There’s something real synonymous feeling about the traditional Sunday Roast and the Georgian city of Bath. In this storied, honey-hued city, there’s a sense of homeliness and heritage that chimes so well with the time-honoured tradition of eating fuck loads of meat with loved ones and drinking ‘till ruddy faced.
Whether you’re a student reluctantly receiving your parents for the day, a hungover rugby fan looking to refuel and forget last night’s misdemeanors, or a tourist looking to settle into one of Bath’s beautiful pubs for the afternoon, you’ve come to the right place for proper guidance. Here are the very best Sunday Roasts in Bath.
*Owing to the popularity of enjoying your Sunday Roast out in this corner of the UK, and because of the popularity of Bath with tourists, you’ll likely need to book in advance for all of the pubs and restaurants on our list.*
Chequers, Rivers Street
Chequers has long been a bastion of British hospitality in Bath, boasting a history that stretches back to 1776. Sitting pretty on resdiential Rivers Street and just a short stroll from the Royal Crescent and the Circus, this gastropub serves up a Sunday Roast that is deeply rooted in tradition yet feels refreshingly modern. With its cosy ambiance focused around a welcoming central bar that’s the beating heart of the dining room, and replete with wooden beams and open fires, it provides the quintessential setting within the quintessential city to enjoy a roast dinner.
With a Michelin Bib Gourmand plaque proudly nailed to the entrance and regularly named as the best Sunday lunch/roast dinner in Bath, the chefs at Chequers take immense pride in their craftsmanship. Their roast beef is sourced from prime Hereford herds and aged to perfection, the chicken has roamed freely in nearby Castlemead, and the pork belly comes from the esteemed Middle White. Each hits the table with carefully curated accompaniments to bring out their best side – horseradish and watercress, celeriac remoulade, and baked apple compote, respectively, if you’re asking.
The catch-all trimmings are a league apart – think fluffy, crisp duck fat roast potatoes, and lovingly prepared, seasonal veg that retains just the right amount of crunch.
The pièce de résistance is unquestionably their signature Yorkshire pudding, a glorious golden dome that is the epitome of comfort food. Homemade gravy with a depth of flavour extracted from, you know, actual bones rather than gravy granules, seals the deal. You’ll want to request refills of this one…
The Sunday Roast at Chequers runs from midday until 8pm, with the roast beef and trimmings priced at £24.
Website: chequersbath.net
Address: 50 Rivers St, Bath BA1 2QA
Hare & Hounds, Lansdown Road
Just outside Bath city centre lies the Hare & Hounds, a gem of a pub with a prime position on high (well, at the top of Lansdown Road) with breathtaking views of Bath’s surrounding countryside and down to the city itself. The two mile trek to the pub – all uphill – takes around an hour and represents the perfect excuse to build up an appetite for the H&H’s Sunday Roast (not before one of their famous lamb scotch eggs, mind).
A lavish affair of the usual suspects, plus an apricot and chestnut roast for the vegans in the group, the roasted pork loin is particularly good here, replete with a sheet of puffed, bubbling crackling that’s just about as good as it gets. The appearance of cauliflower cheese, blistered and burnished on top and silky beneath, helps further the case for this being one of Bath’s very best Sunday Roasts.
But really, it’s the views that seal the deal here. The dining room has massive windows that bathe the space in natural light during that Sunday lunch slot, sure, but when the weather is kind, there’s no better place to dine al fresco than the Hare & Hound’s terrace, admiring the Somerset landscape and rewarding yourself with another cloudy cider for the road. You did earn this one, after all.
This one runs from midday until 10pm. The roast pork and accompaniments is priced at £18.50.
Website: hareandhoundsbath.com
Address: Lansdown Rd, Bath BA1 5TJ
The Marlborough Tavern, Marlborough Buildings
Back in town and over by the picturesque Royal Victoria Park, The Marlborough Tavern has long been one of Bath’s most cherished pubs, with a history dating back over 200 years and a frontage of fading Bath stone to prove it. The fact that it does excellent pub food is just a bonus!
