The Bishop

Walk off Thames Street and you've stumbled into the sort of place that doesn't need to shout about itself. The Bishop sits just behind the main drag, in that quiet corner near Bishop's Hall where you half-expect to bump into someone's mum who's lived here since 1987. It's got that authentic pub energy—wood, beer taps, the kind of crowd who actually know each other's names—without feeling like it's trying too hard to be "authentic." The real ales rotate properly, the food is honest rather than fancy, and you can actually have a conversation without shouting over a playlist that's trying too hard.