Sunday Roast in Dartford: Where to Book

For a Sunday roast in Dartford, most people end up at the Malt Shovel on Darenth Road, a 17th-century pub that serves roasts from midday to 6pm, or out at the Horse and Groom in Wilmington, the Ship Inn at Southfleet or the Railway Tavern in Longfield. Every entry was checked against the pub’s own website and Sunday menu on 25 October 2026.

We have not eaten at these pubs for this guide, and nothing here is a review. Each entry sets out what the pub publishes: its Sunday menu and prices, serving times, booking advice and house rules. We add the Food Standards Agency (FSA) hygiene rating and, where useful, details from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). Menus change, and roasts often sell out, so book and check before you go.

Dartford and Wilmington

The Malt Shovel, Darenth Road

The Malt Shovel says it dates “back to 1673” and calls its roast dinners “famous”. They are served every Sunday from midday until 6pm, and the pub recommends booking because “we can get quite busy”. On its Sunday menu, chicken breast is £18.50 and crown of beef or leg of lamb £20.50, each with roast potatoes, Yorkshires, stuffing, carrots, parsnips, seasonal vegetables and gravy; vegan sausages and mash are £16.50. A starter of “roast fixings” (sausage, stuffing, Yorkshire and gravy) is £7. The pub calls the menu a sample, and it announces a kitchen relaunch on 26 October 2026, so prices may change. Well-behaved dogs are welcome indoors and out. Call 01322 224381. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 17 September 2025). 3 Darenth Road, DA1 1LP. Our listing.

The Horse and Groom, Wilmington

The Horse and Groom is run directly by Shepherd Neame and says it serves “warming Sunday roasts”, advising “be sure to book ahead to guarantee a place as our tables fill up fast”. On its online menu, the roasts are 28-day aged striploin of beef at £23, rolled stuffed pork loin or a roast half chicken at £19.95, a trio of beef, pork and chicken, and a butternut squash, wild mushroom, spinach and goat’s cheese filo parcel at £18. All come with roast potatoes, greens, parsnips and carrots, a Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Pigs in blankets with stuffing are £6 extra, and two more Yorkshires £2. There is a children’s menu. Dogs are allowed in the bar and garden but not the restaurant, except service dogs, and garden tables cannot be booked. Sunday food: 11.30am to 7.15pm. Call 01322 290056. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 19 March 2025). 15 Leyton Cross Road, DA2 7AP. Our listing.

Southfleet and Longfield

The Ship Inn, Southfleet

The Ship Inn describes a building “built from timbers of a Ship that run aground on the river Fleet”, with fireplaces, low ceilings and original beams; CAMRA’s listing dates it to 1385. Under “Traditional Sunday Roast”, its Sunday menu lists chicken supreme or pork belly at £20.95, sirloin of beef at £22.95 and a nut roast at £18.95 that can be made vegan. Each comes with rosemary and garlic roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, Yorkshire pudding and seasonal vegetables, and all can be made gluten free on request. The menu file was uploaded in November 2025, so check prices when you book. Sunday lunch runs 12pm to 5.30pm; the kitchen is closed on Sunday evenings. Call 01474 833238. Hygiene rating 4 (FSA, 7 August 2025). Red Street, Southfleet, DA13 9NS.

The Railway Tavern, Longfield

The Railway Tavern, a five-minute walk from Longfield station, invites people to “join us for a home cooked Sunday lunch served between 12-4.30pm”. On its Sunday menu, the Tavern Sunday Roast is topside of beef at £18, or half a roast chicken or roasted gammon at £16, with roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips, Yorkshire pudding, seasonal vegetables and gravy. Any roast for a smaller appetite is £13, a children’s roast £10, and cauliflower cheese £3.50 on the side. Burgers and fish and chips are there for anyone who does not want a roast. The bar is open until 9.30pm on Sundays. Call 01474 770670. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 4 September 2025). 2 Station Road, DA3 7QD. Our listing.

