Côte Cheltenham

You'll find Côte tucked into Montpellier Terrace, that rather lovely corner of Cheltenham where the independent shops and cafés actually outnumber the chains. It's the kind of place that does the French classics well—not trying to reinvent anything, just getting the fundamentals right. The steaks are properly cooked, the moules marinières taste like the sea, and they won't charge you London prices for it. Service is attentive without hovering, and the room has that relaxed Parisian brasserie feel where you can linger over wine without anyone rushing you.