The Dairy in Reading - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Used to be my go to place at the University, however this place has fallen off in the last year. Bad selection of beers and cider. Stock tends to be very low so usually out of something and their food is just far too expensive for the quality and portion size, especially if you don't have a meal plan. Service can be hit and miss due to high staff turnover

Good to see gluten free savoury on display. Friendly staff.

Does what it says on the tin. High turnover of staff so level of service can be hit and miss. Kitchen staff are consistent and awesome. Highly recommend.

Ok so for people who aren’t students of the university. This isn’t a bad place to get a drink, it’s gonna be a bit cheaper than your average pub. I’d avoid the food though, you can eat better for cheaper, and the service isn’t great. For students, this is a pretty good place to get a drink. It’s about a 15-20 min walk from the main campus. Pool tables are there although they normally get busy in the evenings. I would say the amount of people peaks at around 6-7pm as people are trying to get food. Speaking of which I wouldn’t really bother unless you have the meal swipes as you can get better food elsewhere. For people with meal swipes - here is a short review of each food item based off of me and my friends eating there for a year. You need to use 1 meal swipe per item and if you are getting food a free hot drink is included (as of 2023/24 year) - Beef burger - about the most average burger you will taste, not amazing, not terrible. - Chicken burger - dryer than the Sahara desert, avoid - Plant burger - Not had myself but according to people I go with, quite good. - Fries - I mean they weren’t likely to mess these up, the fries are good, you can also get them with cheese. - Garlic bread - quite dry without cheese normally, but with cheese is delicious. - Spaghetti - They use PRE CUT SPAGHETTI but other than that it tastes decent. Not really anything special. - Flatbread - The Hummus is extremely oily and the flatbread portion gets smaller everytime I order it - Ribs - Almost flavourless and dry - bangers and mash - good when they actually have the mash (substituted for chips a lot of the time) Overall the menu is good enough to go if you want something and the other dining places have all been filled. They also have pizzas and ciabattas which are all quite tasty. The main downside is the service and staff training is unacceptably bad. You could wait anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours to get your food, which sometimes isn’t even affected by how busy it is. They sometimes forget your order completely, the person behind the counter has been known to shout at people who are even slightly impatient. They are always out of condiments. But honestly most nights it’s not that bad, i would say a night where everything takes ages happens once every 2-3 weeks to me. So finally, good for cheap alcohol, bad for food for paying customers, and alright for food for students with meal swipes.

Helpful, knowledgeable staff and a wide selection of drinks at very reasonable prices make The Dairy a must-go destination on any trip to Reading. Relaxed seating, pool table room, courtyard seating and good food too!

The Dairy is a Reading University run facility just down the road from the Museum of English Rural life which is also worth a visit. There is a reasonable amount of seating, some pool tables and loads of TV screens. When the football is on it can get quite noisy and is not conducive to having a quiet pint. There is an adjoining room where the kitchen can be located though it was not open on the day when I went. There is a good selection of craft beers and prices are good. I paid £4 for a pint of Elusive Oregon trail. Its worth a visit.

One of Reading's hidden gems! Absolutely superb- nice bar, food on offer, sports on TV, great music being played at a level that allows conversations and superb prices. Will definitely return.

Great for drinks and a game of pool and you get served very quickly unless there is a social on. Need more cider on tap though!

Nice place to meet your friends and play pool. Drinks are relatively cheap compared to other bars too

Drinks are good and cheap. But just got served the driest burger I have ever had. Not a single bit of seasoning in the chicken which was just white. Also no ketchup left to make it less dry. Disappointed

Great student bar with cheap drinks and decent food that comes quickly

They're always training new staff and none of them know how to pour a pint. Despite the selection of 16 beers, you don't want or recognise any of them, and the one you usually have is probably not available anyway. Interior is mediocre. Food bordering on overpriced. Overall, not ideal

A lovely little pub & place to eat fresh healthy snacks, great atmosphere & friendly staff

The service is great. The food needs improvement.

This was chilling on the table for quite a while even when I arrived, it was really nasty and off putting. My friend had to remove it from the table herself, a server walked past like four times and didn’t bother removing it. Also, the person taking my order had a very odd attitude, he didn’t finish taking our order and told someone to take over, the person also didn’t finish taking our order (I didn’t order a drink yet) and gave me the wrong drink and when I saw and told him, he tried to charge me? Also what are the rules on drinks?? The first time I went, I was able to get a drink with my meal plan but later I could only get a hot drink and they tried to charge me for juice with my meal…maybe I’m in the wrong idk but it was a very stressful experience overall as my friend and I had to eat our food on a dirty table ☺️☺️☺️ the ribs were flavourless and the chicken burger was so dry and tasteless I could only eat half of it before I tapped out

Waited 1h45min for cheesy chips, and didnt even get them in the end.

