Guide to the best Sunday roasts in London

It's all about flavour-packed British fare at this sister establishment of The Clarence Tavern, particularly on Sundays. A favourite is the roast Dexter beef, accompanied by carrots, crispy roasties, and watercress, but the saltmarsh lamb shoulder slow-cooked for seven hours, served with a gratin of potatoes and olive oil, is the real star of the show. And it feeds five – yikes. Leave room for the apple and maple syrup pudding with custard. Trust us.

Standards are high at London's only Michelin-starred gastropub and their popular Sunday roast, part of a three-course lunch, is no exception. Choose from impeccably-sourced joints such as slow-cooked lamb shoulder, sirloin of Belted Galloway beef and loin of Iberico pork, accompanied by all the right accoutrements including Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes and cauliflower cheese.

Meat served at this 150-year-old Farringdon Rd institution is sourced from the finest farms around the UK and butchered in their shop next door. Sunday roasts are served as part of an à la carte lunch and include a choice of meats paired with veggies and sides. There are also vegetarian and fish options, and all dishes are served with top-notch trimmings.

Grass-fed meat at Blacklock's buzzy London locations is sourced from Phillip Warren in Cornwall and cooked simply over a charcoal grill. Choose from beef, lamb or pork roasts with all the trimmings, or go all-in and share a mixture of all three with your table, best doused in their famous Blacklock gravy. If the night before was a big one, kickstart your meal with a Beefy Bloody Mary with beef jus.

Enjoy a swanky Sunday lunch in stylish surroundings with burgundy leather banquettes and specially-commissioned modern art at chef Tom Kerridge's bar and grill close to Trafalgar Square. Choose from a selection of roasts using the best quality British ingredients on the à la carte menu, accompanied by a glass or two of something from the interesting wine list or a signature cocktail from the bar.

This quaint Victorian pub is tucked away in the Riverside quarter between Wandsworth and Putney perched alongside the Thames. Indulge in a variety of beers and guest ales, fine wines, classic cocktails and a noteworthy Sunday roast in the beer garden or snug dining room.

Many locals know The Culpeper as a classic, go-to East London pub, but it's also known for its top-notch Sunday Roast. The roast is served from 12 pm until 6 pm in the main downstairs area and features a slightly more innovative take on the classic roast, with dishes like potted crab, smoked cod's roe and beetroot, sweet potato, broccoli and feta wellington.

The Marksman is a Michelin Pub of the Year establishment located on Hackney Road and run by co-owners Jon Rotherman and Tom Harris, both of whom used to work at St. John in Clerkenwell. The aesthetic is enough of a reason to visit, with its traditional varnished wooden furniture and a bright upstairs dining room, but the real reason people come here is for the iconic Sunday roast. Think whole roast chickens, braised fish and Hereford rump with a variety of accompaniments and dripping potatoes.

The roast at the well-loved Drapers Arms in Islington is the ultimate Sunday roast experience with giant fluffy Yorkshire puddings, crispy roast potatoes, carrots, apple sauce and a pool of gravy. They also serve popular sharing roasts which offer the best of everything, but it’s worth booking ahead for this as it can sell out pretty fast.

This lovely Stoke Newington pub has been run by the same family since 1985 and serves a delicious Sunday roast with all of the trimmings. If you like cauliflower cheese, you have to order the one made here, it’s extra cheesy.

For a classic Sunday roast that specialises in high-quality ingredients, head to The Red Lion and Sun in Highgate. You can enjoy a traditional roast with chicken, beef or lamb, and all the trimmings and onion gravy. The wine list here is extensive and award-winning, and the two outdoor areas are perfect for al fresco dining.

Feast on an epic Sunday roast at The Clarence Tavern located in the heart of Stoke Newington's iconic Church Street. Enjoy a classic roast outside in the beer garden, and choose from a menu chock full of seasonal delights and high-quality roasts, like seafood-based dishes, veggie roasts, and classics like bavette slow-cooked lamb.

Rolled pork belly, topside of beef and veggie haggis are just a handful of the mains you can expect to see on the Sunday roast menu at The Old Nun's Head in South London. What's more, coeliacs rejoice - all of the roasts here can be made gluten-free, including the giant, fluffy yorkies.

This cosy pub located in Walthamstow Village serves a hard-to-beat roast in a relaxed and cosy atmosphere. Choose from a roast leg of lamb with mint sauce, slow-roasted topside of beef with horseradish, or go veggie and try their banging nut roast served with pools of gravy. They all come with a side of roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and veggies.

Don't skip past this North London pub next time you're wandering around the leafy area of Hampstead. They serve a tasty roast with a menu that sticks to the classics but also thinks a little outside-of-the-box, think roast shorthorn beef, roast lamb rump, veggie wellingtons and much more, as well as a dessert menu that would make Mary Berry drool.

For a truly iconic Sunday roast where the meat is the protagonist, head along to one of Hawksmoor's restaurants located all over the city. The roast here has actually been named the best Sunday lunch in the UK by Observer Monthly Awards and it’s all about the roast beef. It’s served alongside beef dripping roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, roasted shallots and garlic, carrots and greens, as well as a hefty dose of bone marrow and onion gravy.

