GRO Coffee in North Ayrshire

We loved the cozy atmosphere. The decor was so inviting. And the food was delicious.

Went in for coffee while waiting on my car charging and the coffee was absolutely amazing and the strawberry tarts they are massive busy wee cafe for a Sunday

Been a few times now and my experiences have got progressively worse. I don’t understand why the cakes and coffee are so sweet. Also the service is so bad, why are the staff so disinterested and it takes ages to be served.

Worth the wait and drive! Cannot rate this place highly enough. Found GRO Coffee via Instagram a year back and finally got the time to drive through and visit. The atmosphere and decor of the place is very warm and cosy. Staff very friendly and plenty of staff members there if you need anything. I had the Malteaser big mug hot chocolate with almond milk. My mum had the banoffee biscoff special French toast and myself the pancakes. Extremely generous portions with loads of sauce/toppings. The pancakes were hands down the best I've ever had in Scotland. My mum said the same for the French toast (and we like our brunch places!) Already trying to plan when we can make the hour and a half trip to come back! Also got some donuts and tiffin to take away - which were equally as huge and delicious. Stop reading this and just go!!

Very poor ,food was bland and cold ,plate was chipped ,not a good experience at all .

Good dog friendly cafe. Not the cheapest.

A very nice place with plenty of parking. It’s very popular, so gets busy. To me the menu has too much bread on it, loads of the mains come with it, it’s quite noticeable when you look, so may not be for everyone as it’s also double thickness. The selection of cakes on display was really good, but unfortunately they had some lovely jam tarts at the till which were not covered and people were talking and reaching over them to pay - it put me right off.

Pricey but great food. My dig lives rhe pupachino

Very expensive nearly £5 for strawberry tart .

Decent place. Does get really busy during weekends, peak times. So expect to wait for a table. However, it shows its clearly worth the wait.

Always busy but we got a table within half an hour and had a wander round the harbour while we waited. We just had coffee and a cake but the food and the staff are always amazing. It's very animal friendly and lots of people brought their dogs along.

Love this place food is great and the cakes are excellent. Both venues are great but like Irvine nice and cosy and the staff are brilliant 👏

Great food and great atmosphere

Cooked food gone down hill recently, not enough staff for the amount of customers. Annoying you have to pay at the till and queue up whilst people select cake etc.

Cosy wee cafe. Only one GF cake available, which was very sweet.

Poor customer service, food average and very expensive

Service was good. However, it is a bit too cramped inside. I feel like there is no privacy. I could hear the table next to yours entire conversation. My eggs were a bit runny, my bacon was meant to be crispy definitely not crispy and the bloomer was burnt. The quality of food was amazing, the black pudding, Haggis and sausage were all exquisite. The banana and honey milkshake and cakes were excellent.

Great place for breakfast or a coffee. Always busy and staff always friendly

Really nice place. Can get very busy so may have to wait sometimes. Waitress very helpful. Weather was great so we sat outside at the tables at the back of the building.

Have been several times before, food always good but service very slow, plenty tables available. Waited a while eventually someone came and took a drink order which didn’t arrive very quickly the person bringing the drinks who was different from the person taking the order took our food order which again took for ever, there was lots of waiting staff hanging about the bar chatting. The same issue when waiting for the bill eventually had to go to the bar to ask for the bill and pay. None an easy process, there were two of us in for a quick snack. We were in the restaurant nearly two hours. Some attention should be given also to the toilets these are a disgrace doesn’t matter how busy, with as many staff standing about doing nothing. Very disappointing as I like the food choices and love the cakes but won’t be back.

My wife and I stopped in for 2 cappuccinos. We were ignored for over 20 minutes. I finally got the attention of a staff member and ordered. 20 minutes later we received our cold cappuccinos. I felt as if we had somehow offended the staff with our presence. We were quiet and respectful to all. We struck up a friendly conversation with a pleasant Polish couple next to us, Staff visited them 3-4 times and didn't even look at us. Very frosty.

