Boswell's Coach House in East Ayrshire

Had afternoon tea today at Boswell Coach House and cannot praise it enough. Such good value for delicious food and excellent service. The staff were welcoming from the start and attentive without being pushy. The cakes were soooo good. Would definitely recommend and think a return visit is in order.Thank you ladies 💕

This is a nice enough basic cafe. Nothing special but good basic food. It wasn’t until I’d left that I realised it was over £8 for two small mediocre lattes!!! I’m sorry but I’ll not be returning at that price. I was at a four star restaurant the previous weekend and paid far less for a large well made coffee.

Took my 96 year old mum for afternoon tea today. Having been for similar at more " up market " establishments, our Boswells afternoon tea comes out on top !! Beautifully presented and the selection of both sandwiches/wraps and cakes was fabulous....not to mention the fabulous scones 😋. Great value for money and attentive but not overpowering lovely staff. Highly recommend 👌 👍.

Not a pleasant experience my wife ordered breaded haddock which had to be sent back as it was Black and ineadable. Ordered quice as a replacement not much better. I also had breaded haddock which was just eadible. Definitely will not be back.

Beautiful place spoiled by some of the grumpiest service I've ever encountered. If you work in the hospitality industry then leave your bad mood at the door. Visited the shop and was greeted nicely and made a few purchases. We then went through to the restaurant where the young lady at the reception was again really nice. This is where it all goes downhill..... Visit 1.....Try getting a WiFi signal and you'll be out of luck (a pretty essential requirement in these times) when I asked for the WiFi PW, I was told they don't give it out..... When I asked why I was told WE JUST DON'T!!... OMG its 2023!!! Visit 2..... Same story till we reached the restaurant....... It was like something from a comedy show..... Despite a group of cyclists enjoying bacon rolls we were told in an very unpleasant way..... You're too late for breakfast and too early for lunch.... Needless to say we left and I'll never be back. Courtesy and a pleasant demeanour cost nothing.

We went here for a family lunch one Sunday. We thoroughly enjoyed. Perfect menu for a lunch. Highly recommend the macaroni cheese as well as the selection of toasties. There was also a farm shop and park. Would go back!

Positives: - Restaurant was buzzing with a nice atmosphere. - Lady who worked in the adjoining shop was lovely. - Beautiful surroundings. - Prices were reasonable. - Good farm shop selling local produce with a nice selection for gifting. - Clean. Negatives: - Food took quite a long time to come and it was quite a while to get served. - Food was average, not bad but also nothing to brag about. I think this is the place for coffee and cake more so.

Fourth visit and won't be back. Chicken Kiev was cold in the middle - the garlic butter hadn't even melted. Gave back to waitress. Another waitress came over and asked if I would like a refund or to order something else. I chose chicken tempura which was thready and difficult to eat. Mother in law also left more than half of her tempura for same reason. Partners lasagne was very dry and had no sauce. No apology for undercooked Kiev and charged full amount. Not to usual standard - perhaps a different chef. Customer service skills left a lot to be desired.

Popped in for coffee and cake. Told in no uncertain terms that no dogs are allowed. So sat outside. Went in to order to be told I had to collect it myself from the window.. Attitude and service absolutely terrible. I will not be back

Went to the car park with my 5 month old puppy who is still getting used to her surroundings and getting her socialised so walk her somewhere a bit more quiet, so after returning from 5 days away with work I took her for her earlyish morning walk 9.50am and as I got out of the car a woman in a land discovery started shouting at me saying that no one was allowed here until the shop opened and that it was not for quote"people like you to walk your dogs" and said there was loads of signs on the road in...??? I understand it may be their home but there is a way to talk to people and this isn't it... bearing in mind I live in the village and would always bring family and friends here when they visit for food after we walk... really not happy and think if that is the case they should shut the gates at closing time until opening time if they are that precious about people wanting a quiet morning walk...

Great lunch here this week! Recommend the quiche and chips! Also the cakes are amazing!! Plenty of choice & great food. Would recommend to friends & family!

