Blacklock Covent Garden Sunday Roast: Is the All In Still the Best Roast in London?
An honest, self funded Blacklock Covent Garden Sunday roast review: the All In platter, beef ribs, the Beefy Mary and that white chocolate cheesecake.
There are Sunday roasts, and then there is the one you plan an entire weekend around. This is a Blacklock Covent Garden Sunday roast review, and I will tell you now that it is not going to be a balanced piece of investigative journalism. It is going to be four full adults, three roasted meats on one platter and a cheesecake that keeps coming until you tell them to stop.
As always, this was paid for by us. No hosting, no discount, no PR contact. I book like everyone else and I write what I think.
Why Blacklock, and why again
We have been to Blacklock a couple of times now, and every time it has been the Covent Garden restaurant. Our first Blacklock Covent Garden Sunday roast was just over a year ago and we left saying the thing you say when a place gets under your skin. "We are coming back for the roast."
So when Kieran and Gemma came down to spend the weekend in London with us in August 2026, and we were all staying at Sea Containers London on the South Bank, the Sunday lunch slot was never really up for debate. Friday night had been French at Prix Fixe Brasserie in Soho. Saturday was Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay up at 22 Bishopsgate. By Sunday, after that much sake and that many cocktails, what we all needed was something old fashioned and English. A proper roast. Blacklock style.
The story behind Blacklock
I find the history of this place fascinating, so bear with me for a paragraph or two. Blacklock was founded by Gordon Ker, who was not a chef or a restaurateur when he started. He was a City lawyer. His clients included Will Beckett and Huw Gott, the founders of Hawksmoor, and he was the one making sure their legals were in order as they grew. Somewhere along the way he decided he wanted a slice of that industry himself.
When he told the Hawksmoor founders his plan, they thought he was joking. Then they thought it was a terrible idea. He quit anyway, took a job as a waiter at Hawksmoor for the best part of a year to learn how a restaurant actually runs, and in 2015 opened the first Blacklock in a leaky Soho basement that had previously been a brothel. The Hawksmoor founders ended up investing. Covent Garden opened in 2022, and there are now sites across London and one in Manchester.
I mention all of this because you can feel it in the room. Blacklock has a different atmosphere to most London restaurants. The waiters are a touch older. The pace is unhurried. There is a warmth to it that is hard to fake, and I think a lot of that comes down to how the company treats its people. Thirty days of holiday paid with service charge. A paid day off for your birthday. Two weeks paid sabbatical at five years. Even two paid days off when you get a puppy, so it can settle in. Happy staff, happy tables. It is not a complicated equation, but hardly anyone bothers to solve it.
Arrival and the twelve o'clock sitting
We had trains to catch in various directions later that afternoon, so Charlie booked the first sitting at twelve. A lovely chap came upstairs to greet us with a cheery "hi guys", walked us down to the table, and that was the last time the room was quiet. When we sat down it was empty. Within twenty minutes every table was taken. If you are wondering whether you can walk in off the street on a Sunday, the answer is no. Book.
The room itself is a good one. Parquet floor, exposed London brick, an open pass with plates stacked along the counter, and a plywood ceiling that somehow makes the whole thing feel like a very smart canteen. Mid century wooden chairs, dark leather banquettes, a chalkboard by the stairs. Nothing is trying too hard.
Drinks, and the Beefy Mary
After the weekend we had just had, three of us were sensible and ordered soft drinks. Charlie was not. Charlie ordered a Bloody Mary. Except at Blacklock it is a Beefy Mary, which is a Bloody Mary made with beef jus and a hit of smoke, and I would go as far as to say it could convert someone who does not even like tomato juice. It is rich, savoury, and tastes like the first course of a roast rather than a drink. Which, on a Sunday, is exactly the point.
The bar here is a proper one, with the wine and glasses hanging above it and the bartenders lining up rows of long drinks on trays. If you are the kind of person who likes to sit at the bar for a pre lunch cocktail, you could do a lot worse.
Starters we did not need and ordered anyway
My plan was simple. Go straight in on the All In, job done, no starters. The boys had other ideas. And when three people at the table are ordering a starter, you cannot sit there and watch. So we caved.
Charlie went for the Smoked Beef Ribs. Gemma had the mushrooms on toast. Kieran and I both had the pig's head on toast, which is a slab of sourdough with slow cooked, shredded pig's head pressed on top. Mine was delicious. I want to be clear about that. But those ribs. Smoky, glazed, sticky and deeply savoury, with the bone still in, served with a sharp Summer Slaw of shredded cabbage, carrot and red onion to cut through it. I took one bite off Charlie's plate and knew I had chosen wrong. When you love pork as much as I do and you still end up wanting the beef, that tells you something.
While we waited for the main event, Charlie was busy giving Kieran and Gemma the full Blacklock history. How many sites there are, the lawyer thing, the brothel basement. He has the enthusiasm of a man who has told this story before and will tell it again.
The All In
Here is what the All In actually is, because the name does not explain much. It is the Blacklock Covent Garden Sunday roast in its sharing form, priced per person with a minimum of two, and it arrives at the table as one enormous platter. Three meats: 55 day aged beef rump, lamb leg and pork loin, all cooked over charcoal and carved thick. Yorkshire puddings the size of side plates. Roast potatoes. Seasonal greens, which on our visit meant charred Savoy cabbage. A jug of gravy that gets topped up without you asking. And the three sauces you would expect: horseradish for the beef, mint sauce for the lamb, apple sauce for the pork.
We also ordered cauliflower cheese. Two of them, in fact, because we had gone all out for the whole weekend and it seemed silly to stop now.
When it landed, we all dived in and took a slice of each meat and a Yorkshire, which I should say again were absolutely massive. Then everyone went quiet for a bit, which is how you know.
