Fress Restaurant & Bar

You'll spot this narrow slice of Northern Quarter real estate by its distinctive white subway tiles and the queue that often snakes past its windows during weekend brunch hours. The tight space works in its favour – there's an intimacy here that makes solo dining feel comfortable and date nights appropriately cosy. The menu shifts with the seasons, which means the kitchen actually cares about what they're putting on plates rather than churning out the same avocado toast year-round. Come Thursday through Saturday evenings and the whole place pivots from daytime cafe to cocktail-focused bar, complete with a drinks menu that takes itself seriously without being pretentious about it. The transition works because they've nailed both sides of the equation.