Great Irish restaurants for a traditional Sunday roast

Ashdown Park Hotel

The Coach Road, Gorey, Co Wexford; 053-9480500, ashdownparkhotel.com

The Ashdown Park Hotel, along with sister hotel Amber Springs, operates a farm-to-fork policy, receiving daily deliveries of beef, salads and vegetables from the co-owned Redmond Family Farm. Steaks are dry aged in house – the rib-eye was recently awarded a silver medal at the World Steak Challenge. Sunday sees peak demand in the kitchen as the Ivy carvery serves up portion after portion of Redmond’s beef. Joanne Cronin

The Dunraven

Main Street, Blackabbey, Adare, Co Limerick; 061-605 900, dunravenhotel.com

It is hard to imagine a more idyllic place for a Sunday roast than the wonderfully old-school Dunraven hotel; it is great to see that places like this still exist. It’s not just about the white linen-clad tables, the hospitality and outstanding service – the food here is top tier and the beef trolley is renowned. On the €45, three-course menu, perfectly cooked dry-aged beef comes served with crispy Yorkshire puddings and all the trimmings. Who knew life could be this good? Corinna Hardgrave

Eleven

Bray Road, Loughlinstown, Dublin 18; 01-2393471, elevendublin.ie

There is a wood-burning grill and live music on weekend nights; on Sundays it’s a change of pace and it’s all about the roast. Roast chicken, strip loin of beef and racks of pork all feature, priced from €23-€27, with fish and vegetarian offerings too. If you’re looking for a midweek bargain, corkage is €5 on Wednesdays. Read our review here. CH

FX Buckley

1a Lower Pembroke Street, Dublin 2; 01-6764606, pembroke@fxbuckley.ie

Ranked number six in the World’s Best Steakhouses for 2023, the beef at this long-established steakhouse is dry-aged for 28 days using Himalayan salt and cooked in a Josper charcoal oven. Sunday is the day for roast rib of beef, served medium, with Yorkshire pudding, duck fat roast potatoes, vegetables and gravy for €22.50. Upstairs, a private area that seats 35-50 people can be booked at no additional cost. CH

6 South Square, Rosscarbery, Co Cork; 023-8831796, jacksatpilgrimsrest.com

Hailing from Cornwall and a family of fish merchants, chef Jack Bell fell in love with West Cork (a story as old as time) and took over the space left vacant by the closure of Pilgrim’s restaurant. Realising the wealth of food around him, he’s sourcing as much as possible from within a 10km radius. Sunday lunch of roast beef or classic turkey and ham with all the trimmings and rich gravy is already building a formidable local reputation. JC

Locks

1 Windsor Terrace, Dublin 8; 01-4163655, locksrestaurant.ie

For lunch with a view, looking out over the windblown Grand Canal is hard to beat. Afternoon sun floods into the Locks diningroom, which means there is nowhere for imperfections to hide. Not to worry, though, as James Agnew’s cooking here is as sharp as the bright sunshine. On Sundays look out for the sharing special, which can range from Ring’s Farm stuffed chicken to John Stone beef with all the trimmings. Plus, there’s a cheese trolley. Read our review here. JC

Neighbourhood

1 North Main Street, Naas, Co Kildare; 045-954466, neighbourhoodnaas.com

Gareth Naughton has been hitting all the right notes with dishes such as Dublin Bay prawns in foaming aioli and roast bone marrow with sourdough flatbread on his dinner menu. On Sunday the menu switches to roast sirloin and roast pork served with all the trimmings. Standard mains are also available – steak, hake, chicken and a veggie option – and a selection of desserts. Read our review here. CH

Station House Hotel

Kilmessan, Co Meath; 046-9025239, stationhousehotel.ie

The family-owned Station House Hotel is a little oasis of calm and elegance in the village of Kilmessan. A well-known wedding venue, its Signal Restaurant has built a reputation for use of local Boyne Valley and Irish produce. On Sundays the Slattery family offer a range of classic roasts as part of a three-course menu that is guaranteed to induce Sunday afternoon snoozing. JC

The Old Spot

14 Bath Avenue, Dublin 4; 01-6605599, theoldspot.ie

Food at the cosy Old Spot, a proper gastropub, is crowd-pleasing in the best possible sense. Whether it’s the short weekday lunchtime menu or the a la carte evening menu, the food is fresh, seasonal and hearty. On Sundays it’s all about the roasts featuring both Ring’s Farm free-range chicken with sausage and sage stuffing and Pat McLoughlin’s dry-aged roast beef with all the bits. JC

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The Olde Post Inn

Knockateery, Cloverhill, Co Cavan; 047-55555, theoldepostinn.com

With a historic atmosphere that’s hard to beat, Gearoid and Tara Lynch’s beautifully restored Olde Post Inn is justifiably known for its hearty Sunday lunch. The three-course menu features all the classics, from roast beef with Yorkshire puddings to free-range chicken with Irish whiskey sauce. At this time of year the focus in the kitchen turns to game, with local hunters providing venison, mallard, pheasant and partridge. A roaring open fire makes it a place to settle in on a winter’s day. JC

Waterman

5-23 Hill Street, Belfast, Co Antrim; +44 28-90434310, waterman.restaurant

Roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and root vegetables for £21 (€24) is one of the options on the Sunday menu of this Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant which is located in a dramatic, light-filled room. Or you could opt for the hangar steak on the very reasonably priced early-bird menu which runs from 1-8pm on Sundays, offering two/three courses for £18.50/£22.50. Read our review here. CH