Over priced, bad tasting food, staff not friendly, and not very bright

A warm welcome & delicious food and coffee, I had a huge jacket potato with prawns, smoked salmon and salad, hubby had the mac and cheese with crispy bacon, really good!

Pizza could be the best in ayrshire if the mozzarella wasn't so chewy

Fantastic food, extremely friendly staff and even though they were very busy I didn't feel rushed and service was very good. Would highly recommend They even hD a couple of friendly Starlings singing to us. Also pet friendly, so lots of well behaved doggy's ❤️

Love this place as ever food is perfect.

Fantastic find in Irvine on the Harbour, very busy , so booking would be advisable. We were seated with our two Dogs outside ( there is a covered area for when weather is inclement), but we enjoyed the warm temperatures, and sat outside . Dog friendly, which is always a Plus+ Service was efficient, and friendly . Was amazed at the number of cakes and pastries on display inside - all looked handmade and absolutely delicious. The side of GRO Coffee looked very cosy and inviting , but alas very busy . There is a small Children’s play area outside where parents can chose to either play and monitor their own children , or sit , eat , and drink whilst other guests entertain their little darlings ( which seems to be the way throughout the UK hospitality industry when children are involved ). Overall and delightful place for coffee, and cake ( Along with a very inviting menu for savoury foods ) , as we chose cake and coffee ( see pictures. ).

Really enjoyed a relaxed visit here last weekend. Nice people, comfy seats, only had a snack and soft drink but it was so very relaxing after a hard day at the beach. Recommended for a relaxing restful time. I'll be back

Great dog friendly cafe! Make sure to visit before you get to the beach as the waitlist can be upwards of an hour.

Stunning place for coffee, cakes and food! The cakes are simply amazing . There’s small playground at the back and it’s dog friendly! Great experience and highly recommended if in the area!

Service was very slow, admittedly this was a busy Saturday lunch time but 15 mins to take order and then 35 mins for food to arrive. Friendly though. Food mostly good - one dish - Mediterranean eggs had clearly been sitting for a time as lukewarm at best. Tattie scones on full breakfasts torched - under the hot plate? But apart from that the dishes were decent. I think maybe their menu is too big, it’s giant and kitchen struggling with everything. Maybe focus on 7/8 breakfast/brunch options and offer takeaway rolls etc. Coffee very average. For all their organic claims, adding 60p for non-dairy milk is a bit steep in 2024. Wouldn’t rush back but wouldn’t rule it out. It’s also absolutely rammed with dogs so if you have an aversion to that, I’d look to go elsewhere.

Got coffee and cake to take away. Large selection of sweet treats. Great atmosphere and back to great quality friendly service 👏

Great place and delicious food!!! So delicious if someone serves it to you. After 45 minutes of waiting for hamburgers we just left. Customers sitting next to us also left without ordered food!!!. Waitress with blond hair outside in the garden was rude and unpleasant. (7.09.24 at 5.30 pm)!

Place never disappoints!! Tasty food, good coffee and dog friendly!!

Really poor experience unfortunately today at Gro Irvine. We sat outside and had to wait about 20mins for a menu, a further 15 minutes passed before our order was taken. We were sat for over 50minutes before our drinks arrived- 2 soft drinks. When they arrived i mentioned this to the server, no apology was forthcoming. The service throughout unfortunately was really poor. We were not offered any water for our dog which is usually a given for a "dog friendly" establishment. When our food order arrived- my food was missing the eggs, however having waited so long and due to the lack of service skills previosly shown, I never mentioned it. I also just wanted to eat and get out of there. The food itself was fine. When i went to pay our bill, the cashier just stood talking to the lady behind me in the queue, literally talking over my head. It was a truly terrible experience which is a shame as we have been before and often visit Irvine. We will just need to find elsewhere for food.

It was really busy and I waited outside with the dog while my wife bought coffee and a couple of cakes. The cakes were fantastic in taste and well above average in size.

Takeaway coffee, breakfast rolls and cakes were amazing! Well worth the 36 mile trip! Staff were also very friendly and atmosphere was nice, albeit we took the food and drinks to go. Will definitely return to try some more food/cakes!

