Puffers cafe in North Ayrshire

Wasn’t what we were expecting. Looking at past reviews and photos we were expecting a little cafe selling toasties, chips etc. we have never been before so had a look on trip advisor. when we walked in it had more of a restaurant feel and had clearly revamped from previous reviews/photos. The restaurant was lovely. Good atmosphere and friendly staff. My two boys had the kids meals. Chicken nuggets & Pizza. They eat the lot so must have been good. My husband ordered a honey chilli burger and a side of nachos. He said he would definitely recommend the honey chilli burger. I had the fully loaded honey chilli fries. There was plenty of chicken in with the fries and the sauce was delicious. I would definitely recommend it! Over all we had a great experience. We will definitely be back!

Everything from food to service to cleanliness was brilliant. Have been here multiple times, never once was I or my family let down.

A family favourite - we had our family lunch here for five adults and four under six...excellent position overlooking the estuary, excellent choice of food for all, and welcoming staff...a joy to visit...!!

Popular wee cafe with a great outlook across the water. Food is always delicious and in good portions. Only downside is the corridor to the toilets are quite open to the elements. Can be a bit breezy without your jacket on.

Lovely eatery with fantastic views. Well worth a visit

First visit made on Friday 15th March 2025 , definitely won’t be our last

Absolutely delicious food, amazing, kind and friendly staff, lovely place, definitely high recommended

Very good food, great service, recommend

Just love the views. Service fantastic and staff are great.

What do you get your mum for her 86th birthday she doesn’t need or want anything it’s all about memories at that age so we would like to thank all the staff for making her birthday lunch really special. They decorated her table and sang happy birthday to her when bringing her dessert out with birthday candles. She had a lovely afternoon. We would recommend Puffers’s it’s very spacious for mum to get in and out of her chair and the food was warm and delicious. A big thank you again to all the staff xx

Lovely cafe. Clean and great views. Coffee was very nice and the toasted fruit scone was great. Friendly staff. Nice wonder through the gift shop on the way out.

Great place to visit staff happy and friendly lovely view food is well presented and tasty

Great little find with a vast and varied menu and amazing team who were very accommodating to our large group. We sat outside as we had a dog with us and there was space for the little ones to move around and explore. Good food, amazing price and very happy and helpful staff. We will be back soon.

Three of us had a really nice breakfast. Very well priced. Good menu. Great service. Nice food,good quality,well presented. Nice place with sea views. Will return soon.

Large selection of freshly made cakes and food coming out all looked good. I had a scone which was a tad disappointing as not as homemade looking as all the others and too dense but my husband loved his cake and the large fresh coffee was what we needed after the museum. Really nice staff. Lovely view too.

My husband and I visited today for a meal. The tables at the window side were unoccupied so we asked to be seated there to look at the view and the waitress told us the only table available was at the bottom of the cafe with the blinds closed as she still had to clear the window table we requested ( there was only 2 glasses left on it) we said we were happy to wait but she demanded we walk back out into the shop next door and wait till she had cleared the table for us. At 77 years old I did not appreciate being treated like that, having to walk out of the cafe and hang about a shop so we left. I would like to know if this is the usual procedure

Expect the unexpected, lovely food rude counter staff, lady was arrogant and clearly didn’t want to be there maybe they should employ people with better attitudes.

Came in for a breakfast. Most of the items had been deep fried or sitting for a long time. Bacon rock solid. Quality of the meat on the full breakfast very average. Eggs were overcooked. Poached eggs and toast were overcooked and not hot. Will not be back I’m afraid.

Lovely cafe with nice view, really good food and friendly staff. Kid friendly: highchair, kids cutlery,kids menu and baby changing area.

Great food, very efficient service and great views (even an otter).

Good food reasonable prices pleasant atmosphere

One of our favourite places to go however not in winter. The place is very cold and the people around our table all commented the same. There should be hot blowers above each entrance. Also while there with my disabled mother the disabled toilet is broken and seat not attached properly. The place is 85% great finish it off with a little more thought for patrons

What a difference to the place. It has all been refurbished and looking good, especially with all the Christmas decorations up. Just had tea and a scone, which was good.

Nice cafe on the waters edge with attached gift shop. Good menu with adequate choices, and there were plenty of cakes to indulge in as well as desserts.

Too high in price for what it is. Didn't stay

So love this place staff are so lovely very civil and relaxed great view to arran!

