R&Bs

Head down to Queensgate and you'll find R&Bs doing something refreshingly straightforward—making good cocktails without the theatre. The space has that settled-in feel of somewhere that's been doing this for a while and knows what it's doing, dark enough to feel like an actual bar rather than a restaurant with drinks bolted on. Order a classic and watch them work; the spirits list is taken seriously, and the bartenders aren't interested in faffing about with molecular gastronomy or dry ice. It's where locals come when they want a proper drink and conversation that doesn't get drowned out by indie covers.