Cotton Mill Cookhouse & Pub in East Ayrshire

If you leave restaurant short staffed you will lose customers and deserve to do so . Poor employees that are on duty it's not their fault but they take brunt of it. Service wasn't great food was good but cheese burger served was cold. Would think twice about going back

Me and my partner were in yesterday afternoon for some late lunch. This was our 1st visit to the cotton mill. We had a lovley afternoon and will definitely be back. A special mention to ourserver Louise she was warm and friendly and made time to make sure we had all our needs met even though she was very busy. She is definitely a credit to the company.

Lovely wee place really enjoyed my lunch would recommend it 100% if passing give it a try you certainly won't be disappointed

Lovely food & staff. Alistair the barman/waiter was a very nice young man who was always willing to help me with my disabled work colleague who struggle with the menu etc. The whole team are friendly and the service can’t be faulted.

The staff are all fantastic and very welcoming. We have dinner a lot here as can sit and chat also not get thrown out if in too long. The staff are always very friendly and recognise us now. Lovely atmosphere and ambience to the place. The staff all work really hard. The last twice we have visited we have had Louise serve us, despite being very busy as she was the sole waitress, she did a fabulous job. Very friendly, engaging, polite and attentive. An asset to the place and company. She makes you feel welcome and special. Always cheery and smiling and listens to what you say and responds appropriately. Thank you to everyone who looks after us at one of our favourite local places.

I was shown to a table then left for 30 minutes without my order being taken. Plenty signs begging for 5 star reviews but little interest in offering that . If you don't want to take all night avoid!

Lovely grub & staff. Alistair the barman was one top guy, thanks. The manager was also a really good guy, the food we had was good and the final bill wasn’t too bad.

The food and staff at this place are so wonderful, especially Wilma and Lynsy. I had my evening meal here to , all the staff couldn't do enough for you.

Food is ok. Nice enough pub setting but what makes it good 5* is the staff. Willma is great . Really friendly . Works so hard . She was the reason I came for my breakfast a second day here .

Good for a quick bite, but no gluten free meals, as my wife has to eat gluten free we will not be returning!!!

We had breakfast and dinner here all week as staying in the premier inn for work the food was tasty and always come out right and the staff were always friendly and made sure everything was good

Excellent breakfast and service. Bit expensive for what it was, but it was tasty and well cooked and as much as you wanted ( not a buffet you are expected to ask for more) apart from the toast etc, coffee etc which is buffet. No photos of breakfast, as well it's breakfast 😁

Had travelled a long journey, was looking for lunch before l went to a funeral but l couldn't take my wee dog in with me. So l left + went elsewhere 😔

This restaurant describes itself as family friendly. Unfortunately it isn’t customer friendly. Wait staff are incompetent. Starter arrived before the drinks. White wine was not cold. Mains were hot but portions a little rationed. Bacon was not properly cooked in the burger. Looked microwaved. Getting a bill was awful. No staff in the restaurant. Eventually dug them out of the back of the kitchen. Complained about wine. They laughed at us once our back was turned. The bad reviews are right. Stay away from this place.

Had a 40% off voucher - I didn't notice had to spend £25 - food was £24.58- wouldn't honour it although had intended get dessert which would have taken over £25, but gave up waiting for order to taken!

We popped in about 2pm after a hospital visit just needing fed and fully expecting to seat ourselves and order at the bar so we were pleasantly surprised to be seated and have our order taken. The staff were friendly and attentive, our drinks arrived quickly and the food was really nice. My husband had the stacked Burger and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had the smothered chicken and was impressed with the salad that accompanied it. .it was plentiful, really fresh and had a lovely dressing. We would definitely return.

The menu is varied and will satisfy most people and families alike, The staff were welcoming and friendly, The atmosphere was the first thing I felt was that the dining room was warm and cosy and very welcome on a horrid day, being a cosy go to place for wholesome food and within reach of a treat not to cook at home

Would you like some dinner with your salt

Used this place before and found it ok, not last 2 visits , place has went downhill. Sulky bar maid I asked to put a head on lager after she had poured it short, gave it a stir with a straw, asked her if they had peanuts , reply was ' over there ' poor customer service, as if they cant be bothered.... Went back for food week later , stood at welcome desk for more than 5 mins before being shown to a table, place was empty. Ordered ' Crispy' wings as a starter, which came as if they were overdone in the rubberiser microwave, nothing crispy about them. Other starter ' Prawn Cocktail ' bread was hard, to be fair the 2 mains were ok but barely warm enough and, the salad on plate was going brown. The special 2 value meals were advertised on menu but unavailable , but available at the more costly price which was strange as it was on a weekday, wifi is non existent which wasnt always the case, as previously said never had this trouble before. Whats happened to this place?

