Marks & Spencer

You might roll your eyes at the thought of M&S café fare, but hear me out. Tucked upstairs in the Donegall Place flagship, this spot does a proper job with coffee and light bites when you're caught between City Hall meetings or shopping marathons in the city centre. The Percy Pig cake aside, they've upped their game considerably - decent flat whites, fresh sandwiches that don't taste like they've been sitting around, and salads that actually have some thought behind them. Sure, it's not going to win any awards for atmosphere, but when you need somewhere reliable that's not another chain coffee shop, it delivers. The staff are sound, the WiFi works, and you can people-watch the Donegall Place crowds below while nursing a coffee that costs less than what you'd pay at the trendy spots around the Cathedral Quarter.