Victoria Stakes in Haringey

Went for Sunday roast with friends. Had to ask for condiments more than once, food eventually arrived and was seriously cold, like it had been set aside. Staff member was rude. Manager explained staff shortage, and was apologetic. I was starving but put off by the whole shoddy experience. We booked our Christmas do in October, Never again! 0/10. The atmosphere was bland too. Very dissapointed.

Excellent traditional English food. On the weekend you have to make a reservation or they will probably tell you that because the kitchen is full they can't serve you. (Even if there are free tables)

Great gastro pub!! Food and drink was great. Good atmosphere and very busy at there. Amazing place for celebration of birthdays and also going for a night out. Full of people nice and chill.

Sunday lunch was pleasant enough, but not great. You couldn't ask for how your roast beef was cooked, I prefer a bit pink, and mine came thinly sliced and well done. The roast potatoes were not crisp. Nothing seriously wrong just not as good as other places.

We were a table of 7 and had a brilliant service, the food was good, the atmosphere was great, and all of the staff were friendly and welcoming, the pub itself is a beautiful pub and close to Ally Pally for the fireworks display!! Highly recommend

Great busy pub with lovely service.

Great service on Saturday evening from everyone Thank you!! 🎆🎇🎆🎇

We had a pleasant meal here, mid-week. The place was relatively lively. The staff were friendly and courteous. The meals were good - we both had the schnitzel, which was great. The desserts were OK. I had what was described as "tiramisu" but was in fact more like a coffee cake. This is the only reason why I gave 4 rather than 5 stars. Otherwise, the experience was great.

Lovely food but very bad service. Had booked a table for 2 and was left waiting to be seated for around 10 minutes whilst being basically ignored by multiple members of staff. We had to catch two people’s eyes to be seated and even then they wandered off to find someone who could help seat us. We ordered the roast and the set menu deal is very good. Still waiting quite a while to get our order taken and had to ask for the bill after a while of trying to catch someone’s eye. We noticed two tables next to us with similar issues and so it did affect the atmosphere a bit as people were obviously frustrated.

We had a fantastic Sunday roast here. The food was well seasoned and the plate a balanced mix of all the usual roast favourites. The atmosphere was great and the food came promptly. Glad this local institution is in good hands. Highly recommended.

Spectacular pub in a great spot near Ally Pally. Book to avoid disappointment! Two Courses £26.50 plus Tip.

Would have given five stars if it wasn’t for the service. Server who attended to us just looked like she did not want to work there; got the drinks order wrong, did not apologise for it, and when food took forever to arrive she did not apologise as well and have us some attitude for checking in on the order. Otherwise, the pub itself is cosy and lovely. We had roast on a Sunday and the food was good. Perhaps just bad luck for us on this day with service.

I had my wedding here, my God, the service they gave was just pathetic, I invited about 40 people, and ordered food for almost 80 people, because I wanted there to be an abundance of food, that is, in double portions, and a lot of drinks, and instead of bringing drinks and food on time, the waiters just stupidly looked and waited for something, almost 50% of what I ordered just went nowhere, food and drinks, the guests themselves asked the staff and begged them to serve them! Very poor organization of service, and in the end we managed to take some of the food with us, by the way, the cleanliness of this pub is also questionable! Useless waiters and useless service!!!

We moved into the area last year and have been regular clients with our dog. The staff and wonderful Kasia have made us feel so welcome. Fabulous food, service, best virgin/bloody mary in town. Thank you TJ! Just had another delicious Sunday lunch 😋

Enjoyed a light lunch with my Husband yesterday - the food was absolutely delicious! The crispy potatoes were a great hit! And a huge thank you to TJ who served everyone with great kindness and attentiveness & who our dog adored!!

Girl's lunch. Interesting menu. Excellent service. Relaxed, no pressure. Good atmosphere . Will certainly come back again.

Delicious Sunday dinner with friendly staff. Cracking beer selection and real ale too!

