The Smokehouse | Islington
Restaurant, British, $$$
Rooftop Seating at Vivo | © Ben Norum, Londonist.com
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The 10 Best Roast Dinners In London
It’s one of the most popular meals in London, yet we often complain that you can’t get it better than at home. Here is our pick of 10 of the very best Sunday roasts in the capital – they may even beat your mum’s, at a push.
Courtesy Sophie Davis
Housed in an old Victorian textile factory in Dalston, now home to Cell Studios, Jones & Sons aims to offer a haven for the more discerning Dalston diner. It’s a space to meet, eat, relax, and also have the odd drink, where the speciality is quality, well made British food. The roast is to die for. The meat roasts come with Yorkshire pudding, exquisite carrots and parsnips, and roast potatoes that are cooked to perfection. If you are feeling ravenous make sure you grab a side of macaroni cheese or cauliflower cheese. Finish off with a melt-in-the-middle souffle chocolate pudding and you’ll leave this incredible restaurant feeling truly satisfied. The perfect antidote to the inevitable post-Saturday night hangover, you can sit in Jones & Sons for hours, leaving full, content, and ready to take on Monday.
Jones and Sons, 23-27 Arcola Street, London E8 2DJ, UK, 020 7241 1211
Bistro Union has lovely high ceilings and chunky wooden furniture, flanked by a striking bar. The dish to try is the chicken roast, which has to be shared between two people. The chicken is surrounded by bread sauce and yummy veg. It’s poached and then oven-cooked so the meat is moist. If you’re extra hungry, order the chips.
Roast Dinner Courtesy of Crummbs
Hoxton Street’s Bacchus is now back with a new line of weekly Sunday pop-ups. If you’ve had a good roast at Bacchus before, rest assured that the chefs, ingredients, recipes, and staff are all much the same. If you haven’t, expect classy and carefully constructed roasts, generous portions, a cool crowd, and plenty of bloody Mary’s.
It’s hard to beat the traditional roast dinner your mum used to cook, but if anyone is going to get a roast dinner right in London it’s a restaurant specialising in barbequed meats. The roasts come in generous portions with Yorkshires, roast potatoes, veg, and gravy. Try the Suffolk pork belly or 28-day aged topside of beef as a splurge.
Beard To Tail, 77 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3BS, UK, 020 7729 2966
A lover of all things smoky, this pub really do BBQ roast well. The restaurant knows its way around a piece of meat, so you’re in safe hands whether you opt for one of the more traditional options such as the roast rib of beef, or something a little more adventurous such as the mutton chops with anchovies and parsley.
Chicken, beef, lamb, and pork are available every week at this local craft beer haunt, but they’re more special than they might sound. The meats here are cooked slowly in order for it to become part of the dish, a behemoth of flavour in a pool of gravy. The starters and sides are also one to watch out for, so dig in and loosen those jeans buttons.
Roast Dinner Courtesy of Quality Chop House
This 19th-century working man’s ‘eating house’ is revamped as a modern British dining room and wine bar and does the most incredible roast dinners. Opt for the six course game menu with roast grouse and its crispy leg, bread sauce, parfait, game chips, and dried onion.
The Albion | Nr Camden
Pub, British, $$$
Courtesy of Blues Kitchen
The Albion | Nr Camden
This beautiful homely pub will set apart any roast dinner you’ve ever had. The Albion is packed to the rafters every Sunday or if you visit any other day of the week and if there’s a big enough group, be sure to indulge in the table sharing whole roast suckling pig with trimmings. Its £350, but it might just be worth it.
The Albion, 29 Argyle Square, London, UK, 020 7837 0571
Courtesy of Blues Kitchen
Shoreditch Chefs at Blues Kitchen serve around 75 portions of their unlimited hog roast each Sunday. Pork from Great Garnett’s farm comes with creamed corn, BBQ pit beans, and slaw. This incredible idea is for those that need some indulgence and are ready to mix it up a bit with a variety of meats and sides. Don’t eat the day before, just so you can fill up.
On most Sundays, the option here is either beef or lamb, but don’t let the lack of choice deter you. The meat is delicious, and the roast potatoes are perfectly crisp on the outside, fluffy within. The Sunday special of three courses is £14.95 which for London and the quality of food, is a bargain.