Where to find the best pub roast in Australia: The tastiest Sunday spots to head in each state that foodies can’t get enough of

As temperatures plummet around Australia and rain starts to hinder weekend activities, foodies are on the hunt for the best Sunday roast in the country.

There are countless tasty offerings in every Aussie city – but there are a select few that locals can’t help but return to time and time again.

From traditional Irish pubs to authentic English taverns and even dingy dive bars, Sunday roast lovers can find a venue to their liking that serves up a warming dish of meat and roast vegetables doused with gravy no matter where they live.

FEMAIL has compiled a list of some of the best roast dinners hungry Aussies can get their hands on to top off their weekends this winter. 

SYDNEY 

The Duke of Clarence is a British-themed pub hidden away down an alleyway in the heart of the CBD and has a special menu especially for Sunday roasts. 

There’s the British roast beef sirloin, roast porchetta and roast lamb that comes with carrots, peas, beef fat potatoes, stuffing, a Yorkshire pudding and apple sauce. 

The roasts come with a boat of house-made gravy and diners can add a pig-in blanket for an extra $4.

Vegetarians and vegans don’t have to miss out as there is also the roast pumpkin and wild rice roast option which can be enjoyed by the cosy fire. 

Pub reviewer Jax Carr went to the Duke of Clarence himself to see if the roast of the day lived up to the hype. 

‘Everything was so good there, literally my new second favourite pub in Sydney,’ he said.

In his pursuit to find the best Sunday roast, Jax also visited the Rosebery Hotel in the inner southern suburb of the same name. 

 

It offers a budget deal of a roast lunch or dinner plus a free drink for just $20 making it one of the best value roasts in Sydney but has also been hailed as one of the best places to get a pint of Guinness in the city. 

‘It’s just such an unassuming pub, I’ve gone past a few times and never been in…This is a proper old-school pub and I’m literally the only non-Irish person here,’ he laughed.

Along the bustling Parramatta Road in Camperdown in Sydney’s inner west is The Lady Hampshire pub with a menu of pub classics. 

It recently underwent a refurbishment but kept its retro charm and is known as a go-to haunt for local live music but also puts on a gourmet rotating Sunday roasts for $28. 

Options include the half chook roast with cocktail spuds, carrots, jus and a Yorkshire pudding as well as the pork belly with carrot puree, apple sauce and broccolini. 

If roasts aren’t your thing, be sure to duck next door to Derrel’s, an Anglo-Indian takeaway joint that has become a favourite late-night hangout. 

MELBOURNE

When you step through the door of The Retreat in Abbotsford it will come as no surprise this dingy-yet-delightful pub will serve up a banging Sunday roast.

Guests are wowed when they are greeted with the period-style servery that is bursting with old-world character. 

The Retreat has a rotating menu of Sunday roasts for $28 with gravy, veggies and a Yorkshire pudding which punters can enjoy by the roaring fire. 

But you better be quick as they sell out most weekends during winter.

Those looking for a filling feast should head to Bunny Bar in St Kilda for the ‘proper’ roast that comes with your choice of six sides. 

On offer is the roast Italian style pork rolled with garlic and herbs, crackling Irish cider and jus, the grass-fed beef or roast chicken with stuffing. 

Non-meat eaters can have the southern crumbed vegan chook with portabello sauce and there is a smattering of decadent sides to choose from.

Sides include cauliflower cheese, roast carrots with garlic, honey and lemon, crispy Brussels sprouts, a jug of gravy or roast creme golden potatoes. 

Bunny Bar’s roast and six sides are available for $30 per person or $20 per child under 12. 

The Orrong Hotel in Armadale, 7km south of Melbourne’s CBD, has $25 roasts on the menu every Sunday. 

It changes weekly and can be ordered throughout the day until it sells out.  

There is the pork belly or roast chicken with, potatoes, sautéed spinach, peas and carrot purée as well as the roast lamb, honey glazed carrots, pumpkin, celeriac puree and wilted spinach all covered in gravy. 

ADELAIDE

In the north-eastern corner of Adelaide’s CBD just of Rundle Street lies The Elephant British pub which is a hotspot for a Sunday roast. 

The Elly, as it’s known by locals, is inspired by old English Tudor houses with second-storey windows jutting out above the footpath and a covered beer garden. 

It has faithfully stuck to the British classic offering meat, vegetables and a Yorkie with gravy and horseradish for $23 every day of the week. 

Tucked away in the South Aussie capital’s suburbs in Parkside is the iconic Earl of Leicester, a charming stone pub that looks like something from the streets of a quiet English village. 

