We Reviewed The Camberwell Arms' Famous Roast: Here's What We Thought

Open since 2014, and run by the same team behind Frank’s Café (the iconic rooftop bar in Peckham), The Camberwell Arms is famed among foodies for its incredible gastropub menu. In fact, it even won a place in Estrella Damm’s Top 50 Gastropubs awards for 2025, and it’s no surprise really; led by chef director Mike Davies (who’s worked in some of the city’s most superior food-led pubs, including The Ledbury and The Canton Arms), the South London hotspot sling out a produce-first menu of comforting, seasonal dishes. But on the menu for this review? Their very highly acclaimed Sunday roast.

The interiors of The Camberwell Arms are cosy yet trendy.

The Camberwell Arms Sunday Roast Review

On this beautiful, early spring day, the sun was shining and Camberwell was, as usual, bustling with diners and drinkers, making the most of the rare good weather. Heading into the pub at around 1.30pm, it was already getting full (tip: this place is nearly always booked up on a Sunday – we even saw people getting turned away – so make sure to secure your table ahead of time). We were given a seat at the window-facing counter, meaning we could really make the most of all those rare little drops of sunshine.

My partner enjoying the vermut and sunshine (left), just before digging into the pork rilletes (right).

We kicked off the afternoon with a couple of Muz vermut sodas (£8 each), the perfect refresher for a warm day that, paired with the countertop dining, made us feel like we were on our holibobs. As we slowly sipped these and submerged our faces in the window-bestowing sunshine, we took in the interiors; it was deceivingly spacious, with plenty of tables at the back and even kitchen counter dining where you could watch the chefs at work, and it had a very trendy vibe – roughed-up brick walls, minimal artwork and hanging lights made it feel stylishly casual and low-key.

I find it’s fairly rare to see pork rillettes (£12) on a menu, so we couldn’t help but order that for starters; we dolloped the thick, tender spread of creamy, slow-cooked meat onto the accompanying toast, popping on the in-house-made pickles for added sweetness and acidity, which cut through the fat beautifully. We also delved into the Iberiko tomatoes (£11.80) which were an absolute delight. They were soft and juicy, swimming in a light, subtle pool of roasted garlic tahini and drizzles of olive oil, with a little kick from the guindilla chillies. Both were such simple but fresh - two beautifully executed dishes.

The Camberwell Arms' roast lamb was absolutely delicious - just look at those roast potatoes too.

Now, what we'd come for - the roast. We had a little panic about what to go for because, I’m not joking, everything sounded incredible, and also came with its own sides. We eventually landed on the Farmer Tom’s lamb (£56, to share between two), and I was very happy with our decision: a generous pile of chops and pieces of shank arrived on a bed of soft, subtley sweet leeks. The meat? So melt-in-the-mouth and herbaceous, with a deep, meaty flavour that was pushed to the fore with a delightful anchovy and parmesan crumb. All of this was resting in a pool of light, meaty jus which, in the absence of your classic gravy, was great for soaking up with the roast potatoes, which were incredibly crispy, with each mouthful delivering a hearty, musical crunch. We also sipped on a couple of glasses of Mo Weiss Weingut Martin Obenaus (£7.50 per glass) - they have an excellent wine selection by the way - which had a fruity acidity that paired with the lamb and spuds very well.

Rustic but beautifully cooked, both the Sunday roast and the desserts are must-tries.

We almost didn't order dessert, on account of how absolutely stuffed we were - but something caught my eye: the chocolate terrine (£7.60), which was honestly pure indulgence, with thick, ganache-style layers of chocolate paired with a dollop of slightly sour creme fraiche and crumbles of moreish honeycomb. My partner, on the other hand, went for the baked cheesecake (£10), which was a soft, pillowy slice of Basque-style dessert, paired with gorgeously in-season slabs of stewed rhubarb.

The Camberwell Arms Sunday Roast: Overall

This was very different from your usual meat and two veggies roast. It was clearly a celebration of local, seasonal produce in all its glory - everything was somewhat simple and a little rustic, but perfectly executed, ensuring that the incredible meat and fresh veg remained the focus of the meal without becoming overcomplicated. This, in the cosy yet stylish space, made for the perfect afternoon, whiling the hours away with great food and wine. Though this might not be one for the roast traditionalists, I urge anyone looking for a superb Sunday meal to head The Camberwell Arms' way for a spread you won't forget.

Discover more of the best restaurants in Camberwell here.