Last Updated on February 20, 2026
A British Bistro with a Sunday Roast to Remember
4.5 out of 5.0 starsIsn’t Sunday lunch the most quintessential British meal? It is something many of us grew up with and, whether eaten round the kitchen table at home or in a smart restaurant, is best shared with friends and family. Rabbit restaurant, one of the Gladwin Brothers’ Local and Wild group, is a quirky bistro on the King’s Road in Chelsea. It is the sort of place that could just as easily be picked up by its ears and set down in a market town such as Lewes, Marlborough or Bury St Edmunds, where it would be a haven for busy families and a welcome escape from cooking without losing the magic of a properly prepared roast.
I grew up in rural Norfolk, the daughter of a small-town doctor. My mother hated cooking, so once a month we would escape en famille, parents and three children, to try somewhere new for Sunday lunch or return to an old favourite. Rabbit restaurant, I’m sure, would quickly have made that list. It has the warmth of a favourite sweater and the comfort of a fireside chair, set rather charmingly in the midst of bougie Chelsea.
Inside, Rabbit restaurant is something of a warren, a maze of small, lively rooms packed to the brim on a Sunday. The atmosphere is buoyant and generous. Everyone seems to know they will be well fed and well looked after by the time they leave. It is a place that encourages you to settle in, enjoy your plate and, more importantly, savour the company you are with.
Do start with an aperitif. We chose a glass of Nutty Wild from the Nutbourne Vineyards run by the Gladwin Brothers’ parents. The Sunday lunch menu always features a Rabbit cocktail and a suggested wine. We enjoyed our fizz and were equally pleased with the Sussex Reserve, Nutbourne Vineyards 2023, a crisp, dry white that carried me happily through the meal.
I knew I’d want a pudding, so I tried to be cautious with my starter. Next time, I will simply surrender to the voice of my eternally greedy stomach. The goat’s cheese mousse tartlette with Sussex honey was delicious and light, its fluffy, piquant filling softened by the honey and held in a crisp pastry shell. It was tiny, though. Listed under small bites, it is closer to an amuse bouche than a starter. Gentle reader, indulge yourself and order two, or better still, try the mushroom marmite eclair with egg confit. I adored the one I tried a few weeks earlier at another Local and Wild restaurant, The Sussex.
My companion was more pragmatic and ordered scallops, which came with apple, brown butter and bacon. Served with the coral on, they were beautifully caramelised and perfectly cooked, still moist, succulent and tender on the fork.
Usually, if I am planning to have a Sunday roast out, I avoid beef at home for a week or so. On this occasion, thanks to preparing my own roast beef for a Friendsmas celebration and over-ordering by at least a kilo so that I was still eating leftovers four days later, there was no way I could face more beef. The rotisserie chicken was strongly recommended and proved to be the perfect alternative.
Rabbit plates its Sunday roasts on the pass with a selection of seasonal vegetables, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Our vegetables, a quarter of charred hispi cabbage and a generous handful of perfectly cooked carrots and parsnips, together with the crisp roasties, the largest and puffiest Yorkshire I have seen in years and lashings of gravy, would have been enough on their own.
Instead, I enjoyed a large portion of chicken on the bone, perfectly cooked with drool-worthy, herb-scented skin. My companion chose the ballotine of venison, a tender serving of slow-cooked meat and another delicious dish.
Despite my reluctance to order the roast sirloin, I watched the plating on the pass and found myself drooling. It is definitely somewhere to return to. The roasts range from £21.00 for the vegetarian option to £29.50 for the Lyons Hill beef sirloin. If you are feeling particularly indulgent, there is a 1KG beef rib on the bone to share for £130, which should serve three.
For dessert, we enjoyed a light vanilla cream with rhubarb and ginger and a soft, rich chocolate mousse with a white chocolate crumble for added texture.
The lingering sense that remains is not only the food but the feeling of being gently cosseted for a couple of hours. Despite the packed-to-the-brim restaurant, the team at Rabbit understands the small comforts that make Sunday lunch special and delivers them with warmth and charm. It is the sort of place you leave already planning your next visit, and for me, that is the highest praise a Sunday roast can earn.
172 King’s Rd,
Chelsea
London SW3 4UP
020 3750 0172
Looking for more options? Check our roundup of the best Sunday roasts in London
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