9 wonderful Leeds Sunday roasts dinners you have to try
For many of us, a roast dinner is truly the greatest meal ever.
Often served at its best on Sundays, we’d devour it any day of the week, truth be told. Inspired by our recent 50 best places to eat in Leeds feature, we’ve put together a list of the restaurants in our city where you can enjoy a splendid roast dinner.
Focusing on the venues which have earned national recognition for their roasts you’ll find the best of the best here. Also included are a few tips from our Best in Leeds staff. They come from our weekly food review features.
Read more: 11 understandable reasons people hate Yorkshire
Plus, you'll also find some great vegan and vegetarian suggestions. Of course, we’d love to hear your tips too. So, feel free to comment on this article with your tips or tell us on our Best in Leeds Facebook page.
In the meantime, take a scroll and see which Leeds Sunday roast dinners you’d like to sample.
Toby Carvery
Pitched as the ‘home of the roast’ Toby Carvery has branches all across Yorkshire. You can stock up on treats as much as you’d like.
You can find your nearest Toby Carvery branch by visiting their website.
Shears Yard
11-15 Wharf St, Leeds LS2 7EH
The venue’s Sunday lunch is known to draw people from miles around Yorkshire (and beyond). When our reviewer popped in for a visit they gave the roast menu a stunning five out of five.
Focusing in on some very key elements of the roast, our reviewer said: “The Yorkshire puddings were a triumph. Tall, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, with not a burnt or soggy bit in sight, they absorbed the rich but not too heavy gravy and had to shuffled around the plate to reach the veg. The best way.”
Ox Club
19a The Headrow, Leeds, LS1 6PU
At the start of 2023, we reported Leeds city centre venue the Ox Club ranked in the top 10, across the UK, in the Rate Good Roasts competition. The Rate Good Roasts team have sampled many roast dinners to find their best.
The popular restaurant, a Michelin Guide fave, ranked joint fifth in the UK for their roast. The top 10 was headed by fellow Yorkshire venue The Hawthorn - based in Haworth.
Currently, the Ox Club Sunday roast dinner menu features roast rump cap of beef, Confit fennel, apple and herb porchetta, smoked trotter and fennel gravy as well as smoked beetroot wellington, braised chard, pickled walnut gravy.
Desserts include Dark chocolate cherry ganache, morello cherry sorbet with almond brittle, cheesecake and yuzu meringue pie.
The Fox and Hounds
Tinshill Rd, Leeds, LS16 7BT
It ranked third on a reader poll of the best roast dinners in the UK so he’s a shout to the Fox and Hounds. Their Sunday menu selections are pretty friendly to the bank balance.
You can get one course for £8.99, two for £11.49 and three for £13.99 - offering undeniable value. Roast options include beef, turkey and a vegan choice. Starters include soap, prawn cocktail and breaded mushrooms.
If you can squeeze in a pudding then you can pick from a waffle, treacle sponge pudding and ice cream among other options.
The Myrtle Tavern
Parkside Road, Meanwood, Leeds, LS6 4NE
The Myrtle Tavern’s roast dinner is as famous as it is eye-catching. We sent a reviewer to see if it lived up to the hype and, we are pleased to report, thankfully it does. Praising the mammoth Yorkshire pud, our reviewer said : "Any true Yorkshireman knows the true test of a Sunday lunch is its Yorkshire pudding and the Myrtle Tavern’s pièce de résistance doesn’t disappoint. The superb crispy shell envelops a light centre, which is perfect for mopping up the flavoursome gravy."
Vegan and veggie roast dinners
Roast dinners are truly something we all should be enjoying. If you are veggie or vegan there’s a great selection on menus and restaurants and bars all over Leeds. Our reporter Jaimie Kay has put together a list of his four shouts in the city for a meatless Sunday roast.
Whitelock’s
Turk's Head Yard, Leeds, LS1 6HB
Tucked away in an alleyway on Briggate is Whitelock's Ale House. The oldest public house in Leeds has been operating for centuries, changing with the times, including the food.
Whitelock's offer an impressive menu with all the pub classics including a veggie and vegan Sunday lunch menu. Once again, the offer of a vegan roast dinner is off the table, their nut roast is only suitable for veggies but they do offer an avocado burger that may appeal to vegans. It is worth noting our readers named Whitelock's the best place in the city for a roast dinner as part of the Leeds Loves awards.
The Brunswick
82 North Street, Leeds, LS2 7PN
Located on North Street, The Brunswick is a pub that serves burgers, fried chicken and Sunday roasts. They also have over 50 beers both cask and keg and advise booking for the roasts as they sell out most weeks.
The Brunswick opened in 2015 and is regarded as one of the best places to get a roast dinner in the city. They offer a range of meats, including topside of beef, porchetta, chicken supreme and veggie/vegan roasts for the non-meat eaters.
They are regarded as good value and flavoursome by visitors. This is a good choice if you want to try a vegan Sunday dinner.
Wapentake
92 Kirkgate, Leeds LS2 7DJ
Wapentake is a bar that prides itself on serving locally sourced, Yorkshire ingredients. Their menu is as local as possible, they source ingredients from their literal neighbours in Kirkgate Market.
All their meat products, fruit and veg and eggs come from the market meaning it's not travelled far at all. Wapentake also offer a range of vegan and gluten-free options to everything on the menu, including a vegan roast dinner.
Kirkstall Bridge Inn
12 Bridge Rd, Kirkstall, Leeds LS5 3BW
This pub, located in Kirkstall by the River Aire serves delicious food and beer. It's not known so much for its veggie and vegan alternatives but according to reviews, it serves some pretty good vegan roasts.
Sitting atop their roasts is a massive Yorkshire Pudding complete with all the trimmings. One review praised the vegan alternative, saying: "What a wonderful change to have a decent Vegan option on a Sunday that isn't a nut roast or just vegetables, fantastic food in a lovely setting would highly recommend, food is fresh and home cooked and the meat versions looked fantastic, most pubs can't be bothered to make fresh vegan Yorkshire puddings, this is a real treat for any vegan or meat eater on a Sunday."
To find out the latest food and drink news in our city you can visit our Best in Leeds homepage. There you will also find a guide to great things to do in Leeds.
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