Had a lovely meal here on New Years Day. Food was delicious, best cheesecake ever as well. Staff could not have been nicer. We will definitely be going back for the Sunday carvery soon. Thank you to the staff working on New Years Day.

The service was very slow we had to wait around 10 minutes to be seated and then another 45 minutes before our orders for anything was taken and I'm not so if we were going to be served then if I hadn't called to the waiter who was just taking the order from a couple who had just sat down.

A solid 4 stars from me. Food was nice and good value for money. Staff were friendly and it had a nice atmosphere

Excellent food, very tasty, great staff, very nice atmosphere

Who runs out of turkey at Christmas?

Food was lovely. Had the steak and was cooked perfectly

Great breakfast as much as you want. Eggs are superb

I landed in there 8:25 and had to wait for 5-10 min till someone come. And then the person said that the kitchen is closed because they are taking orders till 8:45. After some arguments i was been offered a table but had to be quick with my order. I ordered mixed grill and a pint of Stella. Had to wait another 10 min for my drink. And in wasn’t crowded place. As soon as i get my drink another staff member bring for me the bill with request to pay it as soon as i am ready. That didn’t leave me an option to order dessert or anything else. Finally i got my “mixed grill” as on the menu was said will get half steak, gammon, half chicken breast, 2 sausages, 2 eggs some chips and peas. There was no sign of chicken. One of eggs was overcooked and cold, hidden under the steak. Maybe someone was expecting it to warm up in there. In overall food was ok.

Booked a table for a carvery as advertised upon arrival told the carvery is plated for you in kitchen by chef. So not a carvery. Also told they were short staffed so couldn't tell us how long we could be waiting for service. Didn't hang around to find out and won't be going back again.

Very slow service need more staff waited over 45 minutes for my food

Was lovely we had the carvery and it was delicious x

Poor food badly cooked. Slow service. Not impressed.

There was no welcome to the restaurant food was nothing to shout about service it was as if they didn't have time to talk when trying to order your food the veg was not cooked properly when we phoned we were told it was a carvery and when we got there it was service at table so won't be back absolutely disgusting

It was ok time but last time we visited it was a lot better service better and the food was a lot better

Patronising staff, wouldn't recommend, all they did was blame the hotel staff for bad bookings.

Nice place for casual meal friendly staff.

Shambles! Went for dinner, 25 minutes after being seated, still waiting for drinks and was told it was so busy, probably have to wait another 10-15 minutes just for the drinks! There was no more than 40 people in the restaurant and I counted at least 8 staff!

Fantastic breakfast deal cooked perfect. 2 breakfast £18 including tea / coffee..

Only one chef on, thirty minutes wait for food food was edible but not favourable!

Had previously been here and not been for a while so decided to give it another chance and I wish I hadn't. Staff were very moody and unhelpful and had no knowledge of there offers or even menus. The floor looked like it hadn't been cleaned for days and was all sticky the only positive point was that the food was decent.

Tried to go three times now and been turned away Breakfast finishes at 10:30 but I got turned away at quarter past and other times been told only one chef on so even though there is space he can't deal with orders for another hoir. Owner must be raking it in to not need my money ever. Not going to bother trying again. Thought it was third time lucky but they just don't want to feed me it seems. Wouldn't mind if they seemed to care or even pretend to.

Been here a couple of times before and gave it 4 stars, but, the quality of both food and service was not as good as it previously was.

Good value nice atmosphere enjoyed family meal. The service was good and friendly staff. Would recommend

The best breakfast served by the nicest server! Wilma thank you so much for your cheerie smile at breakfast.