The roast potatoes were crisp on the outside and soft in the middle, and had clearly not been sitting under a lamp for hours. The pork came with a strip of proper crackling. The beef was pink, tender and properly beefy in the way only well aged meat is. But the star, for me and for Gemma, was the lamb. Not because the beef or the pork fell short, but because this is a chophouse and lamb is what they do best. The flavour on that lamb was extraordinary. If every leg of lamb tasted like this, it would be my favourite meat without question. It made me want to come back on a weekday and work my way through the chops on the main menu.
I will be honest about one thing. There was too much food. Not in a bad way, in a generous way. We ate as much as we could, mopped up gravy with the last of the Yorkshires, and still sent plates back with meat on them. If you are a group of four with normal appetites, the All In is plenty on its own. The starters were a luxury, and the second cauliflower cheese was, in hindsight, optimistic.
Dessert, a candle and a very nice surprise
Gemma and I were done. No dessert, absolutely not, could not fit it in. Charlie and Kieran, who were celebrating Charlie's 50th and Kieran's 40th that weekend, felt differently.
Charlie went for the white chocolate cheesecake, which is the famous one. It is Gordon Ker's grandmother's recipe, made in big dishes and carried through the restaurant, then spooned out at the table until you say when. Charlie, as you would expect, did not say when for some time. It is soft, creamy, topped with curls of white chocolate, and about as far from a fussy restaurant dessert as you can get. Kieran had ice cream.
Because Charlie had mentioned the birthdays on the booking, both desserts came out with a candle in. Sweet, and half expected. What we did not expect was the waiter telling us that as it was both of their birthdays, dessert was on the house. That does not happen anymore. Most places you are lucky to get a slab of chocolate with "Happy Birthday" piped on it. It was a small gesture that changed how the whole meal felt on the way out.
Service
This is the second time we have been looked after properly at Blacklock, and I no longer think it is luck. The bar is set high. Staff are trained well and, as I said earlier, treated well, with a set of company policies that go a long way past what most hospitality businesses offer. You feel the difference at the table. Nobody rushed us out of the twelve o'clock sitting. The gravy jug kept getting refilled. The birthday candles appeared without any fuss. Warm, unhurried, and knowledgeable about the meat when we asked.
The practicalities
The All In is priced per person, around £28 at the time of writing, and needs a minimum of two people. It is Sunday only. Starters and sides are extra, and a 12.5 percent service charge is added to the bill, all of which goes to the team. Bookings for the Blacklock Covent Garden Sunday roast go fast, particularly the early afternoon slots, so book a few weeks ahead if you can. The first sitting at twelve is a good shout if you have trains to catch, and you will be finished by two with a whole afternoon still ahead of you.
Covent Garden station is a few minutes away, Charing Cross and Embankment are both walkable, and if you are staying on the South Bank like we were, it is a pleasant stroll over the bridge.
Who it is perfect for
The Blacklock Covent Garden Sunday roast suits groups of friends best, because the whole thing is built around sharing. Birthdays, clearly. Anyone hosting visitors who want a proper English roast done properly rather than a pub carvery. Meat eaters, obviously. If you have a vegetarian in the party there is a barbecued cauliflower chop on the main menu and the mushrooms on toast to start, but this is a chophouse and the roast is the reason to come.
It is less ideal for a quiet romantic lunch. The room fills up, it gets loud, and the platter is not built for two people who want to linger over a bottle.
The verdict
I have seen this place all over Instagram and TikTok, with people calling it the best Sunday roast in London. I am always suspicious of that phrase. But having eaten the Blacklock Covent Garden Sunday roast twice now, I can say it is up there. Three meats cooked properly, trimmings that taste like someone cared, a room with real warmth and service that goes beyond what is expected.
My favourite roast in the country is still The Griffin in Amersham, and that is a bit of a schlep if you are not Bucks bound. For a London Sunday, Blacklock is the one. The lamb alone is worth the booking. The Smoked Beef Ribs are the starter to order. The Beefy Mary is the drink. And if it is anyone's birthday, say so on the booking.
Do yourself a favour. Book Blacklock Covent Garden for a Sunday, order the All In, skip the second cauliflower cheese, and save room for the cheesecake. Then decide for yourself when to say when.
The Roast Edit rating: 4.9 out of 5.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Blacklock All In Sunday roast?
The All In is Blacklock's sharing Sunday roast. It comes as one large platter with 55 day aged beef rump, lamb leg and pork loin, plus Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, seasonal greens, gravy and the three classic sauces. It is priced per person and needs a minimum of two people.
How much is the Sunday roast at Blacklock Covent Garden?
At the time of writing the All In is around £28 per person. Starters, sides such as cauliflower cheese and desserts are extra, and a 12.5 percent service charge is added to the bill.
Do you need to book Blacklock Covent Garden for Sunday lunch?
Yes. Blacklock Covent Garden was empty when we sat down at twelve and every table was full within twenty minutes. Walk ins on a Sunday are very unlikely to get a table, so book a few weeks ahead through the Blacklock website.
Is the Blacklock Sunday roast good for a birthday?
Very. We put two birthdays on the booking, both desserts came out with candles, and the desserts were taken off the bill. Mention the occasion when you book.
What is the Blacklock white chocolate cheesecake?
It is Gordon Ker's grandmother's recipe, made in large dishes and brought to the table, where it is spooned out until you say when. It is the dessert to order if you have any room left.
Which Blacklock is best for Sunday roast?
We have only eaten at Blacklock Covent Garden, which we would happily recommend. The All In is served across the London sites and in Manchester on Sundays, so pick whichever is easiest for you and book early.
