Sunday Roast at The Devonshire Soho deserves the hype

We’re heading to The Devonshire Soho today for a long-anticipated Sunday roast. I’ve had it circled in my calendar for three weeks and, quietly, I’m hoping it won’t disappoint.

The Devonshire Soho must be one of the most hyped pubs in London, and it’s famously hard to get into. And that’s always the danger – when expectations are this high, the fall can be painful.

We’ve been burned before, by popular restaurants that turn our to be PR-inflated garbage.

Happily, that’s not the case for the Sunday menu at The Devonshire.

From the moment we arrive, it’s clear that Sunday roast at The Devonshire isn’t coasting on reputation alone.

Quick info on The Devonshire Soho

• Restaurant: The Devonshire pub
• Where: Soho, London
• Vibe: Classic pub with polished dining rooms upstairs
• Order without hesitation: Roast rib of beef with all the trimmings, white crab salad
• Avoid: Sticky toffee pudding if you don’t eat pork (it contains pork gelatine… why oh whyyy)
• Good to know: The Sunday menu only offers the one meat option and it’s beef

Read our Devonshire Soho restaurant review to find out more.

First impressions of The Devonshire Soho

We arrive for the very first 12pm roast lunch sitting and are briefly asked to wait downstairs in the pub with the other early reservations.

For a moment, it feels like waiting to enter a theme park or a west end show. It’s a little strange, and at first I wonder if we’ve made a terrible mistake believing The Devonshire hype.

The wait is short.

Soon, we’re guided upstairs, climbing several flights into one of the dining rooms. This is where The Devonshire pub shows real intelligence in its design, maximising dining space without ever making you feel like you’re in a quantity over quality kinda restaurant.

Each room is cosy, cosseted even, and has its own sense of intimacy. Tables are generous and chairs are properly comfortable. You could happily sit here for hours.

Scrumptious bread rolls to start

Almost as soon as we sit down, bread arrives. I had no idea The Devonshire gave out free bread as part of the Sunday menu experience – how lovely.

The buns are freshly baked and still warm from the oven. In fact they’re served from what looks like the baking tray.

I later find out that the buns have been developed with The Dusty Knuckle bakery. They’re soft, shiny, gently salty, and come paired with excellent butter.

We tear one open instinctively, and slather on the soft butter. This is how a great meal starts.

A strong start at The Devonshire Soho with white crab salad

We start with the white crab salad, and immediately, things are off to a good start.

The crab is piled tantalisingly, and is both sweet and delicate. On top are thinnest shavings of crisp apple which add crunch and zest, and a light vinaigrette pulls everything together. It arrives quickly, but clearly hasn’t been waiting around.

A light sprinkle of flaky salt would have nudged this into near-perfect territory, but even without it, this is a confident, elegant opener. Easy 8 out of 10. We’re very happy.

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Sunday roast at The Devonshire, Soho

Then comes the roast.

The Devonshire’s Sunday menu keeps things simple by offering just one meat – the roast rib of beef. And honestly, that’s all it really needs.

We watch the large joint being carved at the front of the dining room, which adds just the right amount of theatre. Each plate arrives with one generous slice. It’s described as medium-rare, but this isn’t bloody or challenging. Just beautifully pink inside. Even those who usually prefer medium won’t flinch.

The beef has that familiar roast funkiness, deeply savoury, tender, and easy to cut. Eating it is a genuine pleasure, especially with the glossy gravy or a dab of French mustard.

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A lovely set of sides with the Sunday roast

The roast at The Devonshire arrives fully loaded, and every element pulls its weight.

Creamed leeks are soft, rich, and moreish. They’re comforting in the best way.

The peas with onions come without bacon for us, as we don’t eat it. They’re pleasant, though I have a feeling they’re best as intended, with the bacon.

The Yorkshire pudding deserves its own applause. It’s crisp on top, gloriously spongy underneath, and perfect for soaking up gravy. Too many pub roasts overdo the crunch. This one understands balance.

The carrots are deeply caramelised, almost leathery on the outside (in the best way), with soft, confit-like centres. They’re almost like candied carrots. I adore them.

All the sides to The Devonshire Sunday roast are good. Some things are excellent…

The best roast potatoes you’ll ever eat?

Now, let’s talk about the potatoes.

Because these are exceptional.

The roast potatoes at The Devonshire Soho have the thickest, crunchiest crust I’ve ever encountered. It’s proper armour, and you actually need a knife to break into them. Once you do, the inside is fully fluffy, cloud like perfection.

Dredged through gravy, they become borderline addictive. If there’s one element that pushes The Devonshire’s Sunday roast into truly memorable territory, it’s these potatoes. I would come back for them alone.

Dessert choices – with one minor disappointment

We’re fully ready for sticky toffee pudding when the waitress gently explains it contains pork gelatine.

Nooooooooo! Sigh.

So instead, we pivot to the bread and butter pudding.

It’s a solid consolation prize. Expect soft, spongy bread soaked in a light custard flecked with vanilla bean, topped with torched sugar that cracks like creme brulee. It’s comforting, not heavy, and very easy to finish.

If I’m being picky, we both prefer a more layered bread and butter pudding with visible pieces of bread and crust for textural contrast. But even so, this is a lovely way to end the meal.

How hard is it to get a reservation at The Devonshire Soho?

In a word? Hard.

The Devonshire Soho releases tables online three weeks in advance. I set multiple alarms for 10:30am on a Thursday morning, fully prepared.

By 10:34am, every single Sunday roast table, every time slot, was gone.

Faster fingers first. But still, it’s better than the pub that’s booked out for all of it’s Sunday roast slots for the entire year, in January.

So, yeah you have to set alarms to book a Sunday menu slot at The Devonshire. But as long as you do, you will get a reservation in 3 weeks.

Who owns The Devonshire Soho

Part of the magic of The Devonshire in Soho can probably be explained by who owns it.

The Devonshire is owned by a trio of heavyweights, including publican Oisín Rogers, Flat Iron founder Charlie Carroll, and former Fat Duck chef Ashley Palmer-Watts.

Between them, they bring pub heritage, restaurant know-how, and serious culinary pedigree. And it shows. The Sunday menu at The Devonshire has been outstanding.

Final thoughts on Sunday roast at The Devonshire Soho

If this reads like a rave review, that’s because it is.

Sunday roast at The Devonshire Soho doesn’t just meet expectations. It exceeds them. Dish by dish, the Sunday menu builds confidence, until you realise you’re experiencing something genuinely special.

This was a date lunch worth waiting weeks for. A rare case of hype being fully justified.

We leave full, happy, and already plotting how fast our booking fingers can move next time.

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The Devonshire Soho restaurant review
Address – The Devonshire, 17 Denman St, London W1D 7HW
Nearest Tube – Piccadilly Circus