Roasts with the most

For the king of Sunday lunches, the only place to head is The Lanesborough Grill, where antique trolleys and tableside carving will whisk you back to a time of old-fashioned decadence. Chef Shay Cooper has created a menu of unashamedly classic British dishes, from starters of Dorset crab cocktail or potted guinea fowl terrine to mains of roast sirloin of beef, roast salt marsh lamb, Dover sole, and beef Wellington, all prepared deftly at the table by immaculately dressed waiting staff for the ultimate Sunday experience. It’s £70 for three courses, but you’ll feel like a million dollars.

This swanky counter-focused restaurant doesn’t do Sunday roasts per se, but its meat-focused menu of rotisserie and grill dishes means it more than holds its own against the traditional roast lunch. Kick things off with a prawn cocktail before tucking into half a brined rotisserie chicken or one of its 35-day-aged steaks. With sides of dauphinoise or mash potato and Josper-grilled sprouting broccoli and you’ll not even notice the absence of roast potatoes or Yorkies.

Those looking for a traditional Sunday roast won’t find it at Heston’s two-Michelin starred restaurant, but instead they’ll get modern British dishes inspired by history that pack a similarly hearty punch. Starters include Heston’s signature meat fruit (mandarin chicken liver parfait) and crab salad while for mains you can tuck into a Hereford prime rib for two. Save room for dessert, because the tipsy cake with pineapples roasted in full view of the dining room is possibly the finest way to finish any blow-out meal in the capital.

Once upon a time, this beef and crustacean brand offered limited choice for diners beyond a burger, a lobster, and a lobster roll. Thankfully things have moved on and today its Harvey Nichols-based restaurant offers seafood lovers a wealth of additional options that include lobster croquettes, calamari, and a lobster thermidor salad, with venison and plant-based burgers also ringing the changes. If you’re thinking that this all sounds very decadent but what about the children, then worry not. B&L also serves a very decent kids menu that features pasta, fish and chips, a chicken burger, and salmon, mash and kale for mains and a banana split and even a cheese plate for dessert. The perfect Sunday lunch spot for the family? It could well be.

Steakhouse group Hawksmoor knows a thing or two about Sunday roasts, replicating the traditional method of roasting meats over an open fire for optimum results. The best way to experience its roasts is with its Sunday Feasting menu, where diners can choose from any of its blackboard sharing cuts and add trimmings such as cauliflower cheese, celeriac mash and sausage gravy, or try roasted bone marrow and onions (its Yorkshire puddings are also sublime). Don’t hang around though; Hawksmoor tends to sell out of cuts before the day is out, and for good reason.

A roast with all the trimmings is de rigueur for many come the end of the week but for some a lack of menu options on Sundays can be a deterrent to eating out. Enter The Restaurant at the Capital, which offers roast beef or roast lamb on Sundays alongside an international menu that includes the likes of whole chicken with harissa butter, seafood spaghetti, and salad bowls as well as vegetarian lamb koftas, and miso marinated aubergine for non-meat eaters. Reopened late last year after a full refurbishment, the restaurant’s bright interior, funky lighting and ornate patterned wallpaper create an informal dining vibe that befits the most important meal of the week.

A sympathetic refurbishment and a more muted colour palette has added a touch of finesse while breathing new life into this popular traditional pub. If you like your Yorkshire puds large, your roast beef rare and your roast potatoes expertly cooked in duck fat then look no further. If not, there are still plenty of other options to choose from, including haddock and chips, and a dry-aged burger as well as starters that include mushrooms on toast, and sticky chicken thighs. Children are well catered for, too, with mini roasts available for just £7.50.

Stefan Chomka is the editor of Restaurant magazine