Have dined here a lot over the years and would highly recommend Puffers to all friends and family. Excellent value for money, tasty food and super service. Warm and welcoming and lovely setting.

It was a dull, damp day when we arrived for lunch with our friends. A warm welcome awaited us. Spotlessly clean venue. Excellent food. Brillliant Service. Can highly recommend

Came in, sat down, table service, couldn't attract the attention of any of the waitresses, after 15 mins went to the counter, was told it was table service only and someone would be with me shortly. 12 mins later a waitress took my order, a soup cheese toasty combo, tea, which I got 17 mins later minus cutlery, I had to go and ask for it. When finished I went to pay, was told £15.80, I asked if she had made a mistake and was told that's the price. Soup, sandwich combo on the menu just under £7, no soup toasty combo. Fair enough another pound or two to toast it, but nearly double, I won't be back

First time in. Will be back. Good old fashioned food. Sensibly priced. Great shop by the way.

New menu, slightly more expensive.

Excellent meals and service, a pleasant surprise as I never knew they had such a lovely variety of food on the menu. I thought it was only a small cafe. Will definitely be going there again.

Food is a bit pricey although well prepared and delicious. Service is 1st class and when they noticed I am disabled they did their best to help me. lovely view of the harbour.

Delicious food and a great selection, something to please everyone. Fantastic service and lovely views across the water. Definitely recommend.

Great place for a bit of lunch or a latè and cake

Very busy when we arrived. Prices reasonable. We were under pressure of time so didn't manage to eat but pleasant surroundings and very nice girl who served us.

Regular spot for a coffee when cycling. And those views

Been here a few times now always beautiful food .hot well prepared and staff very nice and helpful.

We visited on our way to the maratime museum. The staff seated us quickly and gave us a table with plenty of space to keep his walking frame out of the way. My brother had the breakfast it was nicely presented and he thoroughly enjoyed it. I had the days special sea bass with teriyaki noodles it was perfectly cooked and delicious. All together a delightful experience.

Fab location and food. We chose this cafe due to the location to our rented accommodation. Great choice of breakfast options at a reasonable price. Service was good and food great

Great place for food excellent location!

Nice little Cafe with lovely views of the sea/harbour at Irvine. If you want a window table it's best to book

Great place for food, coffee great. set on the harbour wall, great views across the estuary.

Cute little cafe that you access through the Maritime Museum gift shop. It has great views of the harbour front and even better if you can get a window seat. We were there as a large family and ordered, fish and chips, rice bowls and burgers. The food was just average, nothing to say "yum" about. The service was underwhelming. Drinks were delivered but after that the service was slow. We had to wait awhile for our food and nobody checked back in afterwards to see how it was. It took awhile for the servers to recognize that our plates needed clearing and one was even standing by cleaning cutlery. This cafe has potential to be wonderful but they need to focus on their flavour profiles and service.

What an amazing experience, the staff were great and very knowledgeable about the food and all fresh made, as for the food itself it’s outstanding, had the Loaded Naan with Thai Red Curry and I’ve got to say I’ve never tasted anything so good, even the desserts are delicious, the position sizes are great and well worth it, a definite 5* place to eat all day long.

Service was good, location is nice, but the food is terrible.

Decent food at great prices in a nice roomy venue with good views. Will be back.

Excellent quayside restaurant with great views. We had Coffee and a selection of cakes which were delicious.Staff are very friendly and helpful and evrn gave us a good venue recommendation for dinner at night.really comfortable and bright restaurant atmosphere.

Great meal, lovely views, and friendly staff. Would highly recommend Puffers.

Asked for a scone...got a processed toasted teacake?

Great views, good service and food. Can be noisy tho (so reduced atmosphere score). Staff very attentive

I have eaten here on several occasions and the food is always good . Specials are on offer and are varied . Well worth trying . Coffee is also good and for me that is a big plus. Staff also friendly and faces are remembered. Nice touch ! It does get busy but is not overly loud like other places . Thanks to all .

