Located in the basement of an old brothel in the heart of Soho, Blacklock has been serving up piles of juicy tender meat for several years now. They’ve become pretty famous for their ‘all in’ Sunday Roast for just £20 per person you’ll be presented with a huge platter of beef, lamb and pork, giant Yorkshire puddings, perfectly crispy roast potatoes, heritage carrots and sprouting broccoli. What’s more, at the bottom you’ll find three thick fingers of bread, soaked full of gravy and juices – a genius move. Also on the menu are their ‘cocktails for a fiver’ – what else could you ask for?
TOP CUVEE
177B Blackstock Rd, Highbury East, London N5 2LL
Top Cuvee is one of fave neighbourhood gems. Located on Blackstock Road in Finsbury Park, the seasonal menu changes almost daily, and their Sunday sesh is the perfect alternative to a traditional roast. The nine course set menu is focused around modern wine bar / bistro-style dishes such as pig head terrine with cornichons and sweetcorn smothered in sweet honey and thyme; Rosoff onions with elderberry; or sweet and sticky, ratte potatoes and roast chicken in green sauce. It’s simple food, cooked and presented very well. All this paired with their banging selection of natural wines and you’re in for a good time. What could be a better Sunday than that? Just don’t blame us if you’re still working your way through the wine list five hours later…
THE SPREAD EAGLE
If you like your roasts meat-free London’s first fully vegan pub has just launched a Sunday roast with not one but three different options. This is a rare thing if you’re plant-based, as normally you’d get fobbed off with a little-thought-about veggie side. There’s the beet wellington, a deceptively meaty beetroot and mushroom spin on the classic dish with a pink centre and encased in flaky pastry; a classic nut roast with walnuts and cashews wrapped in savoy cabbage; and finally the pot roast celeriac, served with groundbreaking vegan ‘crackling’ (dark & golden salty potato skins). Of course it wouldn’t be a roast dinner without all the trimmings and gravy, and there’s a fair bit of it too with carrots, parsnips and extra crispy potatoes. The vegan yorkie deserves a special shout out as it turned out brilliantly (and we know it’s hard to get right). Don’t miss out on their selection of vegan wines to wash it all down with either, we all know it’s not a proper Sunday roast til you’re barrelling out the door ready for an afternoon snooze.
CORA PEARL
We were already big fans of Cora Pearl, the second restaurant from the team behind Kitty Fishers in Mayfair. And then we went by for the Sunday Roast and we fell even more in love with the place. Any visit to Cora Pearl has to begin with the ham and cheese toastie aka the best toastie in London. This little beauty has ham hock and pig cheek wrapped up in a cheesy bechamel sauce and sandwiched in toasted white bread. The walnut pickle that comes across as a drunk, posh Branston is the clincher. Then there’s the roasts, thinly sliced medium rare beef or tender pork belly served with crispy potatoes, broccoli, Yorkshire puds, cauliflower cheese, carrots and lashings of an excellent gravy. They’re not the cheapest roasts in London but they are worth every penny. Simply one of the best out there.
HAWKSMOOR
They’re all about the steak of course and if you’re looking to splash out on beef, there’s really no better place to do it. Alongside the steaks are all sorts of other goodies including beef dripping fries, lobster mac & cheese and THOSE ‘Rolos’ for dessert. Breakfast is naturally a meaty one, with a smoked bacon chop, sausages, black pudding, short-rib bubble & squeak, grilled bone marrow, trotter baked beans, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes and HP gravy. It’s meant to be for two but everyone likes a challenge, right? As you’d expect from somewhere that dishes up some of the best steaks in the city, Hawksmoor knows a thing or two about knocking up a bangin’ roast beef dinner… and yes it’s beef and only beef here on Sundays. Rumps of beef are started over charcoal before going in the oven to re-create that traditional spit-roasted flavour and you get a nice, fat slice along with duck fat roasties, carrots, greens, roasted shallots and garlic, a big ol’ Yorkshire pudding and plenty of bone marrow and onion gravy to drown it in, and you will want to drown it because that sauce is something else.
PACHAMAMA EAST
Pachamama East already does a weekend brunch menu but now the restaurant has got into the roast game, putting a Peruvian twist on the British staple. You can kick off with their regular snacks selection, including Sichuan fried chicken, padron peppers and pork belly chicarrones, before moving onto the roasts. There’s spring chicken, lamb leg and beef rump on offer, plus a market fish and romanesco for the vegans, and each option is marinated for ten hours in a Peruvian paste made from ginger, garlic, bay leaves, panca peppers, rocoto, cumin, achiote seeds and honey. This left the beef super tender and added an extra savouriness to the meat, and you get four thick slices to tuck into so come hungry. All the roasts come with sprouting broccoli, roasted carrots, smoked potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and gravy, and you can add another nod to South America with aji verde (a citrusy green sauce) on the side – you’ll need the extra as there’s not quite enough gravy for the plate. Afterwards it’s back to the regular dessert menu, meaning you can round off your Sunday with the excellent Peruvian chocolate an quinoa ice cream, which tastes those chocolate cornflake cakes you used to make as a kid, only way fancier.