Inside the historical bar built in 1886, visitors can chow down on a Sunday roast in the cosy eatery.

There is a choice between roast lamb, beef or pork which is plated up with roasted spuds, seasonal veggies, a Yorkshire pudding and gravy. 

The Windmill Hotel offers a great deal of a Sunday Roast and Red for just $20 among its other cheap weekly specials. 

Warm up with a glass of selected premium red wine while filling up on the roast of the day served with pumpkin, potatoes, steamed veg and traditional gravy. 

Vic’s Place in Adelaide’s south is another winner for a packed winter roast for $38 with roast pork with crispy crackling, duck fat potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, cauliflower cheese, cabbage, broccoli and a Yorkshire pudding.   

PERTH

Thanks to its strong Irish expat population, Perth is filled with authentic Irish pubs serving up traditional roast dinners.

Just across the train line from the CBD in Northbridge is Johnny Fox’s, a popular spot for a summer Sunday session or a warming Irish roast in winter. 

For $26, guests can order the daily roast special or the roast beef or have both for $8 extra. There is also the three-course Sunday lunch for $39 a head. 

One of Perth’s most famous and long-standing Irish pubs JB O’Reilly’s in West Leederville has a tasty roast from $28.

You can get a single serve with your choice of beef sirloin, free-range chicken, pork shoulder or lamb leg with all the trimmings.

For an extra $6, JB’s serves up the ‘ultimate roast’ with all four meats and a medley of veggies, roast spuds, Yorkshire pudding, stuffing and gravy. 

Try a roast by the ocean at the Galway Hooker in the beachside suburb of Scarborough. 

Shelter from the chilly winter sea breeze by the fire at the Celtic establishment with a classic roast dinner for $28. 

BRISBANE

Finn McCool’s sitting in Brisbane’s nightlife capital Fortitude Valley has a vibe just as fun as its name.

On Sundays, the Irish bar has live music from 4pm until late as well as a hearty meals including the $24 classic Irish roast. 

The delicious deal is also available at Finn McCool’s Gold Coast location in Surfers Paradise.

Slam down a roast on Sunday with a crisp pint of craft beer at Brisbane Brewing Co. in Woolloongabba.

The $26 plate includes a succulent roast meat with roast potato, roast seasonal vegetables, buttered greens and a Yorkshire pudding smothered in gravy. 

One visitor claims the Brisbane Brewing Co serves ‘the best roast in Brissie’. 

Get a taste of London in the heart of the Queensland capital at the Rose and Crown in South Bank.

The cool London pub is considered a ‘must-visit’ and has an extensive Sunday roast menu.

Punters can get a two-course meal for $45, a three-course feast for $60 or order al a carte from the Sunday menu of British cuisine.

There is the beef, porchetta or vegetarian nut roast with the usual roast dinner sides for $24-$30. 

CANBERRA 

Canberra foodies love Edgar’s Inn in the quiet suburb of Ainslie away from the bustling CBD for its ‘almost unbeatable atmosphere’. 

Check the Inn’s chalkboard to see what meat is on offer in the $25 Sunday roast special which comes with sides as well as a free house beer, wine or soft drink. 

Those on a budget will love Campbell and George’s roast offering which is the cheapest on the list and under $20.

Members of the pub can get their meal for only $17.50 while non-members pay $20 from noon-2pm or 6pm-9pm.

Campbell and George isn’t technically in Canberra but in Queanbeyan just a quick skip over the New South Wales border, 25 minutes from the CBD. 

OTHER GEMS AROUND AUSTRALIA

Darwin may not have the chilly, dreary weather that goes so well with a roast but that doesn’t mean those who live in the balmy capital have to miss out. 

On a street corner in the middle of the city centre is the famous and aptly-named Shenanigans or ‘Shags’ as it’s affectionately called by locals. 

The Irish pub is a hub of activity on any given day in Darwin but on Sunday it serves up a $25 roast dinner with all the trimmings and a side of live music. 

One place that does have the perfect winter weather for a roast is Hobart and The Telegraph Hotel delivers. 

From noon, customers can get a traditional roast with locally sourced ingredients for $28 per adult and $16 per child. 

The protein changes each week and comes with all the trimmings as well as ‘lashes’ of gravy.  

Over in Newcastle, Beerhaus in Kotara puts on a stellar pork roast for only $20. 

On the ‘plate of perfection’ is a juicy pork belly with crackling as well as sauteed spuds, red cabbage, apple compote and onion gravy.