The Old Customs House, Gunwharf Quays

You're standing at the edge of Portsmouth's working waterfront, where the Old Customs House does exactly what a good pub should do: it doesn't try too hard. This is where the maritime history actually lives—in the building's bones, not on a plaque. The kind of place where locals still outnumber tourists, even though you're metres from the chain restaurants. You'll find real ales on the bar, decent grub that won't insult your intelligence, and windows that properly look out onto the water. It's got that slightly salt-worn authenticity that comes from actually existing in a port city rather than just performing one.