MADAME PIGG
We’re always on the hunt for a new Sunday roast and the newly-opened Madame Pigg has launched with a pretty perfect Sunday offering. Located on Kingsland Road where the short-lived second Stokey Bears used to be, it’s a cute neighbourhood spot that serves a mix of British and Italian dishes throughout the week and on Sundays switches to an all guns blazing roast line up. The roast beef is nigh-on perfection, and comes with Yorkshire puds, carrots, parsnip puree, duck fat roast potatoes and some buttered greens just for good measure. Get a side of the truffled cauliflower cheese and your Sunday will be sorted.
THE DRAPERS ARMS
The Drapers Arms has one of the best Sunday Roasts in London and often gets booked up early so book a few days in advance if you want to be sure of a spot. Whether you choose the smart light-filled dining room or the sunny beer garden out back, it’s best to come here with a group and go for one of the big sharing roasts. The slow-cooked shoulder of lamb, roast forerib of beef, or whole roast chicken will all easily serve three people and come with perfect roasties, veg, Yorkshire puds and gravy.
GUNMAKERS
If you’re looking at this map, you’ll see that there are a hell of a lot of Sunday Roasts to choose from around London – and these are just the best ones! When a chef of Mark Jarvis’ standing (previously at Anglo), and Xavier Rousset, founder of Texture and 28-50 wine bars, team up to open a pub, it’s time to sit up and take notice. The pair took over the Gunmakers in Marylebone in late 2019 and gave the place a huge makeover, completely transforming the space both ground floor and in the basement. There is now a proper dining room downstairs, a cosy place to hide away on a cold winter day in London. And the food is of course excellent. For a healthy start we can recommend the pickled beetroot with fennel, before tucking into your roast – the options are beef, pork belly, and duck. We can highly recommend the duck as that’s quite unusual to see on a Sunday roast menu, and comes in beautiful tender slices alongside all the trimmings – Yorkshire pud, roasties, and some amazing creamed leeks. The pork belly is another winner, complete with some epic crisp crackling. Make sure you save room for the sticky toffee pud at the end too.
DARTMOUTH ARMS
The Disappearing Dining Club has taken over the Dartmouth Arms and the boozer has been given a new lease of life. With dark walls, cosy lighting, comfy seats, an open fire, dogs roaming about the place, a spectacular sound system made up of retro British and Japanese gear, and an 18-strong draft beer selection, it’s a proper little local. On Sundays, the roast is the star of the show; the pig’s head on toast with house pickles is a hell of a way to start, with the soft meat spread nice and thick. The half Orpington chicken is a generous size and served with seasonal veggies, some lovely roast potatoes, a golden crisp Yorkshire pud and a boatload of gravy. The best way to round it off is with the chocolate brownie, which comes with popcorn parfait and salted caramel. You’ll be pretty stuffed after a starter and a main but you’ll wanna find room for this one. DDC always smash the food and this here roast is up there with our faves.
NORMA
Italian restaurant Norma has put a Sicilian twist on the classic British roast with its new Sunday menu, which changes regularly to reflect the best seasonal ingredients. Typically Italian, the three course roast dishes are designed to be shared with friends and family, with one dish to choose from on each course. Start with the caciocavallo and mozzarella arancini served with a big pot of arrabbiata sauce for dipping – these are as little balls of cheesy heaven. There’s a juicy whole roasted chicken with lemon, thyme and garlic for the main, which is served with crispy roasties, Italian veg and a cauliflower & parmesan gratin. For dessert you’ll want to share a big bowl of the Norma tiramisu, it’s so good you’ll want to lick the bowl clean. The menu is £35pp, which given both the quantity and quality of the food, is good value in our books.
BOB BOB RICARD
Bob Bob Ricard is a Soho institution, famous for its glamorous decor as well as THOSE press for champagne buttons on every booth. On Sundays, they offer one Sunday roast option, a traditional roast with all the trimmings which is fit for a king. The Irish Rump Cap Picanha is Hereford beef, cooked medium and served alongside slow roast potatoes and a giant Yorkshire pud. A plate of honey and thyme carrots and parsnips make up the veg with the finishing touch coming from a truffle gravy – yep you heard us, truffle gravy. The meat is cooked to perfection, the whole roast is impressive and there’s something truly special about BBR. It’s one of the most decadent places in Soho – here’s hoping they add a second button saying ‘Press for gravy’.
