London’s Very Best Roasts

There’s nothing better than a Sunday roast. Whether you’re nursing a hangover, catching up with friends or refuelling after a long walk, a roast dinner is the perfect way to end the weekend. But not all are made equal, so it’s important to know the best spots. Here we bring you our top picks for a roast in London – from fine dining at The Savoy to tucked away pubs, offering hearty food with all the trimmings. Whether you’re all about the beef sirloin or are after a vegan roast, there’s something for everyone.

Where To Go For A Roast In London 2024

Dinner At Heston Blumenthal, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park

(c) Lola Laurent

You might think that Sunday roast at two-Michelin-starred Dinner by Heston Blumenthal would be all style and no substance, but the famed chef’s newest launch delivers on both counts. An homage to the lowly roast potato, the thrice-cooked roasties take centre-stage in a three-or-four-course wine-matched lunch giving London diners looking for something extra special the ultimate take on a British classic. To accompany Heston’s exquisite potatoes, Head Chef Adam Tooby-Desmond presents diners with a selection of main options: Roast Chicken with Stuffing, tender Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding, or Roast Cauliflower and Macrows. Starter choices feature the mouth-watering Meat Fruit (c.1500), Hay Smoked Salmon (c.1730), and Salamagundy (c.1720). Dessert highlights include classic dishes from Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, such as Tipsy Cake (c.1858) and Sambocade (c.1390). Read our full review of the Dinner by Heston Blumenthal Sunday roast dinner here.

Hero dish: The supplementary pre-dinner triple-cooked roast potato served with caviar is worth the additional £15. It’s a bite of heaven.  

Address: Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London 66 Knightsbridge London SW1X 7LA

BOOK: mandarinoriental.com

BRIX, London Bridge

Arguably the best roast in London Bridge, you can’t beat BRIX. This unassuming eatery, located within an industrial-esque 8,500 sq ft warehouse, may be New York-inspired, but it does a Sunday roast so well. Meat eaters can opt for a choice of either charred free-range chicken, dry aged sirloin of beef, or roast pork belly, featuring all the trimmings – including crispy potatoes, sweet Marmite glazed carrots and a seriously puffed-up Yorkshire pud. Meanwhile, vegetarians and vegans will love the plant-based alternative, a sizeable roasted squash filled with peas, pearl onions, vegan curd, salsa rossa and pomegranate. And they’re certainly not stingy on the gravy; each roast dinner comes with its very own gravy boat. With the addition of live music, seasonal cocktails, and a delicious side dish (or two), a Sunday spent at BRIX is truly worth your while. Daniella Saunders

Hero dish: Whatever your choice of main, try to save room for the signature Daim Bar cheesecake – it’s an absolute must for those with a sweet tooth. 

Address: 16 Great Guildford St, London SE1 0HS

BOOK: brixldn.com

The Fox and Pheasant, Fulham

Famously owned by James Blunt, the Fox & Pheasant, nestled in Fulham off a quiet pretty pastel house coloured lane (just away from the Chelsea Football fanfare), is a Sunday roast must. Set in quintessentially British traditional interiors, expect a similar vibe for the grub: roast pork belly and apple sauce, roast beef sirloin, and horseradish sauce, the cult classics. The best part? The roast is served all day.

Hero dish: The Yorkshire puds are top-notch.

Address: 1 Billing Rd, London SW10 9UJ

BOOK: thefoxandpheasant.com

Harwood Arms, Fulham

London’s first and only Michelin-starred pub, Fulham’s Harwood Arms knows quality. Big portions of perfectly cooked meat are the star of the show here: sumptuous seasonal specials like roast red legged partridge, beef rump with bone marrow and honeyed venison. But it’s not all about the meat – sides are lavish and cooked with flair. Think crispy beef-fat roasted potatoes, glazed parsnips and cauliflower cheese croquette, topped off with tasty bone marrow gravy. It’s a pricier option but definitely worth it.

Hero dish: It’s got to be the sirloin steak, with many, many trimmings.

