When you think of the Georgian city of Bath and a traditional Sunday roast, you might think of each other. This honey-colored city has a sense of homeliness and history that goes well with the old custom of drinking until red faced and eating a lot of meat with friends and family.
You’ve come to the right place for advice, whether you’re a student who doesn’t want to see your parents during the day, a rugby fan who wants to refuel and forget about last night’s misdeeds, or a tourist who wants to spend the afternoon in one of Bath’s beautiful bars. These are Bath’s best Sunday roasts.
Many people like to eat their Sunday roast outside in this part of the UK, and Bath is a popular tourist destination. Because of this, you’ll probably need to book ahead for all of the pubs and restaurants on our list.
The Chequers on Rivers Street
Chequers has a past that goes back to 1776 and has been a bastion of British hospitality in Bath for a long time. This gastropub is on Rivers Street, which is a residential area. It’s only a short walk to the Royal Crescent and the Circus, and the Sunday roast they serve is both traditional and pleasantly modern. This restaurant has a cosy atmosphere built around a welcome central bar that is the heart of the dining room. With its wooden beams and open fires, it’s the perfect place to enjoy a roast dinner in the perfect city.
The cooks at Chequers are very proud of their work. They have a Michelin Bib Gourmand plaque proudly displayed at the front door, and the restaurant is often voted the best in Bath for Sunday lunch and roast dinner. Their roast beef comes from prime Hereford cows and has been aged just right. The chicken has been free to roam in nearby Castlemead, and the pork belly is from the well-known Middle White. For example, horseradish and watercress, celeriac remoulade, and baked apple cobbler are some of the carefully chosen sides that go with each dish to bring out the best in them.
The vegetables that come with the main dish are truly exceptional. Think fluffy, crispy duck fat roast potatoes and lovingly prepared fresh vegetables that still have just the right amount of crunch.
The star of the show is without a doubt their famous Yorkshire pudding, a beautiful golden dome that is comfort food personified. The deal is sealed by homemade gravy that gets its taste from, you know, real bones instead of gravy granules. You should ask for more of this one…
From noon to 8 p.m., Chequers serves a Sunday Roast with roast beef and all the fixings for £22.
Lansdown Road Has the Hare & Hounds
The Hare & Hounds is a great pub just outside of Bath city centre. It’s high up (well, at the top of Lansdown Road) and has amazing views of the countryside around Bath and down to the city itself. All two miles to the pub are hilly, and the walk takes about an hour. It’s a great way to work up an appetite for H&H’s Sunday Roast, but not before one of their famous lamb scotch eggs.
The menu is full of the usual suspects, plus an apricot and chestnut roast for the vegans. The roasted pork loin is especially good here, with a sheet of puffed, bubbling crackling that’s about as good as it comes. The cauliflower cheese looks great, with a crusty, golden top and a smooth, soft bottom. This is definitely one of the best Sunday roasts in Bath.
But the views are really what make this place special. The dining room has big windows that let in a lot of natural light during Sunday lunch. But when the weather is nice, the terrace at the Hare & Hound is the best place to eat outside while taking in the view of Somerset and enjoying a cloudy cider before heading home. You did deserve this one, though.
This one goes from noon to 10 p.m. The price for the roast pork and sides is £18.
The Marlborough Buildings and the Marlborough Tavern
The Marlborough Tavern has been one of Bath’s most popular pubs for a long time, with a history that goes back over 200 years and a frontage made of fading Bath stone to show it. It is in town, next to the beautiful Royal Victoria Park. The fact that it serves great pub food is an added plus.
With two AA rosettes and a spot in the Michelin Guide, this bar serves a very good roast dinner in a warm and friendly atmosphere with thick blond wood tables, brown leather banquettes, and the low-key hum of locals coming in for a frosty beer.
The Marlborough Tavern has a laid-back vibe that doesn’t quite match the quality of the food. For example, the roast beef rump arrives blushing pink (to make the boys wink) and beautifully marbled. Naturally, it comes with seasonal veggies and a red wine gravy that is rich and shiny thanks to a well-managed reduction instead of a bad roux. The sauce goes well with the beef rump and roast potatoes that go with it. No matter what, you’ll want an extra side of the truffle and parmesan fries. You can say “double carbs” as an excuse or recognition if you want to.
For vegetarians, the sweet potato, spinach, and mushroom isn’t just an afterthought; it’s a perfectly formed puck of crisp pastry and well-balanced veggies. Here’s a veggie gravy that you can spread all over the potatoes.
If you can get over the idea of eating a Sunday roast outside in the sun, you sick person, there are lots of nice places to sit outside in the summer.
The Marlborough Tavern serves a roast dinner from noon to 8 p.m., and the beef costs £21.50.
South Parade, The Elder
It is right in the middle of Bath’s beautiful city heart and has a beautiful historical background. The Elder serves a Sunday roast that skilfully combines traditional British food with modern culinary finesse. The restaurant is inside the charming Indigo Hotel and is proud to support local food and “nose-to-tail” eating. The menu features high-quality meats from nearby farms, and each cut is treated with the respect it deserves.
When a cook and business owner with Mike Robinson’s background is in charge, none of this should be a surprise. Robinson knows a lot about cooking meat. He is one of the owners of the famous Harwood Arms in Fulham, which is London’s only Michelin-starred pub and a leader in serving British game and wild food. He is also the man behind the great Woodsman in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Then it makes sense why the roast dinner at the Elder is so well-known. The three meals cost £42, which is a lot, but the higher price is a reflection of the quality of the food, don’t get me wrong. Robinson’s unique style is most noticeable in the starters. The best dish is the wild pigeon tart served with golden beets covered in his own honey (eww).