A wee gem I'll certainly visit again. We went for a spot of lunch whilst visiting the nearby museum, 5 mins away. It was a busy Saturday afternoon, but after a very short wait our party of 5 were accommodated and orders taken. Every dish that passed us looked fantastic, but I ordered the Puffer burger which was outstanding. Double burgers, bacon, cheese, jalapenos, special sauce, and absolutely one of the tastiest burgers I've ever had. My wife enjoyed the Vegan veg rice bowl , and my 7 year old son loved his lentil soup and bread. Great service, and I'll be back to try the yummy looking cakes ☺️

We stumbled across this fabulous eatery on a day out at Irvine beach. The staff were SO lovely. They made us so welcome. We ordered macaroni cheese with garlic bread and a Puffers special wrap. Both were delicious. A bonus - it overlooks the river. Will definitely be back and would recommend 100%

Went for breakfast and was really impressed. Had the Puffer's breakfast and it was great. Good coffee and well cooked food. I recommend it strongly. Great panoramic views.

Amazing place staff amazing food fantastic 1st time there yesterday and omg I would back again 😋 😍 xxx

First visit, friendly, excellent food and choice. Busy but we weren't rushed, will return.

Great friendly place. Food is delicious and the staff are very helpful. X

Assisted seating fair menu served quickly

Revisited Puffers Cafe, 6 months since our last visit. Found the food and service to be still excellent with a varied menu. A particular delight are the fresh cakes, apparently some made by Puffers and some bought in locally. If you book a table in advance you might be lucky enough to get one next to the windows with a view of the harbour. Will certainly return when next in the locality. A good idea to check opening times before you go - they seem to be tied in with those of the Maritime Museum.

Place was busy, but the head waitress took our phone number and phoned us back very quickly when a table was available. This allowed us to carry on viewing the exhibits and the shop at the Maritime museum.

lovely coffee and strawberry 🍓 tart...Magic

Excellent restaurant beautiful view good food, excellent staff.

Fantastic food and view. Definitely recommend. Best lunch in the area by far. Staff are very friendly and the lunch was great after a walk on the beach.

First class service very friendly staff and great atmosphere and the breakfast o boy so good thumbs up

Great breakfast. Excellent service and super staff.

Great little cafe associated with the Scottish Maritime Museum. Good range of food from breakfast to lunch or just a snack. Breakfast is excellent, haven't tried lunch yet. Good variety of delicious looking cakes (also not tried yet). Staff are super friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend a visit.

Lovely view across sea, nice hot chocolate, lovely Waverley boat creation and nice n clean. However something condescending about staff. Hard to explain. Passive aggressive? Used to regular customers ?? Tense atmosphere too. "Off". Visited once but would not go in a second time. I also don't know who that was taking payment (female) but customer service classes may be a good idea !! Always a pity that cafes don't pay attention to reviews - Word gets around and people reward them by never returning.

A further visit to the his establishment, always busy, food of a good standard. Staff friendly.

My brother and I visited Puffers Cafe today for breakfast and to be honest we were both disappointed with what we received both service and food. I had the Puffers breakfast and my brother had the three eggs cheese omelet. The breakfast was not up to the usual standard, the fried egg was rubbery and the bacon rasher was so hard it snapped, and the omelet was bland without any seasoning and there was supposed to be bacon and mushrooms but these must have been in short supply and the service was very poor as it was not busy when we went in but we had to wait about 30 minutes from ordering to receiving our food,and we had to ask the waiting staff when we were going to get our breakfast. Overall it was a disappointing experience as we have been here before many times and we have never had any complaints before. We would be reluctant to go there again unless the usual high standards and attention to detail are restored.

First time in the Puffers cafe... amazing choice of menu, staff are lovely, excellent service and food was well worth its money... Will deffo be back to try more of the menu.

Tasty and very reasonably priced food. Stunning views if you get a chance to sit by the window! Family and pet friendly.

Ideal place for a coffee, snack or lunch, everything is first class and the staff are all helpful and cheery. Plus the harbour views are great 👍

Excellent view, excellent location, excellent lentil soup. Waverley bloomer o.m.g. Glad to see people talking and not on phone. No WiFi a bonus Waverley bloomer chicken mayo peppers cheese Cheese and ham toastie. Salad dressing omg 2 bowls of lentil soup 1 diet Coke 1 diet Fanta.

Food fantastic and the happy and helpful staff make it a must to visit,capped off with the lovely views over the water

Roll and slice, only filled half the roll.

The Puffers Cafe is part of, but apparently not run by, the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine. The Museum is located about half a mile west of the main shopping area. As you approach the Museum the main site is on the left of the road but Puffers is through a gate on the right. Access to the cafe is through a gift shop. The cafe itself is surprisingly large with view along one side over the harbour. You can probably sit outside of the weather is good enough. There is an excellent range of food on the menu, from snacks up to full sized hot meals, Service was prompt and friendly. If anyone from Puffers reads this the only drawback for me personally was the printed menu which is in a glossy plastic sleeve and printed in small italic lettering, This makes it almost impossible to read for someone with poor eyesight. Otherwise a good find and excellent experience.

