roast, Southwark, London

For various reasons, I’ve probably been to Roast more than any other London restaurant now. And it’s never a hardship.

At breakfast, I’d suggest the Haggis. The Full Roast is excellent but even someone of my, ahem, generous girth struggles. Lovely toast too.

Otherwise, the pork belly is always a fine choice and the daily special has never let me down - a recent visit delivered the single best piece of beef I’ve ever eaten - but if you can get organised order the day before and have the rib. The burger - Saturday brunch and on the bar menu - is also dazzling. I’ve not tried the Hawksmoor version yet but it’s got to go some to knock this burger off the “best in London” perch.

Happily this isn’t a place to rest on its laurels. They’ve introduced a new “own blend” wine from Chapel Down which is not just the best English wine I’ve ever had, it’s one I’m convinced will throw even vociferous Aussies in a blind tasting. The new “own roast” of coffee is also up there with Monmouth in terms of being Borough Market’s best bet. Love it.

Excellent space overlooking Borough Market; a friend and I were tippin around lookin for somewhere to eat and a local guy we bumped into recommended it…if you not lookin for full silver service just amble up and look at the bar menu; mainly little bits’n pieces that added together make for some real tastiness. Bar staff are discrete and give good service. Nice spot altogether, wouldn’t mind comin back for a proper go, may have to save the pennies first!

Yes you have to look out for the lift entrance, we almost walked round the block before we saw the right in front of us sign. Very light inside and pleasant. Not inexpensive, but you do get a big plateful of quality food. You would have to be very hungry to do 3 courses. Good staff. Useful if you are in the area rather than a special visit, but other reviewers rate the breakfast highly so that might alter my opinion if I get to eat one there. And a goodly number of wines on the list, though most above £32 from what I saw. And not suffering from recession judging by the number of people there on a Monday lunch!

Have been to this place for both breakfast and dinner. It is extrordinary food. It is so fresh and vibrant. There is no question that the quality of the produce (being above borough market, this is to be expected! The service and restaurant are very highly rated to, but it isn’t a stuffy restaurant, it is buzy and enjoyable when ever you fancy visiting it. The breakfast is the best i’ve ever had.

Having tried their brunch here a few months ago, I was eager to see how they fared on their namesake. With every choice of roast possible, I opted for the roast beef after debating it over with the pork. I did cheekily ask the waiter if I could have a tiny slice of pork with my beef to settle both cravings and to my surprise he delivered. The beef was lovely but perhaps a little too much sinew for my liking and the pork was just perfect and I had meal envy right there on my own plate. Opting for the two courses for 26 quid, (yes, it’s a fancy roast place) we all chose a main meal and a dessert. After spotting a Knickerbocker Glory that a kid was having on an opposite table, a few of us decided that we must have that for dessert and while not appearing on our menus, the waiter handed over the “Young Diner’s” menu where Knickerbocker Glory featured. Ahh, there is no shame ordering from a children’s menu when ordering in numbers, is there? It was mighty tasty and a fine afternoon.

Not sure if my mother would appreciate me calling it the best roast ever, but it was certainly pretty damned good.

Had a great Sunday afternoon here, rolled out very full but extremely contented. I had the roast chicken, which was enormous and the roast potatoes were perfectly crunchy. The pork and the beef were exceptional, particularly the pork. Nice wines, and a great location - the bill was a bit on the steep side but we weren’t shy with the wine so it was worth it overall.

I went along for breakfast here today and was mightily impressed although I think you pay for the entire experience. We had booked for a fairly early seating on a Saturday morning shortly after it had opened yet there seemed to be a constant fuss at the entrance with checking coats and bags in and out. Once we got through all of that though, we walked into the magnificent dining room, with amazingly large windows and a bright airy space we all thought perfect for a wedding reception (or something like it).

Our waiter didn’t seem to bother us too much throughout the meal, providing both prompt and efficient service. They charged over £12 for two eggs benedict, a little on the pricey side and even though they were good, they definitely weren’t were that much.

After we finished they took our plates and asked us if we wanted anything else. We didn’t feel at all pressured to leave our seats despite the growing queue of people waiting to be seated around the corner at the entrance.

I’d certainly be keen to see how they react during a dinner service.

Without a doubt, a really fantastic space. They haven’t compromised on trying to squeeze more people in here - the tables are well spaced and absolutely huge, so much so you might have to speak up to make yourself heard across them! In conjunction with the lofty roof, it gives the place a grand, classical elegance, and of course, the price of everything is adjusted to match. Still, I did enjoy my boiled eggs and soldiers, although the bread is cut far too thickly to fit into an egg. Maybe an ostrich egg would have been a better match.

The full English is priced somewhere between astronomic and ridiculous, and I wasn’t hungry at 0745 anyway, so we didn’t try it. But, perhaps next time. If you’re struggling to find the entrance - note well - it’s inside the market under cover, and the place is above you!

