Liverpool bistro named one of the best places for Sunday roast dinner in the UK

The best Sunday roast dinners in the UK have been revealed and a neighbourhood bistro on Liverpool’s Smithdown Road has made the top five.

Each year, a team of reviewers for viral Instagram account @RateGoodRoasts travels the length and breadth of the country in search of the best roasts. They sampled nearly 200 dinners in 2023 in order to compile their annual top ten.

Each roast is reviewed against 10 categories: meat, vegetables, sides, venue, drinks, value, potatoes, gravy, service and, of course, Yorkshire puddings. Each venue is then given a rating out of 100%.

This year's winner was deemed to be The Abbey Inn, in Byland. The country pub, set in the North York Moors, achieved 97%. However, four restaurants from the North West made the rankings too, with Liverpool eaterie Belzan coming in at No.4.

On the menu: The neighbourhood bistro on Smithdown Road serves Sunday lunch from noon until 5pm and offers two courses for £28 and three courses for £34. The menu includes classics such as roast chicken with swede mash and roast sirloin of beef with horseradish - all served with roast potatoes, honey roast carrot and parsnips, Yorkshire pudding, seasonal greens and gravy.

What's been said: Belzan was added to prestigious foodie bible the Michelin Guide in 2023 but the good news for diners is that BBC Good Food critic Tony Naylor said the restaurant has ‘zero pretention’. Famous foodie Grace Dent says Belzan is: “A rare feat - relaxed as hell, but a bit challenging, too.”

Rate Good Roasts Top 10 Sunday Roast list

1. The Abbey Inn, Byland 97%
2. The Loch & The Tyne, Old Windsor 96% =2/ Hawksmoor, Manchester 96%
3. Castle Farm, Midford 95.5%
4. Belzan, Liverpool 95%
5. The Elgin, Maida Vale 94% =5/ Gladstone Bistro, Stalybridge 94%
6. Greens, Sale 93%
7. Bank, Bristol 92.5%
8. Jones & Sons x Madame Pigg, Dalston 91% =8/ The Whitehall, Leeds 91%
9. The Gin Trap Inn, Ringstead, 90%
10. Maray, Manchester 89%

Previous winners: It's the second time Abbey Inn chef Tommy Banks has topped the Rate Good Roasts charts after his other restaurant Roots topped the 2020 list. Alumni of the Top 10 lists includes amazing chefs such as: Tom Kerridge (2021), James Cochran (2021), Kenny Tutt (2020), Sally Abe (2019) and Ruth Hansom (2019).

Rate Good Roasts chief eating officer, Tom Casson said: "There's something romantic about a Sunday Roast. It's an event. Whether its an opportunity to see old friends, or, a family celebration of some kind. You don't want to be let down. As an adult, it almost feels like you're going out, out on a Sunday. 

“You want a stand-out dish on the specials board (a lamb, or, a porchetta and a creative main option for our veggie or vegans friends). Personally I want the Yorkshire puddings big enough to act as a vessel for the gravy. Potatoes need to be in that sweet Venn diagram spot of fluffy and crispy."