The Old Dairy in Islington

This pub manages to be many things all at once. It screens sport - soccer and rugby. It allows for group space, but also quiet areas. It serves food that I am told us good. Also, the prices are reasonable. So, worth looking in.

16 of us arrived for a roast when Arsenal were playing Liverpool & we couldn’t have been happier with service and food. The staff were so helpful & accommodating - thank you 😊

Always impeccably clean, welcoming with a great team. Good place to go with friends and a nice ale range

Thanks to Sean and the staff at Old Dairy for helping us for our little one’s first birthday bash in the function room. Was great to have the freedom in the space!

Had a lovely experience at the old dairy! Special shoutout to Nik and Hannah, an absolute pleasure to get to meet them :)

Great pub: very clean, the bartenders and waiters are very nice! Thank you!

Great for groups as they take bookings and everyone can order at the bar or through the app still if you wish. Food is so so, quickly produced alternative pub food. Service is very quick though and all bartenders very friendly. Gets very busy for football matches. I only wish there was more of an atmosphere in the evenings, it is way too bright in there!

Had a lovely value for money lunch here on Friday. Food was good, beer was good. Pub was looking lovely and the bar person was so helpful and welcoming.

Staff friendly, spot-on service! 💯 recommend

I had the pleasure of visiting Old Diary today and indulging in their Sunday Roast, and I must say it was an unforgettable experience. The culinary artistry of chefs Mahesh and Devi was on full display, transforming a classic dish into an extraordinary masterpiece. The roast was perfectly cooked—tender, flavorful, and beautifully presented, with each bite reflecting the care and skill that went into its preparation. Beyond the exceptional food, what truly stood out was the warm and welcoming atmosphere created by Mahesh and Devi. They both took the time to engage in friendly conversation, making me feel right at home from the moment I walked in. Their genuine hospitality added a personal touch to the meal, making the entire experience even more enjoyable. If you're looking for a place that combines top-notch cuisine with a welcoming environment, Old Diary is a must-visit. Hats off to Mahesh and Devi for not only their culinary talents but also for their outstanding customer service. I can't wait to return!

Very good atmosphere, good and friendly stuff, very tasty food, i will be come back again.

Great place, friendly staff and food was excellent

Big fans of the Old Dairy! It’s a great place for a pint with a friends and to watch an Arsenal match. They love dogs too!

Great Food Great Staff one of the best pubs in Finsbury

Lovely pub, good drinks, great service

Had a bit of food, lovely cosy atmosphere with kind service.

Regularly come here. Lovely atmosphere, very friendly and polite staff.

Food was alright and the workers were kind

Food wasn't good, plates looked nice, well presented food but no quality, dry chicken, mostly sauce in my burger, chips weren't that good either, too expensive for the quality, good looking pub Style no substence

Lovely place,very roomy with cosy corners. Good food,good friendly staff. Would like if prices slightly lower lol buts that's me.

The worst staff in Finsbury Park! From an older blonde woman who literally needs to rethink her career, as hospitality isn’t her strong point, to a guy who doesn’t look old enough to be behind the bar. The worst pub—do not bother; there are plenty of nice pubs in the area. That is why it’s always dead, while everywhere else is packed! It used to be amazing pub so it’s a shame its lost its way.

This pub in Finsbury Park is a complete disappointment. The service is painfully slow, and the atmosphere is unwelcoming. It’s no wonder the place is always empty, especially with its lack of cleanliness and low-quality drinks. Save yourself the trouble and visit one of the many better pubs in the area that actually know how to treat their customers.

I recently hired this pub in Finsbury Park for an event, and it was a complete disaster. The service was incredibly slow, and the staff were unprofessional and unresponsive to our needs. To make matters worse, the atmosphere was uninviting, and it felt like the staff didn’t care about our experience at all. I would strongly advise against booking any event here. There are many better options in the area that will provide a much more enjoyable experience.

The food is good and it's a great place to watch footy. The food isn't anything special, but it's tasty, and the beer is fresh.

