The Old Windmill

You'll walk past this place a dozen times before you realise it's exactly what Spon Street's been missing – a proper local that doesn't try too hard. The sort of pub where you can actually have a conversation without shouting over terrible music, and where the Sunday roast arrives looking like someone's nan made it rather than reheated it. The beer garden out back is a genuine surprise, tucked away from the street noise and big enough that you're not sitting on someone's lap. Inside, it's all dark wood and the kind of worn-in comfort that only comes from decades of locals propping up the bar. The staff know their ales and won't judge you for ordering a pint at noon on a Tuesday.