This is one of the worst eating establishments in Ayrshire. For starters, all of the so-called “organic” ingredients are purchased from Tesco. The cakes are displayed uncovered on the counter and it’s very much style over quality, as they are all dry and bland, and due to being uncovered, they generally have insects flying around. The mural to the owners dog… really? That’s embarrassing, and no, the general public do not “heart” Joey Gro, your family dog? It is an eyesore of a mural to display in a cafe. The menu is quantity over quality. I gave Gro another chance recently (having been a few times when out with others when it initially opened, not really through my own choice), and the menu was on a sheet bigger than A4 and had way too many options. With a menu that size, there is no chance you can specialise in any dish. Lo and behold, this assumption was correct. I ordered pancakes and they were very bland despite being topped with yogurt and berries. We ordered coffees and some water for the table, and the glasses we were given for the water were dirty. When we asked a server for clean ones, she took them away, and the replacement ones honestly weren’t much cleaner. By the time our dishes arrived, there still wasn’t any sign of our coffees. We tried to ask the server but she walked away after slamming the dishes down, and we had to ask another server nearby instead. We had all but finished our dishes by the time the coffee appeared, kind of fruitless at that point. Two groups were seated nearby us while we ate. By the time we left, around 20 minutes later, they still hadn’t had their order taken nor had any servers been in their direction. To top it off, when I went to the toilets, there was only toilet paper in one stall. A staff member came in and not only went to a paperless stall, but also left without washing her hands? When I exited the toilets, I saw her behind the counter handling cakes!! I don’t believe she would have had enough time at all to wash her hands. I suppose the cakes are already unhygienic enough being exposed to the elements and to customers out in the open anyway… This company is well known for having a high turnover of staff, and it’s no wonder when you hear how they are treated. It’s also no wonder that they don’t do a good job, because they have no morale to do so. In Irvine, I believe it only does well because of its location. And in Ayr, it seems to be that it’s spacious and I suppose well decorated. I think Gro only succeeds due to a lack of many other choices in Ayrshire. It’s certainly not due to the quality of the food! Disgusting, dry, bland, overpriced food.

A cute spot close to the beach, delicious food and even better cakes! Staff were friendly and we'll definitely be back again.

Super service and pizza as always. Also tried chicken burger for first time, delish. Never disappoints!

Such a cozy date night place! Staff are so down to earth and chill! The hot drinks and cake are actually divine :)

Unfortunately GRO has gone downhill over the past year or so.. the food used to be amazing, however the quality and service has dropped markedly.. This morning I had the ‘local hero’ - the bacon was not crispy as described and was at best, flaccid.. the black pudding was rock hard, the potato scone was saturated in fat, and the bread was poor quality.. it all felt like it had been pre-cooked and left aside, and re-heated at the last minute.. it wasn’t however hot, and whilst brought out very quickly (as opposed to the last 2 visits where we’ve waited ages for food), all leads to it not being freshly prepared, which I would expect for paying nearly £50 for 2 brunches, 2 coffees, 2 juice, and 1 cake.. The coffee was nice, and well made, although my wife’s caramel latte turned out to be a mocha by mistake, and we had to ask for drinks to be brought out, which hadn’t arrived by the time our food had.. The cakes are as massive as they always have been and are good.. The service was fine on this occasion, as I say, we have on the past 2 occasion waited up to an hour for food, which didn’t happen on this occasion, however was generally inattentive, which is probably as a consequence of the number of covers they try to cram into the place compared to the number of staff.. The place itself is nice and in a great location in the harbour area near to the beach, with plenty of parking on the street, and with a lovely garden with a covered section and play area for kids, where we sat in the sun with plenty of space for the 2 of us and our 2 dogs.. there wouldn’t have been enough room inside due to how many covers they squeeze in.. After having been numerous times in the past however, we’re verging on the side of not going back again.. the quality and effort seem to have dropped too far to justify the £40-£50 we’ll spend as a couple, and we’ll just go for brunch on the Southside of Glasgow where we travel from before going to the beach with the dogs, where for the same price there are so many places where the quality is far far higher.. almost like what it used to be at GRO.. a shame really as it used to be a favourite of ours..

