Last Updated on March 13, 2025
A welcome new spot in Greenwich – Highroad Social
Another Sunday means a chance to try another roast as part of London Unattached’s ongoing project to discover the best in town. My latest venture was to the recently opened Highroad Social in Greenwich. It’s just a couple of minutes walk away from Greenwich Station and more importantly (for me anyway) from my house. Locally we’d all been waiting to see what would come along to fill the gaping hole in our lives left by the closure of the Rivington. Various rumours came and went including – most alarmingly – one that MacDonalds were going to take over the venue. I’m very pleased to say that instead, we have Highroad Social, a very promising new neighbourhood bistro offering all-day dining that should please both locals and visitors to Greenwich.
Highroad Social is the debut restaurant of David O’Brien, who used to be Caprice’s Development Director. The restaurant opened in July and serves Modern British cuisine by Head Chef Fionnan Flood (ex-Chelsea Pig) and cocktails by Clark Crown (ex-Palomar).
The interior is calm, bright and welcoming and the staff all keen to make sure you have a good time as well as a good meal.
We started off perched at the bar, cocktail menu in hand. I loved my Yuzu Spritz, a super refreshing, citrus, sweet and sour mix of Yuzu Sake, 58 & Co Apple and Hibiscus Gin and English sparkling wine. My companion was equally delighted with her Plum and Peach Negroni which is made from plum and peach-infused 58 & Co London Dry Gin, Knightor Red Vermouth and Campari. Clark Crown clearly knows who to dream up a good new cocktail. Other fresh inventions have a Greenwich theme including the Painted Hall and the Maritime.
There was a choice of two Sunday Roasts on the menu on the day of our visit as well as the full All-Day Menu. My companion picked the Roasted Forerib of Beef which had been cooked overnight at 80 degrees. The result was a meltingly tender strong-flavoured beef and lots of enthusiastic noises. Both our roast dinners came with a sizeable Yorkshire Pudding, deliciously waxy, crunchy-edged roast potatoes, a very cheesy, rich cauliflower cheese, lots of bright orange carrots and cabbage (vitally not overcooked) and a jug of good gravy.
Meanwhile, across the table, I was enjoying the Roast Guinea Fowl. Much as I like the classics, it’s always interesting to see something a bit different on a roast menu and I appreciated not having a vast quantity of meat to get through. I’m all about the total roast experience: the trimmings, the vegetables, the potatoes and particularly the gravy. Others may disagree.
We are both self-confessed wimps when it comes to large plates of food but we both managed pretty well. All that was left on my companion’s plate was a small corner of Yorkshire pudding and a quarter of a roast potato. I wasn’t far behind.
Another good Sunday choice on the menu – and one I was tempted to try – was the Leek and Cheddar Pie, perfect for vegetarians.
The cauliflower cheese is served piping hot in a cast-iron pan to share.
We were given helpful guidance about the perfect wines to go with our different roasts. Several wines here are available by the glass or carafe which means that flavour-matching compromises can be avoided. Our waiter guided me to a light chilled red wine from South Africa that complemented the guinea fowl well, a 2022 Thirst Cinsault. My companion’s beef demanded something with more power and she had a velvety Georgian wine, the 2018 Saperavi.
My sticky toffee pudding could have fed a small family but I managed to eat all of it –with gusto. Excellent sponge, a sea of toffee sauce and good vanilla ice cream, this was a very fine iteration of this ubiquitous dessert.
My companion opted for the Salted Caramel Brownie. She was pleased to find that Highroad Social’s version is more puddingy than cakey and extremely moist in the middle, and made more luxurious with a scoop of salted caramel ice cream.
The focus at Highroad Social is on offering a well-rounded Modern British menu using seasonal ingredients alongside an imaginative wine and cocktail list. We both thoroughly enjoyed our roast dinners and spent quite a lot of time discussing what we might eat or drink on our next visit. I’ve got my eye on the set lunch that is served from Wednesday to Saturday between 12pm and 6pm. It looks excellent value with 2 courses for £19 or three for £22. I’ll definitely be ordering the memorable Yuzu Spritz again to go with it.
Highroad Social Greenwich
178 Greenwich High Road,
Greenwich,
London SE10 8NN
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