Nice place to go for a drink and watch Euro, spacious rooms, big tvs, friendly staff. But the food is the worst I’ve had for years! It’s so so bad. We had some small plates to share and a beef burger and it was all inedible. We’ll be definitely back to watch games or have a drink, we’ll just have dinner before lol

Sean and Helena were amazing tonight. Looked after us, the food was amazing. Will definitely tell my friends to come down.

Good selection of beers and food menu.

Most amazing customer service. Food came quickly when it was busy, lovely staff, and all reasonably priced. Highly recommend!

We came in for a couple of drinks and quick snacks on one quiet Monday evening. The venue is massive with multiple sections, which can be privately hired or booked for sports viewing. Highlights were beautiful modern decor and cleanliness. Service was polite but not very enthusiastic. Foodwise: Fried chicken pieces got mostly negative feedback from our group of 4, fried halloumi pieces were tasty, and prawns with chorizo were just ok - piece of advice, rather don't put any garnish if you don't have fresh herbs. We would like to see the place when busy to experience the proper atmosphere. We may return some day, unfortunately after this experience and us being aware of the pub opportunities of the area, it will be hard to choose Old Dairy as our first option in the future.

Lovely and cozy pub to enjoy nice food or a fresh drink! Big selection of beer, food nice, I ordered the classic fish and chips, buttered halloumi, and garlic cheese bread. Quick and professional service too! Friendly staff!!

I love this site. Unfortunately, I ended up with a group that believed they were the owners of the site.

Great space, friendly staff, good beers the menu is simple and would benefit from a revamp but hot and well presented

Great for sport and loads of seating spots, shame it's Greene King as the food is terrible

Went here with my friend earlier on this evening to have drinks. Honestly, it was absolutely amazing. We ordered nachos and some chips and it was fantastic. Also, the two gentlemen behind the bar were absolutely lovely and very charming. I will definitely be going back. Thanks guys for a fantastic evening.

It's very rare for me to promote a place this well but.. Flawless!! Staff are so lovely. Food was fabulous. Literally the best fried fish in North London! Batter was to die for. My brother ordered a pie and chips. Prices ranged from £13-£15. They also have a lunch time menu with the best burgers I've had the pleasure to taste WITH a free drink for only £10 Monday to Fridays. I love this place.. Great beer and Ales too.. FABULOUS establishment!! ❤️

Polite knowledgeable staff. Tasty food

Very nice looking interior, friendly service, good beer and food.

Nice place, Quiet, plenty of space, different rooms with different atmosphere. Friendly staff, fast service. Good menu, i had the sprouted pesto burger. Also reasonable choice of local beers I like it as a place to stop at and remove the stresses of the day before getting home. It's usually quiet but has a nice relaxing vibe. There's a big choice of places to sit, sofas, high tables and dinning tables if you're eating. Its cosy. There is a fab function room which gets booked for private parties, spacious. The staff are always friendly and the choice of beers is okay, i always get the Beaver Town. The food is typical pub stuff with vegetarian options. Seems to be very child Friendly place. The building has some history and the pub celebrates this with some pictures. The location is good for easy access to other pubs and restaurants so I recommend popping in

Good big pub and not ludicrously overpriced unlike most of Islington. However, many tables don’t have a good view of TVs which is an issue when there’s sport on (as many people come for sport)

The bar staff was lovely and the food pretty good!

Food was below average, we ordered the mix and share plates. The turkey pops taste like cardboard, they were clearly frozen food, flatbread was rock hard and the fries arrived cold. It is such a shame as this is a lovely venue, good atmosphere, staff are friendly and drinks selection is very good.

Delighted to be returning to The Old Dairy since it shut during covid. It's huge inside, we actually couldn't find our friends, lots of hidden areas. Although we booked a table, you do have to order at the bar. My friend paid £5 deposit per person. We ordered the Chicken turkey and turkey and ham hock pie, as well as scampi and chips. My friend enjoyed the turkey and was raving about the roast potatoes. Sadly I personally found the pie and gravy very salty. For dessert we ordered lemon tart which was tasty and vegan too. The sticky toffee sponge was quite nice too. Good atmosphere, although the door was left open with the wind blowing directly at our table. Just meant we had to get up and close the door. Staff at the bar seemed pleasant and friendly. Would return again some day.