Address: Walham Grove, London SW6 1QP

BOOK: harwoodarms.com

The Audley Public House, Mayfair

Long-standing Mayfair pub The Audley was revamped last year under the helm of Artafrm, the hospitality arm of Hauser & Wirth. The smart new venue features two spaces: a traditional British pub, The Audley Public House, alongside a more formal restaurant upstairs, Mount St. Restaurant. If it’s a roast you’re after, head to the former: a stylish and relaxed space decked out with an impressive collection of art – typical of Artfarm projects. You’ll be served a generous portion of premium quality beef, perfectly crispy and fluffy roasties, seasonal veg and a large Yorkshire pudding filled with some extra pulled beef inside. 

Hero dish: The cauliflower cheese side is pure buttery, crispy, cheesy joy.

Address: 41-43 Mount St, London W1K 2RX

BOOK: theaudleypublichouse.com

The Twenty Two, Mayfair

While part of Mayfair hotspot The Twenty Two is members’ only, the restaurant is open to all – and it’s well worth a visit to try the top-notch roast. Executive Chef Alan Christie has crafted a traditional Sunday lunch menu with high-quality ingredients, offering a choice of chicken, lamb or beef served with a Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese and seasonal vegetables. Pair with wines from the impressive list – and be sure to get a snap or two of the gorgeous interiors: think blue walls, velvet banquettes and brass chandeliers.

Hero dish: The beef gets our vote here.

Address: 22 Grosvenor Square, London W1K 6LF

BOOK: the22.london

Roast, Borough Market

This restaurant overlooking Borough Market is named after what it does best: a good old-fashioned roast with top-notch ingredients. This is the place to go if you don’t want to wait until Sunday – they have different roast meat and fish specials every day to keep things interesting. But the Sunday menu still reigns, with three courses for £39.50 per person including some of the best beef and Yorkshire puddings we’ve had.

Hero dish: The potatoes are perfectly cooked every time – try the cheese and truffle fries for a treat.

Address: The Floral Hall, Stoney St, London SE1 1TL

BOOK: roast-restaurant.com

Savoy Grill, Strand

If it’s glitz and old-school glamour you seek for your ultimate Sunday roast in London, check into the Savoy Grill for a lunch date to remember. You’ll be presented with the dish of the day on the silver trolley; Sunday means rib of Hereford beef and Yorkshire pudding. Allow the sommelier to recommend the perfect accompaniment to your meal and remember to start with bubbles – after all, this is not your everyday beef dinner.

Hero dish: Nothing polishes off a delicious roast dinner quite like sticky toffee pudding. As you’d expect, The Savoy’s take is absolute perfection.

Address: 100 Strand, London WC2R 0EZ

BOOK: gordonramsayrestaurants.com

Blacklock Soho

If you’re really hungry, subterranean Soho chop house is sure to satisfy. Nab one of the long sharing tables and go for the All-In option (£20 per person): a hefty sharing platter of beef, lamb, pork and all the trimmings. Sides include massive Yorkshire puddings, cauliflower cheese, crispy roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables and a large boat of gravy. Not one for the faint-hearted!

Hero dish: Being a chop house, it’s not surprising the succulent, medium-rare chops are the star of the show.

Address: 24 Great Windmill St, London W1D 7LG

BOOK: theblacklock.com

The Royal Oak, Marylebone

With former Duck & Waffle chef Dan Doherty at its helm, it’s no surprise Marylebone pub The Royal Oak serves up a stellar Sunday roast. For meat-eaters, offerings include a succulent seven-hour roast lamb shoulder, Hereford beef and free range chicken, and for veggies there’s a tasty stuffed roast pumpkin served with fig, chestnut and leek stuffing. All roasts come with huge Yorkshire puds, crispy roasties, green vegetables and roasted carrots, and the pub has a friendly, relaxed ambience – perfect for a cozy Sunday afternoon.

Hero dish: The beef.

