Discover six great spots where you can eat an awesome Sunday Roast in London.
We typically love eating bagels and lox on Sundays. The same goes for brunch, especially when it includes a Bloody Mary or bottomless Mimosas. And, while we didn’t grow up eating Sunday gravy, we’re big fans of noodle dishes slathered with the stuff. However, when we’re in Great Britain, those weekend foods pale in comparison to the all mighty Sunday roast.
No longer relegated to farmhouses and family tables, the iconic British meal is now fully accessible to travelers like us. However, unlike English breakfast and afternoon tea, the meaty meal occurs on just one day of the week. And, while we could hypothetically eat Sunday roast in an American city like NYC or Chicago, London is the city where we want to eat Sunday roast every single time we’re there.
What Is Sunday Roast?
Brits ate Sunday roast at home after attending church back in the day. As times have evolved, many now eat the meal at restaurants and pubs with friends whether or not their days start on a pew. The meal has evolved as well and often includes options for those who don’t eat meat. It’s fair to say that the best Sunday roasts are designed for carnivores like us.
Our Favorite Sunday Roasts in London
Planning where to eat Sunday roast in London is not something we take lightly. Although the meal is served at countless pubs and restaurants throughout the city, the best spots book up months in advance. Thus, we often make a Sunday roast reservation before we book our flights. Yes, we’re that obsessed and we make no apologies for our obsession. Note that you may be able to make reservations at the last minute since cancellations do happen.
Sunday roasts in London are special meals that are more than just meat. Starters matter as do desserts, not to mention cider and beer. But, let’s face it, this weekly event is mostly about the meat.
These are our favorite places to eat Sunday Roast in London:
1. Harwood Arms – London’s Only Michelin Starred Pub
Scoring a Sunday afternoon table at London’s only Michelin starred pub requires advance reservations and a healthy budget. Yet, despite those limitations, there wasn’t an empty table at the Harwood Arms during our Sunday lunch. Like many, we planned ahead and ventured to Fulham to eat what may be the best Sunday roast that’s served in a classic yet cozy London dining room.
The gastropub offers a seasonal, game-focused menu which was priced at £64 for two courses or £79 for three courses at the time of our meal. Yes, those prices skew higher than typical Sunday roasts even in London. However, this elevated pricing contemplates atypical roast options like Belted Galloway sirloin, slow cooked deer shoulder, Iberian pork and chalk stream trout.
To call this Sunday roast a feast isn’t hyperbole. We were pleased with our food choices as was our dining companion who opted for Iberian pork and a root vegetable salad. That being said, the meal highlights had to be the venison Scotch egg and Yorkshire pudding artfully filled with minced meat. Kudos to Brett Graham and Mike Robinson for creating the concept and current head chef John Cutress for the meal’s execution.
Pro Tip
There are two ways to score a reservation for the Harwood Arms’ Sunday Roast. The first is to jump online excactly 3 months before your desired dining date. The other is to check for canceled reservations a day or two before your chosen Sunday.
Harwood Arms is located at Walham Grove, London SW6 1QJ, United Kingdom.
2. Blacklock – Trendy Chophouse with Multiple Locations
The original Blacklock isn’t an uptight restaurant. Rather, the subterrean dining room has opaque white brick walls, t-shirted servers and black chalkboard menus that make diners want to hang out, eat their weight in meat and drink crafted cocktails (preferably a Beefy Mary or Breakfast Martini) on a leisurely Sunday afternoon. The same casual vibe is found at Blacklock’s newer London locations in Canary Wharf, the City, Covent Garden and Shoreditch.
We’ve eaten Sunday roasts at two of these locations – Shoreditch and Soho. Both meals were notable for excellent meat that’s locally produced in Cornwall. Cooked to a luscious pink hue and piled as high as the Cliffs of Dover, that meat was served with duck fat potatoes, heritage carrots, green beans, special bone marrow gravy and gargantuan Yorshire pudding.
Dining with friends is the way to go at Blacklock if you plan to plow through the chophouse’s ‘all in’ platter with roasted beef, roasted lamb and roasted pork plus trimmings. Of course, you could go smaller by ordering one protein or a barbecued cauliflower chop. Either way, this Sunday roast is relatively affordable – currently less than £30 per person.
Pro Tip
Complete your Blacklock Sunday roast with starters like pig’s head on toast, sides like cauilflower cheese and puddings like white chocolate cheesecake.
Blacklock has mulitple London locations plus one in Manchester. The original Blacklock is located at 24 Great Windmill Street, London W1D 7LG, United Kingdom.
3. The Marksman – East End Pub with Fine Dining Chops
The Marksman has the look and feel of a traditional London boozer (i.e. pub). The main room isn’t flashy thanks to wood-covered walls, wooden flooring, wooden tables and a long wooden bar. In this case, however, looks are deceiving. Not only do owners Jon Rotheram and Tom Harris have fine dining pedigrees, but the East London pub won the title of Michelin’s ‘pub of the year’ in 2017, just two years after it opened.
Upstairs is a different matter. After we drank a couple pints downstairs, the light and airy upstairs dining room is where we indulged in one of London’s best Sunday roasts.
