To begin with, don't let the name of the cafe confuse you... yes, it IS a dairy with great ice cream... but it also serves food, including sandwiches, scones, tea, and breakfast (i've uploaded a pic of the menu). Yelp has rejected my recommendation of calling it Scottish Food or a Cafe and has kept it listed simply as Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt (neither of which I've tried here yet).
There is some good food in Perth even though you may have to pay a bit more for it than you would in the bigger cities of Scotland. But just outside Perth, you find some farm shops with some incredible locally sourced food. Stewart Tower Dairy is one of these.
Most people would have found this place either by word of mouth or from signs on the A9. I actually discovered this place whilst road biking with a friend. And wow.... so glad I know about Stewart Tower.
I have only stopped here on my bike rides and they're very welcoming to cyclists, even sweaty ones. The staff here are super friendly. They also have a nice shop inside with local and/or gourmet foods.
Most of the time I have had just a pot of tea with a scone. I have learnt recently to ask for the Tea Pigs Everyday blend. It's even better than the regular house blend, so I would recommend trying that or one of the other specialty teas.
On another stop, I was trying to decide whether or not to push through and have a late lunch at home or whether I should have lunch at Stewart Tower Dairy.... AND... maybe I gave in and had lunch there. This was partly to do with the fact that the menu had minestrone that day, and I definitely didn't have homemade soup at my flat. So I had to have it. And I ordered a Coronation Chicken sandwich to go along with it, served on malted brown bread. It was SOOO good. I often feel like Coronation Chicken is a good test run for sandwiches for any cafe, and I wasn't disappointed.
So... my advice is as followed: if you're in Perth and have a car, then there are two places you should check out. Stewart Tower Dairy is one of them. And you won't be disappointed. It's about a 10-15 minute drive out of town.
And if you happen to have just biked through Little Glenshee, then reward yourself with a scone, tray bake or some ice cream. No need to push through and bike home without a break ;) Oh and did I mention they have goats and lambs for the kids to see outside? So bring the kids, but maybe not on your bike. read more