York’s Best Carveries for a Cosy Sunday Roast

York’s best carveries for a comforting Sunday roast

When autumn settles over York, a Sunday roast is a fairly reliable way to spend the afternoon. The city has plenty of options, from characterful pubs close to the Minster to polished hotel restaurants and relaxed venues just beyond the centre. For a classic pub plate, The Fat Badger is right by York Minster at 2–4 High Petergate. Its Sunday roast runs from 12:00 to 20:00 and comes with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, creamy mash, seasonal vegetables and red wine gravy. Beef rump is £22.95, pork loin and chicken supreme are £20.95, while the vegan feta, leek and potato pie is £19.95. Cauliflower cheese can be added for £5.95. There is no on-site parking, and Marygate Car Park is the suggested nearby option.

A more formal choice is Pearly Cow, at 1 Clifton. Sunday lunch is served from 12:00 to 20:00, with a 45-day salt-cured sirloin among the highlights, alongside seasonal vegetables, sauces, roast potatoes and desserts. The restaurant occupies a Regency house and focuses on ingredients from the Yorkshire Dales and coast. At The Rise at The Grand, on Station Rise, the roast is presented in a fine-dining setting overlooking York’s historic walls. Sunday lunch is available on the first Sunday of each month, so it is worth checking the date before making plans. Hotel du Vin, at 89 The Mount, offers a French-leaning version of the occasion on Sundays from 12:00 to 16:00. Its Roast du Vin follows a French Market Table, with a two- or three-course lunch available from £29.95 when booked through the listed offer, including a complimentary glass of champagne or a soft drink.

For something less formal, York Minster Refectory on High Petergate serves a straightforward Sunday lunch built around roast sirloin of beef, duck-fat roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips, vegetables, cauliflower cheese and pan gravy. The Star Inn The City, at Lendal Engine House beside the River Ouse, is another central option, while The Crescent and Mason’s Arms are also noted for traditional Sunday meals. Middletons Hotel, near Clifford’s Tower on Cromwell Road, serves Sunday lunch during its daily food hours, with roast beef and Chicken Supreme among the dishes listed, followed by options such as sticky toffee pudding.

If you are happy to leave the centre, Bosun’s at The Riverfront in Bishopthorpe uses seasonal local ingredients and has a Sunday-lunch voucher offer. The Wenlock Arms in Wheldrake pairs roast meats with Yorkshire puddings and gravy, with sticky toffee pudding or apple and blackberry crumble for dessert. At The Old Liquor Store, inside the former Terry’s factory on Bishopthorpe Road, the menu includes Yorkshire-reared sirloin, gammon with marmalade and clove glaze, and chicken with tarragon butter. The Drovers Arms on York Road, Selby, is another option for local meat, roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Menus and serving times can change, so checking directly before setting off is sensible, particularly for the monthly service at The Rise.