The Top Ten Sunday Lunches in Newcastle
We all love a good Sunday Lunch. Whether it’s patiently waiting all day for a classic gut buster courtesy of Mum, or a queuing irritably at the carvery behind a family of ten all going for seconds. Whether it’s roast Beef with a mountain of Yorkshires, a Turkey with the trimmings, Lamb with lashings of mint sauce or a Nut Roast with cauli cheese.
British people have enjoyed a good Sunday Lunch for many many years. Although it is subject to debate by historians it is believed that the Sunday Roast dates back to medieval times, when the village serfs served the squire for six days a week. Then, on the Sunday, after the morning church service, serfs would assemble in a field and practise their battle techniques and were rewarded with a feast of oxen roasted on a spit.
It even gets the royal seal of approval! During 15th century Britain, in the reign of King Henry VII, every Sunday, after church, his royal guards would enjoy a ritual of freshly roasted beef, this is where the affectionate term “Beefeaters” came from.
The British Sunday Lunch has shown no signs of becoming less popular with young people and still proves a crowd pleaser. One change in recent years is to ditch the dishes though! With 30% of people preferring a Sunday Lunch in a pub or restaurant. With this in mind we decided to compile our Top Ten list of Sunday Lunches in in Newcastle.
There is so much debate when it comes to the Sunday Roast! Is it a lunch, or a dinner? Or is it in the moral grey area between the two? Linner or Dunch?
What should the main event be? Beef, Chicken, Lambs, Pork, or even heaven forbid a vegetarian option!
How do you make the perfect roast potatoes? Do you boil first?
And are sprouts delicious or the devil’s work?
There is so much to deliberate and debate. But that is for a different time…for us we just had to consider the main three factors. Comfort factor, cost and calories! Comfort, because you want a nice chilled lazy Sunday atmosphere. No being chased out or hurried for the table! You want to feel at home, like Lynda Bellingham is around the corner getting you some more gravy ready! Cost, because in a world of rising costs we felt the Sunday Lunch needs saving. You can’t skimp on a Sunday Lunch. It should be a crime! And finally Calories. We are all so much health conscious these days, with pubs and restaurants telling us how many calories are in all of the options. And while we welcome a healthy lifestyle and looking after yourself, to calorie count a Sunday Lunch is simply not allowed! You should need to undo the belt and put in a new hole after. You should need a lay down and not need to eat for the rest of the day/week!
So are you salivating for a Sunday Roast yet? So, in no particular order, here is our definitive top ten…
The Broad Chare
The Broad Chare offers all the best bits of a good old traditional pub, combined with a modern fine dining restaurant. This gastro pub has been a popular choice for Sunday Lunches since its opening in 2011. Honest, decent grub. Comfy atmosphere. And good cheer! No fuss or fancy fads, just a genuine warm welcome.
Its prices reflect this. Not up there with fine dining but not down there with the likes of Wetherspoons!
Serving up exceptional British cuisine, its menu was created by top Newcastle chef and restaurateur Terry Laybourne and it was named 3rd in the Top 50 Best Gastropubs in the UK awards earlier this year. And it is easy to see why!
The Sunday roast pork belly is a popular choice for mains, and one we’d definitely recommend. It is a popular venue and we’d advice booking in advance to avoid any disappointment or long waits. Overall the food is of a great quality and the staff are very attentive and friendly, making it an easy choice for our top ten Sunday Lunches list.
You can find them on Facebook here.
No28
Newcastle city centre’s finest hidden gem no28 has been a popular choice for a night out for those ‘in the know‘ for a good few years now, but it will come as a surprise to many as a choice for a cracking Sunday Lunch!
They’ve just revamped their whole menu and are offering some amazing grub. They are even offering it all at half price for the whole of October to celebrate. Sunday – Thursday this amazing offer includes Sunday Lunches.
