Caffè Nero

You'll find this Caffè Nero wedged right in the heart of Lincoln's High Street, sandwiched between the usual retail suspects but punching above its weight for a chain café. It's the sort of place where you pop in for a quick caffeine hit between browsing the shops or killing time before heading up towards the cathedral. The fit-out is clean and contemporary—all blonde wood and soft lighting—which makes it feel less corporate than you'd expect, and the staff actually seem to know what they're doing with the coffee machine. It's busy without being chaotic, proper crowd-pleasing in the best sense.