This classic pub – which has stood on its corner for more than 150 years – is one of Melbourne's best. And its roast duly lives up to that reputation. Everything from confit duck with duck fat potatoes, to braised rabbit with white wine and bacon has graced the menu here. Plus, the team cracks a different magnum of lo-fi vino each week to really mix things up.

The warmest wine bar in Fitzroy North doesn’t pull punches with its three-course Sunday roast. Whether succulent porchetta one week or beef porterhouse the next, it’s served with seasonal trimmings, plus dessert. (We see you, tres leche cake.) Available from midday till 4pm, unless sold out. This one’s $65.

Straight from its glowing rotisserie, Half Moon plates up porchetta, lamb, free-range chicken and Cape Grim beef on a rotating basis every Sunday. Also included: a jumble of roast veg and a generous amount of gravy for drenching your plate, all for just $30. It tastes as good as this posh boozer looks.

When it’s hose-is-frozen cold outside, there’s no better place to be than in a lovingly restored pub with a glass of good red wine in hand. Throw in a roaring fire and this solid Sunday special (think roast beef, celeriac puree, roasted chats, spinach and red wine jus), and you’ve got a serious winter warmer on your thawed hands.

You’d better believe this lovingly restored south-side pub is ready to roast. The Sunday special changes each week and, considering the size of the thing, is keenly priced at $25. Past highlights include roast pork belly with mustard cabbage, masala-spiced chickpeas and cauliflower; and fall-apart brisket with mash, roast onions, broccolini and gravy.

Once a notorious Melbourne pub with a chequered past, this revamped boozer serves a Sunday special that’s as about as wholesome as it gets. It’s a choice between roast beef or chook from the rotisserie, accompanied by all the classic trimmings, for $30. You’d be wise to book a table to beat the crowds.

This cheery, new-wave pub rotates between free-range pork, lamb and beef every Sunday. You can also expect top-tier farmers such as Cape Grim Beef and Roaring Forties Lamb on the menu, which means these comforting plates usually go for upwards of $30. But they’re piled high with classic trimmings, so it’s no wonder they sell out.

When the roast comes courtesy of an Andrew McConnell alumnus, you know it’s bound to be a winner. Chef Ben Pigott puts the pub’s impressive rotisserie to good use across Sunday specials such as beef rump cap with parsnip puree, sauteed brussel sprouts, kale and red wine jus. This hot number is subject to market prices.

For a roast with a side of live music, make a move for the main bar at this seaside icon. Available all weekend, rotating options might include free-range pork belly crackled to perfection, served with Wagyu fat potatoes, honey roasted carrots, cabbage and red wine gravy for $35. Tunes start at 1pm on Sundays.

If roast short ribs with mash, crispy leeks, silverbeet and jus sounds like your kind of thing, then you may well have it at this slick establishment of a wintry Sunday. The selection changes weekly and goes for around $30. Available from midday until sold out.

At this cosy corner pub, the special isn’t strictly a Sunday affair. It’s served all day Saturday, too, and alternates between between lamb, pork and beef. Much like the pub itself, this one’s like a big, warm, friendly Fitzroy hug. Available from midday.

Northern Git’s menu isn’t strictly British, but everything feels touched by the English dedication to food that comforts. Look no further than the Sunday roast, which occasionally comes served inside a great-big Yorkie. On a cold Melbourne day, there’s nothing better.