With its two AA rosettes and inclusion in the Michelin Guide, you can expect a mighty fine roast dinner here, all in warming, welcoming pub surroundings – thick blond wood table, brown leather banquettes, the lowkey hum of locals popping in for a frothy pint…the works.
It’s a laid back atmosphere that somewhat belies the quality of the cooking coming out of the Marlborough Tavern kitchen, the roast beef rump arriving blushing pink – to make the boys wink – and beautifully marbled. It’s served with seasonal vegetables, naturally, and a red wine gravy that’s luscious and glossy, the product of a well managed reduction rather than a gacky roux. It coats that beef rump and its accompanying roasties just right. Regardless, you’ll want an additional side of the truffle and parmesan fries, muttering “double carbs” by way of an excuse/acknowledgement, if you wish.
For the vegetarians, the sweet potato, spinach and mushroom is much more than a mere afterthought; it’s a perfectly formed puck of crisp pastry and well-balanced, just giving vegetables. A vegetarian version of the gravy is just what you need to slather all over it.
In summer, there’s plenty of pleasant outdoor seating to settle into, if you can get over the idea of eating a Sunday Roast in the sun, you sick sort.
The roast dinner at the Marlborough Tavern is served from midday until 8pm, with the beef priced at £23.
Website: marlborough-tavern.com
Address: 35 Marlborough Buildings, Bath BA1 2LY
The Elder/Brasserie Beau, South Parade
Set against the backdrop of Bath’s historical charm, and slap bang in the centre of this handsome city, The Elder offers a Sunday Roast experience that tastefully intertwines traditional British cuisine with modern gastronomic finesse. Located within the charismatic walls of the Indigo Hotel, the establishment prides itself on championing local produce and nose-to-tail eating – expect dishes featuring high-quality, locally-sourced meats, where every cut is given the respect it deserves.
All of this should come as no surprise with a chef/owner of Mike Robinson’s pedigree behind operations. Co-owner of the acclaimed Harwood Arms in Fulham, London’s first and only Michelin-starred pub, which has set a benchmark for excellence in serving British game and wild food, as well as being the man behind the excellent Woodsman in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Robinson knows a thing or two about meat cookery.
No wonder the roast dinner at the Elder is held in such high acclaim, then. Served in the restaurant’s adjacent Brasserie Beau, it’s a refined affair, priced at £28 for slow roast sirloin with all the trimmings, but this premium reflects the calibre of the produce, make no mistake. Robinson’s signature touch is perhaps most evident in the starters, with a wild boar scotch egg a dish very much on brand. Don’t worry if you think things are getting too ‘cheffy’ – roast spuds and seasonal vegetables are part of the main spread here.
While indulging in this feast in a dining room of soothing racing greens, classic Chesterfield leathers and paintings of hunting scenes (what else?), you can’t help but admire how The Elder seamlessly merges Bath’s genteel heritage with modern-day culinary excellence. It’s a dining room you won’t want to leave.
Oh, but before you do leave we should mention that The Elder simply isn’t a place where you skip dessert. The pastry team have a superb touch, with the sweet stuff delivered with true finesse. Though the restaurant’s incredible souffles aren’t part of the menu (a travesty) since the roasts were moved over to the brasserie, there’s still plenty to enjoy. A tarte tatin was an exemplary version of a classic. The whole restaurant inspires this kind of confidence, quite honestly.
The Elder’s Sunday Roast runs from 12.30pm until 3.30pm and 6pm until 9pm. The beef is priced at £28, with all the trimmings included.
