At the Red Lion Bishopgate, the setting does some of the choosing for you. The pub stands beside Bishop Bridge on the Wensum, on the cathedral side of the city. It suits an afternoon built around a riverside wander and a proper pause for lunch.

There’s a local connection behind the building, too: it belongs to the Great Hospital charity. Nick and Briony De’Ath reopened it after refurbishment in 2021, bringing it into their family of Norwich pubs.

Sunday lunch remains part of the offer, but the current website says its sample Sunday menu is being updated. Ask what is cooking before booking for a particular meat or meat-free dish, rather than relying on an old menu found elsewhere.

Customer experiences are mixed: the riverside location and helpful staff attract praise, while some diners have been disappointed by their roast or a wait for food. Choose it for the whole afternoon you want, rather than expecting a universally agreed winner.

Be specific about where you’d like to sit. An outdoor table and an indoor one are different propositions in autumn, and a view of the water needn’t mean eating outside. If access matters, the pub identifies an accessible entrance around the back; discuss your route and table with the team.

A Golden Triangle gathering, with a bowling-green backstory

The Black Horse on Earlham Road combines a bar, a more restaurant-like dining area and a garden. It’s a neighbourhood alternative to the cathedral quarter, particularly if your Sunday plans already take you towards the Golden Triangle.

The garden used to be a bowling green. Old photographs of the bowlers are a detail to look for inside: a reminder that getting people together has long been part of this pub’s purpose. Rose Hanison oversaw a major refurbishment in 2015, a chapter corroborated by local coverage from the time.

Its sample Sunday menu gives the vegetables a substantial role, with squash purée, carrots, parsnips, red cabbage and greens alongside the roast potatoes. Meat choices include Norfolk beef, pork belly and chicken. For a different centrepiece, there’s mushroom and Stilton homity pie, or a vegetable polenta loaf with a vegan option.

Those are sample dishes, so check what is being served when you book. The children’s section includes a roast as well as alternatives: useful when one person at the table would rather skip the Sunday tradition.

The seating rules are worth knowing. Reservations cover the inside of the pub and its heated pergola; garden tables are for walk-ins. The pub is dog-friendly, so mention any seating preferences when arranging your visit. A garden table is a lovely possibility, but an indoor reservation is the more dependable plan for unsettled weather.

A few Sunday-lunch questions

Can I get a meat-free Sunday roast in Norwich?

Yes. The Wig & Pen lists a nut roast, while the Black Horse’s sample menu includes a vegetarian homity pie and a polenta loaf with a vegan option. Confirm the current dish and all its accompaniments directly. The Red Lion’s replacement Sunday menu needs checking before choosing it for a particular dietary requirement.

Do I need to book a Sunday roast?

Booking is the sensible choice for a group or a particular table. Walk-in space can exist, but it doesn’t guarantee a roast or your preferred seating. The Red Lion asks larger parties to enquire directly, and the Black Horse treats its garden separately from bookable indoor and pergola tables.

Can I have a roast later on Sunday?

Service varies, and a pub staying open into the evening doesn’t mean the roast kitchen does. Ask about the latest Sunday food orders and availability when booking, especially if your day includes work, travel or a walk first.

If a sit-down roast turns out not to be the plan, our Norwich Market food guide offers a different kind of lunch to explore on a day when your chosen stalls are trading. Check their individual opening days rather than assuming Sunday service.

Otherwise, pick the setting, bring your appetite and give lunch the time you usually promise it. The rest of the afternoon can wait.