Sydney's Best Hearty Sunday Roasts
Warm up on a wintry weekend with juicy roast meats and plenty of gravy.
Sydney's Best Hearty Sunday Roasts
Warm up on a wintry weekend with juicy roast meats and plenty of gravy.
With the days growing shorter and the nights growing colder, comfort food is coming into its own and nothing is more comforting than a traditional Sunday roast. Perhaps previously associated with stodgy British pub fare, or laborious home cooking, the Sunday roast is becoming more of a gourmet affair in Sydney pubs, with great care taken to recreate and reimagine the classic British meal. The following is a list of our pick of the finest pub roasts in Sydney, sure to chase away the winter blues and provide a hearty feed.
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Darlinghurst’s Taphouse has long served the crown jewel of Sunday roasts in Sydney. The roast offered is a choice of nine-hour slow-cooked beef or crispy pork belly (with crackling, of course) complete with yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, carrots, steamed broccoli and lashings of gravy for $25. Due to its popularity, it can be hard to get a seat, so best to book in advance and get in early as they have a habit of selling out later in the evening. Grab a seat on the outdoor rooftop terrace and then all you have to decide is what beer you should have — the selection favours all Aussie, fully independent breweries across twenty taps, rotating for freshness and seasonality.
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Featuring 26 taps largely focusing on craft beer with a token VB or Resch’s thrown into the mix, the Dove & Olive also offers tremendous value for its Sunday roast. Rotating between beef, pork, lamb and chicken, the roast is served with carrots, potatoes, yorkshire pudding and plenty of gravy for $19.90. In addition, the pub slings $5 schooners and $8 pints all day on a Sunday to cap off the week. This is the perfect place to hunker down with a pint after a day exploring Surry Hills.
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The Alfred Hotel is a charming old art deco pub just off Parramatta Road in Camperdown — and its Sunday roast never disappoints. The $20 roast special changes weekly but always features a beautiful gravy and, of course, a yorkshire pudding. Alongside your roast, it also serves $10 bloody marys all day Sunday in case you need a little pick-me-up after Saturday night’s shenanigans. Keep an eye on the rotating craft beer taps, too, which offer new selections pretty much every week, alongside classic offerings from larger multinationals to keep all thirsty punters happy.
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Right in the heart of the CBD, this British-styled tavern ticks all the boxes. Tastefully decorated to give the authentic vibe of an upmarket British boozer, its roasts are something to behold. A whole roast menu featuring a variety of roasted meats and vegetables, alongside pints of cask-conditioned ales, this is the perfect spot for British expats missing a traditional English alehouse. Roast prices range from $24–$29 depending on which option you pick. There’s beef sirloin, pork belly, lamb, cod and even a vegetarian option of roasted pumpkin and wild rice to go with your classic peas, gravy and yorkshire pudding. Grab a pint of Old Speckled Hen extra special bitter and settle in for a roaringly splendid roast.
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Finding an independent, family run boozer is becoming harder and harder in Sydney these days, which is why we are so grateful for Woollahra’s The Lord Dudley. Family owned and operated for thirty five years, this charming old pub pays homage to all the best elements of British pubs, yet improves tenfold on the cuisine. Both the bar and restaurant menus are of superb quality and they boast a fine roast on Sundays consisting of roast pork with crackling, crispy potatoes and roasted carrots topped off with a a fine gravy. There are often hand-pumped English bitters available, alongside a great range of tap beers. Great spot to drop in for lunch or dinner if you’re in the area.
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If you feel like splurging on a Sunday, head to nel. for a feast of fairly epic proportions. The menu is subject to change, but it’s always a roast with all the trimmings. The first winter roast will see the table filled with golden-roasted organic chicken or slow-cooked lamb shoulder depending on your preference, cauliflower cheese, honey-glazed carrots, broccoli, crunchy duck fat potatoes and yorkshire puds overflowing with gravy. It comes in at $78 a head, which is kinda hefty, but it also includes dessert of sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce. Nel.’s Sunday roast doesn’t run all year long, so book during July or August if you want to check it out.
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Recently renovated, the Four In Hand continues to impress with its cuisine. Not the least of which is its attractively priced Sunday roast — at $24 for roast beef, golden roast potatoes and a crisp yorkie, it’s a difficult one to beat. Couple that with one of their 24 beers on tap or a cocktail and you have your Sunday sorted.
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One of Sydney’s best pubs is now even better. The Courthouse, already well known for serving up some of the finest pub grub around, has added a Sunday roast to its repertoire. It offers a rotating meat as the star of the dish — beef brisket, pork belly, lamb or chicken — alongside a heap of roast veggies and plenty of gravy all for $25. Grab a pint of Young Henrys Newtowner (it’s brewed just down the road) and set yourself up in the beautiful leafy courtyard. Dogs are welcome, and with Camperdown Park a stone’s throw away, this is a great venue for a family Sunday lunch.
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A local favourite on the north shore for some casual drinks accompanied by gorgeous harbour views, the Woolwich Pier Hotel has recently reopened with a slick upgraded design and new menu. Now featuring both French and Japanese-inspired cuisine, the menu still offers the Pier classics and a hearty Sunday roast. For $30 you can choose from the pork belly and crackling with apple purée or the riverine saddle of lamb with mint jelly. Both are complete with roast veggies, pumpkin mash, yorkies (their term, not ours) and gravy. Pair it with an Aperol spritz and enjoy your roast looking out over the harbour.
Images: Jessie Harris.
Top image: nel.
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