Website: brasseriebeau.co.uk
Address: 2-8 S Parade, Bath BA2 4AB
Walcot House, Walcot Street
Though we think it’s something of a push to call Walcot Street ‘Bath’s Artisan Quarter’, there are a couple of murals up along the drag, as well as some more interesting charity shops and a flea market, so we’ll give them that. It’s all relative, after all…
Anyway, on Walcot Street you’ll find a damn good Sunday Roast over at Walcot House, a sprawling, multipurpose venue where chic decor meets industrial elegance, forming the backdrop for a leisurely meal that could easily stretch out for hours.
So, stretch it out; a starter of rock oysters with a wellmade Bloody Mary kicks things off perfectly, and dusts off that hangover that the majority of diners are seemingly suffering from.
Yep, this is one you feel comfortable lingering over as you order that second bottle, the vibe unhurried and the clientele getting progressively looser. On the plate, prime cuts of locally-sourced meats with their rightful relishes (horseradish, mint salsa verde, apple sauce…you know the drill), a parade of organic vegetables, and lashings of homemade gravy (which comes in its own jug – rejoice!), are all executed with aplomb. There are also a couple of larger sharing beefs to luxuriate over if you’re coming with a stacked, spendthrifty squad. The dry-aged chateaubriand with bearnaise is a real treat and, frankly, what Sundays are made for. And yes, that was us gnawing on the bone like a caveman last weekend.
For something lighter, pescatarians (or, you know, just people who fancy a change) are well catered for at Walcot House, with the ray wing and Cafe de Paris butter – a menu item that seems to be everywhere right now – on the list for next time.
Now, how about that third bottle? Actually, the oddly fussy House Rules strictly prohibit ‘continuing drinking’. Perhaps it’s on to the next one…
The Sunday Roast here at Walcot House is served from midday until 4pm, with roast prices ranging from £20 to £27.
Website: walcothousebath.com
Address: 90B Walcot St, Bath BA1 5BG
Beckford Canteen, Bartlett Street
A recent addition to Bath’s culinary scene that’s had several national restaurant critics cooing, Beckford Canteen’s light and bright dining room provides the ideal setting for a laid back but refined Sunday Roast.
Don’t be put off by the proasic-sounding menu here (Who needs flowery descriptions of roast dinners, anyway? Except perhaps you, if you’ve gotten this far through our article), as what matters is what’s on the plate, and at the Beckford Canteen, it’s carefully sourced (and sauced), carefully roasted chicken breast, pork belly and beef sirloin.
The real point of difference of the Sunday Roast here are the – purists, look away – confit potatoes, these lovely, layered things that have been cooked low and slow in duck fat before getting a final crisping up in the pan. A real labour of love, they’re as good as the iconic Quality Chop House version, if not better. There are few better bites in the city than these when positively bathed in the excellent Beckford Canteen gravy.
For a further point of difference in a roundup that’s getting dangerously repetitive, why not end with the cheeseboard, composed of local cheeses? The piquant, crystal-heavy Montgomery Cheddar is particularly good.
Owing to the restaurant’s relationship with the excellent Bottle Shop up the road, the winelist here is a real treat.
Beckford Canteen’s Sunday Roast is served from midday to 6pm, with the roast beef clocking in at £29.
Website: beckfordcanteen.com
Address: 11-12 Bartlett St, Bath BA1 2QZ
Newton Farm Foods, Newton St Loe
Just a 10-minute drive from the city centre lies Newton Farm Foods, a family-run gem that perfectly embodies the farm-to-fork ethos that makes a British Sunday roast so special. To be enjoying that ethos actually sitting on a, you know, farm, certainly adds to the experience…
Set on the picturesque Duchy of Cornwall Estate (hey, perhaps the King could provide some sausages for brekky from his own digits), this fourth-generation working farm offers a dining experience that connects you directly with the source of your Sunday lunch – quite literally, as you can spot their South Devon, Aberdeen Angus and Hereford cattle grazing in the surrounding fields.