Not just one of the best but the best afternoon teas we’ve ever had. If there is one complaint there was far too much. Included was tea/coffee, 2 scones( fresh still warm) & jam, 8 sandwiches( 4 varieties) with ample & tasty fillings and wait for it 12 cakes( 6 varieties). Box(es) given to take away what we couldn’t eat. May I add the service was excellent and staff very courteous and friendly. All in all a great place. 100% recommended. 👍

Went for lunch had Brie bacon and cranberry on toasted brown bread with salad , wasn’t very nice. Had lemon meringue pie tasteless and soggy , very disappointed.have been previously but not recently . Service was good plenty of staff in Resturant and kitchen.

Have always liked Boswell Coach house but the food on a recent visit was not great. I’ve had lasagne previously and it was very good but on this visit it was very poor to say the least. The meat underneath the cheese was in large lumpy balls,. There was little to NO lasagne strips in the oval dish and it was not hot - only warmish. I left most of it. So sad that such a lovely restaurant, with opportunity to use the locally produced meat, could make such a hash of the preparation.

Visited today with a friend for breakfast . Girl came to take our order although we hadn't even been given the menus. Ordered large breakfast £9.50, a bit over priced especially when they serve it with lorn sausage. We were the only people in at the time who had ordered and the breakfast itself took at least 30 mins to come . Breakfast was enjoyable Had to ask for sauce and had to go and order drinks as nobody came to the table whatsoever after the breakfast was served . Too busy chatting at the front and never bothered with the customers. Really off putting . It's a lovely place but customer service needs attention !!

2nd visit for breakfast. A nice remote location in the countryside on a working farm and estate. The place itself is very comfortable and smartly refurbished. The menu is fairly limited to variations of a cooked breakfast (so no porridge for example) but they do...

Having been here regularly since it opened we have not been back since lockdown. To be perfectly honest on todays effort. We won’t darken their threshold again. While service has always been hit and miss this time it was not even in the hall park....

Decided to visit on the spur of the moment around lunchtime and were greeted in a friendly manner and seated very quickly. The staff were relaxed and we did not feel rushed to order. Our food was served quickly after ordering together with our drinks...

My husband and I went on a lovely walk in the area, but before we did, some woman came out to us and quizzically asked us what we were doing, made us feel really unwelcome, like we were not meant to be there. Even when...

We visited the boswell coach house for lunch for the first time while attending the auckinleck house open day. We were seated straight away and got our overpriced drinks within mintues which was quickly followed by our food. The service was very efficient but the...

Lovely tearoom in the countryside. Hidden away but well known by locals. The cakes are excellent and they do a good lunch too.

The cakes and coffee were very good, but the main meals were poor,and the chips were a real disappointment. Its a shame its not dog friendly, as I think they would attract more visitors,. The front staff were helpful and the service was good.

A renovated barn turned into a cafe a send gift shop. The meal was excellent and the staff was quick and friendly. Would recommend

Excellent food in a beautiful location. I had the Potato skins with cheese & bacon followed by gluten free carrot cake. My wife had Coronation chicken salad followed by glute free cheesecake. Everything was beautifully presented by the staff. One who took our order was...

Boswell's has a reputation across Ayrshire for being unwelcoming to those who would dare to walk their dog on the public land surrounding Auchinleck Estate. Several people have told me about how rude the owners are, unless you're there to give them money. Today we...

Chance visit for lunch. Lovely location and very prompt, friendly service. Food was unpretentious and good value. Waitress made a mistake which we didn't notice but apologised (unprompted) and replaced the item. All-in-all a vey good experience.

What a lovely place and such a surprise. Unfortunately we didn’t have a lot of time so had to make do with soup/sandwich combos. The food was lovely and the cakes looked delicious. When we arrived we were ignored by 2 members of staff for...

Used to come here regularly for afternoon coffee and cake. Been twice again recently and it isn't nearly as good as it was. Good selection of cakes etc but they themselves aren't great anymore. The apple pie for example isn't as deep as it used...

