London's best Sunday lunches
Traditional pub roast? Dim sum? Here's our guide to the capital's best Sunday lunch spreads
Let the Time Out experts guide you through the best Sunday lunches in London - from traditional pub roasts to Chinese dim sum and modern French cooking. Time Out reviews anonymously and pays for all meals.
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Sunday lunch reviews by: Guy Dimond, Anne Faber, Euan Ferguson, Ruth Jarvis, Charmaine Mok, Jenni Muir, Sally Peck
The best Sunday lunches in south London
The Bobbin
Tucked away in a quiet residential street north of Clapham Common, this cosy, neighbourhood gastropub lures in the locals for a decent Sunday lunch that isn’t fancy, isn’t overpriced, and doesn’t require dressing up. The emphasis is on Sunday roasts: meaty delights such as Suffolk chicken, rib of Ayrshire beef or Blythburgh pork shoulder come served with the standard sides of roast potatoes, cabbage and root veg. Those with less carnal cravings needn’t despair – fish and vegetarian options include hake and chips or pumpkin lasagna. The dessert menu offers robust temptations such as chocolate pot with peanut biscuits, or bread and butter pudding.
Sunday lunch for two with drinks and service: around £40.
- The Bobbin 1-3 Lillieshall Road, SW4 0LN
Canton Arms
Sitting incongruously on a particularly bleak stretch of South Lambeth Road, Canton Arms is an excellent place to while away a Sunday afternoon. The kitchen serves up rustic, meaty dishes which are the essence of contemporary British food, though occasionally with an Italian or French flourish. Fish or meat terrines or warm seasonal salads are the perfect way to whet the palate. Go with a big appetite and share a slow-cooked joint, or opt for a lighter risotto or fish (the menu changes daily) and finish with a decadent chocolate pot with cream, or a satisfyingly tart crumble. The pub serves a less-usual selection of real ales such as Skinner’s Betty Stogs or Timothy Taylor Golden Best, plus two daily-changing guest ales. Child, baby, and dog-friendly, Canton Arms is popular on weekends and is not the place for a speedy meal. Bookings not taken.
Sunday lunch served noon-4pm. Sunday lunch for two with drinks and tip: around £60.
- 177 South Lambeth Road, SW8 1XP
The Rookery
The Rookery is a snug bar-restaurant facing Clapham Common that opened in 2011. The location is perfect for Sunday strollers, many of whom drop in while passing, though it’s best to book. Young families and convivial small groups of thirty-somethings make up much of the Sunday clientele, some at high bar stools, some beside the cosy real-effect gas fire, some in more alcove-like seating towards the kitchen, and a few stragglers seated on the smaller first floor. The menu is British-focused but modern, with dishes such as rabbit, smoked sausage and bacon pie with suet crust, for three people to share – these bunnies were hopping off the menu. More conventional choices include pot-roasted Tamworth pork shoulder, topped with crisp and light pork crackling. The drinks list is also excellent – the fabulous beers on draught include a Meantime IPA.
Sunday lunch served noon-4.30pm. Sunday lunch for two with drinks and service: around £45.
- Peters Lane, Cowcross Street, EC1M 6DS
Trinity
Trinity may be one of Clapham’s smartest neighbourhood restaurants specialising in Modern French cuisine, but did you know they also do a smashing Sunday lunch? A classy three courses for £35 centres around beautiful but gutsy mains: the highlight being, naturally, the Aberdeen Angus sirloin with proper Yorkshire puddings, roast veg and fresh English horseradish (grated with a flourish tableside). Other options for mains might include roast Middle White pork belly, or balsamic braised lamb shanks, bookended by potted sea bass or pigeon kiev for starters, and sticky date and toffee pudding for dessert. Service is top notch, and unexpectedly unfussy for all the pressed linen and sparkling glassware about. Pricey, but very special – recommended for when a grimy gastropub offering just won’t do. Trinity’s chef-owner, Adam Byatt, has also just opened a simpler bistro nearby at 40 Abbeville Road called Bistro Union which is also open for Sunday lunch.
Sunday lunch for two with drinks and service: around £85.
- 4 The Polygon, SW4 0JG
Also good for Sunday lunch in south London
- 56 Westow Hill Crystal Palace, SE19 1RX
- Pepys Building, Old Royal Naval College, SE10 9LW
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