Rita's Cocktail Bar

Head down Oxford Street towards the Civic Centre and you'll find Rita's tucked away with the kind of unassuming entrance that rewards locals who know where to look. Inside, it's all warm lighting and the sort of bar where the staff actually care about what they're mixing—no lazy cocktails or shortcuts here. You're ordering from a menu that takes itself seriously, but without the pretension; it's the sort of place where you can sit at the bar and watch the action, or tuck into a booth if you want something more intimate. The crowd tends towards people who know their way around a decent drink, but there's no gatekeeping.