Victoria Hotel - Beeston

Originally the railway hotel serving Beeston station, this Victorian inn a few miles out of the city centre has recently taken on a new lease of life. It's now famed for its buzzy vibes and splendid line-up of up to a dozen real ales, not to mention live jazz on Monday evenings.

The place is also gaining quite a reputation for its upbeat modern food. Menus are chalked on blackboards and the choice of dishes changes from day to day. Expect plates of Spanish-style tapas, salad niçoise, Catalan-style roast pork steaks with chorizo, pancetta and white wine sauce, as well as true Brit nourishment in the shape of peppered braised beef in ale or Lincolnshire sausages and mash.

More than half the menu is aimed at vegetarians and vegans, who should relish the prospect of winter vegetable bourguignon with a garlic cheese croûton, piri-piri vegetable and Haloumi kebabs with warm flat bread and tzatziki, or meatless Penang curry served on noodles. Desserts are an eclectic bunch, ranging from eighteenth-century Irish trifle laced with whiskey to Galician tarta de Santiago.