What better way to treat your dear ol’ dad this Father’s Day than taking him out for Sunday lunch with all the trimmings? We’ve rounded up some of the best places across the UK to get a roast on 21 June, according to our 2015 survey. From the traditional beef and yorkies to quirky pop-ups and Chinese roast duck to dim sum, we’ve got it covered…
For a no-expense-spared affair…
If only all hotel makeovers were as successful as the rejuvenation of this “spacious” Belgravia dining room – “a high quality traditional experience”, now offering what fans say is “the best roast beef in London”, albeit at “huge” cost.
“A taste of tradition and class”; this huge, historic coaching inn is just the sort of place to seek out for “good roasts” and an “old-fashioned dessert trolley” too, although the “lively” (much cheaper) Garden Room is often preferred to the more sedate main dining room.
Hawksmoor (London and Manchester)
It may be expensive for dinner but go for Sunday lunch and it’s a comparatively reasonable £19.50 a head for slow-roast beef rump with all the trimmings. “Absurdly juicy” steaks and “first-class cocktails” underpin huge acclaim for Huw Gott & Will Beckett’s “casual and laid-back” temples to meat; even fans admit prices are “eye-watering”, though, and ratings are beginning to fall some way behind those of its main rival, Goodman.
“Class personified”; this “very grown-up” dining room, in a “luxurious” family-run hotel near Victoria, is perhaps the last redoubt of “classically English” virtues – its “superb” staff dish up such “safe” staples as “perfect” breakfasts, “unbeatable” beef Wellington and, obviously, the “best ever afternoon tea”.
For proper country pub dining…
This “cheerful and relaxed” old coaching inn, the Yorkshire outpost of the Ribble Valley Inns chain, is known for its “well-sourced local produce” (helping make it an ideal location for “one of the best Sunday roasts in the area”).
“A highly enjoyable country gastropub where Paul Bloxham’s food is always a delight” – the consistency of upbeat reports this place inspires is truly impressive; “sumptuous Sunday lunches” a highlight.
The Hammer & Pincers, Loughborough
“Great food, good-value set menu, best Sunday lunch in the area…” – such are the plusses fans see in the family-run beamed restaurant, in the village of Wymeswold, which almost invariably inspires positive reports.
Hand at Llanarmonn, Llanarmonn DC
“Well worth a journey from the NW for Sunday lunch” – a cheerful pub-cum-restaurant recommended for its all-round standards.
The Five Bells Inn, Clyst Hydon
The sort of place that’s “brilliant for a Sunday lunch”, this 16th-century village inn is tipped as “the best place in the area”; don’t miss the “perfect” Scotch eggs!
“Reliable quality” is the gist of pretty much all feedback on this “capable” and “good-value” village inn – sibling to the better-known Old Bridge in Huntingdon; Sunday lunch is a highlight.
For offbeat Sunday fun…
An offshoot of the recently closed Bacchus Pub & Kitchen (just down the road), this weekly residency is (you guessed it) a Sunday only affair serving up traditional English roasts.
From the folks behind Sunday Roast specialists Bacchus Sundays comes this neighbourhood restaurant aiming to be a ‘home away from home’ for east Londoners; serving British food, roasts and classic cocktails.
A Limehouse relic majoring in fish ’n’ chips and Sunday roast – no culinary haunt this, but fans insist that’s “not an issue for a 500-year-old pub in a famous street, on the bank of the Thames”.
For a reliable roast…
“It’s worth braving the crowds” to visit this Kentish Town marvel, which is “uncontested” as north London’s top gastropub; “it just gets everything right”, not least the “creative” comfort food and “fabulous selection of ales”.
“Modern but hearty” cuisine, with the meaty emphasis the name suggests, has helped make this Islington gastroboozer quite a hit; “fabulous Sunday lunches” a highlight.
A popular gastropub that spans the range from “casual eats” – “ideal if you’re going to a movie at the Phoenix in East Finchley” – to an “excellent Sunday lunch”.
“A solid clientele of male pint-drinkers” only adds to the “classic friendly local atmosphere” of this Hammersmith backstreet boozer; “Sunday roast (book) is a highlight” of the “solid” and “uncomplicated” pub grub.
The Canbury Arms, Kingston upon Thames
“A really good gastropub without the pretentions”, where culinary highlights range from “fantastic-value” tapas-style dishes to highly recommended Sunday roasts.
The Three Tuns, Henley on Thames
Handily located in the heart of the town, a pub tipped for its “very high quality food” – “great for a family Sunday lunch”.
A “great gastropub” whose real ales, Sunday roasts and so on are “very popular”; by local standards, though, it can seem “a wee bit expensive”.
For Sunday lunch with a twist…
“Unbelievable” roast duck is the special attraction of these “down-at-heel” diners in Bayswater and Chinatown; “curt service and a complete lack of ambience” are all part of the package.
The ever-expanding chain of tapas joints brings a new Spanish dining concept to Soho – ‘asador’ – the tradition of roasting suckling pigs and lamb in wood fired ovens.
“A great favourite of Chinese students and restaurateurs”; this Longsight Chinese is particularly sought out for dim sum on Sundays, when this is a particularly “family-friendly” destination.
The “area’s top Indian” offers “original” dishes with a “real range of flavour”, in a “cosy” beamed cottage that seems “even better after a recent interior revamp”; the Sunday buffet is “a winner” too.