Went there for dinner a while back - food was exceptionally good and the staff was really sweet - thank you to the bartender for some great drinks. The manager, Kaisha, was really impolite and we did not get a friendly vibe from her.

Very nice food and drinks. I love the atmosphere of this place

Great service from TJ and lovely food at The Victoria Stakes.

Went for Sunday lunch, the food was simply okay, the roast potatoes were slightly undercooked. More of a resutrant than a pub these days. It's not somewhere I'd consider visiting just for a drink.

Just had an incredible Sunday roast. Very accommodating and friendly staff, lovely surroundings and the food was flawless. Oysters were fresh and tasty and everything from the roast was cooked perfectly. A gem in the area 💎

The food was quite nice however vegetarian options are quite limited. The service was by no means bad but definitely had room for improvement

Hi All, It is my pleasure to offer my sincere praise to Ekin, who has served me a few times during the last couple of months and I have to say she is a top notch professional, always pleasant and spot on. I work in customer services as well and even moreso I appreciate such quality service. Needless to say, I love everything related to Victoria Stakes - the atmosphere, the music, the food, the spaces - and I am puzzled I hadn't become a regular way sooner, since I live in Muswell Hill. Congrats to everyone there and, for whoever might read this, if you're ever around Crouch End / Muswell Hill area, do stop by and you won't regret it. Bogdan

Incredible Sunday roast, great starters, delicious desserts and mocktails, and all of that in a gorgeous garden, should you choose to book a table outside.

A generous 2 stars only for the manager eventually voiding our bill. We ordered 2 roast dinners and a starter. The starter came quickly and was fine. We then waited almost an hour for our mains and had to remind the waiting staff that we hadn't received our food, despite the place not being busy. When the food finally arrived, it was stone cold. As if it had been sitting out for 30 minutes and my partner had an item missing. No apology for the delay, no apology for the missing item, no apology for the cold food. We said we would be leaving without eating the food... and were then brought a receipt for our drinks. Still, without any customer service or apology. We took the recipet to ourselves the manager who told us we would not have to pay. Really terrible customer service.

Perfect Sunday roast. Kids menu and colouring in kit for our toddler was great. Lovely afternoon

We had a lovely sunday lunch, and the flavour of the roast dinner was delicious. The venue itself is great with a lovely courtyard. Unfortunately, we felt like the communication between the kitchen, staff, and customers may have been slightly off and also a tad slow. All in all, I would go back and recommend.

Me and my friend had a lovely ice cold drink here today and it was so refreshing. Nice place. Highly recommend.

Popped into here on the way to a gig at Alexander palace . A very nice pub with good service .

Great food and an overall lovely pub. Particularly rare the beef burger!

I was there having a nice experience for Sunday roast, the staff was really lovely and attentive and the food was amazing.I really recommend to go there for Sunday roast, I will be back! Thank you❤️

The service and food is always excellent at Vicky Stakes. The Manager ( Kasha) and her team really go out of their way to accommodate last minute requests and treat you like you are genuinely important. Thank you ❤️

Dog friendly, great food and atmosphere.

We hosted an event here in the yard, everything from start to finish was excellent. Competitively priced, excellent food, amazing staff. I would highly, highly recommend.

We had our wedding at the Victoria Stakes in March. The whole process from start to finish was made so easy. Shalimar and the venue were very relaxed about what we wanted to do and made things very easy throughout. They were flexible about food and drink choices to ensure we had what we wanted. On the day Kasia & her team were amazing The venue looked stunning, there were lovely touches like the blackboard written up for us. The day ran so smoothly. We have had nothing but glowing compliments for the food & all of the team who worked that day. We cannot thank everyone at the Stakes enough for how our day went.

I love the Victoria Stakes! It is an amazing local pub with a friendly atmosphere!

Great service this evening from Pamela and TJ

Lovely afternoon in the Victoria Stakes with friends. Service was impeccable and special mention to TJ for inventing some cocktails for us! We ended up having 3 each! Lovely!

