Porter House Bros

You're walking down Thornton Road towards the city centre when you spot the queue snaking out of Porter House Bros. Don't be put off—this place has earned its reputation the hard way, through consistently brilliant food rather than Instagram hype. The menu reads like a love letter to American cooking: proper burgers with beef that tastes like something, steaks cooked with actual care, and sides that don't feel like an afterthought. The atmosphere is unpretentious and buzzy without being annoying, the kind of place where you'll see locals tucking into serious food on a Tuesday night. Prices are fair for what you're getting, and the team clearly knows what they're doing behind the counter.