For mains you can choose from the likes of Sous Vide Topside of Beef with Thyme, slow cooked Lamb Shanks in red wine, Confit Pork Belly with sage and roasted apple, or a homemade sundried tomato, carrot and cashew Nut Roast. All of no28’s mains are served with homemade Yorkshire Puddings, roast potatoes, maple balsamic carrots, garlic greens and a rich beef bone and red wine gravy (nut roast comes with caramelised onion gravy).
Coming in at between £14 and £18 at fully price the mains it is decent value for money given the generous portion size! But at half price this is a deal you just can’t afford to miss this October! Treat a friend and they’ll think you’re the best, they’ll be buying the drinks the rest of the day.
Their Yorkshires are amazing! And really make the meal. I don’t know about you, but for me there is nothing worse than a Sunday Lunch with small Yorkshire puds! These bad boys do not disappoint, and are so big they come with their own postcode.
You can add starters, extras (try the pigs and blankets and truffled cauliflower cheese!) and desserts if you want to make a real day of it!
We love no28 for food as they do really good grub without the fuss and their staff are always super friendly and helpful. Being bang in the middle of Newcastle, on Nelson Street just round the corner from Grey’s monument makes it a great place for a Sunday Lunch if you are planning a day out in town or going to the match.
You can find them on Facebook here.
Gusto
Gusto Newcastle is a fine spot for a good Sunday Lunch. Being on the quayside it means you can walk it all off after, get some fresh air and go check out the Quayside Sunday Market before it closes at 4pm.
It might not be the first obvious choice with it being an Italian and a big chain restaurant but the food there is very good. There is an excellent selection and you are really spoilt for choice.
Their Sunday roast comes with two courses for £24.95. We like to go straight in for a main and then enjoy a good old pud afterwards.
There is a good choice of mains but for us it has to be the Porchetta-style Pork Belly & Crackling with roast Potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, Chantenay Carrots and Parsnips, Cauliflower ‘Carbonara’ with Cheese and Pancetta, Spring Greens, and a jug of gravy.
You can find them on Facebook here.
Pleased To Meet You
Please To Meet You on High Bridge is an excellent choice for those looking for a Sunday treat. Their Sunday Lunch is freshly prepared from local ingredients and comes with a good range of choices.
You can get all of the usual suspects, Beef, Lamb, Pork Belly and Chicken. Priced at around £18-19 with all the trimmings. But you can also get an amazing Chargrilled Cauliflower Steak for the veggies, Slow Roast Ox Cheek and Venison Loin for the carnivores.
But if you can’t quite decide you can get a Three Meats Sunday Roast for £25. Pick and mix what meat you want for your feast!
Their Yorkshire Puds are a really ample size but if you are feeling extra greedy you can add extras at £1.50 a go. How many giant Yorkshires could you eat?
You can find them on Facebook here.
The Ship Inn
Located at the bottom of Stepney Bank, The Ship Inn is one of the oldest pubs in the area, and on the face of it looks very much the quintessential traditional British pub. And with their warm welcome, friendly staff and great range of beers and ales it very much is, but there is a twist!
The Ship Inn boasts an amazing Vegan kitchen, serving up generous portions of seriously tasty food, prepared with thought and care. Now I’m sure there is plenty reading this and thinking “A Vegan Sunday Lunch!?!?” But it is far from an oxymoron! The food there is absolutely amazing. And while it is a dream for both vegan and vegetarians, we think even the most hardened of meat eater would be impressed with the portions and flavours on offer at The Ship Inn.
Their Roast “Pork” and Apple Sunday Lunch, is actually Seitan, served with caramelised Apple, mushroom, garlic and sage, rolled and roasted. Accompanied by amazing rosemary roast potatoes, braised red cabbage and fennel, baked root veg, seasonal greens, chive mash and a lavish red wine gravy.
They do a great range of cakes and puds that change regularly. We’d definitely recommend trying these if you get a chance, as they are to die for!
A popular choice with locals, their Sunday Lunch is served until 6pm or until they run out, so our advice is to not hang around, book yourself a table and make sure get in early.
You can find them on Facebook here.