This is the best Sunday roast I've had in London...period! The lamb roast was exquisite and so delicious. The potatoes was welldone and the sauce was dripping everywhere. Strawberry daiquiri mocktail was delicious and the dessert of apple crumble was a nice finish to an excellent Sunday lunch. Book it, y'all You won't regret it

Nice vibe, friendly staff, tables spaced out sensibly. Outstanding food - burrata starter and minestrone soup very nice, sea bass main was outstanding, chicken very nice and so was the apple tart. Reasonable pricing and food portions. Recommended.

Excellent meal tonight, wonderful service, lovely atmosphere. I accidentally left something in the restaurant and the waitress ran after us!

Good quality Sunday roast at a reasonable price.

The food isn't cheap but it's worth it, my parents said it's the best Sunday roast they've ever had. The staff are knowledgable about allergens and they will adapt dishes to be gluten / dairy free where possible. A great place to bring people.

Great Service, food and Amazing cocktails.

Food was put on tables and helped yourself which was different and some got more food than others. Only provided wine at the event no bacardi so had to drink beer. But beautiful venue.

Saw a manager shouting at a member of staff in front of everyone, the staff member was in tears. Horrible environment for these people to work in, will not be returning

Excellent spot to stop for a drink and the dog loved the doggie biscuits

We had our wedding breakfast and party in the upstarts dining room at the Victoria Stakes in February 2024 and loved every minute of it. Shalimar, Kasia, and the entire team worked tirelessly to make sure we had a fantastic celebration and we felt incredibly welcomed by everyone at the pub. The ambiance of the room was warm and bright - perfect to for a small to midsized wedding party. The food was delicious (many of our guests made a point to tell us so on the day and in the weeks afterwards), and the service was impeccable. Couldn’t recommend this place highly enough and will be regulars for life!

Fab Sunday Mother's day lunch, with a free sparkly rose and a lovely keyring for the mother's

We had my 50th birthday in the private hire room upstairs. Shalimar, Kasia, Izzy and the team were really helpful before and during the event and communication was excellent. Food was delicious, drinks likewise, and we were able to bring a DJ to make a lot of noise with no problems at all. 5⭐

Top Sunday Roast. 3 cask ales, nice Keg pales.

A great pub, bought a lager that I didn't like whish was my own fault. After drinking a bit of it, was happy to own the mistake and buy a new one but they wouldn't let me pay for the new one despite how much I pleaded. Proper stand up place with a great atmosphere

Amazing Roast! Delicious puddings, kids loved it.

A nice pub, nice Sunday roast. Not mind blowing but still very good. We sat in the yard and the heating worked very well, almost tropical. Generally a nice experience.

Brilliant service, good burger - it's large, and messy, but pretty joyful - excellent fries, and good selection of drinks. Atmosphere was chilled and charming of a Tuesday evening, busy enough for vibes, not so busy as to slow things down. recommended!

Excellent pub atmosphere and service. Recent real ale (Kent Brewery Cobnut) is best I’ve ever tasted! More please!!

Had a really good time here tonight. First smile i saw was the bartender’s who put me at ease instantly. Food was great, atmosfere relaxed cocktails delicios. Went back and asked for his name. So thank you TJ, see u soon !!!

Being a local is noise pollution hell. The parties, weddings, birthdays are noisy, drunken louts. The staff regularly lock up the premises talking loudly or shutting, banging gates etc- I don't know why anyone in their right mind would want to celebrate anything here- opposite a junction of polluted traffic but there we are.

I attended a wedding here yesterday and it coud not have been more well organised. The cocktails were superb, the food was very good and the sevice from the staff was beyond excellent. Thank you all.

