Leman Bar

You're walking through Aldgate, past the usual chain cafes, when you spot this place tucked into The Old Dispensary building. Step inside and you've got exposed brick, dim lighting, and a bar run by people who actually know what they're doing. It's the kind of spot where they'll make you a drink that tastes like it costs three times what you're paying for it, without any of the showboating you'd get in Shoreditch. The crowd's usually a mix of locals meeting for drinks after work and people who've deliberately sought the place out because they've heard it's good.