Crown

You'll find the Crown right in the thick of things on Carfax, which means it's got that convenient town-centre buzz without feeling touristy. It's the sort of place where you can rock up after work, grab a pint of something decent from Greene King's reliable roster, and actually have room to move around. The crowd's mixed—students, locals, after-work types—and it all just works without anyone trying too hard. Food's your standard pub fare, but done properly, and the staff know what they're doing behind the bar.