Recently visited this lovely country restaurant with friends for lunch . Food was lovely , good choices on menu . Desserts and homebaking were fab . Then a look round the gift shop just rounded off our visit . Sounds perfect and it would have...

6 October 2021. Extremely busy. Service although maybe slower than expected, was understandable because of volume of diners. Waiting staff pleasant and professional. Excellent menu in beautiful rural surroundings. Wonderful home baking.

The conversion of the old coach house to the restaurant and gift shop is very well done. The place was busy when we went and the staff were great and very friendly. We had a good lunch. There were a few things on the menu...

Nicely converted from part of the stables block (I think)…combining eatery and farm shop/gift shop. Good selection on the lunch menu, though my choice was disappointing (quiche)…was more like warmish custard tart. That said, plenty of other options, so would visit again. Lovely walk through...

First trip out for quite a while and we are new to the area so decided to go and see Boswells Coach House. It looks great and the atmosphere was lovely. We were seated at the window and enjoyed the scenery, friendly staff took our...

I’ve been several times and we have always had a very welcoming response. We’ve had lunch at the restaurant; just a coffee at the takeaway and used the farm shop quite a bit. Yesterday we bought and had some sausages for a barby and they...

Visited for lunch after a nice walk with our dogs. Left dogs in car to rest apart from 10week old puppy who was asleep in a carry sling. Didn't know if restaurant was dog friendly or not, so we were looking for signs to confirm...

Last evening around 5.30pm I took my dogs for a short walk as I am a 67yr old disabled woman. A man, who identified himself as the owner, had followed me in his Land Rover to tell me that the Estate was Private and closed...

We were seated at a table by the window and had a nice view out. Calves and squirrels kept us entertained. Food and drinks were ok and eatable but average rather than very good. I didn’t like my chicken and sweet corn panini- it was...

I am sorry that I haven't written this review earlier. I should have known better as I am a receiver of reviews on a regular basis too. Sadly, many of my clients who are fully satisfied don't bother writing reviews. So, this is my honest...

Had to look twice at the last half dozen reviews as I couldn’t believe they were so poor! We’ve been coming here regularly for the last few years with another couple and never had a problem, but I suppose you can’t please everyone. Tried the...

We came here despite the recent bad reviews on Tripadvisor and boy what a mistake. Upon arrival we were approached and asked if we were here to use the cafe. We intended to have a coffee and scone but not until we had been a...

A nice looking place, but the food was just stodge. The lasagne had almost no pasta in it and was served with chips! We also had a haddock and chips, which was not the best and no sauces at all offered. However, the place was...

Meal: The food here is your standard cafe style food. Nothing to rave about but fills a hole, that is of course when the owners deem your order big enough to "justify" you "taking up a parking space". Atmosphere: Horrid. The way in which we...

My partner and I were looking forward to visiting Boswell Coach House as we had heard some excellent reviews. We went to the cafe and ordered 2 mains. We waited 45 minutes on tempura and a burger (I don't mind waiting but I wish they'd...

I visited here with my 3 children on a few occasions and with extended family on 5 or 6 occasions during lockdown. We used the takeaway twice as it has limited opening days for tea and ice cream. Quite expensive when a big family. We...

I'm beyond disappointed by Boswells House. We have been regulars on the "Estate" for a number of years, frequenting the shop and restaurant. Today we arrived after a long day working (16.52) to take our dog for a walk;as I was getting my dogs harness...

Lovely food, friendly staff and excellent infection control measures. All negated by the waitress standing at the food counter filing her nails.

Lovely drive to Boswell house, single file traffic at certain places, Food is lovely especially the cakes I have sat at the entrance and also through the back. Staff are lovely. The shop has some lovely different and unique gifts too. Plenty of parking spaces too

Good freshly prepared food, nice walks + quality papers to read in nice surrounds = no matter the weather this is a place to relax + recharge ur batteries. Host is always about + chatty.

Once again a great breakfast within a fabulous setting. The food was excellent and the staff very attentive.

