Have been to the Dairy several times over my years in Stroud Green, and it has seen its ups and downs. The decor is nice, but unfortunately that is the one positive constant, complemented by many equally consistent negatives. The staff are often aloof and self-absorbed, large areas of the pub are drafty, and the toilets aren't properly disinfected, so despite being tidy they stink. The most surprisingly bad thing about this pub is the food. Despite an adventurous-looking menu and high prices, the basic dishes my wife and I have tried were much less than adequate. Last time we ate at the Dairy, we had fish n chips and a beef stew - the haddock was decently cooked and battered, but the 'tartare sauce' was little more than an insipid garlic mayo that failed to bring the dish together, not to mention the tiny, bland portion of mushy peas. We also failed to understand how it was possible that on the same plate there were both overcooked and undercooked chips! The beef was dry, fatty and chewy, with an over-reduced sauce and overly crunchy vegetables. Despite being attractive-looking, the Dairy is style over substance and our main memory of this place is a sour taste in the mouth.

Great place. been coming here for ten years. Excellent gastropub. you get what you pay for. Great staff and food, contributing to pleasant and welcoming atmosphere. Staff are gracious, accommodating and attractive. Highly recommended, though if you wnat Turkish food, go to the Sugar Lounge!

Went here for a girl's out Christmas meal and it was lovely. The food was a really high standard, catering for veggies and non-veggies really well, and being generous portion sizes.
We drank nice wine and were so full afterwards! Staff were lovely and smiley.
A very enjoyable time had by all, definitely coming again (but I don't live in the area anymore so it's difficult! :( )

There is only one word to describe the Old Dairy: Shambles…this is a perfect example of a pub being great when a quarter full but even the slightest hint of being busy sees the place descend into a cataclysmic farce of a boozer. Its got great ales and a range of lagers, good wines and the food is very good…all very typical London not-trying-too-hard-to-be-cool boozer. All the sort of stuff somebody in the owners hq can sort out but for goodness sake the organization of the place is just downright embarrassing. I’ve lived locally to the od for four years and have been a frequent visitor, and apart from a brief upturn last year the staff have always treated the customer as though its an honour to be served. For example, I’ve stood at the bar for 5 minutes while another couple was served and 5(!) staff milled around, which included 4 looking at one piece of paper. And forget about complaining, the most you can expect from is a shrug and a look that says “i couldn’t care less, there’s enough suckers out there that will be come back!”if you’ve got the time to spare go, have a decent pint in nice surroundings but only on a quiet Tuesday or Wednesday night. If you’re reading this od management your rivals are catching up, stop taking the p’ss out of your clientele.

Great food (we had a small mezze platter and some oysters), prompt & friendly service and a relaxed yet civilised atmosphere. Good stuff!

Great pub ! Love the old photos on the walls, where did you get them from Dairy ?

Good selection of ales on offer and some interesting wines on the list . I had some cod and chips which were great with a really nice beer batter, which so many places seem to get so so wrong !.

My better half had mackerel of which i am not a fan but she said it was nice so i took her word for it !.

Was very busy though when i was in on Saturday, but it was a nice vibe. I had to wait to get a table in the bar, but found out later that there was a restaurant !

Also when did poker becom legal in Pubs ? Im in anyway !

The Old Dairy is really going from strength to strength. I've been going there for years, from when it was shabby and unloved.

It's had it's fair share of knockbacks to say the least, but I really think they have totally hit the nail on the head now. A group took the pub over a few years ago & totally restored the place to its former glory - it's looked after really well.

The staff used to be far too cool for school but it seems like management have culled most of them & replaced them with genuinely happy & enthusiastic staff who really want to be there - I honestly saw one of the girls skipping around the other day!

The menu has been tweeked - nothing too pretentious - exactly what it say's on the tin - you can sit down and eat anywhere, when previously I was told I wasn't allowed to eat in the restaurant if I was having bangers and mash (about a year ago)!!!

If you don't want to watch the football you can sit in the resturant & read the paper, even if you don't want to eat.

THe Dairy's finally got it...Good food, good service, warm & cosy surroundings, unpretentious...exactly what a pub should be.

Came here in December with three friends on a Thursday night. Was impressed from the start - my partner got a call a couple of hours before we had our reservation to confirm which was a nice touch only really seen in the top end restaurants in my experience. The dining room is tucked away but the first thing you see when you walk in the main entrance is an open kitchen - which looked very shiny i must say!

The dinnig room is what you'd expect from a gastro - tables and chairs that dont match, photos of the local area - that sort of thing - not really my cup of tea but all the rage these days it seems. We were shown to our table and seated - asked if we'd like anything from the bar and within 2 minutes our drinks arrived. The manager served us all night- took our order, served our food & was very attentive (something I find quite refreshing from a pub manager actually).

I had a beautiful confit duck breast and my partner had the steak - both delicious, (although the duck was on the small side), but we were recommended to have sides with our meal so that was plenty! The girl paired the wine to our food perfectly also! We chose to have cheese to round off our meal - a little on the expensive side but I we were told they came from a very famous cheese shop (the names escapes me).

We all had a beautiful chilled glass of port each to accompany the cheese (again recommended). We didn't have to lift a finger all night, the service was superb, friendly and efficient, the lady who waited on us was charismatic; we felt so welcome and will definaetly be visiting in the new year (if the purse strings allow!)