Babucho
Babucho by the quayside is a good choice for a lazy Sunday Lunch. The portions there are generous and with three courses for £24.95 you might need to bring your stretchy pants! For those watching their weight their are one and two course options at cheaper prices, but come on, its a Sunday Lunch!
The starters and desserts are pretty much what you’d expect for an Italian style restaurant and nicely frame the main event.
Their Sunday Roast comes with slow roasted beef, pork chicken or vegan bake. There are beef sirloin, lamb and a three meats super roast options available for a small extra charge too! All are served with the usual suspects. Like I said the portions are generous and it makes a greta venue for a long and lazy Sunday Lunch.
You can find them on Facebook here.
The Bridge Tavern
We love The Bridge Tavern. Whether it is for a chilled out after work pint in the beer garden, or a big night out with mates in the bar. The staff are always warm, friendly and helpful. And their Sunday Lunch is no exception to this rule!
The lay out and atmosphere makes for a much more relaxed pub vibe. Perfect for a no fuss lazy Sunday, with a few pints after.
The prices are really decent, coming in at just £13 for a Sunday Lunch. But if you do want to make more of an event of it all there are good starters, extras and puds on offer too. We’ve got to say at this price you’d be forgiven for thinking the portions would be on the smaller size but they are not! They are really generous and there is no skimping on quality or flavour.
You have the choice of Beef, Pork, Lamb and a vegetarian option. All come with a generous helping of veg, a decent size Yorkshire Pud and gravy. They do a kids portion too, which is something we like to see. Many places don’t seem to do this and we just can’t understand why!
The lack of fuss and relaxed atmosphere makes for a chilled out Sunday Lunch, perfect for those with a hang over they need to nurse with some good grub to soak up the previous nights fun!
You can find them on Facebook here.
The Forth
Just a short stroll from Newcastle’s Central Station on Pink Lane, The Forth is a favourite bar of ours. Their food is always good and value for money. And their Sunday Lunch is very much the same!
Again, like our last venue, The Forth is much more the laid back pub vibe and zero fuss and pomp.
Their Sunday Lunch is available 12-4pm and is a popular choice with the punters. All of their roasts come with a large Yorkshire pudding, ruffled thyme roasted potatoes, seasonal vegetables and a jug of gravy.
The prices are very reasonable and the portions generous. Again we’d recommend for those wanting a chilled out and no fuss pub Sunday Lunch.
You can find them on Facebook here.
Blackfriars
Blackfriars is situated in the heart of Newcastle’s city centre, packed full of history this venue is very impressive and the perfect choice for people wanting to make a Sunday Lunch special occasion.
Compared to our last few choices it is very much at the more formal and fine dining end of the spectrum you’d be forgiven for thinking you were going to get some deconstructed Sunday Roast, with tiny portions and served with a foam! But thankfully this is definitely not the case at Blackfriars. They pay full respect to the Sunday Roast, in all its gluttonous glory! Friar Tuck himself would have been happy with their Sunday feast.
You can get two courses for £24, or three for £29. There is a really good choice of options, with something for everyone. It was a nice surprise to see a fish option alongside all of the other usual suspects for once. The trimmings were all excellent, and the Yorkshire was a really decent size.
The puds were very impressive and very moreish.
Blackfriars also hosts the occasional Sunday event, such as their Traditional Hog Roasts. They are very popular, so booking is a must. But they are perfect for people wanting to get the full authentic medieval feast experience.
You can find them on Facebook here.
Earl of Pitt Street
The Earl of Pitt Street is a stone throw for St James Park and has an excellent reputation as a modern gasto-pub. This popular venue does a really decent Sunday Lunch, priced at between £13.50-£17.50.
You can choose between feather blade of Beef, roast belly Pork, confit shoulder of Lamb, roast Chicken breast or a Nut Roast. All served with seasonal vegetables, roasties, mash and large Yorkshire Pudding.
You can find them on Facebook here.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our Top Ten list and for now that is it. But don’t let that stop the fun! Head over to our social media platforms and let us know what you think is the Best Sunday Lunch in Newcastle.