Village Hotel Portsmouth

You wouldn't expect much from a hotel bar tucked away on Lakeshore Drive in Cosham, but this place has quietly become a proper local. The open-all-hours policy means you can nurse a pint at 2am on a Tuesday if that's your thing, and the big screens make it football central when Pompey are playing away. The food's better than it has any right to be – think elevated pub grub rather than the usual hotel fare. Staff actually know their regulars, and there's a decent mix of business travellers, locals avoiding the Gunwharf crowds, and night shift workers grabbing a quick one. It's not trying to be anything fancy, which is exactly why it works.