The Sunday roast was good but the kids dinner was rotten. I had to order an extra kids meal as my daughter couldn't eat the macaroni and her plain cheeseburger came with bacon and the burger was burnt solid. My son's burger was also burnt hard and the bun was absolutely solid. Staff were pleasant but nonexistent so we didn't wait for pudding after being in the place for nearly 2 hours. Worse thing was my son had a piece of broken glass in his drink which he picked out his mouth! Luckily no damage.

Mid week very quiet but I assume as a way to better manage it they cramp everyone in the one area so bit crowded if your looking for a quiet meal can feel a bit cramped asked if we could sit in another area but was told it wasn't possible probably so fet a bit like all eyes were on you food was reasonable think wetherspoons if your looking for a quick meal in and out then this is your place

Lovely wee lunch with my 88 years old dad

The Cotton Mill is always my go to for a quick, well priced lunch or dinner. Food quality is consistently good, the staff are friendly and the restaurant and toilets are always clean and well presented. It's very local to me and if you join the rewards scheme there is often money off emails sent through which I quite often make use of. If you need a slightly bigger table or area, for people with mobility issues or with a wheelchair, they are always happy to accommodate this as well. I don't know what it is like now for arriving without a booking, but I always book in advance (even on the same day for later) as I have been before and found that they were not able to give a table. So I'd recommend joining the reward scheme and booking in advance :-)

Absolutely fabulous stay . Very friendly staff . Great food and a good price .

Excellent staff Excellent food what more could you want

Didn't think much of the food but the service was nice.

Foodwas amazing as usual . Still remain very impressed by quality of service snd food

Large family dinner staff very welcoming especially helpful to the kids

Went tonight 3adultt s booked for 7pm twenty minutes to 8before orders taken starter prawn cocktail was nice both main courses one steak other mixed grill asked for steaks medium soft just no blood food arrived cold plates cold eggs like bullets and sirloin steak solid and burnt would have sent back but my son was treating us to a meal so did not want to ruin his night will not be back not worth the money very very disappointed

A great place, buzzing atmoshpere with super good value food and great service from Kirsty.

Been here a few times for family meals and each time the food has been great. The portion sizes have always been not too much or too little. And the staff have been wonderful each time, friendly and helpful.

The price for draft drinks seemed a bit extreme but the 2 value meals for £10.99 were good value for money. Only available Monday to Friday between 12pm and 6pm. The gammon steak with the two egg option was good. The gammon steak and eggs were really nicely cooked. The chips were decent but the peas were a bit of a let down. The smothered chicken was good. The chicken and bacon was really nicely cooked. The bbq sauce was great but the chips and garlic bread were OK. The real letdown was the service. Waited ages to be seated, then again till we ordered the waitress did apologise, saying they were short staffed. The setting is not the nicest, and definitely not somewhere to take a date but ok for a cheap lunch.

We had a nice lunch on Monday,but looking at receipt this morning to discover I had been charged £1.99 for a splash of oranfe cordial and tap water and £2.10 for a fruitshoot which is 79p in shops,think we will be on tap water next and there will be a next time as we enjoy the food

I had a steak and it was cooked not properly and now I think I ate a bit of raw steak and now my stomach is unhappy

Absolutely terrible service, we left after waiting nearly an hour and not even having anyone come to take our food order. I also walked to the bar to ask if someone could come and take our order but I’m still waiting. The couple next to us left after waiting nearly an hour just to order a drink and when she went to the bar she was told it was table service. The premises was less than 1/4 full & the manageress had absolutely no manners and was rude from the off set. I have a 9 year old with additional needs who found this experience extremely distressing and triggering

We recently had a family gathering and decided to have a meal at the Cook House Kilmarnock. We had prebooked our table for 6 and all was ready for us when we arrived. There was a varied choice on the menu and the meals that we chose from the menu was enjoyed by all and the staff attending us ensured that the food served was exactly to our tastes. Well done to all the staff for ensuring that we all enjoyed our visit in a family friendly atmosphere !

Value for money service was good highly recommend the brownie

Service very slow, food not very good and cutlery was dirty, would not recommend.

