for a toast and then suggested we pay for another bottle. Dessert arrived later. When we did trip the full amount, we were told to wait for the manager as we didn't pay 'enough' (was £40 per person). The manager apologised when she learned what happened and offered another bottle which was pointless as we were about to leave. Then came the sickness. We did reach out to Kaia about this and the investigated concluding that it is not possible to tell why we got sick and that all there processes are up to speed. They did offer that the ppl who got sick can come back for another meal at 50% off. I wouldn't go back even if you paid me to. Why on earth go back somewhere after horrendous service and vomiting on a birthday brunch.