Best Sunday Roasts in Shoreditch

This one’s for you, East Londoners. There may not be too many pinstriped city gents striding across bridges with bowler hats and umbrellas these days, nor cheeky Cockneys having a knees-up round the old Joanna, but there’s one British tradition we can help you find; the best Sunday roasts in Shoreditch (or within a very short pre-or post-prandial Sunday stroll).

When narrowing down the list, I set myself some rules. First, there simply must be roast potatoes; I love good mashed potatoes, but they’ve got absolutely no place on a Sunday roast. Second, there must be the option of Yorkshire pudding – at least with the beef – because it’s iconic, as well as delicious. And third, the price should be no more than about £25.00 and must include all the sides, because this is what makes a Sunday roast such great value for money – and a perfect Cheapo weekend treat.

The Jugged Hare

The restaurant here specialises in game, so make a note of this one if you are a fan.
Meats: Somerset free range chicken; Tamworth pork belly; 45-day aged Longhorn beef rump
Sides: Duck fat roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, seasonal vegetables, gravy
Vegetarian option: Yes
Price: £26.00 (£19.00 for vegetarian)

The Princess of Shoreditch

I’ve bent my own rules somewhat for this one. It is slightly more expensive but is a set two- or three-course lunch, so you get at least one additional course; also the Head Chef is Ruth Hansom of Great British Menu fame, so foodie points came into play.

Meats: Stuffed Norfolk Black chicken; Yorkshire Dales sirloin of beef; salt-aged pork belly
Sides: Roast meats are served ‘properly garnished’, which on my visit included roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, seasonal vegetables, sauce and gravy
Vegetarian option: Yes
Price: Two courses for £32.00, three courses for £39.00

Cheapo tip: If you’re visiting London and have never had Yorkshire pudding, please try it. It’s not pudding in the normal sense – it’s actually savoury and the same recipe as pancake/crêpe batter, so doesn’t have a strong flavour. Cooked in very hot fat in the oven it should puff up gloriously crisp and golden and is fabulous smothered in gravy.

The Angel

This traditional pub also serves up slow-cooked pork belly but serves it with a black pudding bon bon, buttered green beans, apple butter, cider sauce – and mustard mashed potato. See the rules above – where are my roasties?

Meats: 21-day aged sirloin of beef; chicken with stuffing and pigs in blankets; three meats to share
Sides: Thyme-roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, buttered Savoy cabbage, leeks, peas & roasted root vegetables, red wine jus
Vegetarian option: Yes\
Price: £15.00–£17.50 £35.00 for two for the sharing selection (£14.00 for vegetarian)

For the uninitiated, each roast meat has a traditional sauce accompaniment: bread sauce and/or cranberry sauce for chicken and turkey (although these are most often kept for the Christmas turkey), horseradish sauce for beef, apple sauce for pork and mint sauce for lamb.

The Culpeper

This lovely pub is in a beautiful old building with a rooftop restaurant/terrace where they grow herbs and vegetables for the kitchen. Don’t miss it – you can even ask them about volunteering in the garden or attending their next classes. I’m bending the rules again and allowing the Pommes Anna as it has the required golden crispy edges and that essential crunch.

Meats: Chicken with roast potatoes; topside of beef with Pommes Anna
Sides: Yorkshire pudding, honey-glazed carrots, cauliflower, greens, gravy and sauce
Vegetarian option: Yes
Price: £18.50–£20.00 (£15.50 for vegetarian)

Hawksmoor Spitalfields

Hawksmoor is home to the best steak in London and this was their first restaurant; happily, now there are several across London, spreading the joy. As you would expect, the Sunday roast is epic. Beef is the only option, but why would you order anything else?

Meats: Slow-roast rump
Sides: Beef dripping roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, carrots, greens, roasted shallots & garlic, bone marrow & onion gravy
Vegetarian option: A la carte
Price: £25.00

The Gun

Revamped pub with a grown-up dining room and cocktails as well as pints.

Meats: Half a free-range chicken with honey-roast carrots and chicken gravy; sirloin of grass-fed British beef with glazed roast carrots and red wine jus
Sides: Duck fat roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, tenderstem broccoli, green beans
Vegetarian option: Yes
Price: £19.00–£21.00 (£17.00 for vegetarian)

It’s interesting how many of the best Sunday roasts in Shoreditch are from pubs. I think food is a fabulous way for people to connect and I love seeing families or groups of friends sitting down to a relaxed, chatty pub lunch. Most East London pubs are dog-friendly too, so you shouldn’t have to smuggle leftovers back in a napkin for your pooch.

Blacklock Shoreditch

Whole joints of meat roasted over open coals and English oak at this reliably excellent restaurant which also has sites in Soho, Covent Garden and the City.

Meats: 21-day aged pork loin; 55-day aged beef rump; 28-day aged lamb leg; the All-In, a mix of all three meats
Sides: Duck fat roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, seasonal vegetables, gravy, sauce
Vegetarian option: A la carte menu
Price: £18.00–£22.00

So there we have it; my list of the best Sunday roasts in Shoreditch. Do you have a gem you think should be included? Let us know and we’ll check it out.