It would be rude not to order the slow-cooked venison haunch served with a rich venison bone reduction for the main course… the Sunday Roast area. Don’t worry if you think things are getting too “cheffy”; there are also roast potatoes and veggies that are in season here.
As you savour this meal in a dining room decorated with (what else?) calm racing greens, classic Chesterfield leathers, and paintings of hunting scenes, you can’t help but admire how The Elder combines Bath’s posh history with gourmet food from today. You won’t want to leave this eating room.
Before you leave, though, we should point out that The Elder is not a place where you skip cake. The pastry team has a great touch, and the sweets are always served with style. There’s still a lot to enjoy, even though the restaurant’s amazing souffles aren’t on the menu right now, which is a shame. A recent rhubarb and custard tart with a tessellated, almost trippy top was a great take on an old favourite. In all honesty, the whole place makes you feel this way.
Sunday Roast at The Elder is £35 for two courses or £42 for three. It is served from 12:30pm to 3:30pm and again from 6pm to 9pm.
The Walcot House
We don’t think it’s quite right to call Walcot Street “Bath’s Artisan Quarter,” but there are some paintings, some more interesting thrift stores, and a flea market up there, so we’ll give them that. It is all relative, in the end…
Anyway, on Walcot Street, you can get a really good Sunday Roast at Walcot House. It’s a huge, multipurpose space with stylish decor and an air of industrial elegance that makes it perfect for a meal that could last for hours.
So, take your time. A starter of rock oysters with a well-made Bloody Mary is a great way to start the meal and get rid of that hangover that most of the other guests seem to be feeling.
Yes, this is one you can comfortably linger over while ordering a second bottle. The atmosphere is relaxed, and the people who are there are also becoming more relaxed. There are perfectly cooked prime cuts of locally sourced meat on the plate, along with their proper sides (horseradish, mint salsa verde, apple sauce, etc.), a rainbow of organic veggies, and lots of homemade gravy (which comes in its own jug, yay!). There are also a few bigger sharing beefs to enjoy if you’re coming with a big group of cheap people. There’s nothing better than a dry-aged chateaubriand with bearnaise on a Sunday. And yes, that was us last weekend, biting on the bone like cavemen.
For a lighter meal, Walcot House has a lot to offer. The ray wing and Cafe de Paris butter, which is popular right now, are on the list for next time for pescatarians or just people who want a change.
How about that third bottle? In fact, the strangely fussy House Rules make it illegal to “continue drinking.” Maybe it’s time for the next one…
Walcot House serves the Sunday Roast from noon to 4 p.m., and the cost of the roast is between £18 and £24.
For a lighter meal, Walcot House has a lot to offer. The ray wing and Cafe de Paris butter, which is popular right now, are on the list for next time for pescatarians or just people who want a change.
How about that third bottle? In fact, the strangely fussy House Rules make it illegal to “continue drinking.” Maybe it’s time for the next one…
Walcot House serves the Sunday Roast from noon to 4 p.m., and the cost of the roast is between £18 and £24.
The Beckford Canteen
Beckford Canteen is a new restaurant in Bath that has already gotten great reviews from restaurant reviewers across the country. The dining room is light and airy, making it perfect for a relaxed but classy Sunday roast.
Don’t be put off by the dull-sounding menu. After all, who needs fancy language to describe roast dinners? As long as you’ve read this far, the only thing that counts is what’s on the plate, and at the Beckford Canteen, that means carefully sourced (and sauced), carefully roasted chicken breast, pork belly, and beef sirloin.
Confit potatoes, which are lovely layered potatoes cooked slowly in duck fat and then crisped up in the pan, are what make this Sunday roast special. Those who don’t like potatoes this way should stay away. These were made with a lot of love, and they’re just as good as the famous Quality Chop House ones, if not better. When drenched in the great gravy from the Beckford Canteen, these are some of the best bites in the city.
For something different to add to a list that is becoming too similar, why not end it with a cheeseboard made of local cheeses? The sharp Montgomery Cheddar with lots of crystals is especially good.
Because the restaurant works with the great Bottle Shop across the street, the wine list is really great.
From noon to six o’clock, the Beckford Canteen serves a Sunday Roast. The roast beef costs £25.
The Salamander
The Salamander is right next to the historic Abbey and the Roman Baths, making it the perfect pub for a trip to Bath. It has a style that is both unique and traditional, a selection of local ciders that are so strong you’d need an Omeprazole packet to finish them, and, of course, a great Sunday roast.
Yes, there is slow-roasted topside of Hereford beef, braised pork belly, and a veggie nut roast here. But there is also roast lamb, which doesn’t show up very often on the menus of Bath’s best Sunday roasts compared to the “Big Three.” At The Salamander, it’s a shoulder that has been stuffed with garlic and rosemary and cooked for 12 hours until it’s soft and silky. Chopped beets roasted with cumin are a bit of a departure from the norm, but that’s a good thing.
A simple treat like affogato (two scoops!) gets you ready for the day.
This one is from noon to 6:30 p.m. and costs £19.95.
The Bear Inn
The last roast is a little outside of town, but it’s worth the walk to enjoy it. The Bear Inn is a stylish community bar with more than 250 years of history that knows how to make a great roast dinner. You can find it on the hill behind Bath Spa station.
Their private eating room is great for getting together with friends and family, and sports fans can watch the games on Sky Sports. After a 20-minute walk into more rural Bath, this roast chicken (with pigs in blankets!), beef, porchetta or vegan wellington comes with all the fixings, except for the vegan choice, which doesn’t have Yorkshire pudding. It’s a feast fit for people who have made the journey.
Also, feel free to pretend that Carmy made your Sunday lunch; we’re already doing that!
At The Bear Inn, the Sunday Roast starts at 7:45pm and costs £18.50.
