Affinity Bar

Walk down St James's Street on a Friday night and you'll feel the bass before you see the neon. Affinity's been the neighbourhood's social hub for years—the kind of place where regulars prop up the bar like it's their living room, but newcomers don't feel like outsiders. The crowd's refreshingly mixed; you'll find groups of mates, couples, solo drinkers, and the sort of characters who make Kemptown what it is. It's unpretentious in that particularly Brighton way: good cocktails without the faffing about, decent beer selection, and staff who actually know your name after two visits.