Nottingham Contemporary

You're here for the Kaws exhibition but suddenly find yourself lingering over a proper cortado and house-made cake, watching art students sketch in notebooks while tourists debate the merits of video installations. The café sits within one of the country's most striking contemporary art spaces, all angular concrete and floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the eating area with natural light. The menu keeps things simple but does it well – think decent coffee from local roasters, chunky sandwiches that actually fill you up, and cakes that change with whatever the kitchen feels like making. It's the kind of place where you can spend an afternoon reading, whether you've paid gallery admission or not. The crowd mixes art world types with office workers escaping their desks, creating an atmosphere that's both cultured and refreshingly unpretentious.