THE LAB

You'll find The Lab tucked into Charles Street's drinking quarter, where it's become the sort of place that gets packed on Friday nights with people who actually know their way around a cocktail menu. The space has that industrial-meets-sophisticated feel—think exposed brick, mood lighting, and enough polish to feel special without making you second-guess your outfit. It's where locals come when they want to drink properly made spirits rather than mass-produced lagers, and the bartenders clearly take pride in what they're doing. The kind of bar that's helped lift Northampton's drinking scene beyond the usual chain haunts.