'Blown away' - I tried the Municipal Hotel's 'five-star' Sunday roast and it could be the best in Liverpool

Located in the heart of Liverpool city centre, the luxury hotel opened on Dale Street in 2023 and offers 179 lavish rooms and suites, as well as a spa and a range of places to eat and drink.

The only five-star hotel in the city, there are three places for food and drink to choose from - the Seaforth restaurant, Palm Court and Botanic Tearoom. The gorgeous Palm Court bar area stands proudly in the middle of the central atrium and tucked away at the back is Seaforth, a British brasserie influenced by Liverpool’s trade history, with menus reflecting connections to land and sea.

As we are heading towards the winter months, the Seaforth has now launched its Sunday roast offerings, claiming they too are ‘five-star’ worthy.

Myself and my dining partner headed to the restaurant to try out the set menu and to see if the roasts were as good as they sounded. Priced at £33.95 for two courses, or £39.95 for three courses, it definitely isn’t a budget option but, for luxury dining, I’d say that’s fairly reasonable.

Although this was my second time eating inside the Municipal building, I was still blown away by just how gorgeous it is. The high ceilings, palm trees, hanging vines, marble fixtures and warm lights are breath-taking, and it really is one of the most beautiful venues to eat at in the city.

The food and drink

To start, my dining partner and I both opted for the soup of the day, which was roasted pepper and tomato. Served in a lovely bowl, the soup arrived piping hot and was accompanied by two pieces of focaccia - my all time favourite bread.

It’s a long time since I had soup at a restaurant but I was very pleased with my decision, as the delicious tomatoey starter was exactly what I needed on an autumn day.

For our drinks, we chose an orange wine and a beer, because a whole bottle of red might be a little too much for a Sunday afternoon. I had been wanting to try orange wine for ages, but it was nowhere near as nice as rosé and definitely not worth the hefty price tag - I am glad I finally tried it though and it did go down well with my meal.

For the main event, diners can choose from a selection of roasts, including Cumbrian sirloin of beef, pan-seared fillet of sea bass, herb-roasted breast of chicken, and a vegan roast of the week. Classic trimmings include crispy roast potatoes, fine beans, roasted carrots, red cabbage, Yorkshire pudding, and a rich beef or vegetable jus.

I opted for the vegan roast of the week, which was roasted butternut squash along with all the trimmings minus the Yorkshire pudding that comes with standard roasts. My dining partner chose the beef and, within five minutes of finishing our starters, our huge meals arrived piping hot.

Although a roasted squash sounds like a fairly boring choice for a meal, it was absolutely delicious and had a crispy skin - something I never even knew you could eat. The potatoes were up there with the nicest roasties I have ever had, the red cabbage was packed with flavour and the roasted carrots were perfectly sweet. The green beans were nice and tender and the gravy (or jus) was lovely.

My dining partner received a huge sirloin of beef - which I believe was cooked medium - and all the delicious sides. He usually doesn’t like roast dinners because he isn’t a fan of vegetables, but he genuinely ate his whole meal - minus a couple of green beans - and said it was the only roast he’s ever had that was as nice as Toby carvery (and that’s a huge compliment from him).

For dessert, my dining partner chose the sticky toffee pudding and ice cream - which he said was fantastic - however, the Sunday set menu didn’t have any vegan options. The staff were more than happy to accommodate me and said they could whip me up some poached strawberries. During my last visit, the strawberries were served with vegan ice cream, so I was a little disappointed to just be served fruit this time. But, the addition of blackberries was nice and the strawberries themselves were as delicious ever.

Overall thoughts

I am always impressed with how the Seaforth restaurant deals with dietary requirements, with a clearly labelled menu and the ability to sort out a dessert for people like myself. My only criticism is the fact that there isn’t a vegan dessert option as standard, especially when three courses are offered on the Sunday set menu. That being said, the staff are always more than happy to help and I never feel worried about being accidentally given non-vegan ingredients.

I love that the vegan roast changes weekly and it was really nice to be given pretty much identical accompaniments to the standard roasts, rather than the flavourless boiled veg I so often get given.

The service, as always, was great and somehow the Seaforth managed to make a Sunday roast feel incredibly luxurious. So, would I describe the meal as five-star? Definitely.

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