Went for dinner, booked for 1745. Server asked for our drinks order, gave it and after half an hour we eventually got them. Forgot to put order through then we'd to ask again for them as they were sat on bar. Food was nothing spectacular, garlic bread with the lasagne was cool, but as we'd waited 3/4 of an hour for meals we ate it. Again we sat for 15 minutes waiting for kids dessert. We used to like coming here, but will think twice in any future visits

Went to sit in the rear “garden” because we had our little dog. Rear entrance is absolutely filthy. My husband went in to order drinks while I attempted to clear a table. Tables are unfit for food to be served on. Wood all rotted and beyond fit for purpose. Extremely dangerous. After 40 minutes waiting for a drink we left only to see kitchen staff standing in the kitchen door smoking. This establishment needs investigated by environmental health.

Be careful with closing times ! They change them and you’ll find yourself in the situation like I did , I payed for Meal deal with my Premier Inn booking and lost it because they decided to close at 8:45 instead of 23:00 like it says here .

Used to love it, but veggie options have gone downhill (veggie lasagna is ok mind) distinct lack of service upon entry (5 minutes wait to be offered a table) poor bugger in front of me was struggling with a walking stick, I gave up on last visit, we ate elsewhere, shame really, I wanted to try the new menu! But with service so poor, It'll be a while before I return, shame really, because 2 years ago, the place, food and service was superb, what changed?

Lovely meal the staff were efficient and friendly

Was here for a family meal. The service was very slow and they forgot one of the meals. The food wasn't great, except for the desserts.

Stayed in the hotel next door for 7 nights. 4 out of the 7 nights the food I ordered came out wrong. It’s essentially a rebranded brewers Fayre, even the same menu.

Food cooked and presented decent and and also with affordable menus and offers to accommodate several different options 👌

We had a buffet style breakfast one morning and I have to say it was very good. I will go back. 👌🏻

Brilliant place 2 eat staff are brilliant

Walked in at 1810 to be told there wasn't tables avaliable until 1915 even though bookings were avaliable for 1815 onwards from online

Says blue light card on all food but apparently not breakfast🤷🏼

Food was lovely and staff where friendly, will be going back

We have visited a few times now and we were very disappointed with our recent visit, I'm not sure where to begin, there was a funeral party in which caused a lot of problems for other customers, the service was awful, customers were getting turned away at the door as it was so busy, there was only 1 person serving apparently, took 35 mins for our order to be taken and drinks to arrive, they had ran out of a lot of food, the food took forever to come, the food wasn't even worth the money, I doubt we will be rushing back!

Poor survive, staff more interest talking to each other, tried to charge for drinks we didn't have. Breakfast a shambles.

Great little place to go for.a meal. Great food Great service

Not terrible but not fabulous! Mix grill one day way OK. Then another day the meat was all burnt. Not bad for price and if you cba to cook basically 😴

Was allowed to book online, a table for 7 adults and 2 children for 10 am, only to be told that the unlimited breakfast closes at 10:15. Checking through the breakfast menu there is no mention of times breakfast is served. The staff were very helpful, allowing us to order, but due to time constraints we were not able to take advantage of the service, unlimited, offered.

Chicken served on a vegan curry, which taken away, the chicken just picked off and the dish held in the kitchen, the same meal was then re-served with the unwanted chicken picked off, after the other meal was finished. Clearly the same food as the parsley garnish was shrivelled up and sauce cooked onto the plate. Incredibly lazy and disrespectful. Really lazy and sloppy from the kitchen. The serving staff were nice, but the mistake was theirs and how they handled it wasn’t good enough. To top it all, they tried to charge me extra, for the chicken I didn’t order in the first place. I needed to ask for a duty manager and tell her explicitly to refund me. The staff should have been more proactive about rectifying their mistake.

The young guy that served us was brilliant, smiled ,chatty and very pleasant. Food was great

I ate here for breakfast and dinner over a period of 3 weeks whilst staying over for work. Every day, the food and service was excellent, so this review is based on not just one single visit where one bad experience could taint it for some, but every day here was consistently good. All of the staff were very friendly and professional, especially Wilma during the breakfast service. One of the servers at dinner (I can't remember his name), also informed me after I asked for the fish and chips, that it came skin on, which I wouldn't have liked and very grateful he told me this so I could order something else. The food always arrived quickly, it was hot and portions we're just right. One thing I also liked is they always asked if you suffered from allergies too, as not everywhere asks this! Will definitely stay and eat here again when travelling for work.

It’s attached to a premier inn. You know what to expect.

Good food, friendly staff, slow service.

