Basement

You'll head down into Hanley's basement bar scene and find yourself in a properly grown-up space that takes its drinks seriously without the pretension. This is the kind of place where the bartenders actually know what they're doing, where conversation matters, and where you're not paying £12 for a pint. The low-ceilinged intimacy means you're in close quarters with other people who've made the effort to seek it out—not the sort of venue that relies on walk-in trade or student nights. It's Studio Citadel's operation, which tells you something about the calibre of what's happening down here.