First time here, only 4miles from home, lovely location, nice warm welcome, was really busy but staff managed to get us a table for three..had the chicken tempura with chips and saled and chilli sauce, one of the best I've had, followed by a latte and a slice of carrot cake ( on the small side compered to other eateries).Will definitely be back, great place even after first visit.

This is our 5th visit to the coffee shop/restaurant since summer after moving house and discovering this place right on our doorstep, close enough to walk from home with our dogs and eat in the table area outside. The service is always good and very attentive, we have never been kept waiting.Food has been delicious on every occasion and we have only got through some of the menu. I love that the food is locally sourced and you can taste the quality. Lovely walks and free parking on site. It is a bit on the expensive side for a casual lunch but not over the top for the quality received. £41 today for 2 courses each a Coca Cola and glass of wine topped of with 2 takeaway cakes isn’t bad.Popped in to the gift shop and bought some beautiful Christmas decorations.

Hubbie and i went for quick lunch had really nice soup and delicious bread .its really nice warm place had nice gift shop if looking for unusual gift

Stopped here for Sunday Dinner. Beef the only meat option but it is raised at the farm here. The meat was lovely. The dinners themselves lacked however small portions and the roasties tasted like frozen ones and the mash brought in. £12.95 was pricey for the portion size ohhh and I nearly broke a tooth on the string in my dinner from the meat.

Been there a few times never had a bad meal yet all the staff are friendly could not do enough for you

Have visited many times, always enjoy the food and pleasant service. Range of dishes from snacks to proper meals and it is liscensed

It is one of those places that you do not find very often, when you do it is wonderful. The journey starts on a log winding drive, when you see the coach house it looks very small as you get to the building it is really nice, then you get to the front of the house and enter the car park it is delightful. On entering the restaurant is on the right and the shop is to the left, through a small but friendly seating area just right for coffee. The service is really good with a really nice choice of lunches wine is served as well. One thing that really attracted me was a doorway above the serving area which has no stairway to it (you can have a lot of thought about why it is there and what it is for) it is a place that we have taken friends and they have all enjoyed the service and the food

A warm welcome awaits you in our cosy Coffee House in the unique setting of our 18th century Boswells Coach House.

Thoroughly enjoyed my visit with my wife. Very pleasant surroundings, friendly staff, good food. Another plus is that I live in Mauchline, so it is only 10 minutes away :-)..

The venue was absolutely beautiful and everything was perfect but the icing on the cake were the staff . Lovely people who were great friendly and attentive all day

Visited last week. Drove 40minutes from home. Arrived at 11.35 am. Sat at a table for 10 minutes or so. Staff members walked past. Eventually a staff member barked at us....."you here for breakfast or lunch". Then told us breakfast finished at 11.45. Asked for menus.

Staff seem very task driven, lack of please and thank you. However food was nice so will try again in a couple of weeks and hope that service is better.

Lovely walk around the gorge walk with the kids, let the kids see the highland cows after our walk and play at the play area could be more for the kids to do but lovely place and worth a visit

I had lunch here with some friends. Our food was well cooked and tasty and the service was attentive and courteous. Its an interesting old building set in an ancient Ayrshire estate. Well worth a visit.

Prior to attending our nieces weddings here we visited the cafe for a lunch with friends. Excellent place with nice menu well cooked food and not expensive. For its location it was very busy and staff are very friendly.

Popped in with grandson on a sunny day. Had coffee and cake- delicious selection of tempting cakes and tarts - apple pie to die for. Highly recommend.

My daughter took us on a walk around on of the many trails on the estate and pointed out the Coach House restaurant so the next day we decided to have a coffee there. The waitress asked if we were having lunch and we said no and ordered our coffeee but within 5 minutes of watching the food come from the kitchen we stayed for lunch and it was great. I tried the homegrown highland beef which was delicious and my wife had quiche with bread and cheese, also very tasty. The staff are friendly, it's warm and in the old coach house so feels very inviting and very reasonably priced. Well worth a visit.

Visited on Saturday 19 January for breakfast. It’s always so warm and cosy here. The log burners were on and the staff were so welcoming and friendly. We love going here as the staff are lovely. The scrambled on toast was delicious, lovely cake and coffee too. Thanks for a great visit.

