Poetic license with specificity of location acknowledged just this once, it’s time to explore South London’s best roasts. Because let’s face it, on the Sabbath Day, when hangovers and Sunday Scaries loom and linger, it’s quite the treat to defer responsibility to the city’s best chefs for your favourite meal of the week.
Sunday roasts, the quintessential British celebratory feast, are best enjoyed in a traditional British pub, preferably in front of a roaring fire, with good British ale and even better friends. Although no roast will ever compare to your mum’s, if you live in South London, these 8 come pretty close.
Harwood Arms, Fulham
Served 12pm to 8:15pm
London’s only Michelin-starred pub has held its star since 2010, and for good reason. Co-founded by Brett Graham (owner of 3-Michelin starred The Ledbury) and Mike Robinson in 2009, and tucked away in Fulham’s backstreets, this isn’t your typical gastropub – though you’d be forgiven for thinking so at first glance.
The warm wooden interiors and unfussy British comfort create a cosy, countrified haven, while subtle touches like ostrich feather lampshades and a deer’s head on the wall hints at something rather special. In summer, strawberries and radishes grow on the rooftop, ready to supply fresh ingredients to the kitchen. The wine list is seriously impressive, ranging from English sparkling wines to Georgian reds and even the premium delights of a 1988 Bordeaux.
Head chef Joshua Cutress crafts a set Sunday menu showcasing seasonal British ingredients, with two courses at £64 or three at £79. Start with their legendary venison Scotch egg at £9 – an absolute must – or try the vegetarian Glamorgan version. The roast selection, served for two to share, features Belted Galloway sirloin (£7.50 supplement per person) with horseradish cream, or perhaps Iberian pork (from Graham’s own pigs) with apple sauce and crackling. Since this is a place famed for its game cookery, the smartest order might be the slow-cooked deer shoulder, wrapped in bacon and served with a punch perfect horseradish cream.
Each roast arrives with Yorkies, roast potatoes, baked carrots, cauliflower cheese and seasonal greens, just as it should be. Save room for their sophisticated desserts – the apple parfait with shortbread and hazelnuts was a triumph on a recent visit.
Book well ahead – this place fills up fast, especially for Sunday service.
Address: Walham Grove, Fulham, SW6 1QP
Website: harwoodarms.com
The Canton Arms, Stockwell
Served 12pm to 3:30pm
Since 2010, The Canton Arms has been a beacon of exceptional, ultra laidback pub dining under the guidance of Chef Patron Trish Hilferty and Charlie Bousfield. Part of a small independent group including the Anchor & Hope in Waterloo (more of them soon) and The Clarence Tavern in Stoke Newington, this pub has a particular claim to fame in the wet sales department – their house-made Vin d’Orange, crafted throughout the year but particularly special during the winter months when blood oranges and bitter Seville oranges are in season. It’s such a good drop, and one we return to time and time again.
While the front bar bustles with locals enjoying their real ales, the dining room serves up some of South London’s finest seasonal fare to folk who have made the journey especially. Their rare roast Dexter beef comes in at just short of £30, and is served with crisp roasties, green beans and watercress. But it’s their sharing dishes that truly shine – the pheasant and smoked ham pie for two costs £56, while their legendary seven-hour Salt Marsh lamb shoulder with potato and olive oil gratin (£130, feeds five) is worth gathering the troops for.
Don’t skip their starters – the brown crab and Westcombe cheddar tart is sublime, and the house cocktails deserve attention too, particularly the assertive Bloody Mary and their house-made Canton damson gin Negroni. You could, of course, order both…
Finally, Canton Arms desserts are a must. Their sticky toffee pudding served with clotted cream is a sticky, brooding affair that will leave you sated in body and soul – not exactly ready to take on the week ahead, but certainly soothed enough to find some relaxation in your Sunday evening.
Address: 177 S Lambeth Rd, SW8 1XP
Website: cantonarms.com
Read: 7 steps to the IDEAL roast beef Sunday lunch
The Camberwell Arms, Camberwell
Served 1pm to 5pm
Since 2014, this Victorian pub has been transformed into something rather special under Chef Director Mike Davies, who cut his teeth at the legendary Anchor & Hope (we keep promising: more of that place in a moment). While the decor remains understated – think stripped wooden floorboards that click-clack pleasingly under high heeled foot, and the occasional chalkboard to remind you where you are – the food speaks volumes.