Fabulous little cafe in Irvine, the most amazing cakes and coffees a little gem of a place

I visited gro today with my friend at around 1pm and it wasn’t too busy and so we were seated promptly, which was great. The waitress was lovely, however between ordering and receiving our food which was two toasties, we had to wait around an hour before we received these. In that time we were never informed as to why it was taking so long which left us feeling frustrated. Others around us who ordered afterwards (in a different section) received their food before we received ours. We usually love coming to gro and receive fast service however, after today’s visit we now feel differently about visiting.

The staff are always lovely & the food is so tasty

Gro coffee used to be very good, however it has now become a victim of its own success, it's very busy and now the service and the food have become mediocre at best ,I will go back, I'll just pick a less busy time , 2nd chance 😏

This was a second visit for us. We travelled 29 miles to dine here on 20th July. We had to leave our number and go a walk as it was so busy and that was not a problem. On reading the menu, everything sounded wonderful and it was hard to choose. My husband ordered the barbequed brisket with poached egg on top and he said it was delicous. I ordered the pancakes with nutella and caramalised banana. I am sure it also said cream or ice cream but this was not on the plate. I could not eat the pancakes which looked uncooked, pale , were dry and totally avoid of any taste. Even dipping them in the sauce made no difference. I called over the manager and explained my problem. She said she was sorry, nobody else had sent any pancakes back, and she would ask the chef if they were using a different mix ??? I never saw her again. I was never offered anything else to eat. The £12 cost was taken off the bill though. I wont be back. N.B. Dog friendly, but should the dogs not be on the floor, not sitting on the sofas ???

we have been coming to this place for a year and today after a really long wait we received cold and old food.. very rude staff and manager.. the waitress did not communicate to the cashier that we left the dishes on the table and therefore that we had to pay for them... we were not happy we preferred the old management

Quality food and drink. Dog friendly with a doggy menu. Good atmosphere.

The place was absolutely atrocious. Our food did not arrive after 40 mins. Then someone finally acknowledged us and said our food would be out soon, which actually meant in ANOTHER 20 minutes! The food when it did arrive was genuinely disgusting. It was tough and dry. Probably reheat at least once. The main reason we went was to get a cake as well but by the time our meal was eventually finished, there was none left. In the end we got the meal for free but even at that you'd think we were the ones in the wrong with the way the staff spoke to us. And, as I said, the good wasn't even worth eating for free......

Great food Great staff Great location

Nice service, delicious food and drinks. Gladly again.

Great place, food is good and the bonus of a play area outside for the wee ones, well recommended

Normally we love going here but on our last visit the place had markedly declined. The music was loud, both the front and back door were propped wide open so a cold air was blowing through. The service was very slow and the staff were abrupt and unhelpful. It seemed like there was little supervision or oversight as staff seemed to be having a laugh with each other behind bar most of the evening, without paying attention to customers. A real shame and we won't be going back.

A lovely friendly welcoming place to socialise.

Fantastic service from Becca. Food was great.

Great coffee and excellent food. Well worth a visit.

Great coffee and food and cakes, and dog friendly which is a bonus. Also a shelf with various books to entertain the kids. Only down side is how busy it always is. Often a wait to get a table, so don't plan on going if you are in a hurry.

Epic food with great portions and one of the view places in the area to get an iced matcha

Nice comfortable atmosphere. Great decor friendly staff. Amazing cakes. Very busy place but still with a relaxed feel. Dogs are permitted which is nice.

Excellent location, excellent food with friendly and helpful service. A definite must do if you are in the area.

Always a lovely time here. Foods good and the staff are always so nice. However, I lost my wallet the other day and it had a lot of money in it. I was so worried about it and yet, I called, they had it and the money was intact. Such genuine people and so thankful to the staff for keeping it safe for me. Enjoy the tip ladies. Thankyou so much

Drinks- they don’t do Diet Coke or other standard drinks. They have soft drinks , just not tasty ones so no choice! Had Cajun Chicken pizza (3/10) Pizza base was like cardboard and pretty tasteless. Classic burger was ok but not great and the roll fell apart as too soft. (4/10) Great selection of cakes but overall thought is I won’t be going back!