Address: 74-76 York St, London W1H 1QN

BOOK: theroyaloakmarylebone.co.uk

The Spread Eagle, Homerton

Those wanting a roast with a less meaty twist can try The Spread Eagle in East London. This is the city’s first 100 per cent vegan pub, and the kitchen maintains a seasonal spin by working directly with foragers and local producers to bring a fresh (and minimal waste) menu to its clientele. Expect plant-based versions of your favourite British classics, like beet wellington and pot roast celeriac and potato crackling, alongside the usual trimmings of potatoes, roasted carrots, seasonal greens, Yorkshire puddings and gravy. Another bonus? Many of the items on the menu are also gluten free.

Hero dish: The walnut and cashew nut roast is a flavourful and tasty main dish that will make you forget your love of meat for one blissful moment.

Address: 224 Homerton High Street E9 6AS

BOOK: thespreadeaglelondon.co.uk

The Princess of Shoreditch, Shoreditch

The Princess of Shoreditch is nestled in a quiet side-street a stone’s throw from Old Street Station – allowing it to feel almost as though it were a cosy home county local, versus cosmopolitan gastro-pub set on the busy border separating Shoreditch and the City. The two-floors are light and airy (wall-to-wall windows allow sunshine to stream into this space), whilst the wooden floors, ceilings and features are tasteful echoes of the classic interiors of the traditional British pub. This is a perfect peaceful setting for ultimately a fantastic Sunday roast, both homely and elevated by Ruth Hansom’s impressive expertise as head chef.

The set lunch menu offers two or three courses – of which the roast is obviously the star of the show – but don’t miss out either on delectable starters and dessert. Starters particularly are light, like über-fresh Isle of Wight tomatoes accompanied by a more-ish combination of goats curd, honey and basil, and they won’t distract you from the main course of succulent black chicken, Yorkshire beef sirloins, salt-aged pork, nut-roast, or South Coast cod. Finish with dessert (if you can fit it in, and believe us, you’ll want to). Our choice is the fluffy strawberry soufflé with toast and earl grey ice cream, which is a fluffy delight to dip into.

It’s no wonder that this restaurant-pub boasts an impressive 3 AA Rosettes; it nails the basics by using top-quality and super seasonal local ingredients prepared really, really well. The Sunday menu offers a fresh take on the humble roast.

Hero dish: The date and pecan nut roast – which would turn the heads of even the most voracious omnivore with its sweet tang. Accompany with Yorkshire puddings roughly the size of your face.

Address: 76-78 Paul St, London EC2A 4NE

BOOK: theprincessofshoreditch.com

The Laundry, Brixton

The Laundry is a modern neighbourhood bistro and wine shop in the heart of Brixton with a menu that focuses on classical dishes, techniques and understated new-world flair applied to the very best British produce that regularly evolves with the seasons. Sunday roasts at The Laundry feature classic cuts, all served with roast potatoes, seasonal squash, minted peas, glazed carrots and gravy. The best part? You can get a free top-up of vegetables and gravy if you please. An array of sides are also available, including sautéed greens, little gem, pea and parmesan salad and cauliflower cheese with sage and truffle gratin. Enjoy the hearty meal all cosy on the covered and heated al fresco terrace, alongside espresso martinis and glasses of wine.

Hero dish: The free veg and gravy top up was a standout feature for us.

Address: 374 Coldharbour Lane Brixton, SW98PL

BOOK: thelaundrybrixton.com

Prince of Wales, Kennington

Arguably we don’t want to share this one as it’s such a hidden gem, but the Prince of Wales is how you’ll want to spend a slow Sunday. The pub is perched in the corner of the charming Cleaver Square, where you’ll find people passing the time playing petanque (the French game in which you roll heavy metal balls). As you’ll amble in, the interiors will give you a casual traditional pub, but with specks of some quite remarkable art: some stunning anonymous portrait paintings and Vienna’s turn of the century Egon Schiele prints. You won’t be disappointed with the roasts either: a 28-day aged roast beef sirloin (served with horseradish cream), and a personal favourite: slow-roasted pork belly, with apple sauce.