THE ROYAL OAK
The Royal Oak is found off Marylebone High St sitting on the corner of York Street – a nice backstreet boozer in the middle of London. Smoked haddock Kedgeree Scotch egg with mango and coriander chutney is the first item on the menu, and was the first thing we ordered too. All roasts are served with a whopper of a Yorkshire along with seasonal veg and red wine gravy. Rump cap of Herefordshire beef comes with three beautiful slices on the plate, bathing in a warm pool of gravy. The slow roast Lake District chicken, which you can also get for two, is soft, juicy and succulent with a generous portion of breast and leg. If we had to be critical, then more green veg would have been nice but nevertheless, the roast is extremely decent at The Royal Oak, with friendly service and a cosy room we could have comfortably sat in all afternoon.
BOXCAR BUTCHER & GRILL
Hidden away on pretty New Quebec Street, you will find the independent butcher, deli and restaurant Boxcar. This little gem champions British, ethically sourced meats where you can literally pop in and place an order, then sit down for a three-course slap-up meal. Brought to life by founder Barry Hirst, the menu is heavily focused on meats, obviously, and Boxcar serves up an exceptional Sunday Roast.
Rump of texel lamb is cooked to perfection; soft pink on the inside and served with pea purée, chargrilled peas, tarragon roasted courgettes, roasties, chopped mint and lamb gravy. The rump of Galloway beef is another excellent cut of meat plated alongside parsnip purée, smoked baby beetroot, a crisp Yorkshire pudding, and with a helping of house-made horseradish sauce & bone marrow gravy. These are seriously good looking roasts and absolutely deliver on quality. Top marks.
THE CLEVELAND ARMS
The Cleveland Arms is a proper pub and it knows what it’s doing, having been a local in Paddington since 1852. Besides the interesting decor that will ignite your curiosities, you have Elisabeth Passédat in charge of the kitchen. The former Masterchef: The Professionals contestant knocks up banging French-influenced food, but when it comes to Sundays she’s kept things very traditional. Both the beautifully cooked and pink roast beef topside served alongside carrots and horseradish and the thyme roast chicken leg with braised leeks are winners. Spring greens, roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings and a pot of gravy are sharing additions to the table. These roasts are mega, generous in size and rich in flavour; it’s exactly what you want a Sunday roast dinner to be and you’ll leave 100% satisfied. Starters and desserts change frequently and feature that French flare from Passédat. Top marks.
1251
With Great British Menu chef James Cochran behind the menu, this is a pretty special roast. There’s just the one roast on the menu for the Sunday main event: Ayrshire 50 day aged Cote de Boeuf and slow braised short rib of beef, served with all the veg. Everything is seriously tasty; the truffle cauliflower cheese is now a breakfast snack we want for our elevenses every day of the working week. There is also Holwood Farm honey glazed parsnips, beef dripping roast potatoes, coal roasted cabbage, Yorkshire pudding, smoked bone marrow, gravy. BOOM. Even though the food for us is hands down amazing, it’s slightly on the spenny side at £25 although you do get a lot of bang for your buck. A slight readjustment could be considered given the desserts come in at £10 too, though again these are pretty faultless… mauled hobnob with dark chocolate, cocoa nib and banana – de-bloody-lish.
SWAN SHAKESPEARE'S GLOBE
Sat on the banks of the Thames right next door to the iconic Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre sits Swan, the British all-day dining restaurant. And as you’d expect from a place that champions local produce and British food, Swan knocks up a traditional Sunday roast with all the trimmings complete with a fairly sizeable Yorkshire pud. All the starters are cold, but don’t panic because the colourful confit chicken terrine, with white grape chutney on sourdough toast is a beaut. If you’ve room, and by that, we definitely mean make room, dive into the pear and chocolate tart as it wraps up your Sunday good and proper. Now for that walk along the river.
BRIGADE BAR + KITCHEN
Brigade Bar + Kitchen in London Bridge is big on showcasing British ingredients and it’s no different come Sunday lunchtime. The meats are all sourced from the UK (Cornish beef, Gloucester Old Spot and Tamworth pork, Norfolk and Devon chickens and so on) and it’s all smoked and cooked over English wood fire. You’ll want to kick things off with some of their beef dripping focaccia and whipped yeasted butter – it’s bread and marmite taken to a whole new level – before diving right into the roasts. They all come with a massive Yorkshire pud, maple glazed parsnips and carrots, thyme roasted potatoes, brussel sprouts and gravy, plus a generous portion of your chosen meat – the rump of Dexter beef comes perfectly pink in the middle and the Middlewhite pork loin has the requisite layer of crispy crackling. Finish off with a classic apple and cinnamon crumble with a scoop of milk ice cream on top and then go for a lie down. The best thing about Brigade though is the fact that it’s a social enterprise helping homeless people back into the workplace through a partnership with Beyond Food, so by eating here you’re supporting the cause.
