Best roasts in London: Sunday lunch sorted

Fire-scorched meats are the speciality at cosy north London pub Smokehouse Islington – and the Sunday roast menu offers the best showcase. A short menu of seasonal, intricately compiled starters precedes the main event, which if you’re lucky, may include falling-off-the-bone smoked lamb knuckle for two; 30-day dry-aged Hereford striploin; and a veggie-friendly lentil and buckwheat slice, all of which come with maple-drizzled carrots, roast potatoes, cauliflower purée and a giant Yorkshire pudding.

Save room for dessert (the chocolate delice with hazelnuts and vanilla ice cream was the perfect finisher on our visit) and do take your time over the impressive beer list: 20 on tap and a further 60 in the bottle. There are wines too, sourced exclusively from family-owned vineyards, and a rustic bloody mary to take the edge off the Sunday blues. The atmosphere here is second to none: book well in advance for a late lunch and see the pub go from day to night, with candles lit and fairy lights beginning to twinkle as it grows darker.

Where: 63-69 Canonbury Road, London N1 2DG
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Back in pre-pandemic times, securing a table for Sunday lunch at unassuming-looking Stockwell pub the Canton Arms was an operation which required serious levels of planning and the majority of your party turning up pre-noon. With no advance booking, a queue of eager diners could be seen hovering outside the pub in the morning, hoping to secure a spot. So it’s a triumph, for those of us who savour a Sunday lie-in, that the pub has started taking bookings. Experimental small plates, hearty pies and sharing stew-pans of mouthwatering specials are a must here. A five-person feast of salt-marsh lamb shoulder, potato and olive oil gratin sounds especially appealing. Kick it all off with a seasonal, shrub-infused glass of fizz and do leave room for dessert: dark ale sponge with butterscotch, anyone?

Where: 177 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1XP
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With its high ceilings, sweeping windows and shabby-chic furnishings, The Culpeper is certainly one of the most picturesque pubs in London. It also serves one of the best Sunday roasts. Here, starters are not to be missed: fish croquettes with parsley mayonnaise for dunking and a plate of burrata with poached figs drizzled in walnut oil sound especially enticing. The mains are a cut above classic roast fare too: bavette steak comes with pommes anna served with vegetables and herbs grown on The Culpeper’s roof, while vegetarians are catered for generously with a mushroom, spinach, goat’s cheese and onion wellington. Oh, and do leave room to try the white chocolate brownie, served with lime cream and pistachio.

Where: 40 Commercial Street, London E1 6LP
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A sibling of the Canton Arms (see above) and the Hope and Anchor (see below), it’s no wonder that relative newbie The Clarence Tavern has shot straight onto our list of the best Sunday lunches in London, despite only opening in 2020 (and spending most of its first year closed because of the lockdowns). The team behind it know how to make a classic British tradition innovative, exciting and more tasty than virtually anywhere. The singular menu of dishes, which works its way up in size and price, contains a stunning crop of earth-to-table small plates, including spiced beetroots, herb tahini and hazelnuts, and more indulgent but equally seasonal cauliflower cheese croquettes with caper and raisin. Do order a couple, but don’t fill up on them, because mains including onglet; braised duck leg; chicken, bacon and leek pie; and slow-cooked lamb with gratin dauphinois are what you’re really here for. This is pub fodder at its best.

Where: 102 Stoke Newington Church Street, London N16 0LA
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Deep in the basement of what was once a Shoreditch brothel, Blacklock Shoreditch is serving up one of the best roasts in the city. This unfussy joint prizes taste over the rest: towering communal plates come laden with a jumble of Yorkshire puds, duck-fat roasted spuds, seasonal veg and your choice of aged beef rump, lamb leg, pork loin or celeriac. Thrillingly for foodies and the indecisive, those dining as a large group can tuck into a platter of all of the above.

Where: 24 Great Windmill Street, London W1D 7LG
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Where better to hunker down for a roast after a crisp walk in Clissold Park than Stokey favourite, Lady Mildmay? Perched on the corner of Newington Green, this deceptively sized pub with a spacious back room ordinarily specialises in Mediterranean cuisine, but on Sundays, it’s all about the short, stellar roast menu. Rump of beef, spring chicken and an equally considered veggie option of a mushroom stuffed with almond ricotta and spinach have all featured in the past – and as much attention is paid to the sides: all plates come with Yorkshire puds, roasties, red cabbage, root veg mash and kale.

