Dover Castle

You'll find the Dover Castle tucked away on Dover Street, just off the main drag—the kind of pub that serves the neighbourhood rather than performs for Instagram. Walk in and you're greeted with the comfortable clatter of a working boozer: creaky floorboards, worn bar stools, and the sort of lighting that makes everyone look like they're having a better time than they probably are. The crowd's a proper mix of after-work drinkers, regulars who've clearly got their own stool, and the odd passer-by who stumbled in by accident and stayed for three pints. There's no fussing about with craft cocktails or 'elevated' bar snacks here—this is about decent beer, straightforward pub grub, and the kind of banter that only happens when people aren't performing.