FANTASTIC FOOD FANTASTIC STAFF GREAT AMBIANCE! We hadn’t visited for a number of years but chose once again this wonderful pub to celebrate A small family birthday for Sunday lunch. We chose the roast beef and roast pork. Followed by the Rhubarb crumble. The difference with the cooking at Victoria Stakes is everything tastes home made. the meat was succulent, Yorkshire puddings delicious great thick gravy. The Rhubarb crumble, custard and ice cream was possibly the best we have ever eaten in any restaurant. chunky pieces of rhubarb and not too sweet ice cream also delicious. The chefs at this pub should be very proud of what comes out of their kitchen. Also should mention the staff from the lovely lady who welcomed us to our waiter who again was great. We were seated downstairs in the bar area but equally the back open area and upstairs looks just as inviting for guests as a place to dine. We shall be visiting again soon and as often as we can. Thankyou Victoria Stakes for making our lunchtime special!

The Vic Stakes is our local -- we've been coming here for four years. I even celebrated my 39th there. It's usually great. Went there tonight and clearly something is up with the staff. The waiter forgot almost all our entire order. My partners ordered soup -- the soup arrived with no spoon and we have to ask for one after waiting 10mins. I ordered fish and chips -- it never arrived. Went to ask 20mins later and the waiter apologised and said he'd forgotten to note it down. We have a 2-year old and the waiter originally asked if we'd like a child seat (he never brought it and I had to go get it after waiting 20mins). After my fish and chips finally arrived (my partner's soup was at this point long gone), the waiter asked if we'd like another drink -- we ordered two cocktails. 25mins later the cocktails still hadn't arrived and we had to leave. The waiter apologised again and said he'd again forgotten to note them, but that he wouldn't charge us for them (geez, so kind of you mate...). The pub wasn't even busy, so I can only assume management has gone AWOL. Really disappointed. Maynard Arms in Crouch End will now be our go-to pub.

Waiter forgot most of our meal. We ordered soup, he forgot to bring a spoon. He also forgot my fish & chips so my wife and I weren't able to eat at the same time. He asked if we wanted a high chair for our 2-year old -- we said yes; he never brought it. He then asked if we wanted more drinks; we ordered two drinks; he forgot to put them into the system. Then when we got the bill he had the audacity to say "I won't charge you for the drinks". What, you mean, you won't charge us for the drinks that never arrived? Service has really gone downhill at what used to be our local pub. We went there 6pm on Friday 26th Jan 2024 (if the owner who lives on Redston Road is reading this).

We went the other night for my birthday for a most delicious meal. The food was very good indeed and the service impeccable. Not only that, but for some reason we received 10% off and our deserts were free! Can’t wait to return, thank you !

Two of our party of four were happy with their burgers. But two were vegetarian and only found out that they had run out of veggie mains. The waiting staff were nice but it was disappointing that the chef could only offer us chips or sides (green beans or patron peppers), and couldn’t even fry up an egg (which we suggested). We only learnt that there was not veggie meal after we bought a carafe of wine, which left us with no veggie meal options and lots to drink. New year's day is a busy time, I know, but if they had told us from the start we would have gone elsewhere. Lots of people are vegetarian or vegan, and it’s pretty poor that the chef didn’t seem to be concerned that he had not food to offer. Don’t come here if you are counting on having a vegetarian meal.

I had a wonderful time with my family of 13 top notch

We decided to eat out for Christmas dinner. Save ourselves all the buying, preparation and dishes and to be able to relax with family and a good atmosphere. So glad we did as food was top notch. Service very good. It was very expensive but by no means the most expensive we found. We will do again so Thanks to Kasia and the staff at Victoria Stakes

Amazing winter terrace, so warm and cozy! The wine and appetizers were amazing too

Nice pub for locals, but I'm guessing they constantly have to put up and deal with the invasion of ally pally visitors

Great restaurant for Sunday roast

During the weekend it is better to book a table ;)

Went with my family for Sunday lunch. We ate in the yard which was an unexpected surprise and made the meal all the more enjoyable. The staff were polite and the food was excellent.

