Federal Cafe Bar

You'll find this tucked away on Nicholas Croft, where the coffee is taken as seriously as it should be and the all-day brunch menu doesn't mess about with unnecessary faffing. The flat whites here are genuinely good – none of that bitter, over-extracted nonsense you get elsewhere – and they've nailed that relaxed Antipodean vibe without feeling like they're trying too hard. The space feels properly lived-in, the kind of place where you can camp out with a laptop for hours or settle in for a long weekend brunch catch-up. When evening rolls around, they switch gears to cocktails, which is a smart move that keeps the place buzzing beyond the usual cafe hours. It's become one of those Northern Quarter spots that locals actually use regularly rather than just Instagram once.