The Playwright Craft Pub, Nottingham

You'll find this spot tucked down Shakespeare Street, and it's exactly what a craft pub should be - proper beer obsessives behind the bar who know their IPAs from their sours, paired with a kitchen that actually gives a damn. The stripped-back interior feels authentically pub-like without trying too hard, all exposed brick and dark wood that's seen plenty of good nights. The food menu reads like someone who's spent time in proper kitchens decided to elevate pub classics. We're talking dishes that make you forget you're in a boozer until you remember how good the pint in front of you is. The beer selection rotates regularly, so there's always something new from local breweries alongside solid standards. It's the kind of place where you pop in for one and somehow end up staying for dinner.