For some reason, Dublin has historically lacked a proper Sunday roast culture, particularly in comparison to our friends in the UK. There have always been notable purveryors of course, fighting the good fight to keep us in beef striploin and roasties over a pint and the Sunday papers, but they've been more of a rarity than found on every corner. Dublin's roast game however is on the up, and several new openings over the past year are finally giving Sunday lunch the treatment it deserves. Here's where to go when you're raring for a roast...
City Centre
Hawksmoor, College Green
The Hawksmoor Sunday Roast is without doubt one of the best, and best priced in the city. For €23 you'll get a couple of slices of dry-aged beef rump, beef-dripping roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, roasted carrots, buttered greens, roasted garlic, and bone marrow gravy, with optional add-on sides like macaroni cheese. Or you can pick a sharing steak from the blackboard (they recommend prime rib or chateaubriand) and add on all the trimmings for €7 per person. ATF Insiders got a first look when it started and we can confirm this is a great roast, plus, that dining room...
FX Buckley (Dublin 2, Dublin 7 and Monkstown)
FX Buckley offer their famous Sunday roast in all of their venues - Crow Street in Temple Bar, Pembroke Street near St Stephen's Green, the Bull & Castle near Christchurch, Ryan's in Stoneybatter, and FX Buckley in Monkstown. For a great price of €22.50 they're serving roast rib of beef (cooked medium) with Yorkshire puddings, mash, duck fat roast potatoes, confit shallots, roast carrots, tenderstem broccoli and gravy. Bloody Mary's, made with spicy F.X. Buckley seasoning, tomato juice, fresh lemon and vodka are €8, and you won't go wrong with either.
The Legal Eagle, Inn's Quay
The newly reopened Legal Eagle on Inn's Quay have a (current) choice of lamb rump, half chicken or Black Angus striploin for their Sunday roast (priced from €24 - €27). All are served with roasties, green cabbage, honeyed carrots and parsnips, turnip and carrot purée, stuffing, Yorkshire puddings and gravy. We gave it the once over in November and the root veg was the surprising star - have a read here.
Bovinity, Capel Street
A rare Saturday roast option as well as Sunday, steakhouse Bovinity on Capel Street have a similar offering to competitor Hawksmoor, with a choice of roast beef or a sharing steak with all the Sunday trimmings. If you go for the classic it's dry-aged rump served with creamy mash, beef-dripping roasties, seasonal vegetables, Yorkshire puddings and gravy (€23 per person), or go for a spendier cut from the blackboard with sides an additional €5 per person. Roasts are served from 13:00 - 16:00.
Fade Street Social, Fade Street
Fade Street Social have great options if you're sick of roast beef (but they do that too if you're not). You can go for stuffed roast pork with Pink Lady apple compote; chicken, ham hock, duck liver and tarragon pie (both €20.50); and there's even a veggie pie (€19.50) for non meat-eaters, all served with roast potatoes, Yorkshire puds and seasonal veg. The classic roast sirloin of Yearling beef (€24) comes with caramelised red onion marmalade and fresh horseradish.
Brookwood, Baggot Street
Brookwood on Baggot Street is another great option when you just want the classic striploin, although it's one of the priciest roasts in town at €29. Their Irish beef comes with Yorkshire puddings, roast carrots, smoked cheese & pancetta cabbage, creamy mash and gravy.
South Dublin
Lottie's, Rathmines
Sunday lunch at Lottie's is ideal when you have a mix of roast lovers and haters. The lovers can pick between Sheelin roast striploin or Andarl Farm pork belly with all the bits. The haters can have bavette, sea bass or gnocchi, and with €10 corkage on Sundays it's a great excuse to crack open a special bottle at not much more than at home prices. There's also a goujon-free kids menu with mini roasts, bavette, fish and more.
The Dunmore, Rathmines
Plush Rathmines newcomer The Dunmore got straight in there with their Sunday roast offering, with a choice of dry-aged roast beef (€27) or roast free-range chicken (€25). All come with duck fat roast potatoes, seasonal greens, confit garlic & gravy, and either onion & sage stuffing for the chicken, or buttermilk Yorkshire puddings for the beef.
The Old Spot, Beggar's Bush
It's Pat McLoughlin's chicken or beef at The Old Spot on Sundays, all served with duck fat roasties; roast carrots; greens; cauliflower cheese; sage, onion, walnut & apricot stuffing, and gravy. No likey roasts? No problem. There's a full a la carte menu to choose from too, in cosy pub surroundings.