Service was great but food was average at best and the atmosphere really dull - there were only a few other people in the whole place. The festive menu was a bit uninspiring with only a chilli and mac and cheese option from the mains if veggie, not particularly festive...

Yummy food, the burger was so Juicy and the service from the Manager at the bar was ace !

Limited real ales only 2 available Food was good and priced reasonably

Online app services not working. Bad experience for the customer.

We had an excellent meal and delightful conversations with the manager. The Christmas decorations are tasteful and the Christmas trees superb.

Meat not from the kitchen but Greene King resulting two 1/2 inch beef slices which despite being medium rare, was like chewing leather. My colleagues sent theirs back but just made the beef tougher. Roast chicken was the replacement and was lovely. The veg and presentation was perfect but the star attraction was a huge disappointment. Would go again but pass on the Beef.

I had driven past over a number of years, but it had always been closed. I was looking for a place to meet a friend for drinks near Finsbury Park, so I asked for some friends for recommendations, and The Old Diary came up. I'm happy that we went. Definitely would go back for drinks. Not sure I would eat there as my friends said avoid the food!

Sunday Beef Roast was not tender enough to cut and eat.

Very nice vibes and friendly staff

A super building, the Old Dairy has been amazingly re-modelled and now sells beer instead of milk, the ultimate upgrade! Great service and conversation with staff. This is a volumenous pub with loads of different bits to discover. Wonderful conservatory roof over part. A truly great place. Plenty of keg offerings for the thirsty and 4 great cask ales for them that do. I enjoyed my pint.

Always a nice place for any moment or occasion 👌

The venue first became a public house in the 1990's, but had remained closed for many years. Having moved back to the area I was delighted to see it had re-opened once more.

I really like this place. Closed for a long time after COVID I finally had the chance to visit again. I like the spacious atmosphere. It's doggo friendly and there's a great selection of beers. Three of my favourite IPA on tap.

Best pint I have had in London in a long time with delicious sharing plates. Many people wrongly think that British ale should be served warm but that can make it smell and taste awful. Its why its often not liked alongside poor standards of cellaring. I complemented the friendly bar staff and was told their ale is cooled and the pipes regularly cleaned. Their attention shows. Always been a pleasant pub but can now highly recommend for beer (ale).

Lovely place to relax eat & drink

Don't normally post reviews often, but I can honestly say that the Flat Iron Steak was one of the nicest steaks I've had in a while and beer is good would recommend.

I feel like this pub needs a little more love and a few more customers. It’s all right!

Beautiful pub with a lovely nut roast for the Veggies!

One of the worst Sunday roasts I’ve had. The place is nice to look at, at least.

Nice staff, good beers. Food looked good value but we didn't eat this time

Great local pub with friendly staff. Definitely recommend.

Cool pub with a rather interesting space. Food is standard pub grub.

Was my first time in this pub and I took the Sunday roast and my partner mac and cheese. The Sunday roast ,the meat was little bit hard and the Yorkshire pudding was dry. The mac and cheese looked similar to a porridge rather than an oven-baked pasta. For the drink is ok but I'm not quite sure about the food

Since their reopening (really promising), it's just been poor experience after another at the dairy. I've had to send food back before, which I have never done anywhere and other dishes have made me feel unwell. The last couple of times the bar staff have added an unknowing extra £1 to our payments. Unfortunately won't be going back and spending more time in the nicer pub across the road.

Awful awful place, stinks of deep fried food all around the building, owners very insincere and unfriendly, horrible decor looks like an airport bar from the 90s, just a steaming pile of hot garbage. The Stapleton opposite is way nicer. Hope the Old Dairy closes down again soon, no-one in the neighbourhood wants them here. Just another horrible Greene King McDonalds filled with giant gambling machines. The worst.