Food is below average, location is average, service is average

Corporeal Foodpey may I have your attention. This establishment is solid, some staff lack proper skills to maintain the integrity and high level of proper merit. However the management and chef team are considerably up to par.

Upon arrival of said establishment, which I typically stroll to daily, I was brutally distraught to discover that my student card was not functioning on the apparatus for my said meal. “EJ/EG” got straight on it, swiftly and with determination she sorted the issue. My friend Foodpey who’s also a respected member of the food review community was also dealt with and served a decent meal. I have to say with regret that some of the staff lack attention and aptitude however I cannot fault the passion of the place. Particularly the incredibly kind chef team who always serve every meal with a smile. Thank you “EJ/EG” Will be returning soon

Spacious and easy to navigate. Very helpful and friendly staff. Great prices.

Generic student bar, rather predictable beers on tap, interior is functional, uninspiring and dull.

Nice great value place, live sports on TV too

Excellent food. The burger was fab.

Lovely food and very clean. Fast service. Good selection.

Quiet, good selection of beers and reasonable prices 👍

The dairy is a nice place to hangout. But the food sometimes is not fresh. Sometimes due to the lack of windows it feels clos to phobic.

Student bar, good and different drinks, local beers and delicious food, every day is a different menu, have a look on instagram ( The Dairy)

The bar staff are so hopeless it's almost funny. Why is the till so complicated it's like they're filling in the census every time I order a pint. Acoustics are not good either.

Useful little cafe with surprising variety of food and drink

Good drinks selection... though for a period, no soft drinks!

I have eaten here the last 4 nights as I am visiting a family member in the hospital. They have one food choice a day and a vegan alternative and every meal has been excellent and served quickly. They have a nice selection of drinks including wines and local IPAs. TVs all around the place and friendly staff that always chat to you. Perfect venue for anyone visiting the hospital for the day for food and a bit of a break. The other plus is it is cheap as it is a student bar. Highly recommended.

Food was ok, service wasn't the best and the decor was average.

Excellent selection of beers... many from local breweries. Ridiculously good value compared to other venues in Reading

Great prices! Very chill student atmosphere. Staff are a little clueless but to be expected I guess. Still worth stopping in for a drink

Rattler Cyder on tap for £3.30.. That is all is you need to know! 😍🍻

It was a bit quiet when we were there, also no soft drinks as the pump wasn't working.

Friendly atmosphere. Friendly bar staff. Great prices. Only downside was lack of soft drinks - no lemonade or coke/pepsi. Running out of other soft drinks. Get the stock in & they would get 5 stars

The Dairy is great! They do an amazing chicken burger, we used to eat here all the time as students.

Ideal for pool reasonable prices

Great coffee - attending my grand-daughter's graduation ceremony. Brilliant day. Thank you Reading University.

Really good beers and good atmosphere for the uni. Useful to have it on the London Road campus too.

Great place, good food options, great range of drinks and loads of screens for sport.

Nice bar, quiet and good service

Don't want to say how good this place is for beer and atmosphere for fear of too many people knowing about the dings best kept secret !

Good pub. Food's nice, the chips and halloumi burger are delicious and it's usually not too packed so can get a good seat.

Nice student pub/bar with a good wide selection of drinks. Foods not great but affordable. Interior is cool with pool tables and TVs

Fine as always - seemed a bit busy for a Wed night though not due to football. Tried to revive the Juke Box later on (a big favourite here) and it powered up OK & seemed ready to but evidently some other vital action to get it fully functional was beyond us and the staff on duty .... hasn't been used since pre-Vids, so although the duty 'boss' knew the right setting for the speakers it wasn't operating in play mode nor taking cash......

Good option for a coffee and refills. Sandwich was ok. Good thing is live TV and sports channel. Staff at the counter had to be called every time, probably was working in the kitchen

Always good value and cheerful staff

Always a lovely place for a relaxing drink and a bite to eat too! Often a Friday wind down spot for me and colleagues

I really liked this bar after a first time visit on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Great selection of screens to watch sports. Food looked great although I didn't try any. Frustrating that they don't accept cash payments but I understand that that's the way the world is right now. Doesn't look like much from the outside but big, airy and spacious on the inside. Friendly staff. Would recommend.