Wonderful from start to finish, great atmosphere all staff very friendly

Warm and welcoming cafe along the beach ☺️ Enjoyed the food and service was fantastic!

Lovely staff, beautiful food and dog friendly menu !!!

Had a lovely cup of coffee at the Ayr shop. Service was amazing and the cakes were delicious 😋😋😋😋

Busy but great food although a little expensive for what you actually get. Still great place to eat.

Super nice even though it was packed. Another highlight on our road trip. Good food and high-calorie desserts

Great food, coffee, an amazing atmosphere, we are very impressed.

Great food, staff friendly. Beers served without glass.

Big meh. The waitress was pretty rude, no one showed us to a table, just told us to go outside and find one after waiting for 20 minutes. After 15 minutes, no menu was brought to us and we had to chase that up. The waitress again looked miserable and like we were an inconvenience to her. Tables who came in after us got served first. Drinks took ages to come and the food was really not good. It looked amazing… but the taste 😭 it was cold, and the macaroni cheese had a weird off taste. Nachos had hardly any toppings, was basically an £11 bowl of tortilla chips. We made the waitress aware and again, she didn’t care and just took our food away. When we went to pay she hadn’t passed on that we didn’t eat the food and we’re expected to pay £60! They took the macaroni cheese off the bill which I guess is something. But won’t be back in a hurry!

Great view of the wind farm from cafe. Good food and good options to choose from.

Found this place by chance and absolutely loved it. Staff were very friendly and helpful and place had a great atmosphere. Food was a little pricey, but you get what you pay for and portions were very generous. Went for breakfast, but will definitely be back to try out the coffee and cake.

Wow, this is a "must" if in Irvine. Eggs benedict on fluffy brioche was easily one of the best I've ever tried. Top notch cakes, amazing coffee and the other brekkie items were just as delicious according to my friends. Definitely recommend! Lovely decor and wonderful, helpful and friendly staff too. Please check it out.

First visit definitely not the last. Great food and atmosphere. Thoroughly recommended

Great place to have a coffee and lovely food and cakes are lovely 😍

The staff were really great and managed expectations for a busy sunny Saturday down by the sea. Drinks at the bar whilst we waited for a table were just what was needed before a fab brunch selection. Be prepared for the giant portions and excellent quality food. Big shout out to the maitre’d who managed every efficiently and politely. A great place to stop off at on a day at the sea side.

We've visited the Ayr cafe several times, always great. Thought we'd try the Irvine site, wish we hadn't. We ordered drinks and 2 mains, 40 minutes later neither had arrived despite the waitress advising us they'd be out soon. We left. Seems like they have a major issue prioritising takeaway orders while sit-in patrons are made to wait. Visit the Ayr cafe instead.

Food not as good as previous visit but interesting menu. Cakes (especially the lemon meringue) made up for it though.

As always, very nice food and friendly, helpful staff. Friendly dogs allowed in so even better.

We usually go to GRO Ayr, so decided to try Irvine, and I wish we hadn't. The dining area is cramped, cold and noisy. Dogs are allowed to bark whenever they like despite there being a "3 Barks and you're out" rule, it was not enforced during our visit. You couldn't speak to each other over the cacophony of dogs barking and whining. Wait staff regularly clapping the dogs then handling drinks, cutlery, cakes etc without washing their hands. Cutlery was slammed down on the table in a little tin can which tipped over, the waitress had already flounced away to pet another dog. A 30-minute wait for food just isn't acceptable, especially when it comes out cold. The soft drinks are artisanal, hipster nonsense that at £4 a bottle tasted like they'd been retrieved from a riverbed. Overall it was overpriced, overhyped, and definitely more Instagram vs Reality than they'd like you to believe.

GRO, A very relaxing place to go

Food is always great, however always need to wait for a table but willing to, staff are very nice, sometimes find the tables to be a little cramped and quite loud inside but not a major issue

Good food and friendly atmosphere 👌

Absolutely love it here - we visit regularly with our nervous dog and the staff are always amazing with her and are so accomodating with finding us a quieter table. The food is also incredible!

