There is fierce competition for Sunday roasts on Bristol’s food scene. The city has hundreds of pubs guarded by loyal regulars that their local serves the best grub in the area - but one pub in Redland has recently been handed a title that cements its Sunday lunch as one of the best.
Between rows of beautiful Georgian terraced houses in Redland stands The Kensington Arms. The Kenny, as it’s more affectionately known, first opened as a gastropub in 2004 and is tied to pub co giant, Green King, but is also affiliated with Josh Eggleton’s hospitality empire, The Pony Restaurant Group.
The Kensington Arms was recently named by Observer Food Monthly readers as serving one of the best Sunday lunches in the country alongside Little French in Westbury Park. Head Chef, Oscar Davis, who’s worked alongside Josh for more than a decade, said they serve up to 150 roasts every Sunday.
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“We’ve just extended our hours from 4pm to 6pm, and listened to local customers who tried to get in but couldn’t,” he said. The rare 32-day dry-aged organic sirloin cut of beef is a clear favourite each week alongside the Saddleback pork belly.
The restaurant menu exudes a similar level of luxury, like grilled red mullet (£25), roast Chew Magna belly of pork (£24.50) and Porthilly mussels (£19). The Kenny offers a lunch service from Thursday to Saturday and dinner from Wednesday, with the Sunday menu ending the week.
Steph Colvin, who joined in January pub’s general manager, said she had definitely seen the requests pour in since the Observer nod. The national title praised the neighbourhood pub for the “kitchen’s modern approach to pub classics”.
The location also helps its popularity. It's a stone’s through away from the Downs, with the pub in the perfect pit stop position for a Sunday walk. “We’re not on a main high street, we’re a destination pub,” she said.
Oscar added: “It’s a really great space for families and is dog friendly. There’s a really nice atmosphere in here with an open kitchen so you’re got all the smells pouring in. It’s a good Sunday vibe.”
Sundays are currently booked up a month in advance, which is a huge feat for a pub with around 120 covers. Steph added that they can slot in tables of two here and there if they have any cancellations and are hoping to revive their waiting list system.
The ethos of the Pony Group is firmly rooted in The Kenny, who has a kitchen dedicated to championing the best locally sourced produce. “We try and source everything within a 50-mile radius of the pub. Sunday roasts are something I’ve been into for my whole career,” said Oscar.
He’s spent 15 years growing a career in Bristol’s hospitality scene and helped Yurt Lush, which used to be near Temple Meads, win best Sunday roast at the Good Food Awards. But our beloved roast requires a huge amount of preparation throughout the week.
“It’s a long process,” he said. “Everything is handmade and all of our butchery is done in house. We’ve got a small team but a lot of effort goes into it.
“We’re doing the work with a three-person team we would normally do with five, sometimes even six. The cost of produce has gone up in some cases by 70 per cent. There’s only so much you can charge for a burger, for example, people just won’t pay that. It’s a balancing act.”
Oscar and Steph agreed they were at their absolute limit for menu prices now. “We’re in a weird area where you do have students and also the slightly older, more affluent families. You want to keep everyone happy,” Steph said. “You don’t want to alienate the students or the young families by making it £6 a pint.”
The price of a pint is often the metric comparing pubs these days. The Kensington Arms offers an Amstel for £4.90, which is competitive for the area.
It also offers two lines from Bristol Beer Factory - North Street Cider and Fortitude - alongside Brewdog’s Punk IPA and Beavertown Neck Oil. The wine offering is limited to six bottles, which Steph, who grew up in her family’s pub and trained in fine dining, is hoping to extend in the near future. Their menu is bespoke, however, including more unusual pairings like an orange wine.
The Kenny is the only pub affiliated with The Pony Restaurant Group since the loss of the Pony and Trap, one of the venues that started the group’s legacy. “I think it’s a good thing,” Steph added.
“People are intrigued, they remember the Pony and Trap and immediately think of fine dining. I don’t know if people come in with the mindset that’s its just a pub and they’re pleasantly surprised, we’re still on that level.”
Oscar said: “The menu takes a lot of influence from the Pony and Trap. It’s on that level but probably a bit less fancy.” The much-loved Pony and Trap is earmarked to return as the Pony Chew Valley by sibling restauranteurs Josh and Holly.
The team hopes to offer the private function room upstairs for breakfast meetings and reprise its themed pie and curry nights in the new year alongside chef pop-ups. ‘Kenny hour’ is between 5pm and 6pm offering £3 pints among other discounted drinks.
The Kensington Arms is located at 35-37 Stanley Road, Bristol, BS6 6NP, open Wednesday to Sunday
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