I had the pie and chips with Mushy peas and it was absolutely gorgeous. It was a proper pie not meat in a dish with a pastry lid! I had the prawns for starter. Friend had the macaroni cheese her favourite thing that her mum makes and she said it was almost to her mums standard she gave it 8/10. We were a group of five and we all thoroughly enjoyed our lunch. Nick was on the bar and our waiter and he was great. We will be definitely be back 😊

First time at this pub and it is open and spacious- will be back again.

Very friendly and efficient staff. Delicious food.

One of the worst meals I've ever eaten. If I hadn't already waited an hour & paid up front, we would of left. My friend had the mac & cheese which looked and tasted like anaemic porridge, I had the pulled mushroom chilli which considering the long wait I had expected it to be hot, not lukewarm, I had also hoped the smashed avocado that came as part of the dish to be just that, instead of rock hard. The garden salad was a few leaves, cucumber and watermelon drenched in cheap dressing! The staff were uninterested in our questions about the time taken. A waitress told us she was under the impression that the bar staff were telling people it was up to an hour wait, but didn't bother to check. She also told us it was busy, there were 3 tables in our section and 7 in another, it was 3pm (4pm by the time we were served) on a Sunday! We live around the corner from this place and were pleased when it reopened, but won't be going back. It might work as a sports bar as there are TV's everywhere but forget about food, stick to a packet of crisps with your pint and try any of the actual restaurants in the area.

Sure, It has a nice sterile slate grey (yawn) refreshed interior with some new-looking furniture. The layout is spacious and interesting. Just a shame there's no yard. A couple of nice plants near windows, though including a healthy banana. This is a Greene King chain pub so food expectations shouldn't be too high. And avoiding the numerous Greene King ales leaves little/no craft ale choice but a Northern Monk offering on keg was delicious. The pub is tidy but has no SOUL whatsoever.. iykwim. I've scored it up to 4 stars to compensate for my hatred of Greene King as a brewer and employer; they have the worst record for staff welfare in the hospitality sector. And instead of brewing decent pale ales, they instead concentrate on improving the badge and marketing of lame ales. The Stapleton Arms across the road is sickety-sick in comparison.. I got a pint of real cask session pale for what the half cost me in Dairy. Stapleton also has architectural interest in their glazed-roof back hall. Plus: Pinball machine. Eclectic bgm. No kids in the evening (joy) Has more soul than my left sock. It's just REAL. Anyway.. enjoy your cold lager in The Dairy. Just don't expect a Ploughman's Lunch (the barperson didn't know what one was). Recommended for business meetings, first dates, meeting family or friends wot don't get out much.

Definitely recommended lovely staff great pub good beer👍 👌 😀

Went there on Saturday early evening. Everyone enjoyed their meal and they had a gluten free menu. I would go again..

This was our second visit to the old dairy for food and both times have been disappointing. The first time, we went for a Sunday roast and they had run out of meats and yorkshire puddings. Potatoes were dry as well. The second time was today and all of the lighter bites on the menu were not available in favour of the Sunday roast. The food I ended up having was disappointing and left me with an upset stomach. We will still go for drinks but won’t be getting food from the old dairy again unfortunately

Been here a few times as it is literally on my road and on every occasion we have been very impressed with both the service and food. However on Father’s Day it did let us down. I really wanted to try the roast and was very disappointed. The chicken had run out so had to have the beef which for me personally was under cooked as I don’t like it red so didn’t eat it. Maybe should advise customers that’s how it comes. Everything else seemed frozen and the cauliflower cheese was dry. Also waited over 1 hr for food to come. Usually the staff that we have come across have been amazing and friendly but for some reason on this particular day we did not get that same vibe. However will not let this one bad experience put me off has we have had many of other good times in there. 😃

Came in for a weekday lunch with my parents and little girl. Staff were so friendly and accommodating - chef even popped out to see if we had enjoyed our food, which we had. Amazing katsu chicken burger and fish and chips. Fab range of draught on the taps at the bar. Beautiful renovation as well - I hadn’t been in for a few years since it was closed but think we will be back regularly now.