This award-winning Sunday roast spot specialises in a menu of roasted chicken, hearty, slow-roasted lamb shoulder and whole grilled fish on their Sunday menu. The food is served family-style to encourage sharing around the table for a more sociable affair.

Lore of the Land is a traditional British pub located on Conway Street in Fitzrovia serving fantastic food that’s all about incredible flavour. All of the food here is freshly prepared daily and the roasts are slow-cooked and served with all of the seasonal trimmings.

At his signature restaurant in Islington, award-winning chef James Cochran serves a refined Sunday roast in a snug, elegant setting. The precise components of the meal vary according to the available seasonal produce but always combine traditional familiarity with a jolt of contemporary culinary trends. The vegetarian roast dinner here is also a cut above.

If you're having a hard time deciding between pork belly, beef sirloin or chicken, The Duchess offers a simple solution – get it all. The Sunday roast at this Central London gastropub comes with a Sharing Board option that includes all the available meats and all the trimmings, including duck fat roasties. You can even get an individual portion of the Sharing Board if you're on your own.

This small, elegant pub in historic Shad Thames is a simple and unpretentious affair with a somewhat distracting menu that features authentic Spanish tapas next to typical pub fare. Regardless, come Sunday, it's all about the roast. You can choose between half a free-range chicken with lemon, garlic & thyme, British sirloin with horseradish cream, or a spinach, mushroom & cream cheese puff pastry, all accompanied by a Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and vegetables, and drizzled with red wine jus. Choose one of the 20 beers on tap to go along and enjoy.

Notable for being the first fully plant-based pub in the city, The Spread Eagle cooks up a mean vegan roast in its seasonal, minimal-waste kitchen. The pub's dedication to plant-based cuisine means there's more than just the typical nut roast on offer here, with options including dishes such as beet wellington, pot roast celeriac and potato crackling, and roast fennel and creamy leek gratin. Natural vegan beers, small-batch wines and vegan cocktails are available as well.

The Barrowboy & Banker is housed in a former bank, with a sweeping staircase connecting its two levels and elegant decorative flourishes throughout. When it comes to food, it's famed for its hand-crafted pies, but the Sunday roast game here is strong as well. Considered one of the top roasts in not just the area but the city as a whole, the Sunday dinners here come with your choice of chicken, beef, pork or plant-based, accompanied by Yorkshire pudding, cauliflower cheese, Marmite roast potatoes, seasonal veg and red wine gravy. 

Booking Office 1869 was once a ticket counter but is now a 1930s-style brasserie serving a top-notch Sunday roast. Inside, the restaurant is adorned with palm trees against the backdrop of majestic Gothic architecture. Choose from a choice of chicken, rib-eye, or braised butternut squash as the main course, served with fluffy roasties and giant Yorkshire puddings.

Discover a unique twist on a classic roast dinner at Yorkshire Burrito. These informal street food spots dish up a new version of traditional British food - generous roast dinners wrapped in a Yorkshire pudding. Roast chicken, beef, or veggie cauliflower cheese are available, as well as burgers and sides inspired by roast dinners.

In the summer of 2023, the Kentish Town gastropub started offering hearty Sunday roasts that were quickly approved by renowned food critics such as Jay Rayner and Faye Maschler. Cooked over a custom-made grill, these roasts have a flamed, smoky finish that is irresistible. The seasonal menu features a wide variety of dishes, including salt-aged roast beef, flame-grilled lamb leg for four people, and a vegetarian celeriac Wellington. All plates come with garlicky roast potatoes, root veg, Yorkshire puddings, carrot and Swede, and seasonal greens. The wine list is focused on biodynamic and low-intervention options from renowned producers.

At Bermondsey's Casse-Croûte, you're instantly transported to Paris with its charming red-and-white checkered tablecloths, French wine bottles, and a daily changing menu handwritten in French on a blackboard. The Sunday lunch here has made a name for itself and includes two options: the lemon and garlic roasted chicken with all the trimmings served with meat stuffing, Yorkshire puddings, cauliflower cheese, or the slow-roasted rump of beef served with Yorkshire puddings and doused in thyme and red wine gravy. If it's sunny, opt for one of the outdoor tables bathed in sunlight and imagine you've just touched down in Paris.

The Sunday roast at 108 Brasserie, Marylebone's favourite neighbourhood hangout, is a lavish affair served with bottomless Yorkshire puddings and mountains of crispy roast potatoes. Starters range from Devon white crab on toasted soda bread to beef tartare with quail egg, while mains keep it traditional with minted lamb, corn-fed rosemary and thyme chicken, and roasted rib of beef, served with all the trimmings. Make sure you leave room for dessert; the creme brulee is a highlight, as is the sticky toffee pudding and British and Irish cheese selection. If Bloody Marys are your thing, beckon over the Bloody Mary trolley stacked with all the spirits, mixers, and delicious garnishes. The space is sophisticated and chic, with both indoor and outdoor streetside seating for the perfect al fresco lunch in the sun. There are also heaters and blankets for when it's chilly.