By Cinda Chavich | Photo supplied by Fairmont Empress
A weekly roast feast on Sunday night is a great Canadian tradition. But many families just don’t have the time these days to procure a big roast and cook it — along with all of the trimmings.

Enter the latest trend in restaurant roasts and family-style Sunday dinners popping up around town.
The ultimate roast experience happens every Sunday at the Fairmont Empress Hotel with their Sunday Roast dinner at Q at the Empress. Carved tableside by a restaurant chef, the roasts change weekly, and include Prime Rib with Yorkshire Puddings, Rack of Lamb with grainy mustard and brioche crust and Crown Roast of Pork with caramelized apples and cider jus. Reserve a table for the family between 5:30 and 9:30 p.m. and dig in.
The Courtney Room at the Magnolia Hotel & Spa serves casual Sunday long-table dinners with a seasonal theme. It’s a chance for chefs Brian Tesolin and Chris Klassen to stretch their culinary creativity and to prepare a variety of dishes for diners to share. The idea is to bring people together on Sundays for a communal, multi-course — and affordable — meal in the brasserie, while testing out new dishes in a family dinner format, says Tesolin, who hosts their Sunday Dinner with Klassen. Whether you’re a single person or a group, you can join their family-style feast for just $49 per person.
Meanwhile, you’ll find classic roast beef dinners at other city establishments, from the Sunday Wood-Fired Roast at 5th Street Wood Fired Rotisserie, and the slow-cooked Angus Beef with Yorkshire pudding for Sunday Family Roast Night at Christie’s Carriage House Pub, the Roast Beef and Yorkie special every Sunday at the Ross Bay Pub or the roast beef or porchetta, sliced to take home, from Roast in the Victoria Public Market.
It’s a great way to sit down together for a classic Sunday roast meal. No dishes, no stress.
This article is from the March/April 2020 issue of YAM