I like this bar a lot. Frustrating that they don't take cash but I understood why. Great screens for sports and friendly staff. Didn't try the food but it looked good

Great staff, perfect food, individual beers and guest draft. Tip top :)

In these strange covid times I feel sorry for bars and pubs who have to keep up with a huge list of regulations and try and operate a normal business and keep some kind of buzz around. The manager of this place was really nice and friendly. It is a place for students mainly and serves some food such as burgers and salads. They have quite a big outdoor seating area that backs onto the Reading University buildings and gardens, some of which are hidden beauties. There are screens indoors to watch sport on and they are normally nice and accomodating about changing the channels to what sport is on. It is a sizeable place and hopefully it becomes busier as restrictions end

Great place for food and drink.

Great night, fantastic pints, great company

Great selection of beers, particularly from local breweries. While it is on London Road campus owned by the University of Reading, it is open to members of the public. This means two things, it's full of students and the prices are exceptionally good for the area!

A good pub. Its run by Reading University so there are a lot of university students. The drinks are cheap compared to the rest of the area.

Good drinks selection, pool table and sports on screens. Very reasonably priced.

Really nice, friendly and helpful student staff, and very friendly student atmosphere. Food a little dissapointing, and they should perhaps stick to basic, simple bar food rather than trying to be 'gastro'.

The burger was the best burger pure beef the staff seemed to be friendly

Just had the nachos which were lovely. Very modern feel to the whole place and you get a little alarm thing that beeps when your food is ready to collect. They've also got a large TV with a Wii. Prices are reasonable and they do private bookings. Plan to visit again soon.

Friendly bar staff and beer ridiculously cheap

Good pub with a nice vibe to it.

Amazing facility. Cheap, good food, very hardworking staff.

Uni coffe shop London red reading

Cheap snakebites on Wednesday good times all round

really nice - young man serving behind bar and food looked really good - including rolls sandwhiches etc - very clean and well kept

Lovely staff and seating area large choice to pick from also food selection if required recommend visit

Inconsistent food quality and poor service. When they make the food properly it is very good and the place has a nice, warm environment. Good place to go with mates

What a fiasco. I started my night with the desire for cheesy nachos with jalapeños. However, to my disgust they had run out. I was outraged. But the wonderful lady behind the bar saved the day by recommending me green chillis. Wow, this turned out to be more flavoursome than nachos from my trusty local. Come and try it yourself xxxxx

Great craft beer options at amazing prices. All the good sport.

Really nice atmosphere, beers are a good price, for a student bar there was no bad atmosphere just a friendly place to have a drink

Nice atmosphere, and a good selection of beers. Sport is usually on, and there are a couple of pool tables too.

Good prices, saw a Dante or Die production there in the back room, was great

Love this place. Pool tables and great prices!

If they bring back Guinness it will be the best !!

Classy casual venue, large selection of craft drinks

Was absolutely perfect can't wait to go back, good food to

Great selection of beer, cheap and friendly

Great student bar but also good for young professionals and others. Have good array of beers at low prices. Comfortable seating, good outside area at the back (not the front ones) and pool tables. Also do good food until 9pm.

Delicious cauliflower curry and chips.

The Dairy is located on the London Road Campus of the University of Reading. It’s quite a walk from the main campus but the food here is really good! During peak hours the food takes a lot of time to be served but it’s worth the wait! They have limited options for food but it’s nice that it’s freshly made to order and not like the other places on campus where a sort of buffet system is followed. The Dairy gets very lively at night!

Great selection of beers. Awesome fries!

Good burger, chilled atmosphere

Lovely little sports bar. Fast food. However slightly overpriced. Absoute bargin freestyler pints.

Seemed like a good place for a student union bar. Way smarter than the one at my university however many years ago.

Great little conscious cofee shop and cafe

Great little student bar, open to all. Cheap food and drinks. 2 pool tables. Many screens for watching sports. Gets busy for big matches.

Great uni bar, cheap drinks with Pool, TV and half decent food. Need more vegan options though

Nice student bar with good food at reasonable price

Lovely food and good value for money definitely be back again nice atmosphere

Food is ok and so are the prices

Great Uni Pub - but if they don't bring Guinness back for the six nation's ...dead to me !!

Everything good about this place drinks, food, atmosphere Staff excellent

Cheap drinks, not sure about food quality though although it's also cheap

Quick good food on a budget with a calm atmosphere and pool tables for fun

Coffee is cheap for students, serves food and alcohol for a cheap treat. Nice staff.

I didn't purchase food here so can't say whether it was good value or not, but the food I saw looked really good. Really nice environment too.

Good prices especially for students. Large selection of draught beers and large tv for the next world cup!:-)