Boswell’s offer a friendly atmosphere for a coffee and some delicious bakery or lunch, the food is excellent. There’s a play area for kids and a pleasant walk to burn off the affects of the cakes. Well worth a visit.

Popped into the coach house for a coffee and lemon meringue pie. Cakes are excellent and coffee to die for. Was great to see this place busy and to say Hi to James Boswell

Had an alfresco lunch (luckily the rain stayed off for us!) The food was OK it was just a bit disappointing to have to sit outside because we had a dog with us. Even a covered awning area would be better. We also had a child with us but we weren't able to take a highchair outside for him! All in all its a lovely place with nice areas to walk & a decent play area.

Went with my husband daughter and her fiance to view this wedding venue and was blown away not only with the venue itself but the kindness and attention from Ali Boswell herself. Needless to say our daughter and her fiancé booked almost straight away. Beautiful restaurant and gift shop too. Can't wait it for their Christmas Fayre on 24th and 25th of November to show this fabulous venue to my 89 year old mother.

First time here! found Very friendly staff, great food and roomy restaurant, super gift shop,too!

What an amazing place.Lovely food,interior and ambience.Slick service from lovely smart,friendly staff.Cakes to die for.Well worth the drive out.Can’t wait to return.

A beautiful converted barn with an excellent menu, great setting with childrens tree house , walks down to the river and above a gorge . As well as lunch it is also very popular for its coffee and cakes.

Had the most delicious platter of food olives smoked salmon, ham , fried breaded Brie, cranberry jelly hummus lovely bread and pitta for dipping I came home after being there phoned my daughter and said oh we so need to go there all our favourites on one plate. Cakes were delicious to Just a lovely experience. The shop attached to it is so nice to walk round great ideas for special presents. Staff are well dressed and friendly.

Beautifully laid out coach house restaurant and gift shop. Staff were so friendly and helpful. Menu was well laid out with plenty of choice for all tastes and reasonably priced. We'll worth a visit if in the area. Fabulous children's play area outside to keep the wee ones amused.

We love this place the staff are very friendly and we often have coffee after a long walk. The food is excellent, menu is limited but the specials are always changing. It’s a must on a cold day when they have the log burners on

Came here on my lunch break at work, food is delicious and service is fast, will definitely be back again

My wife and I decided to visit this restaurant on our way to an overnight stay elsewhere. We had read the reviews and were impressed. On arrival we waited to be seated as instructed. We were then ushered to the entrance area and were told by the waitress that she's come back for us. After 10 minutes another waitress arrived and gave us menus. We explained that it was our first visit and we didn't know the protocol for seating. She said she'd come back for us. Other people were eating in the entrance area so I wouldn't have had a problem eating there too. However, it was still an entrance area with people coming and going. After a further 15 minutes with no one approaching us to offer a table or even take an order, we gave up. I approached the counter and said we'd been waiting nearly half an hour and that we had basically just been left to our own devices. The waitress said they were busy. There were free tables in the main dining area and people who had arrived after us seemed to be getting tables. Maybe they had booked, I not know. Not a very good experience for a first visit and I'm not sure we'll be back, especially as we'd driven over 30 miles to get there. Very disappointed.

Our first visit here and it was a real Jewel in the countryside. The service was first class. Heather was particularly helpful. We shall positively return.

Visited with my wife for a quick lunch. Found it to be very pleasant with a friendly atmosphere. Staff very helpful and food is lovely. Price reasonable too.

We called in for lunch last week and were not disappointed. Generous sandwiches freshly made. I have had their quiche on a previous occasion which was also delicious. The staff are friendly and courteous. Definitely a place to return too.

Visited here for coffee and cake and were not disappointed. The location and setting are a real gem and obviously very popular by the amount of people there early in the day.

popped in today for lunch with my elderly mother. Staff could not be more helpful regarding seating etc as Mum has mobility issues. menu was really good and we chose the chicken tempura which came with salad and chips and she ordered a baked potato with sweet chilli chicken with salad and crisps. Both meals were excellent. we were served quickly and the presentation of the meals were both first class. I can recommend this venue 100%. We will both be back.