I went here for a much anticipated celebratory dinner for a special occasion. The three of us enjoyed a drink at the bar and oohed at the little grass patches on the way in to the restaurant. The meals were lovely and conversation pretty much stopped when we were munching our meaty roasts.

The wine was outstanding so we sat and enjoyed another bottle after dinner. The atmosphere was relaxed while the staff were attentive.

Not sure it quite lived up to all the hype, not the best roast meal I’ve ever had and given the location of the restaurant in the heart of Borough Market I had expected to see more interesting seasonal options at least with the veggie sides.

But all in, a nice place to head for a quality meal. Crisp white linen, proper glasses and heavy cutlery. Old school in some ways but very enjoyable.

Went there yesterday with Andrew and the gang for a breakfast meeting.

I hardely ever have been to such a nice location before in London. This may be a cultural thing. Many places that are hyped in London are windowless, crowded things.

Not so here: Located literally above Borough Market, large windows give view to the old buildings opposite, some sky and also the trains to and from London bridge. I hardly remember enjoying a London location more.

Everyone had some really English breakfast: Eggs with Marmite, Roasted Tomatoes or Porridge. Everyone loved it.
The Latte Macchiato came in a perfact glass in a perfectly like out of the book.

In our case, the service was good and friendly.
I could have stayed here much longer and declare Roast to be one of my favourite places in London.

Overall I’d say I had an ok meal at Roast and felt disappointed as my expectations had been raised with all the hype.

Atmosphere was good for a work night and I was grateful I had managed to get a booking at very short notice. But the food was (a little below) average.

Service was the redeeming factor - very attentive for a busy place. The kitchen staff could see I was struggling with meat which had gone cold and offered to re-heat it.

I don’t think I’ll go back for dinner.

I heard very mixed reviews about this place before I went and now that I have been, I can understand why.

I ate there for the first time with a few colleagues and clients just a few weeks ago - once we had found the well-hidden entrance that is. Bizarrely, one member of the group picked up her G&T from the bar before we were seated and the bottom of the glass just slipped off, spilling the contents all over us. Weird. However, the staff had seen it happen and were so apologetic they gave us the round of drinks for free.

The food is basically posh roast dinners and a few other alternatives. Not a vast amount of choice, but just enough to please almost everyone. I had the special which was a rather tasty roast beef dish. Just good, though. Not amazing. We ordered a variety of the vegetable dishes to share and there was more than enough to go around.

The waiters were very attentive and discreet throughout, and our water and wine glasses were kept constantly full. Due to this, though, I was pretty sozzled by the time dessert came around. I think it was a chocolate and whiskey tart and I remember really liking it but further than that I can’t tell you.

Overall, my impression was 'hmmm, pretty nice place’ rather than anything more exceptional. Would be happy to eat here again though. If I can find it.

A 4 star venue because of the location, looking down on Borough market. I’ve had both breakfast and lunch, always on Friday or Saturday when the market is busiest.
It’s worth booking well in advance for a table overlooking the market, the small coffee/drinks area has a good view, but rarely any spare seats.
The food is generally ok, but somehow the venue adds to the experience. Had a very late breakfast once when obviously the chef was concentrating on lunch, they did put it all right in the end but dissapointing…. but I’ll be going again.

Love the venue, the cocktails and the lunch/evening menu. However, this place can not cook an egg for breakfast.

I’ve been here twice for breakfast meet-ups as it’s such a great location for people working south of the river. The brunch menu is a little uninspiring though and, I have to mention it again, there make bad eggs! The first time my omlette was still clucking, on trying fried eggs for my next visit they were bizarrely chewy with something brown and burnt looking on the base.

Veggies are well catered for in the daytime menu but, as is often the case, doesn’t provide great value for money.

I hardly ever do this but I sent my breakfast bill back to the waiter. After requesting no bacon, I was provided with a big empty plate on which sat in the middle a sad looking tattie scone, two [as we’ve established, awful] eggs and one tiny little mushroom. I figured they must’ve miscalculated the cost at £8.50 as if I’d walked across the road to a Borough High St caff I could’ve had a 3 egg omlette, bacon, chips, beans, toast, hash browns, mushrooms and about 10 cups of tea.

They’re famous for their breakfasts here but I so, so wish the quality would improve as I do like it here the rest of the time.

Update

I hear this place does a cracking breakfast so planning on heading here tomorrow bright and early for what many are claiming to be “The Best Breakfast in London”. Can’t wait!

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Excellent, excellent, excellent.

We came here completely by chance. We’d originally intended to go to Black & Blue but it would have meant a 45 minute wait. After sipping Black Sheep and G&T’s at the bar and soaking up the atmospehere we were shown to our table. Even though the restaurant was very full, the service was still very attentive and friendly and the food came quickly. Both the roast chicken and the roasted pork belly were fantastic. Perfectly cooked and just the right blend of flavours. The meal came to about £80 for 2 people, which, given the quality of dinner, is an absolute bargain.