The Bank

You walk into The Bank and immediately clock the ornate plasterwork, the soaring ceilings, the kind of architectural detail you'd expect from a building that actually used to be, well, a bank. It's this glamorous bones-meets-casual-drinking vibe that makes it work so well—you're sat under chandeliers with a pint of Thwaites, and it feels completely natural. The place pulls a proper mixed crowd: post-work City types rubbing shoulders with locals who've been coming here for years, tourists clocking the marble and mahogany, groups turning up for a decent meal. Food's solid without being fussy (expect pies, fish and chips, that sort of thing), and they take their cask ales seriously.