The HiFi Club

You'll either love or hate the fact that this place doesn't even bother opening until most people are thinking about heading home. The HiFi Club operates on its own schedule – think 11pm starts and 4am finishes – which immediately tells you everything about its clientele and attitude. The student crowd keeps things affordable and unpretentious, while the Saturday comedy sessions (squeezed in before the main event) add an unexpectedly sharp edge to what could easily be just another late-night drinking den. The sound system lives up to the name, and the DJs actually seem to care about what they're playing rather than just hammering out the usual chart fodder. It's not trying to be sophisticated, and that's precisely why it works. When everywhere else is winding down, this is where the night actually begins.