Slug & Lettuce - Southampton

You know what you're getting with Slug & Lettuce, but this Above Bar Street branch does it better than most. The cocktails are properly made – none of that sugary nonsense you get at some chains – and the bartenders actually know their way around a shaker. The space feels more grown-up than your typical high street drinking spot, with decent booth seating and lighting that doesn't make you look like you've been living underground. Weekends here are properly lively, especially Saturday nights when it stays open until 2am and becomes one of the better options for a proper night out in the city centre. The crowd skews twenties and thirties, and while it's not going to win any awards for originality, it's reliable for well-made drinks without the pretension of some cocktail bars.