Hero dish: Say yes to the warm chocolate brownie.

Address: Cleaver Square, London SE11 4EA

BOOK: princeofwaleskennington.co.uk

The Sun Inn, Barnes

Barnes is one of London’s best kept secrets. You might be in zone three, but you’d hardly know it – this affluent ‘village’ sits just south of Hammersmith and enjoys a genuine community feel and leafy streets. It benefits from the kind of roast dinners you can’t typically find in town, too; The Sun Inn is one such answer to a countryside pub. Think roaring fires, comfy leather chairs, and the whole place sunken into the ground. Quintessential English cosiness. And make no mistakes, The Sun Inn is definitely a pub’s pub – there’s no fancy spin on your Sunday lunch, just the classics done exceptionally well. It’s particularly appealing to be served up a Yorkshire pud the size of your face – alongside your classic cuts of beef, lamb and chicken – and the team is super responsive on gravy top-ups.

Hero dish: The sharer. A bit of everything plus cutesy pigs in blankets and bacon-chestnut stuffing. All soaked in red wine jus.

Address: 7 Church Rd, Greater, London SW13 9HE

BOOK: thesuninnbarnes.co.uk

Bull & Gate, Kentish Town

Roasts are funny, aren’t they? While most dishes in a good restaurant are infinitely better than anything you could make at home, one always suspects with a roast that your mother might have done it better. Not here. At the Bull & Gate, the potatoes are fabulous, the Yorkshire puddings are tall and proud, the Limousin X beef (what a name!) is lovely, deathly rare in the middle, yet roughly charred on the outside.

Hero dish: The aforementioned beef is finished perfectly with homemade horseradish sauce.

Address: 389 Kentish Town Rd, London NW5 2TJ

BOOK: bullandgatenw5.co.uk

The Pig and Butcher, Islington

The Pig & Butcher is a well-kept secret of Islington locals, and it’s held its spot since the mid-1800s (but renovated much more recently than that with its handsome facade). Wondering where the name comes from? The fields surrounding the pub in days-long-past used to be occupied by farmers for their livestock, later to be sent to Smithfield’s Meat Market for sale – and with that heritage in mind, it today specialises in fantastic farm-to-table fare with an in-house butcher. For its Sunday roast, you can expect succulent cuts of rare breeds (from White Park cattle to Hebridean Lamb), locally sourced game, or a celeriac nut roast, all served with Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, greens, carrots and cauliflower cheese.

Hero dish: You can’t go wrong with the salt-aged Yorkshire sirloin.

Address: 80 Liverpool Rd, London N1 0QD

BOOK: thepigandbutcher.co.uk

1251, Islington

Chef James Cochran earned his stripes working at top establishments like The Ledbury and The Harwood Arms before setting up his own restaurant, 1251. Opened in Islington in 2018 – the same year Cochran won Great British Menu – 1251 is a reflection of its founder’s unique heritage: his parents are from the Caribbean and Glasgow, and he grew up by the sea in Kent. On Sundays the restaurant serves a sizeable roast which changes often, but could look something like: beef sirloin, beef dripping roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, chargrilled hispi cabbage and carrot puree. 

Hero dish: The beef dripping roast potatoes are to die for.

Address: 107 Upper St, London N1 1QN

BOOK: 1251.co.uk

The Red Lion & Sun, Highgate

The much-loved Red Lion & Sun was recently named the best gastropub in London, coming tenth in Estrella Damn’s 2023 top 50 list. A pub has sat on the site since the 16th century, though it has earned its food reputation more recently, offering rustic, modern British food. On Sundays there’s a sharing roast on offer, with meats sourced from Highgate Butchers – currently you can choose from steak, lamb, goose, suckling pig or Norfolk chicken. All are served with a hefty portion of trimmings for everyone to enjoy – just note you need to pre-order.

Hero dish: We’re going with the lamb, which is braised for seven hours.

Address: 25 North Rd, London N6 4BE

BOOK: theredlionandsun.com