Food was delightful bit service not very good. Sat for 45 minutes while waiters and waitresses passed our table with empty food plates, had to end up asking them for the kids puddings which we had already ordered so thumbs down for service.

Wouldn't recommend at all ,ordered the deal 10.99 two mains my wifes smothered chicken wasn't fresh upon her tasting it we sent it back offered another one which we declined for us then to get the bill with a cocktail we never ordered and charged full price for my burger in the deal upon querying this I was told if I don't leave the police will be called ha ha unbelievable they rob you and your supposed to keep quiet

Third time in a few months and every time the food was cold, last time complained and returned meal refusing another replacement, thought third time lucky but won't be back.

Just had a fantastic meal for the second night running. The food was delivered quickly and was hot and the steak was perfect. We were a large party and the servers Greg and Robyn were fantastic, super helpful and happy to help. Highly recommended.

Went for the two main courses for £10.99 and was very happy with our choices smothered chicken and fries double up for £1.99 it was delicious My wife chose the spicy chicken burger with fries and coleslaw she agreed it to was delicious can’t fault the meals here especially at these prices service Was great too waitress couldn’t be nicer will definitely return

Great value for money, Lovely food, would highly recommend. Brilliant Service especially from Wilma and the girls. Thanks very much ladies.

Food was good though some dishes were small enough to be classed as child portion. Service was very slow, needing to request forgotten stuff.

We used to like this place but not now the sausages & mash hard mash sausages like cooked in rubber condom and 1 male staff AL won’t be back

No complaints other than the service we experienced. We were seated and attended to straight away. Ask for a drink order which we placed as soon as we sat down. Unfortunately it was around 20 mins to receive the drinks (4). The food order was not as slow as drinks but still much slower than should be. When finished our meal we again waited around 20 mins for table to be cleared. We were asked if we wanted to see dessert menu. The menus were handed out but the staff member was again missing for around 15 mins and when we did see him he seemed to be be doing very little. Not everyone wants to come out for a meal and wait excessive periods of time between courses etc. Should be check backs carried out on customers to make sure everything is satisfactory. To be honest we were not made to feel very welcome at all and I am sure this is not the result you guys are aiming for. As such we probably won't return.

Went for our wedding anniversary firstly our starters went to wrong table till the other customers said it wasn't there's then we ordered our mains both were wrong orders so I asked if that was another customers order to be told no it was ours and that is what was wrote down clearly it wasn't really poor customer service

Had used this restaurant in its previous guise as a Brewers Fayre and honestly seems to me that nothing has really changed. Standards are exactly the same as before and it is clearly aiming for maximum throughput of customers and a menu that is contributes to that objective. When we visited, it was fairly quiet and some areas were out of commission, being barricaded off with strategically placed chairs. Staff were few (perhaps the reason for curtailing the number of customers), however those who were in attendance were working fast, attentive and were very pleasant. Basic pub type menu was minus a few items (inevitably things we wanted) but ample alternatives. Something like Lasagne would, I have thought, been unlikely to run out but there you are. No starters for us but for mains, we opted for the 3 mini pies (beef& ale, minted lamb & chicken tikka) which came with a congealed but funnily quite tasty gravy, 1 x scampi, 1 x gammon steak and 1 x chicken & bacon. The last two were off a special 2 for £11 menu whereas the pies and Scampi were from the a la carte menu. We had 3 desserts and with soft drinks, were presented with a total bill of £63. The food was OK - you get what you pay for standard - and clearly the drinks were truly where the profit from our visit came from. 4 non alcoholic (mainly squash) cost over £12 - bit steep imo. Not great, but then, we were wanting to have a basic meal and not anything special which is exactly the target customer base for the Cotton Mill. Would I go again? Yes and I'll bet it won't have changed.

Wilma what a star , always smiling :) and the rest of the crew were brilliant and helpful well done to all , I look forward to staying again

Great food, Very attentive staff. Nothing was too much bother. Special credit to Wilma who served me breakfast every morning I was here. Credit to your buisness

A fair sized pub/ restaurant next to the hotel Decent selection of beers, reasonably priced

Some members of staff totally unprofessional got our bill wrong not once but twice in the space of 5 minutes Barr staff totally disrespectful with attitude problems Duty Manager not interested in solving any problems