The best Sunday roasts in Clapham
Aged Hereford beef in the Old Town, a roast on the Common with a Bloody Mary first, a bring-your-own-bottle roast club on the Pavement and the roast potatoes Abbeville Road argues about.
By Clapham London Editorial
The best Sunday roast in Clapham is at The Pig's Head on Rectory Grove in the Old Town, and the order is the aged beef. Clapham takes Sunday lunch seriously: book by Thursday, turn up hungry, walk it off on the Common after. Here are the roasts we would cross SW4 for, and how to get a table.
The Pig's Head, 87 Rectory Grove
A proper pub kitchen with serious sourcing. The roast menu runs from a BBQ aubergine roast or a fermented mushroom and beet Wellington at £23.50, through Tamworth pork belly and pulled shoulder at £27.50 and Hebridean lamb at £29.50, to a 45-day aged Hereford beef rump cap at £32.50. Every plate comes with roast potatoes, greens, honey carrots, a Yorkshire pudding, gravy and a side of cauliflower cheese for the table. For two, the Pig's Head sharing roast puts chicken, beef, pork belly, stuffing and pigs in blankets on one board at £43.50 a head. Feeling brave? The whole roasted pig's head for two needs ten days' notice. The pub opens at 11am on Sundays and the kitchen runs until 9pm. Book online, and note that a 12.5% service charge is suggested.
The Windmill, Clapham Common South Side
The Windmill is the roast on the Common, served from noon until 10pm, so there is no rush. The pub's own advice is a Bloody Mary to start, and we agree. Get a sharing board while you wait, then the classic roast with all the trimmings. In summer, the garden is the place to be; in winter, ask for a table inside by the window. It is big, but it still fills on Sundays, so book.
Minnow, 21 The Pavement
Minnow serves roasts from noon, but the clever booking is the Sunday Roast Club from 4pm: £32 a head for a roast with all the trimmings and a dessert, and you bring your own wine. Pick up a good bottle on the way and you have the best-value Sunday evening in the Old Town.
No 32 The Old Town, 32 The Pavement
No 32 does 28-day-aged beef and free-range chicken, with roast potatoes, seasonal veg, homemade Yorkshires and gravy, and vegan options too. It is the one for a group, with a roof terrace for a drink before or after. Book a table online.
The Abbeville, Abbeville Road
Ask anyone on Abbeville Road and they will tell you about The Abbeville's roast potatoes. It is a neighbourhood pub with a terrace that fills quickly in summer, so arrive early or book. In the colder months, it is the cosiest Sunday in Abbeville Village.
The Sun, 47-51 Old Town
The Sun is the Old Town's big Victorian pub, serving food all day with plenty of veggie and vegan choices alongside the classics. Have a London Pride with it, and sit out on the patio if the weather allows.
The Bobbin, 1-3 Lillieshall Road
Tucked onto a residential street off the Old Town, The Bobbin is a neighbourhood pub with a seasonal, Mediterranean-leaning menu. On Sundays the order is the roast rump of beef with all the trimmings. Smaller and calmer than the big pubs, so it suits a table for two.
The Northcote, 2 Northcote Road
At the top of Northcote Road by the Junction, The Northcote serves double-egg Yorkshire puddings, goose fat roasties and honey-glazed parsnips. It gets very busy when the Six Nations is on, so book ahead on rugby weekends, or embrace it and watch the match.
For a special Sunday: Trinity, 4 The Polygon
If it is a birthday or the parents are paying, skip the pub. Trinity serves lunch every day, Sunday included, from 12.15pm: four courses from its Michelin-starred kitchen for £105. It is not a roast in the gravy-and-Yorkshires sense, but it is the most polished Sunday lunch in SW4. Book well ahead.
Down by the Junction: Humble Grape, 2 Battersea Rise
The wine bar at the bottom of Northcote Road also does a Sunday roast, from noon, with around 500 organic bottles to choose from and a wine shop on site. It is the pick when the wine matters as much as the beef.
How to get a Sunday table
- Book by midweek. The Pig's Head, The Windmill, Minnow and No 32 all take online bookings, and the 1pm to 3pm slots go first.
- Go late. The Windmill serves until 10pm and Minnow's roast club starts at 4pm, so a later lunch is easier to book.
- Walk it off. The Windmill is on the Common, and the Pavement is two minutes from it. For more ideas, DesignMyNight's Sunday lunch list covers the wider area.