This was our second visit to the Boswell’s Coach House with good friends of ours. It’s kinda half way from where we all stay and is the ideal setting for a wee catch up.

Went to Boswell's Coach House with friends. We all had the strawberry tarts and we all thought they were delicious. Would recommend them if going for a visit. Would definitely go back.

Visited here on a beautiful day , the drive into coach house was stunning. Restaurant is as it says, a well done out coach house. First impression is that it is very clean. Busy for a Wednesday at lunchtime. Staff very pleasant and friendly. Good selection of dishes on menu. I had macaroni and cheese which was delicious. My lunch companions had lasagna and chicken tempura, which were also well cooked and served quickly. A beautiful array of tasty sweets were also on offer.

Visited the coach house today for a late lunch with some friends. First off, I’ve previously attended a wedding at Boswell’s which was amazing - all the staff were really lovely and it’s a beautiful setting, so had some reasonable expectations that the coffee shop would be the same for my first visit.

Had a lovely lunch husband had pork he said it was delicious I had chicken and it was great cakes are really good Had a lovely day there took the dog for a walk and kids loved the play area. Definitely going back.

A beautiful setting in the country estate for a wedding. It was perfect from start to finish. Even the weather was fabulous. The presentation, attention to detail, food drink and staff were first class

First visit here. As we were in the area we went in for lunch. It is a very popular place and was busy when we went in. The Coach House was very clean and well laid out. The staff were friendly and helpful. I settled for the panini and coronation chicken and my friend went for the quiche. We did not have long to wait for our meal and the food tasted very good. The prices are very reasonable. Will call again in future if in area and would recommend a visit.

Lunched with friends and thoroughly enjoyed he food and the atmosphere. The menu choice is good and the daily specials excellent. The service is good the staff friendly and the restaurant is very clean.

The menu looked basic, however, it was understated as the food was delicious and beautifully presented. We were spoiled for choice when it came to dessert as there was a huge selection of cakes and the ones we had were lovely. We will certainly return.

3 adults & 1 child.. over from Ireland visiting and came across here! Lovely place, we all had tea and cakes which you couldn't fault.. didn't eat anything off the menu but it looked Lovely. Was a rainy day but the 5 year old boy with us didn't seem to mind and had a great time in the big tree house playground, will be back to visit next time we are over.

A bit of a trip but worth it outside Ochiltree, beautifully restored barn in rural setting. Wood burning stove for those cold winter days! Good spot for breakfast, coffee, lunch etc. Simple menu but always fresh and beautifully cooked. Staff helpful and eager to please. Visit on a regular basis for lunch. Attractive shop connected and children's climbing area.

Visited here for lunch today with friends. Good choice of menu and lovely setting and was busy which is always a good sign as it is out of the way and obviously hopes for repeat business. Two of us had Cajuan salmon on a bed of salad and fries, the others had chicken tempura with salad, sauces and fries. All were first class. this was followed by strawberry tarts, cheesecake and lemon pie. All again first class. Coffees to follow were excellent too. Although this is a large open building it was nice and warm and will definitely return again for a meal or coffee. There is also a visitor gift shop which was well stocked.

This is our secret getaway after work finishes and before the coach house closes, the peanut butter stack cake is my utter favourite with an Americo, so tasty 😋 Never disappointed with the cakes and coffee on offer.

I have visited Boswell's Coach House many times since I first became aware of it a few years ago. When my daughters visit me from Glasgow this is where we usually go for lunch and we have celebrated my birthday here with all my family. The menu is varied and caters for all tastes. The food is delicious and the staff are warm and friendly and helpful. And there is the added bonus of having the lovely gift shop to visit after you've eaten.

Met up with friends for lunch. Lovely venue, quite busy but plenty of tables. Good choice of items available from the menu plus daily specials. We all enjoyed our meals, great value for money. Staff very nice and attentive.

Some places are just nice to have coffee in and this is rustically- exceptional one of them .