Beef with dripping-roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and proper gravy, the meal Bristol takes so seriously that its most famous roast books out a year ahead.
The Sunday roast is a national ritual, but Bristol turned it competitive. The Bank Tavern's roast won national attention after the Observer Food Monthly named it among Britain's best Sunday lunches in 2019, and its bookings now sell out about a year in advance. Across the city, pubs measure themselves against it, from Henbury's Blaise Inn to the Ox's basement dining room, while vegan kitchens plate their own versions.
4 editor picks for West Country Sunday roast in Bristol, ranked by editorial score. All Bristol signature dishes · West Country Sunday roast across every city.
The Bank Tavern ★ 4.4
Old City · 8 John Street, Bristol BS1 2HR
The Bank Tavern hides down a John Street alley in Bristol with an award-named Sunday lunch so popular its roast bookings sell out a year ahead.
The Blaise Inn ★ 4.3
Henbury · 260 Henbury Road, Bristol BS10 7QR
The Blaise Inn is a Bib Gourmand village pub by Blaise Castle estate in Henbury, north Bristol, worth the bus ride for its two-course lunch deal.
The Ox ★ 4.1
Old City · 43 Corn Street, Bristol BS1 1HT
The Ox has grilled charcoal-cooked beef in a wood-panelled bank vault under Corn Street in Bristol's Old City since 2013, with roasts on Sundays.
Koocha Mezze Bar ★ 4.1
Montpelier · 203B Cheltenham Road, Bristol BS6 5QX
Koocha Mezze Bar runs a fully plant-based Persian kitchen on Cheltenham Road in Bristol, all pink neon, mezze boards and pomegranate-heavy cocktails.