Very, very disappointing. £9 for coffee and cake is appalling. I don't mind paying above average if the product is special but the coffee was weak and the cake was sickly sweet. There seems to be a philosophy at GRO where they'll charge a large sum for large portions but a huge substandard cake isn't better than a regular sized delicious product. I'm just back from Notting Hill and I didn't get fleeced for £9 for a coffee and cake. Unbelievable. Also, good manners aren't difficult when serving customers. Say please and thank you and don't throw cutlery on the table.

Good choice of food. Service good.

Extremely busy but the girl took my number and within 30 minutes we had a table. The menu is extensive,maybe too much but it's very,very good. The staff are most polite and helpful too.

Dined here this evening, having been here previously two weeks ago and had a lovely meal, drove all the way from Glasgow as we had such a wonderful meal and service. However today’s experience and service was very poor we waited over 30minutes for food to arrive and were very disappointed with overall service and food, as well as cold burger and chips and forgotten garlic bread which we were nearly charged for. Had no alcohol free beer and was left waiting considerable time for drinks. The restaurant wasn’t busy, two weeks previous it was packed and we had a quicker response with food coming out and better service.

Staff were nice, but lacked communication and were quite slow. We ordered cakes after our mains and after 20 mins we went up and said, the cakes were out on the plates but no one actually brought them to us! Food is pricy for what it is, definitely overrated. Had a great wee atmosphere and was quite comfy and chill. They were also very accommodating for dogs which was a great plus for us! I ordered the Steak Philly, it was not nice. One poached egg was hard and the other was still rawish (the white was uncooked), the avocado and Philly was like an inch thick and for me ruined it. Latte was really nice, mines was a bit cold but my wife’s was hot. It was a total mixed bag of an experience, hence the 3 stars. Would I go back…for coffee yes.

Love it here. Always a nice vibe. Staff helpful and polite. Food delish. Would recommend

Best food and coffee in scotland so far. Had a delicious brunch. The cakes were tempting too. Nice setting with a great outdoor area as well.

Dog friendly. Plenty of parking nearby.

First time trying GRO in Irvine. As always it’s got such a cosy vibe. I ordered the bloomer with avocado and poached eggs then added a side of halloumi which cost me an extra £4. So I found that overly expensive. The food was lovely and fresh. They didn’t add any seasoning to the smashed avocado though so I found the dish pretty plain tbh. No pepper, no chilli flakes or lime etc so I was a little disappointed with the flavour. I also ordered the Bueno brownie. The middle was very cakey, whereas the rest was more gooey and brownie like. The bueno on the top was stale even though we went super early In the morning. I thought it was good but not amazing. Service was hit and miss too. Trying to get the attention of the waitresses was a nightmare. This place is also dog friendly which is a massive win! They have a doggie menu which is cute.

Wouldn’t recommend. Slow service and unhelpful staff(the people at the 3 tables next to us were also unimpressed) Food is very overhyped and overpriced for what it is. Waited about an hour and a half for our food in total.

Lucky to get a table as it is very busy. Try to get a table away from the door as its non stop! The food was a bit late but plenty of it and quite nice so overall a good place to try out.

My wife and myself visited on Sunday 24th March 2024 , we had our grandchildren with us we waited 15 minutes to be served ,another 45 minutes for our food , when our food arrived it was Lukewarm,a roll we ordered had no butter , not good enough no matter how busy they are

Visited Gro today, we were greeted by the server as we entered to be informed that there would be no tables for 20 minutes however we sat outside in the car and clearly seen folk get seated after us, to be honest the server that greeted us was rather incompetent and should’ve at least told us to wait indoors or take a name at the minimal. We ended up getting two doughnuts and two coffees to go, the person at the register was lovely the rating on service does not reflect her at all. The doughnuts were good. The coffee is nice too nothing special. I wouldn’t go back personally as we drove from Glasgow to visit bypassing much better cafes on the way.

As always, super busy and noisy incl loud music.