We started our meal with duck liver parfait and pickled cherries befofe moving to the main event – roast Hereford wing rib (i.e. bone-in sirloin) served with Yorkshire pudding, crispy roasted potatoes (i.e. roasties), horseradish cream and gravy. We considered skipping dessert but that didn’t happen due to simple math.
At the Marksman, the price for three courses is only four pounds more than the price for two courses – currently £42 vs. £38. Therefore skipping desserts like brown butter and honey tarts, baked cheesecake and British cheese is simply silly.
Pro Tip
Start your meal with a half dozen Maldon oysters if you’re feeling spendy. Sourced from nearby Essex, the briny bivalves will whet your appetite without taking up too much stomach space.
The Marksman is located at 254 Hackney Road, London E2 7SB, United Kingdom.
4. The Cow – Notting Hill Gastropub
The Cow isn’t the only Tom Conran restaurant. It’s not even the only Tom Conran restaurant in Notting Hill. But it’s the one to go to if you’re seeking a proper Sunday roast in the tony west London neighborhood. It’s also a great spot if you’re more in the mood for pub grub.
Fitting in the first category, Daryl ordered a Sunday roast platter that came with roast beef, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, buttered greens and horseradish cream. Priced at £28.50 at the time of our meal, it was the right amount of food for one person.
Mindi went a different direction, ordering bangers and mash (i.e. sausage and mashed potatoes) instead of beef. Served with a generous amount of onion gravy, the classic pub dish was the epitome of comfort food on a plate.
We capped our Sunday lunch with a slice of banoffee pie. The dessert, which featured sliced banana, caramel and whipped cream, was a delight
Pro Tip
Take a stroll through Notting Hill after your meal. It’s one of London’s most tourist friendly neighborhoods.
The Cow is located at 89 Westbourne Park Road, London W2 5QH, United Kingdom.
5. Hawksmoor – London Steakhouse That’s Jumped the Pond
Hawksmoor is different from the other Sunday roast spots in this guide in two key ways. First, it’s a steakhouse instead of a pub. And, second, Hawksmoor has gone global with locations in Ireland, Scotland and the USA.
These differences don’t detract those who like eating Sunday roasts with all the trimmings. That’s what we ate when we visited the Hawksmoor Seven Dials location in Covent Garden. Open since 2010, this location is a mecca for Central London carnivores who crave grass-fed British beef.
Fun Fact
The Hawksmoor Seven Dials is located in the space where the Watney-Combe brewery operated during the 19th century.
Hawksmoor is serious about Sunday roast. The restaurant slow cooks its 35-day dry-aged beef on charcoal and finishes it in the oven. The steakhouse then serves the roasted meat with beef drippings, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, veggies, roasted garlic and gravy made with bone marrow and onions. The current price is £29 per person with the option to upgrade for cuts like prime rib or chateaubriand.
We started our meat fest with roasted bone marrow and ended it with sticky toffee pudding. We recommend that you do the same when you dine at Hawksmoor on a Sunday afternoon.
Pro Tip
Order a Green Snapper cocktail crafted with pod pea vodka, green tomato juice, jalapeño and lime for a fun twist on the Bloody Mary cocktail.
The Hawskmoor has multiple London locations as well as locations in Chicago, Dublin, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester and New York City. We ate Sunday roast at the Seven Dials steakhouse located at 11 Langley Street, London WC2H 9JG, United Kingdom.
6. Smokehouse – North London Gastropub in Islington
Smokehouse has good chops and we’re just referring to the meat. The North London gastropub is part of Noble Inns, a restaurant group that includes The Pig & Butcher and The Princess of Shoreditch. However, when it comes to meat, Smokehouse may be the best of the lot. For starters, the Islington pub sources its carcasses from British farms. Smokehouse also grills its meat over charcoal and uses sustainably sourced English oak for smoking the meat.
Dining with friends allowed us to sample roasts featuring lamb and beef sirloin. Both proteins were served with roasted potatoes, greens, honey glazed carrots, parsnips and Yorkshire pudding. And gravy. Plenty of gravy.
While most roasts are currently priced under £30, the 900g 64-Day Dry Aged Cote de Boeuf on Bone clocks in at £90. Since the luxury roast feeds two people, it justifies consideration.
Pro Tip
Choose your beer wiesly. Smokehouse has 20 beers on tap plus 60 more in bottles.
Smokehouse is located at 63-69 Canonbury Road, London N1 2DG, United Kingdom.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sunday roast is a hearty meal that includes roasted meats, roasted potatoes, roasted vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and condiments like horseradish sauce and gravy. Popular meats include chicken, lamb, pork and roast beef while veggies rum the gamut from cabbage and carrots to cauliflower and peas.
Sunday roast originated in the United Kingdom.
Sunday roast is typically eaten on Sunday afternoon between noon and 3pm.
London has hundreds of spots where you can eat Sunday roast. Options range from neighborhood pubs to fine dining restaurants.
While you can probably walk into a neighborhood pub, advance reservations are necessary at better pubs and restaurants.
