Seven Sunday Roasts to Warm Your Belly in Melbourne's Inner South This Season

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Here in Melbourne, there are loads of ways to cosy up on a frosty winter weekend. But bunkering down with a classic Sunday roast at your favourite local pub has to be one of our favourites. Succulent meat (or perhaps a plant-based alternative), crispy roasted veg, lashings of rich gravy, maybe a couple of pints — those winter blues don't stand a chance when faced with that enviable situation.

Now that Melbourne's chilliest season has settled in, we've teamed up with the City of Port Phillip to scout out the area's best Sunday roasts. From slow-cooked lamb shoulders, to beef and yorkshire pud, these beauts will prove the highlight of your weekend — and with zero kitchen time on your part. Book in a table now to try one of the following roasts with the most.

Victoria is currently under stay at home orders so, while you can't visit these spots right now, you can start planning for when restrictions lift. You can stay up to date with the developing COVID-19 situation in Victoria, as well as current restrictions, here.

THE LOCAL TAPHOUSE, ST KILDA

If you prefer your Sunday roast paired with a top-notch beer or two, consider The Local Taphouse your destination of choice. The long-standing craft beer bar might be best known for its impressive tap rotation, but its kitchen is also serving up a mean roast feast each weekend. Available for both lunch and dinner, the menu changes up each Sunday — expect combinations like stuffed roast pork belly with pumpkin and cavolo nero, and roasted free-range chicken with caramelised baby onions and tarragon jus. It comes in at $25 a pop, and you can even add that week's dessert match for an extra $5.

THE PALACE HOTEL, SOUTH MELBOURNE

When it comes to classic pub feeds, this long-running neighbourhood favourite knows what's what. And on Saturdays and Sundays, that means a generous helping of roasted meat paired with seasonal veggies and a yorkshire pudding. The Palace Hotel's roast offering changes up weekly, though no matter what meat's on the roster, you can be certain of two things. One: there'll be plenty of gravy. And, two: it'll cost you just $22. To match your feed, you'll find footy on the big screens, a diverse bunch of beers on tap and probably a few friendly doggos awaiting your pats out in the beer garden.

THE BLEAKHOUSE HOTEL, ALBERT PARK

Roaring fire? Check. An expansive drinks list? Check. A proper hearty roast with a touch of modern flair, served all weekend long? Yep, Albert Park's contemporary gastropub is a surefire winter crowd-pleaser. Pull up a seat in one of the cosy booths and enjoy a $25 rotating roast lunch (or dinner, if it hasn't sold out) with all the trimmings. It could be pork belly with buttery mash and spiced quince, slow-cooked lamb leg sided with a Spanish tomato stew, or even duck a l'orange with caramelised onions and heirloom carrots. Plus, each week staff offer a recommended vino match from one of Australia's top wine regions, to enjoy by the glass or bottle.

O'CONNELL'S HOTEL, SOUTH MELBOURNE

The humble Sunday roast gets a sprinkling of gastropub flair at this contemporary corner pub in the heart of leafy South Melbourne. From 12pm each Sunday, O'Connell's is plating up a generous specialty roast with all the bells and whistles, for just $27 a pop. The menu rotates weekly, though past iterations have included slow-roasted beef with brussels sprouts and Yorkshire pudding, and a rolled pork belly stuffed with garlic and sage. You'll find plenty of tap brews and Aussie wines to match, and if you're making an afternoon of it, check out the daily happy hour specials from 4–6pm.

PRINCE PUBLIC BAR, ST KILDA

With its recent facelift, this landmark corner pub is serving up a more modern riff on the vintage front bars of yesteryear. But it's also slinging a weekend roast to rival the best of the oldies. For lunch and dinner every Saturday and Sunday, the Prince Public Bar's kitchen is answering the fiercest of comfort food cravings with a weekend roast starring premium meat cuts and all the trimmings. The headline protein rotates each week, while sides include the likes of yorkshire pudding, roasted veg, crispy spuds and gravy. At $32, it's not exactly a budget feed, though it sure is a generous one.

PRINCE ALFRED HOTEL, PORT MELBOURNE

Inclusivity is the name of the game at this Port Melbourne pub, which is dishing up both a meat roast and a vegetarian-friendly alternative each Sunday. Carnivores can look forward to the likes of a roast pork loin with crispy pork belly, crushed kipflers and bacon jam, while the plant-based option might see you chowing down on roasted stuffed capsicum with sweet potato and beetroot relish. Whichever you choose, you can bank on a plateful of sides and, of course, a decent hit of house-made gravy to tie it all together. This one's available from 12–9pm Sundays, setting you back an easy $23.

THE MONTAGUE, SOUTH MELBOURNE

When that weekend comfort food craving hits, you'll find yourself in very good hands at this much-loved South Melbourne pub. The Montague will warm your cockles — and save you from that dreaded dishes duty — with its Sunday roast, which changes up weekly yet always clocks in at an affordable $25. You might be in for some tender roast pork with crackling and apple sauce, or perhaps a slow-roasted lamb shoulder on minted pea puree finished with a pot of lamb jus. This one's well worth making a regular pit-stop.

For more inspiration for how to spend a wintry day in Melbourne's inner south, head to the City of Port Phillip website.

Top image: Prince Alfred