Their individual roasts include a perfectly executed roast chicken with greens, pecorino crème fraiche and roast potatoes, pitched at a reasonable £24. The sharing options are when things get celebratory – try the roast pork with sandy carrots and burnt apple sauce at £54 for two, or the slow-roasted mutton with greens, mint and pinenut sauce at £56 for two (£72 for three). There’s also a laughably good sharing pie of beef, ale and bone marrow, if you fancy going just a little off piste with your Sunday lunch.
Either way, begin with a vermouth and soda, and their house charcuterie with quince and mustard, which as a duo will set you back £20. It’s a lovely, light way to start a meal that’s going to get very filling, very fast.
Address: 65 Camberwell Church St, Camberwell, SE5 8TR
Website: thecamberwellarms.co.uk
Read: 10 of London’s best gastropubs
The Anchor & Hope, Waterloo
Served 12pm to 3:15pm
Phew, we finally got there…
Established in 2003, this Waterloo institution sits conveniently close to The Young Vic Theatre. The oxblood walls and weathered wooden tables set the scene for what’s to come – skilled but unpretentious cooking that won’t break the bank. In the two decades since it first opened, reassuringly little has changed, making it a perfect pre- or post-theatre destination.
The atmosphere remains decidedly unfussy – wine is served in tumblers rather than traditional glasses, maintaining its proper pub credentials. Colourful artwork hanging on the walls by Aldous Eveleigh lends a modern edge. The drinks selection includes craft beer on tap from Brewpoint brewery, and wine by the glass starting at an eminently reasonable £4.75.
Anyway, we’re here for Sunday lunch, so let’s focus our attentions on that. The Anchor and Hope’s roast aged Swaledale beef rump at £35 is thoughtfully put together, blushing and generous, and arriving with gratin dauphinois (because it doesn’t always have to be roasties, right? RIGHT?), beetroot, watercress and horseradish.
The sharing plates are where the kitchen truly flexes its muscles. Or rather, rests its muscles while the oven does the hard work of slow cooking larger joints to giving, gutsy perfection. Try the suet-crusted Swaledale steak pie at £60 for two, or the seven-hour lamb shoulder with roots and gratin dauphinois (because who needs… Hang on; we’ve said that bit) at £74 for two.
The wild venison and hazelnut faggots with red wine, roots and ceps at offer something delightfully different. They’re served with mash. At this point, you realise there isn’t a single roast potato on the Anchor and Hope Sunday menu, but the food is so good, so handsome and so generously seasoned, that it doesn’t even bother you.
Address: 36 The Cut, Waterloo, SE1 8LP
Website: anchorandhopepub.co.uk
Roast, Borough Market
Served 11:45am to 6:30pm
True to its name, this Borough Market stalwart takes Sunday lunch seriously. Under Executive Chef Paul Shearing’s watchful eye, the Roast kitchen champions seasonal and sustainable ingredients via the medium of, erm, roasting, all with stunning market and St. Paul’s Cathedral views to boot.
Their 42-day aged Hereford beef comes in at £36.50, complete with a braised beef croquette, horseradish sauce and a viscous, glossy gravy. The Herdwick lamb saddle is the same price, and arrives with braised lamb shoulder and mint sauce, while the signature Saddleback pork belly at £30 includes all the trimmings plus pigs in blankets. Decisions, decisions…
For something truly special, their Shorthorn beef Wellington at £45 with truffle mash potato and madeira sauce is worth every penny. Vegetarians aren’t forgotten – there’s a nut roast that we’re assured is a satisfying thing. It’s paired with maple roast carrots, braised red cabbage, and tenderstem broccoli.
Don’t skip their truffled cauliflower cheese to share at £12 – it’s legendary. Don’t skip our full review of Roast, either.
Address: The Floral Hall, Stoney St, SE1 1TL
Website: roast-restaurant.com
The Laundry, Brixton
Served 1pm to 6pm
The striking red-brick Victorian building that houses The Laundry is a local landmark, with ‘SANITARY STEAM LAUNDRY’ still proudly emblazoned across its facade, promising an afternoon that’ll freshen you up rather than fuck you over. Which is kind of what you want from a leisurely Sunday lunch, don’t you think?
It’s a gorgeous, historical spot for a Sunday roast south of the river. The building served as a commercial laundry for 119 years before its thoughtful transformation, with many original features preserved, including art and books from its previous life.
