The Artillery Arms, EC1

Walk into the Artillery Arms and you'll immediately clock it's the kind of pub that doesn't need Instagram to justify its existence. Tucked away on Bunhill Row, just north of the Barbican, this place has that lived-in quality that comes from being genuinely loved by its neighbourhood rather than marketed to tourists. The bar is stripped-back in the best way—wood, brass, honest proportions—and they take their real ales seriously without being precious about it. You'll find people nursing proper pints, reading the paper, having the sort of conversations that only happen when a space feels genuinely safe to be yourself.