A retro ‘beer house’ with a modern feel, The Pint Shop has really upped its culinary game since opening in 2013. Booze lovers will adore the blackboard advertising around 15 constantly changing local ales, and the 80-strong list of gins, offered in the airy ground-floor parlour and snug. True gourmands, however, should head for the dining rooms – there are two, one of them upstairs – to gorge on hearty food devised by development chef Rosie Sykes (best known as the Guardian writer). The menu is packed with traditional dishes given a modern twist, such as spit-roasted overnight pork belly with braised cabbage, or gin-cured sea trout with buttermilk pancake. Gooseberry sorbet is worth saving room for, too. Despite high prices, crowds of professionals and students still flock here, so book in advance. Otherwise, soak up the booze with substantial bar-top snacks such as Scotch eggs.There’s another Pint Shop in Oxford.