Bristol pub The Lion scoops number one spot in UK’s best Sunday roasts

The pub in Clifton Wood has been run by the same family for 14 years
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The Lion pub in Clifton Wood has been crowned the number one place for Sunday roasts in the UK.

Britain’s biggest bingo site Tombola analysed 30,381 Tripadvisor reviews from 40 well-rated restaurants in 20 of the UK’s most populous destinations to uncover the restaurants in each area that received the most positive reviews containing the following words: ‘Sunday lunch’ and ‘Sunday dinner’.

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Top of the list was The Lion, with over a third of its reviews (34.4%) mentioning their Sunday roasts and vegan options. Fiona Vincent and her family have run the pub in Church Lane for 14 years. She had no idea The Lion had been crowned king of the roasts until Bristol World contacted her.

She said: “It’s incredible, I’m thrilled to bits. Actually, I’m gobsmacked - I might have to have a gin and tonic this afternoon to celebrate!”

The Lion has long held a local reputation for the quality of its Sunday roasts but Fiona says to get national recognition is testament to the hard work of her staff and loyalty of her locals.

“I think we’re quite a humble place really and we just do a homely roast. We don’t do haute cuisine or anything like that. On Sundays, we serve a rib of beef which is very popular, and also lamb, pork, chicken pie and a vegetarian seeded roast rather than nut roast. We also do a vegan mushroom pie.

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“The roasts are £16.50 and they include cauliflower and dauphinoise croquettes so it’s a full meal and we do a vegan version of everything and that’s why it’s popular - we do get a lot of vegans coming in.”

Bookings are now essential for Sunday roasts at The Lion and the waiting list may even get longer now the pub has been recognised nationally.

The cosy interior of The Lion (photo: Susan Ross)The cosy interior of The Lion (photo: Susan Ross)
The cosy interior of The Lion (photo: Susan Ross)

Fiona says: “This time of year, when we have our cosy real fire, you really do need to book in advance as it’s very popular.

“It depends on the size of the table you want because the large tables for six or eight get booked up, but if you really wanted to eat with us, allow at least two or three weeks for a booking.”

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Fiona runs the pub with her partner Kieran and son David and it’s a real family affair.

“I’ve also got my sisters, nieces and my mum and dad working here as well as locals. We get a lot of the children of the locals working here when they’re old enough - it’s like a rite of passage to work here.

“It’s quite a quirky pub and it still has personality. It feels like a village pub and it has always had a lovely vibe. It’s definitely a pub with personality and we have some lovely locals, too.”

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