London UK Series: Hawksmoor Spitalfields Review – Is the Famous Sunday Roast Worth It?

Hawksmoor Spitalfields – Restaurant Overview

157A Commercial St, London E1 6BJ, United Kingdom

Hawksmoor Spitalfields is one of London’s best-known steakhouses and one of the original locations in the Hawksmoor restaurant group. Located in the Spitalfields neighbourhood of East London, Hawksmoor Spitalfields sits just a short walk from Liverpool Street Station and close to the popular Old Spitalfields Market. The area is one of the city’s livelier food districts, filled with restaurants, pubs, and cafés that attract both office workers during the week and visitors exploring the market on weekends.

Spitalfields itself has an interesting character because it blends historic London with modern development. Around Old Spitalfields Market you’ll find Victorian-era architecture alongside sleek office buildings and contemporary restaurants. The market brings a constant flow of people to the area, and the surrounding streets are packed with places to eat. Because of this, Hawksmoor Spitalfields sits in a neighbourhood where diners have many strong restaurant options.

Hawksmoor Spitalfields is widely known for its steak program, particularly its dry-aged British beef. Many people visit here specifically for steaks, but the restaurant is also famous for serving a traditional Sunday roast, which is one of the classic British meals. A proper Sunday roast usually includes roasted meat, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, vegetables, and gravy.

That Sunday roast was the main reason for visiting Hawksmoor Spitalfields.

Inside Hawksmoor Spitalfields, the restaurant feels quite upscale. The dining room has a classic steakhouse atmosphere with dark wood tones, polished finishes, and a layout that feels refined without being overly formal. The lighting is warm and slightly dim, giving the room a comfortable but sophisticated vibe.

Hawksmoor Spitalfields is also a fairly large restaurant. There are many tables throughout the dining room, which makes the space feel lively while still maintaining a sense of organization. Even with a full dining room, it doesn’t feel cramped.

When visiting Hawksmoor Spitalfields for Sunday lunch, the restaurant was moderately busy. There were plenty of diners seated, but it wasn’t packed to the point where it felt hectic. The overall pace of the room felt relaxed and typical for a Sunday lunch service.

The server was helpful when explaining the roast options. For the Sunday roast, diners could choose between dry-aged rump or dry-aged sirloin. The server recommended going with the dry-aged sirloin, which is the option that was ordered.

Given Hawksmoor Spitalfields’ reputation for beef, expectations were fairly high going into the meal.

Unfortunately, the Sunday roast from Hawksmoor Spitalfields ended up being somewhat underwhelming.

Would return? No.

Sunday Roast – Dry Aged Sirloin

Menu description: beef-dripping roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, roasted carrots, buttered greens, roasted garlic, bone marrow gravy

6.5/10

The Sunday roast from Hawksmoor Spitalfields comes with several traditional components, all arranged around slices of dry-aged beef. The plate includes roast potatoes cooked in beef dripping, Yorkshire pudding, roasted carrots, buttered greens, roasted garlic, and bone marrow gravy.

Starting with the beef, the dry-aged sirloin from was sliced very thinly. Thin slices of roast beef can sometimes work well, but in this case it made the portion feel slightly less substantial.

The beef itself from was mildly tender, though not particularly memorable. Considering Hawksmoor Spitalfields is widely known as a steakhouse specializing in dry-aged beef, the expectation was that the beef would be the highlight of the plate.

Instead, the sirloin from ended up feeling somewhat average. It wasn’t tough, but it also didn’t have the level of tenderness or richness that might be expected from a restaurant with such a strong reputation for beef.

The Yorkshire pudding was one of the weaker parts of the meal. A good Yorkshire pudding should have a crisp exterior and a soft, airy interior. The Yorkshire pudding served with the Sunday roast from Hawksmoor Spitalfields unfortunately leaned toward being slightly tough.

Rather than having that light, fluffy interior, the texture felt heavier and less enjoyable to eat. It lacked the crispness and structure that makes Yorkshire pudding one of the standout components of a traditional roast.

The roast potatoes were better. The outside had a nice crisp texture, which is exactly what you want from roast potatoes cooked in beef dripping. That crisp outer layer added some welcome texture to the dish.

Inside, the potatoes were soft and enjoyable. While they weren’t the most memorable roast potatoes ever, they were solid and one of the better elements of the Sunday roast from Hawksmoor Spitalfields.

The vegetables that came with the roast from Hawksmoor Spitalfields—including roasted carrots and buttered greens—were fine but fairly standard. They added colour and balance to the plate but didn’t particularly stand out.

The bone marrow gravy helped bring the dish together. It added richness and flavour to the beef and potatoes, which improved the overall experience of the plate.

Still, even with the gravy, the dish never quite reached the level expected from a restaurant like Hawksmoor Spitalfields.

Overall, the Sunday roast from Hawksmoor Spitalfields felt decent but not especially impressive.

Order again? No.

Atmosphere & Experience

The overall atmosphere at Hawksmoor Spitalfields is one of the restaurant’s stronger points.

The dining room looks elegant and polished, with a design that feels appropriate for a classic London steakhouse. It has a slightly upscale feel without becoming intimidating or overly formal.

The size of Hawksmoor Spitalfields also contributes to the atmosphere. With many tables spread throughout the space, the restaurant has a lively energy during service while still maintaining a comfortable amount of space between diners.

For Sunday lunch, the crowd at Hawksmoor Spitalfields felt typical for a well-known London restaurant. There was a steady flow of diners and the room had a pleasant buzz, but it never felt overly noisy or rushed.

The service at Hawksmoor Spitalfields was professional and helpful. The server provided guidance when choosing between the rump and sirloin roast options, which was appreciated.

From a comfort and atmosphere standpoint, Hawksmoor Spitalfields delivers a dining environment that feels polished and enjoyable.

Final Thoughts

Hawksmoor Spitalfields is a well-known London steakhouse located in the vibrant Spitalfields neighbourhood near Old Spitalfields Market. The restaurant itself looks elegant inside, with a spacious dining room and a refined steakhouse atmosphere.

The Sunday roast from Hawksmoor Spitalfields includes several classic components such as dry-aged beef, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, vegetables, and bone marrow gravy.

Unfortunately, the overall execution of the Sunday roast from Hawksmoor Spitalfields was somewhat disappointing.

The dry-aged sirloin was sliced very thinly and only mildly tender. The Yorkshire pudding was tougher than expected and lacked the light texture that typically makes this element enjoyable. The roast potatoes were decent with a crispy exterior, but they weren’t enough to elevate the entire dish.

While the plate was perfectly acceptable overall, it simply didn’t stand out as a particularly memorable Sunday roast.

Considering the restaurant’s reputation for beef and steakhouses in general, expectations were higher.

With so many strong restaurants in the Spitalfields area, the Sunday roast from Hawksmoor Spitalfields didn’t leave a strong enough impression to justify a return visit.