Such a lovely pub, the roast beef was amazing and the sticky toffee pudding was scrumptious! Would 100% recommend, staff were very friendly and the atmosphere was lovely

A sensational Sunday lunch. It isn’t cheap but I think 3 courses with table service for a little under £30 is good value these days if the quality is good, and it was. We were in the yard, the atmosphere is relaxed, if a little chilly. Staff were lovely. Only criticism was they were out of Timothy Taylor ale, a favourite. That said, the wine list is well chosen, serves by the glass for most of the list, and caters for most budgets. We opted for Sunday roasts, I had chicken, and my friends had roast beef and pork and both were happy. My chicken was two breasts, which while lovely I have to admit I would have preferred a half chicken with leg. But that’s a preference, not a complaint. Desserts were excellent.

Horrible service. Ordered a kids meal. All food arrived and we reminded them about the kids meal. After we reminded them 5 times the waiter bothered to look and see he forgot to put it in the computer. We all finished eating and were still waiting for the food. They couldn’t care less… Last time here unfortunately.

Decent but I think the standards here are slipping.

It's really a restaurant, nice atmosphere though and pleasant staff

The food was good, a little bit expensive but when finally arrived, was good. It took like 30 or 35 min to get our drinks, when I asked the waiter for the drinks, he told me that he didn't know and he was going to find out what was going on, then he said that sorry and he wouldn't charge us the drinks because of the delay, but when we paid, of course they charge the drinks.

Was expecting some nice chunky chips with the burger, was a bit disappointed with some skinny fries. But it was good overall.

Edited September 2023: Came here 2 times, First time having the salmon and it was the best salmon I ever had. I had high hopes for the pricey roast. However unfortunately it was very tasteless, apart from the actual meat according to my wife. The potatoes was not crispy and tasted old. I had the vegetarian roast and it was very bland, unfortunately and also very very dry. I had to have a lot of salt on it and used a whole extra gravy jug to soak it. Some honest feedback as well, with vegetarian Roasts, it's really weird when the roast is made of vegetables, pumpkin, sweet potato etc, all same texture, when the plate is filled with vegetables anyway. Just make a nice nut roast with nuts, mushrooms, cheese and eggs, to create a juicy piece of different thing to have to your vegetables. I'm not a vegetarian because I love vegetables or because I wanna be healthy, I just don't like eating animals. I think most veggies agree. The Victoria Stakes is definitely not the only Place that gets this wrong, if anything, 70% of the vegetarian Roasts I've had is bland and not nice. I was just a bit disappointed and would love to come back and change my rating when, if, you would consider another vegetarian alternative on the menu. Old review from me: We came and had the salmon main course. OH. MY. GOD. I think I dare to say it was the best salmon I've ever had. All 4 of us had the salmon and all 4 loved it. And we are all food snobs 🤣 only thing to mention, my wife Is allergic to avocado and she asked for it to be removed which was done but then the dish was alot smaller cos the avocado was one of the main ingredients in the meal. So would've been nice to have more of something else instead :) Thank you!! We will come back.

Good pub avoid food like the plague used to have excellent food .we had lamb which came up raw couldnt even cut the lamb with a knife lol I complained and the chefs reply was that how it comes staff were perfect I had a refund for my meal an d they took off sevice charge one I spoke to the very nice manager but in my opinion they should of never put the food on the plate at £30 for a 3 course will I would expect better food thereare so many nice restaurants in the area no wonder it was very empty .definitely would not go back for the food

Ribeye was very sinewy... Onglet very tasty. All and all a very pleasant experience, but for the 30+ pound price, I would have expected a far better slice of ribeye. Service not bad...

Below average and over priced. We ordered a jug of sangria (£30) - full of ice and coco cola and couple slices of lemon. Fish and chips very average small piece of fish. Roast lamb was chewy. £92 total. Service terrible no smiles no help with the menu just pretty faces. Avoid.

Just Amazing.. delicious food and great service

Good good, great service, relaxed atmosphere.

Very pleased to see my favourite beer on draft; Tiny Rebel Clwb Tropica... but very overpriced at almost £7 a pint!