Brighton Road, Foxrock
The €42 three-course Sunday lunch menu at Brighton Road in Foxrock (formerly Pala Pizza & Trattoria and before that Bistro One) features roast beef and chicken, or you can go rogue with fish & chips, plaice or wild mushroom risotto. Look out for specials like crispy roast duck with stuffing, and there's a generous amount of starters and desserts to choose from so rest assured you'll find something you like.
Yew Tree, Terenure
The former owners of 57 The Headline (known for superb Sunday roasts and a wine list a step above your average pub) sold up and moved out last year, but Clanbrassil Street's loss has been Tenerure's gain. They've now opened neighbourhood restaurant Yew Tree, and they didn't dare leave the Sunday roast behind. Pick from Black Angus beef or free-range chicken with roasties, carrots, sage & onion stuffing, green beans and gravy. A roast will set you back €26, or you can add a small plate like crispy calamari or pork terrine for €33.
The Butcher Grill, Ranelagh
Meat specialists The Butcher Grill (it's in the name) have three roasts on the go every Sunday. Pick from Irish beef striploin with horseradish (€27), corn-fed chicken with chicken sauce (€24), or free-range pork rack with apple sauce (€24). All come with yorkshire puddings, duck fat roasties, gravy, stuffing, peas and carrots, and you can start with seafood starters and cocktails if you're settling in for the afternoon.
Oxhorn Grill, Dublin 4
Dublin 4 newbies Oxhorn Grill are keeping it simple with chicken or beef for their Sunday roast, but they've got some of the best prices in Dublin, with striploin and bearnaise for €22, or half roast chicken with mushroom jus for €19 (it's not free-range though). They both come with Yorkshire puddings, duck fat roasties, baby vegetables and red wine jus, or you can do like the other steak houses and ditch the roast beef for a sharing steak.
Eleven, Loughlinstown
From the same group as The Butcher Grill (as well as 777 and Dillinger's), Eleven has injected some serious life into this site in Loughlintown on the edge of the N11. As well as serving lunch and dinner from Thursday - Saturday, Sunday lunch is a big deal in here, with the same options as The Butcher Grill - beef (€27), corn-fed chicken (€23) or free-range pork rack (€23). All come with Yorkshire puddings, duck fat roasties, gravy, stuffing, peas & carrots, and the wines and cocktailsshouldn't be missed, so best to travel here by public transport, or bring a designated driver.
Bresson, Monkstown
Bresson in Monkstown offer a roast as part of their Sunday lunch menu, with two courses for €40 and three for €46 (or €32/€38 without the €8 roast supplement). It's Hereford prime roast beef around here, with duck fat roasties, veg, Yorkshire puddings and gravy; or a very posh 'Poulet' from free-range Feighcullen Farm, with pork, apricot and chestnut stuffing, sprout tops, roast carrots, duck fat roasties, roast chicken jus, and bread sauce 'Anglais'. Served Sundays from 11:00 - 15:00.
North Dublin
Old Street, Malahide
Sunday lunch at Old Street in Malahide has been a thing since day one, with Roast Rib of Beef and all the trimmings for €26, or the less classic Chorizo-Crumbed Chicken Supreme, with pumpkin and sage purée, chantilly baby carrots, preserved lemon and tarragon piccata, and fermented black garlic mashed potato (€25). There's also fish, burgers and pasta for any non roast lovers.
L Mulligan Grocer, Stoneybatter
L Mulligan Grocer serve their Sunday roast from 13:30 until they're sold out, with a choice of organic chicken with sausage meat stuffing (€24.50), organic pork collar with black pudding bon bons (€24.50), or for the veggies there's an organic courgette & squash nut roast with tofu bon bons (€19.50). Each comes with seasonal veg, roasties, mash and gravy, and you'll need a scotch egg to start.
The Coachman's Inn, Cloghran
We wouldn't have considered ourselves carvery connoisseurs - in fact we were quite happy to leave them behind in the 90's with Glenroe and dial-up internet - but Emer & Esther's Sunday Roast podcast had us wondering what we were missing. Their trip to The Coachman's Inn near the airport drew us in with talk of home potato croquettes "the size of sliotars', expert gravy ladling, and Emer giving it a massive 9/10 scoring, and with a full portion €14.95-€15.95, and a half €10.90, it's one of the best value options around for the very hungry.
Fagan's, Drumcondra
The other Northside carvery to beat is found in the pub made famous by Bertie Ahern - Fagan's in Drumcondra. €15.50 will get you a plate with beef, turkey, ham, multiple types of potatoes and all the veg you can handle, and it's the loveliest pub to while away a Sunday in.
Did we miss a great Sunday roast? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie.