GALVIN LA CHAPELLE
A three-course Sunday lunch inside a Grade II-listed building that sets you back just £38…that’s exactly what you get at Galvin La Chapelle. The restaurant holds a Michelin star, so you can expect things to be on the swanky side, except for the price that is. The delicate salt cod and lobster brandade, bisque and rouille is a must and the pavé of hake with grenobloise and crushed ratte potatoes is also worth a shout, not only for the crunchy lemon infused croutons but the mammoth portion of fish. The star of the show though is the Cumbrian sirloin of beef, served medium rare with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and veg. It’s an old school roast more than it is a posh one so no need to worry that the portions won’t be on point. Make sure you get that Yorkie though – ours was forgotten and we were too engrossed in the food to notice until it was too late. Still, it’s a great roast and we’ll go back for that soon enough.
NEW STREET GRILL
New Street Grill, the modern British restaurant set in an 18th-century warehouse near Liverpool Street, offers a beast of a Sunday din din. Taking the term bottomless to a new level, it’s not just the booze that’s free-flowing but the food. And you can even do three courses if you’re crazy enough to try. If you’re not, dive right into the main event. The mixed roast, with 14-day-aged Aberdeen Angus and Hereford beef sirloin, Waveney Valley pork belly and free-range Suffolk chicken, is a manageable portion and gives you a great opportunity to try everything. The chicken is AMAZING, so soft, juicy and just YUM. The beef is also beautifully cooked, and the pork belly is nice and fatty with a golden bit of crackling. Take advantage of those bottomless vibes and throw on a side of Suffolk Texel cross lamb. As well as the meats, you get epic fluffy roasties, seasonal veg and lashings of gravy, all served inside a deep Yorkshire pudding. We’re huge fans of a good old roast and New Street Grill nails it; not just good value for money but wonderful food too. A round of applause please.
THE CLIFTON
The Clifton recently reopened under new management with a new and improved look and menu. Located on a leafy street in St John’s Wood it’s hard to spot amongst the multi-million pound mansions but once inside you’ll feel right at home. The Sunday roasts come with all the trimmings and there’s always a selection of meats on offer – if you arrive early enough that is, as they do sell out fast. There’s a cracking range of wines as well as some bar snacks that shouldn’t be overlooked – hello haggis sausage roll – oh and you might spot a celeb or two there given its proximity to Abbey Road Studios. Take our advice and walk or cycle the canal pre- or post-dinner, then you will defo deserve dessert.
LAUNCESTON PLACE
If you’re eating the same old Sunday roast of meat and veg piled high on the plate and fancy trying something a little more civilised then Launceston Place over in Kensington has got just that. Chef Ben Murphy has come up with a very clever tasting menu based around a different meat each month. We were there for chicken and had amazing truffled eggs with foie gras, chicken oyster in onion broth, chicken liver parfait, and roast chicken breast with ‘Pont Neuf’ potatoes. And in case you’re wondering, no there wasn’t chicken in the dessert nor a Yorkshire pudding in sight (shock horror!)
THE ADAM & EVE
Traditional pub The Adam & Eve, just off Oxford Street, has been given a makeover both in terms of the interiors, which are now inspired by the Garden of Eden, and the menu thanks to head chef Tony Sweeny. The battered sausage with curried mayo and the truffled mac and cheese croquettes are both generous in size and just as naughty as you’d hope. The lemon and thyme half roast chicken comes with plenty of roasties, seasonal veg and Yorkshire pud, and they bring a whole jug of gravy to the table too so your dinner won’t be going dry. If you’re feeling rather peckish, you could go for their Ultimate Roast, which sees pork, beef and chicken on all one extra-large plate and piled high with the trimmings. It’s a bit of a mouthful, but with a bit of patience and the right loose-fitting trousers, it can be done.
KERRIDGE'S BAR & GRILL
Kerridge’s Bar & Grill, the first London restaurant from acclaimed chef Tom Kerridge (the clue’s in the name) is located in the Corinthia Hotel London. Famous for his elevated pub grub and epic British comfort food, the Sunday lunch offering is no different. We kicked off with an oozing salt cod scotch egg with chorizo and red pepper sauce and duck leg terrine with black pudding, homemade pickles and truffle mayonnaise. Tom works wonders with meat and you’d be a fool to pass up on the dry-aged rib of beef, served with Yorkshire pudding, seasonal veg and a portion of perfect roasties. If you can manage a dessert go for the trifle; it’s not heavy and a good enough size to share.