The Sunday roast here is served in The Parlour, their licensed café space that manages to strike that sweet spot between rustic charm and contemporary comfort. Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the space with natural light and offer sweeping views across the Duchy Estate’s rolling countryside – proper Somerset pastoral scenes that make you feel like you’re starring in your own BBC period drama.
The meat is, unsurprisingly, the star of the show here. The rare roast rump of Newton beef comes from cattle that have spent their entire lives grazing these very pastures, raised with regenerative farming practices that not only talk the talk, but trot the trot and taste the taste, too. For the indecisive (or the simply greedy), the Combi Roast offers both the beef and their slow-roasted pork belly – the latter being a particular triumph with its perfectly crisp crackling.
All roasts come with the full array of trimmings: properly crispy roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings that look like they’ve been inflated with a bicycle pump (in the best possible way), seasonal vegetables including a rather lovely carrot and parsnip mash, and braised red cabbage that adds just the right amount of sweet-sharp contrast. The cauliflower cheese, available as a side, is worth the supplementary spend – it arrives blistered and bubbling, exactly as it should be.
For those seeking alternatives to the traditional meat options, their handmade nut roast shows the same care and attention as its meaty counterparts, while the roast fillet of cod with mussel and samphire cream offers a delicate Sunday lunch alternative.
Booking is essential here – the combination of field-to-fork credentials, generous portions, and that wholesome, family-farm atmosphere makes this a popular spot with both Bath locals looking for the briefest escape from a city that very rarely feels like it needs escaping. Pro tip: leave room for dessert – everything’s made in-house and the pastry chef clearly knows their way around a pudding.
The roast dinner at Newton Farm Foods runs from midday until 3:30pm, with the roast beef priced at £20.95. The Combi is £24.95.
Website: newtonfarmfoods.co.uk
Address: Newton St Loe, Bath BA2 9BT
The Salamander, John Street
Located just a Bath stone’s throw from the historic Abbey and the Roman Baths, The Salamander could easily be dubbed the quintessential Bath pub, with a style that’s quirky and idiosyncratic but traditional all at the same time, a line-up of local ciders that you’d need a packet of Omeprazole to take down, and, of course, a fine Sunday Roast.
Here, you’ll find slow-roasted topside of Hereford beef, braised pork belly, a vegan nut roast, sure, but you’ll also find a rare outing for roast lamb, seemingly less popular on the menus of Bath’s best Sunday Roasts than the Big Three. At The Salamander, it’s a shoulder, studded with rosemary and garlic and roasted for 12 hours until silky and giving. In terms of trimmings, cumin roasted beetroot is something of an outlier, but a welcome one at that.
A simple dessert of affogato (two scoops here!) picks you up, dusts you off, and helps you out the door.
This one runs from midday to 6:30pm, and clocks in at £21.95 for a slow roast lamb shoulder.
Website: salamanderbath.co.uk
Address: 3 John St, Bath BA1 2JL
The Bear Inn, Wellsway
We end on a roast that’s a little out of town but worth the walk to enjoy. Climb the hill behind Bath Spa station and seek out The Bear Inn, a stylish community pub with a 250-plus history that knows its way around a roast dinner.
Their private dining space is perfect for gatherings, and for sports fans, there’s Sky Sports to catch the games. The roasts here – chicken (complete with pigs in blankets!), beef, porchetta, or vegan wellington – are served with all the trimmings, including Yorkshire pudding (except for the vegan option), making it a feast fit for those who have made the 20 minute walk into more rural Bath.
And hey, if you want to imagine that Carmy has cooked your Sunday lunch for you, then please do; we’re already doing the same thing!
The Sunday Roast at The Bear Inn runs until 7:45pm, and starts at £19.
Website: bearinnbath.com
Address: 8 Wellsway, Bath BA2 4RR
Cursory mentions of nut roasts and sweet potato wellingtons be damned! Plant-based eaters, we haven’t forgotten about you. Instead, here’s a handy guide to the best vegetarian food in Bath. For all those in a meat coma, you might find relief there, too.