If you visit Irvine you need to visit Puffers Cafe. Excellent food and service. This has to be the cleanest cafe I have ever visited. The staff are lovely and friendly and the food is spot on. I can't recommend it more highly. Keep up your high standards, much appreciated.

First visit to this cafe but it won't be my last, food was delicious all the family cleared their plates, the wait staff were all very friendly and helpful, prices also were reasonable.

Excellent cafe with large menu of great food Staff very helpful

Nice place, staff were helpful and the prices are quite reasonable.

I went with my gran and had a very lovely lunch, the cakes are great and they had a gluten free caramel apple cake that was amazing 🤩

Did not have a good experience here. Food took ages to arrive and it wasn't up to a good standard. It felt like we were sitting in a creche with small children running about everywhere. I didn't have any children with me so maybe that's why. I have heard great things about this place but sadly it wasn't for us.

Wonderful location. Spotless cafe. Efficient and friendly staff. Extensive menu and great quality food. Gluten free paradise! High recommend a visit to this cafe and shop.

Went in for our afternoon tea the woman was so helpful and the afternoon tea was absolutely beautiful and the even song happy birthday to my daughter just was the best day for her xxxx

This is a must visit! Food is great, staff are brill and the craic is spot on!

Great food and reasonable prices. Would go again Pleasant staff.

The food was awful. Poor quality frozen chips, scampi and garlic bread. I suspect my macaroni cheese was packet as I’d never tasted macaroni like it and it was inedible. No GF options. Shame as the museum is decent and cafe has views.

The staff got a bit lost when it was busy

Wonderful little restaurant / cafe with good reasonably priced food. Great views over the estuary and a small delightful maritime museum and shop. Easy parking and seemingly really popular. Fantastic service from the waitresses, especially Kimmie who mostly served us Recommend this establishment to anyone looking for a nice well located traditional cafe serving good traditional food

Good .seating outside in good weather its a shame the kellpies are no longer outside a good attraction for visitors

Really nice calm atmosphere lovely welcoming staff and food was delicious complements to the chef. Will definitely be back with family again.

I ordered a ham omelette, it came with cheese, they said they all come with cheese, it never said so on the menu, they then made me another ham omelette, but this time it came without the ham through it, just a pile of ham, dissapointed

A very good meal and friendly service.

Cakes are bought in and service is not the greatest. The woman was not very friendly. Wouldn't rush back

Lovely lunch today. Very clean restaurant. Staff very friendly 😄

I went here after my museum visit. Despite a rainy weekday, the cafe was bustling and I had difficulty in getting a table. So consider booking. Nice views over the firth. It has a good menu with a wide range of starters and mains. I had Nachos with chilli, which was very good. Staff were efficient and friendly. You pay at the till after you finish.

Had lunch with my wife at the Puffers Cafe at Irvine Harbourside. We had eaten there on a number of occasions before, but it looked like there had been a recent change to the decor and menu. As it was, the food was superb : we both went for toasted bloomer sandwiches (can thoroughly recommend the "Scottie" (haggis, lettuce, cheese and caramelised onion). The only slight niggle was that the restaurant was really busy and - while we were well looked after, in terms of getting seated at a table and having our initial order taken and delivered - there was no follow up. Even when we managed to ask for a cake and a coffee, it never arrived. As we looked around, it seemed that the focus was still on getting people seated and taking their initial order, but no more attention to the customers who were already eating and drinking. We ended up just paying and leaving, which was a bit of a shame as the weather was great, the views out the window were great, and the food and drinks were fantastic.

This has a great choice from a full breakfast to a filled roll of choice and everything in between. Local specialist butcher supplies cracking slice sausage and bacon - perfect for an early morning roll

We visited twice in 3 days for lunch here as it was so good the first time we wanted to go back. The staff here are so lovely, all are very friendly and it does make a difference when staff are all nice. Food choices are simply beautiful. Even the simple sandwiches are gorgeous, lots of choices and everything is very fresh. All the cooked options we saw were very tempting and desserts looked amazing. Also everything is very well priced for what you get. Thoroughly recommend trying The Puffer if you haven`t already been, it is a little hidden gem in Irvine.