I was super keen for a roast but left pretty disappointed. Gravy was incredibly salty and the beef sirloin also had some sea salt on it. Which is a shame as it looked well cooked. Potatoes weren’t crispy at all. Veg was ok.

Recently reopened after a long closure and refurb. Nice pub.

Lovely pub with great selection of drinks and absolutely fantastic, professional and friendly staff

Had an excellent Sunday roast here. Food was great, ambiance was nice, and the service was good. Recommend

Very great customer Service and experience access to wifi xx

It's really great to see the Old Dairy back open with Greene King taking the helm. Service is okay, with a wide selection of classic and more up to date drinks options. The food we've had was okay, and it has a good atmosphere too - adding a bit of a buzz back to the top of Stroud Green Road; especially as the pub across the road is mid.

Really nice pub, great interior and great selection of pints at a decent price!! I think a pint of asahi was 5.50 which is just great value especially in this area.

Walked in, not busy lots of seating available, excellent! 5 behind the bar, totally ignored, no eye contact just fussing with the till. Got bored went to the toilet, no toilet seat! Came back, still no staff interested, in fact while I had been in the loo a customer (not at the bar at the time) asked for assistance and got it, ahead of all of us at the bar. We left!

very disappointing roast, potatoes not brown or crispy at all.

Such a lovely pub - amazing atmosphere, lovely staff and great music. Really nice pub to go for a pint and chat with mates! Will definitely be back and would definitely recommend.

We visited for a meal on Saturday evening. The pub looks very nicely decorated with new furnishings. A nice variety on the menu. The staff looked well presented in their smart shirts/uniforms and were very efficient. Our meal was really tasty as was dessert. We look forward to returning.

We've been a couple of times since it reopened. Both times they managed to have run out of juice. Kind of forgivable as they find their feet I suppose (but should pubs be running out of drinks?) but the real downer for us is a lack of a childrens menu - very limited options for them beyond chips. Fine otherwise but we won't be coming back for food as a family until this gets sorted. Shame really - I guess Greene King don't want families?

Awful food, we couldn’t eat most of it.

The venue looks amazing since re-opening Food was good, and the staff behind the bar were friendly and helpful. Nice selection of beers/ales too Great place to watch footy/sports Will definitely be returning

Wandered in on opening weekend as wanted to support a local business. We were seated and went to order food and drinks at the bar only to be informed that we weren't able to order food unless we'd made an advance reservation. The pub was by no means busy, on a Sunday afternoon there were maybe 3/4 tables eating. The staff at the bar were apologetic and obviously confused by the management's stance, but the manager was incredibly rude and unwelcoming. We retreated to the pub over the road, the Stapleton Tavern, which has long been a favourite and has fantastic atmosphere. As it happens, their kitchens were closed on that day but nonetheless the pub was full of Old Dairy rejects who had had similar experiences with the management. When their kitchens are open, their food is great, well above the standard Greene King-fare. It's just bizarre that a pub would ruin its own opening by treating hosts of potential regulars as if they were a nuisance.

Advised to book for sunday roast. Did just that, arrived on time, was then told up to an hours wait for food! Whats the point booking if no food available? Left and wont be back!

Great bar/restaurant - good vibe about it, fantastic staff and amazing food.

6 of us had an excellent meal today. Top standard and huge portions. 👌

Great place, loved the decor. Cheers Nik and the team

Amazing visit.....top notch. Great cask ales. This will be the place to be in the area, well done Nik and the team.

Great space to watch the football (Sky Sports)

So great to pop into the dairy on a bank holiday and find the kitchen still open. Even better to be told that there are gluten free options. I have had a great burger served by brilliant bar staff. A great day finished off with wonderful banter and lovely food and drink. Thanks. Keep it up guys. Brilliant to have you back!

Newly reopened pub looks great, but food was overpriced and very disappointing.