Check the pub’s Instagram page if you want to take a peek at what’s on the board ahead of your visit (and book in advance or arrive early to be sure to nab a table).

Where: 92 Mildmay Park, London N1 4PR
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Tucked away on a sleepy Shoreditch back street, The Princess of Shoreditch is unlikely to pick up passers-by, but it's considered a gem by the in-the-know crowd, who hold its Sunday roast in high esteem. The menu is broken into three courses – be careful, those starters are hearty and ultimately not as interesting as the desserts, so do leave room. Mains include hake en croute: thick chunks of fish and a light scattering of greens nestled inside thick soft pastry, shaped charmingly like a fish. Another highlight is the 48 day-aged sirloin: three generous slices of beef, served with an equally generous Yorkshire pud. All roasts come served with crisp and fatty roast potatoes, and buttery seasonal vegetables. As for dessert, the sticky toffee pudding served in a moat of treacly sauce with a scoop of honeycomb ice cream is one of the most delicious you’ll find in London.

Where: 76-78 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NE
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With its elegant decor, buzzy atmosphere and, crucially, tip-top roasts, Sunday lunch at neighbourhood pub The Drapers Arms is always a treat. To make the most of the menu here, come with like-minded diners and be prepared to share: the best dishes serve tables of two, three or four, and include slow-cooked lamb shoulder, roast forerib of beef and roast duck magret, all of which come with roasties, carrots and greens. There’s a meat-heavy selection of starters too – braised oxtail with bone-marrow toast and pickle salad sets the tone – and less interesting but no less pleasant desserts (vanilla cheesecake, profiteroles etc). If the weather is in your favour, walk off the feasting with a stroll along the nearby slice of tranquility that is the New River Path.

Where: 44 Barnsbury Street, London N1 1ER
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Marksman in Hackney comes from serious pedigree: its chef proprietors Tom Harris and Jon Rotheram are both formerly of Michelin-starred St John, and since taking on the establishment back in 2015, they’ve earned it a Michelin Pub of the Year award. While the food here is second to none any day of the week, the Sunday lunch menu is a chance to sample what Harris and Rotheram do best: hearty British fare with superstar enhancements. Do opt for the full three courses, which may or may not include cured chalk-stream trout served with dill mustard and a rye cracker; roast mallard with damson jelly and bread sauce; and a show-stopping brown butter and honey tart for dessert.

Where: 254 Hackney Road, London E2 7SJ
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Those paying close attention will recall we mentioned there was a third London sibling to Stockwell’s Canton Arms and Stokey’s Clarence Tavern. Meet the Anchor and Hope, the group’s Waterloo outpost – ideal for those who don’t want to head too far north or south for a gourmet Sunday lunch. Potted shrimps; chicken, foie gras and prosciutto terrine; grilled dover soles; and suet-crusted Swaledale steak pie are among the menu highlights here, but there are more traditional cuts of meat, too. Do leave room for the relatively lengthy dessert menu, which may include a hot chocolate pot; a brioche and marmalade butter pudding; and stem ginger ice cream.

Where: 36 The Cut, London SE1 8LP
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If, for some reason, you didn't feel like spending your whole day in Roast's splendiferously windowed dining room you can grab some to go. The takeout menu includes sandwiches and Scotch eggs. But the set sit-in Sunday lunch menu is even more appealing: lamb shoulder, sea trout and sirloin of Hereford beef are all available, as is a Sunday roast tasting menu with dishes ranging from oysters to pork belly.

Where: The Floral Hall, Stoney Street, London SE1 1TL
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Stellar restaurant group JKS, the sibling-run dream-team behind the likes of Bao, Hoppers, Gymkhana and Sabor, have turned their attention to the great British pub this year, stepping in to run revamped watering holes The George in Fitzrovia (pictured left) and The Cadogan Arms in Chelsea (right). Both have been welcomed by rave reviews, but this marks their first autumn – aka, time to show us what they can do with a traditional Sunday lunch. If you've been everywhere else on this list and are determined to discover a Hot New Roast, or are bemoaning the fact we haven't profiled more west London pubs on this list, then be brave, be bold and be among the first diners to sample what they've got. With acclaimed chefs James Knappett (Kitchen Table) and Alex Harper (The Ledbury and several other Michelin-starred restaurants) in charge of the menus at both pubs, we're expecting big, scrummy things.