I've been here a few times for their fish and chips, which is really delicious! The service is fine but it's all about the food!

We enjoyed our visit, even though the roast beef was a little disappointing.

Nice atmosphere with the large windows letting light in but food and welcome were a letdown. Unenthusiastic welcome at lunchtime and food (chicken and cod) was bland. The chicken breast was very dry on two pieces of lettuce, lacking in flavour and sauce.

Nice yard space and friendly staff

Honestly one of the best Sunday lunches in the area. Food was fantastic and very good value too. Thank you to the staff who were great. Definitely be back.

Disappointing to be served a pint of beer with such a large head that it is very clearly not a full pint when the froth settles. Didn't stay for a 2nd.

Went for Sunday lunch - although lovely starters, they sadly forgot our roast/ mains, which arrived around 45 minutes later and had clearly been quickly made. Have been here a few times, for drinks only before, and do find the service to be quite strange and awkward, sadly.

I found food and drinks to be overpriced and food portions small - it's okay if you are a small eater!

I booked a table for my birthday, for 5, the garden was too hot so we were given a table in the air conditioned dining room, an absolute godsend on a very hot Sunday. The food was superb. 2 courses ordered each, a mix of starters and desserts and all were outstanding. We all had the roast and it’s one of the few in the area that i actually rate. £25 for a main & starter/dessert of this quality is worth a mention, great value for money for food and ambiance of this standard in “TV’s Crouch End” A special mention to the the girl that literally couldn’t do enough for us, even though she was very busy with everyone else. Superb member of staff, alongside the management who got everything sorted with short notice. Cannot recommend enough!

A bit disappointing really. We were there for a Sunday roast, and despite the pub being quiet with lots of empty tables we were there a total of 2 hours, 20 min wait for a drink, 45 min wait for a roast and a further 25 min wait for desserts. I was also really disappointed when I saw on the menu they only have the price for two or three courses, however when the bill arrived everything was charged separately (I would have just been happy with one course) so they should be a little bit more transparent about that. The beef on the roast I will say was cooked to absolute perfection and definitely the Bloody Mary was the best one I’ve had in ages, however my roast potatoes were not crispy they were doughy, a little on the hard side and lacked any real flavour or seasoning. If I came back here I would definitely go for the fish and chips as it looked delicious and was a huge portion however quite disappointed with the roast. Not enough gravy on me and due to the slow service there wasn’t any staff around to ask for more gravy. The Eaton mess was also hugely disappointing, one tiny store bought meringue ( despite on the website saying everything in made in house) with a small smattering of cream and a sprinkling of frozen berries. My friend had the sticky toffee pudding however and he said it was very good.

Second time at this pub and the most recent visit was very disappointing. Its a lovely pub, with a nice outside area. The servers are great. However, we ordered the steak that comes with cauliflower puree, green beans and "potato dauphinoise". we asked for it medium rare and when it came out there was not a pink streak to be seen, one of the steaks actually looked grey. We told the very nice waitress that this was not medium rare so she took it back. When she returned she said the chef would make another even though 'in his opinion they were medium rare' (we actually have eyes so we knew they were NOT). The chef is clearly incredibly stubborn, cannot admit when he is wrong, and still made it incorrectly the second time, with some bits being rare/blue and other bits well done. At that point we were starving so I just ate it anyway, but my friend could not get through hers. Luckily the very nice servers discounted the bill and removed one of the steak dishes from the bill. Considering how much food we ordered and our original bill would have been over £100, I would have thought the chef would have the decency to admit that it was cooked wrong and not send out a very sarcastic comment with the waitress. Message to the chef - learn what medium rare steak looks like, especially when you are charging over £30 per steak dish. Also, that was NOT potato dauphinoise, it was a stack of potatoes with no cream/sauce.

Lovely pub with excellent meals.

A lovely setting for a sunny Saturday afternoon.

Disappointed having to wait 10 minutes for a pint of beer to be brought to my table from the nearby bar on a quiet Minday. I felt a bit forgotten.