The old place isn't quite the best (6)
I believe the answer is:
thebes
'the old place' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both locations as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps you can see a link between them that I don't see?
'isn't quite the best' is the wordplay.
'isn't quite' means to remove the last letter (not quite all of the word).
'the'+'best'='thebest'
'thebest' with its final letter taken off is 'THEBES'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for thebes that I've seen before include "Greek city of Oedipus" , "Ancient Egyptian or Greek city" , "One of the oldest Greek cities" , "Ancient Egyptian city sited at modern-day Luxor" , "Greek city founded by Cadmus" .)