Enough of the history lesson, if you can call it that, you’re here for the roast. The Laundry’s 28-day aged Hereford sirloin just tips the £30 scale, and comes with creamed horseradish and a flamboyantly risen Yorkshire pudding. The meat is served a perfect pink, with enough of a fat cap for real depth of flavour to be imparted. It’s superb.
Equally good is the rolled roast pork belly and its perky apple sauce, again £30. It boasts a crisp and crunchy border of crackling that would have local resident Jay Rayner getting a little hot and steamy under the collar. Vegetarians are well-served with a roast squash and sage tart that’s given intrigue via miso caramel chestnuts. At £24 it’s not cheap, but it’s a vast improvement on a half-baked nut roast.
The drinks selection is enough to have you pulling a sickie on Monday morning – their house cucumber-infused Margarita and a marmalade-fired Old Fashioned both slip down far too easily. For the abstainers, there’s local kombucha alongside creative non-alcoholic options like a Virgin Wasabi Mary.
All roasts arrive with exemplary roast potatoes, glazed carrots, minted peas and – crucially – bottomless gravy (we’ve tried to push our luck with this one, but the wait staff were unflappable in their generosity). Whatever you do, add on the macaroni cheese with cheddar and gruyère gratin for an extra tenner, then retire to their heated terrace for another of those sweet and citrusy marmalade Old Fashioneds.
Address: 374 Coldharbour Ln, SW9 8PL
Website: thelaundrybrixton.com
No. Fifty Cheyne, Chelsea
Served midday to 6pm
While technically just across the river, some things are worth walking on water for. This Chelsea gem serves up award-winning roasts under Executive Head Chef Iain Smith’s direction. Overlooking the Thames and Cheyne Gardens, with scenic views of Chelsea Embankment Gardens and the iconic Albert Bridge, No. Fifty has experience hosting royals and stars of the stage and screen, but that doesn’t mean the vibe is stifling or exclusive. Quite the opposite in fact; there’s a pleasing din to Sunday lunch service here, the mood buoyed and brightened by hanging foliage, plenty of natural light, and a bustling bar that overlooks the dining room.
Cumbrian chicken arrives succulent and golden, while the 42-day aged Hereford beef is a study in perfect timing, sliced thick and arriving a perfect pink. Their signature Saddleback pork belly brings with it crackling that shatters just so, but it’s the showstopping Shorthorn Beef Wellington that draws the most admiring glances from neighbouring tables, that pesky natural light spotlighting it a little too well. It’s a premium £45, but it’s worth every penny.
The drinks list impresses with an extensive range of spirits and cocktails – try their signature Cheyne Rose (vodka, rose liqueur, lychee juice, and egg white) at £9.50, or their Burnt Pear Old Fashioned at £10. As a digestif, the house limoncello is just the right side of bracing.
Dogs are welcome on leads – a proper Chelsea touch. Interestingly, these guys offer their roasts on Saturdays too.
Address: 50 Cheyne Walk, SW3 5LR
Website: fiftycheyne.co.uk
The Great Southern, Gipsy Hill
Served times not specified
This beautifully restored Victorian corner pub, a stone’s throw from Gipsy Hill station, puts a strong emphasis on well-executed roasts while keeping prices surprisingly reasonable for South London. The building, dating from the mid-1800s, has an intriguing past – in a former life, it was a boxing gym, and the pub takes its name from a steam (there’s that word again) train.
Serving their roasts from 12-8pm, The Great Southern offers both craft and classic options at the bar – think a nicely poured Guinness alongside rotating real ales and ciders. For the commuters among us, there’s even a live feed of train times from the nearby station to save you fumbling with your phone.
While perhaps less refined than some of the other roasts on our list, their Sunday offering is a bargain in this city and in this economy, including a choice of roast leg of lamb, roast chicken, or roast rump beef, all for under twenty quid. For the particularly hungry, their ‘mega roast’ at £21 offers a generous sampling of chicken, pork belly and beef on one plate. You know you want to…
That family-friendly pricing includes kids’ portions at £7.50, and the enormous beer garden makes this perfect for family Sunday lunches. You know what? We might just stay here a while…
Address: 79 Gipsy Hill, Norwood, SE19 1QH
Website: thegreatsouthernpub.co.uk
