Star & Garter

You'll find this Greene King house holding down the fort on Copnor Road, and it's exactly what you want from a neighbourhood pub – no frills, but plenty of substance. The kind of place where you can pop in for a quick pint after work and end up staying for dinner because the food's actually worth your time and money. The menu keeps things sensible with proper pub classics done right, and the beer's always well-kept. What sets it apart from other chain pubs is the genuine local feel – this isn't some soulless branded box, but a proper community local that happens to be part of a bigger group. The staff know their regulars, the atmosphere's genuinely welcoming, and you're just as likely to see families having Sunday lunch as you are blokes watching the football.