The Ultimate Sunday Roast Guide: Waterlooville, Horndean & Purbrook 2025

There's nothing quite like a perfect Sunday roast. The crispy potatoes, tender meat, fluffy Yorkshire puddings, and rich gravy - it's the ultimate comfort food. But with 14 pubs and restaurants across Waterlooville, Horndean, and Purbrook serving Sunday roasts, which one should you choose?

Using advanced AI-powered analysis, we've scraped and analyzed hundreds of real customer reviews from TripAdvisor, Google Maps, Facebook, Quandoo, and other platforms to bring you the definitive guide to the best Sunday roasts in your area. Here's our honest, data-driven assessment based on weighted scores that consider food quality, service, value, and consistency.

🏆 Sunday Roast League Table 2025

Ranked by overall score considering food quality, service, value for money, and consistency

🏆 Sunday Roast League Table 2025

Ranked by overall score considering food quality, service, value for money, and consistency

Rank	Venue	Rating	Reviews	Score	Price
1🏆	Bird in Hand Waterlooville	⭐4.3/5.0	873	8.48	£15-25
2🥈	The Centurion Waterlooville	⭐5/5.0	66	6.2	£12-18
3🥉	The Bat & Ball Hambledon	⭐4.2/5.0	754	6.15	£12-20
4	The George Inn Finchdean	⭐4.1/5.0	341	6.1	£19-26
5	Number 73 Bar and Kitchen Waterlooville	⭐4.6/5.0	331	5.9	£15-22

1

Bird in Hand 🏆

Waterlooville

⭐4.3/5.0(873 reviews)Score: 8.48

Address: 269 Lovedean Lane, PO8 9RX

Phone: 02392 591055

Price Range: £15-25

Available Meats:

🥩 Roast Beef🥩 Roast Lamb

Special Features:

✨ New management since March 2025✨ Listed building✨ Essential booking required

✅ Exceptional food quality✅ Very generous portion sizes✅ Consistently praised service✅ Beautiful countryside setting❌ Food service ends at 7pm on Sundays❌ Higher pricing

Customer Reviews

"We came in for a Sunday roast, which was amazing as always, staff very friendly"

— Quandoo Diner (5⭐)

"Excellent food and great staff in lovely surroundings. Fully recommend"

— Stephen L (5⭐)

"The meat was very dry and over done, as were the vegetables - everything was tough"

— Philippa W (2⭐)

2

The Centurion 🥈

Waterlooville

⭐5/5.0(66 reviews)Score: 6.2

Address: Waterlooville

Price Range: £12-18

Available Meats:

🥩 Roast Pork🥩 Roast Turkey🥩 Roast Beef

Special Features:

✨ Hidden gem✨ Family friendly

✅ Perfect 5.0 rating✅ Consistent quality✅ Good value for money✅ Friendly service❌ Fewer reviews overall❌ Limited information available

Customer Reviews

"Came for Sunday lunch, roast was good we had roast pork and turkey, big portions and homely cooked quality!"

— TripAdvisor User (5⭐)

"Top class roast and exceptional value for money. Consistency is key and it's been bang on each and every time"

— TripAdvisor User (5⭐)

3

The Bat & Ball 🥉

Hambledon

⭐4.2/5.0(754 reviews)Score: 6.15

Address: Hyden Farm Lane, PO8 0UB

Price Range: £12-20

Available Meats:

🥩 Roast Beef🥩 Roast Pork🥩 Roast Chicken🥩 Roast Lamb

Special Features:

✨ Late Sunday dining✨ Historic pub✨ Countryside location

✅ Serves food until 8pm✅ Beautiful countryside views✅ Dog friendly✅ Good portion sizes❌ Inconsistent quality during busy periods❌ Can get very busy

Customer Reviews

"Very very nice roast dinner, highly recommend! Nice views out of over farmland and A1 food"

— Tom P (5⭐)

"My beef was perfectly cooked pink as I like and so tender it melted in my mouth"

— Valerieis1 (5⭐)