Horton Kirby and Farningham

The Fighting Cocks, Horton Kirby

The Fighting Cocks calls itself a riverside pub and restaurant, and headlines its Sunday menu “Home of the Roast”. The Sunday menu lists hand-carved Scottish topside of beef, 24-hour slow-roast leg of lamb, honey-roast gammon, roast turkey crown, roast salmon and a vegan nut roast, plus a “mega roast” of four meats, a two-meat Sunday Duo, a pie roast and a children’s roast for ten and under. All come with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, mixed vegetables, red cabbage and gravy. The menu does not print prices. Its opening times page gives the restaurant’s Sunday hours as 12pm to 6pm. Call 01322 862299. Hygiene rating 3 (FSA, Sevenoaks District Council, 18 November 2025). The Street, Horton Kirby, DA4 9BY. Our listing.

The Bull, Horton Kirby

The Bull is in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide. CAMRA’s listing, updated in February 2026, describes a one-bar village local with a large garden and views across the Darent Valley, within walking distance of Farningham Road station, and says “booking is recommended for the Sunday roasts”. It keeps two regular and two rotating guest ales. CAMRA gives Sunday food times of 12pm to 4pm. The pub publishes no Sunday menu online; its old web address now points to an unrelated site, so use its Facebook page to book. CAMRA warns that parking nearby can be difficult. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, Sevenoaks District Council, 4 September 2026). Lombard Street, Horton Kirby, DA4 9DF. Our listing.

The Lion, Farningham

The Lion is a Vintage Inns pub that describes itself as “a grand and ancient country inn” by the River Darent, with gardens and log fires. Its Sunday lunch page promotes a Sunday Trio of Roasts with the trimmings and “unlimited gravy”. On the Sunday menu that page loads, hand-carved turkey breast is £20.50, slow-cooked pork belly £20.95, hand-carved roast beef £21.95, lamb rump £23.95 and the Sunday Trio £24.25; a wild mushroom and butternut squash Wellington is £19.95. Extras such as pigs in blankets and cauliflower cheese are three for £12. It calls itself one of Farningham’s “favourite dog friendly country pubs”, with water bowls and a canine menu. Open on Sundays from 12pm to 10.30pm, and tables can be booked online. Call 01322 860621. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, Sevenoaks District Council, 13 March 2026). High Street, Farningham, DA4 0DP. Our listing.

How we chose

These are the pubs in and around Dartford that publish a Sunday roast and that people search for: the town’s best-known food pub, the village pubs with a Sunday menu online, and a Good Beer Guide local where CAMRA records the roast. Each has an FSA hygiene rating of 3 or better, and none had posted a closure notice. We left out pubs whose only Sunday information is years old. The facts come from each pub’s own website and menus, CAMRA’s public pub listings and the Food Standards Agency. Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@dartfordonline.co.uk.

For more places to eat and drink, see our guides to Dartford pubs and Dartford restaurants. For more to do in town, see things to do in Dartford and what’s on in Dartford this month, or browse pubs in our directory.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a Sunday roast in Dartford?

On the Sunday menus the pubs publish, a meat roast costs £16 to £18 at the Railway Tavern in Longfield, £18.50 to £20.50 at the Malt Shovel in Dartford, £19.95 to £23 at the Horse and Groom in Wilmington, £20.95 to £22.95 at the Ship Inn in Southfleet and £20.50 to £24.25 at the Lion in Farningham. The Railway Tavern has a £13 smaller roast and a £10 children’s roast.

Which Dartford Sunday roasts allow dogs?

The Malt Shovel welcomes well-behaved dogs indoors and out. The Lion at Farningham calls itself dog friendly and has a canine menu. The Horse and Groom allows dogs in the bar and garden but not in the restaurant, except service dogs.

Where can I get a Sunday roast in Dartford in the evening?

The Horse and Groom serves food on Sundays until 7.15pm and the Malt Shovel serves roasts until 6pm, as does the Fighting Cocks restaurant in Horton Kirby. Earlier finishes: the Ship Inn at 5.30pm, the Railway Tavern at 4.30pm and the Bull at Horton Kirby at 4pm.