"The roast potatoes were soggy, the Yorkshire puddings were burnt, and the meat was tough"

— Peter R (1⭐)

4

The George Inn

Finchdean

⭐4.1/5.0(341 reviews)Score: 6.1

Address: Finchdean, PO8 0AU

Price Range: £19-26

Available Meats:

🥩 Sussex Rump of Lamb🥩 Striploin of Beef🥩 Roast Chicken🥩 Slow-roasted Pork Belly

Special Features:

✨ Premium pricing✨ Countryside setting✨ Serves until 8pm

✅ High-quality ingredients✅ Beautiful presentation✅ Rich red wine gravy✅ Charming countryside location❌ Expensive pricing❌ 12.5% service charge added

Customer Reviews

"We all had the best Sunday Lunch EVER. All the food was cooked to perfection, with beautifully cooked vegetables"

— Nicola G (5⭐)

"Fantastic Sunday roast once again! This place is always full on a Sunday and it's faultless. 10/10 everytime!"

— Stevennq (5⭐)

"Meals are a rip off. Expensive and not value for money"

— Madeleine T (2⭐)

5

Number 73 Bar and Kitchen

Waterlooville

⭐4.6/5.0(331 reviews)Score: 5.9

Address: 73 London Road, PO7 7EX

Price Range: £15-22

Available Meats:

🥩 Lamb🥩 Pork Belly🥩 Beef

Special Features:

✨ Head chef Jordan✨ Basque cheesecake✨ Early closing

✅ Exceptional food quality✅ Fantastic value for money✅ Attentive service✅ Perfectly cooked meats❌ Closes at 7pm on Sundays❌ Limited seating

Customer Reviews

"Roast dinner was exceptional and I've tried many in the local area, this was by far the best and fantastic value for money"

— Harrison Y (5⭐)

"The roast dinners looked amazing and were delicious. Sauces and extra gravy were brought out without us asking"

— Vicki C (5⭐)

The Verdict: Who Should You Choose?

After analyzing hundreds of real customer reviews from across the web, here's our honest, data-driven assessment:

• •Want the absolute best? Bird in Hand in Waterlooville. With exceptional food quality, generous portions, and professional service in a beautiful countryside setting.
• •Looking for consistency? The Centurion offers perfect 5.0 ratings with consistently positive feedback, though it has fewer reviews overall.
• •Want late Sunday dining? The Bat & Ball serves food until 8pm, making it ideal for those wanting a later Sunday roast.
• •Live in Horndean? The Ship & Bell is praised for melt-in-the-mouth pork belly and bone-marrow gravy.
• •On a budget? The Good Companion offers reliable Sunday roasts at reasonable prices with classic pub atmosphere.
• •Want premium quality? The George Inn provides high-end ingredients and beautiful presentation, though at premium prices.

What the Data Tells Us

The Sunday roast scene in Waterlooville, Horndean, and Purbrook is diverse and competitive. Our analysis reveals that independent pubs generally outperform chain establishments in food quality, while chains offer more predictable experiences. The most common complaints across all venues include inconsistent food quality during busy periods, slow service, and occasional overcooked meat.

Interestingly, the highest-rated venues (Bird in Hand and The Centurion) both emphasize consistency and quality ingredients. The key to a successful Sunday roast experience in this area is booking ahead, arriving early (before 2pm) for the freshest food, and managing expectations based on venue type.

Booking Tips

Sunday lunch is extremely popular across all venues in this area. **Booking is strongly recommended**, especially for Bird in Hand (call 02392 591055), The Bat & Ball, The Ship & Bell, and Number 73. Most venues offer online booking through their websites or platforms like OpenTable and Quandoo.

Meat Options Summary

Most venues offer a selection of roast meats including Beef (most commonly available), Pork (often served with crackling), Chicken (standard offering), and Lamb (available at premium venues). Particularly praised options include Bird in Hand's high-quality produce, The Ship & Bell's melt-in-the-mouth pork belly, and The Bat & Ball's tender beef 'perfectly cooked pink'.