The Niche Restuarant in North Ayrshire

Great food, lovely attentive staff too. Good atmosphere in the restaurant. Happy with my trip today

Lovely food, a little bit expensive x

Surprisingly, I've already given Niche a glowing five-star review in the past (because let's face it, they're just that good)... but apparently, that wasn't enough to satisfy the masses? So here I am, back at it again with another review. Let's talk stars - they're well-deserved, considering the line of people they have to turn away on the daily! 🤭😲 Yes, it's always bustling, and yes, you'd be wise to make a reservation (if you can manage it). I mean, even weans have smartphones these days, so there's really no excuse not to call ahead and secure a table. It's just a quick phone call, people. Now, onto the food... honestly, I haven't found a single thing to gripe about yet. OK, there might be a bit of a wait, but that's because everything is made fresh (and you can even peek into the kitchen to watch the culinary magic happen). Despite its cozy size, Niche exudes an intimate vibe, even when it's packed to the brim. The staff? Top-notch - friendly, helpful, and just an all-around delight. So, what more can I say? The food is scrumptious, the venue is top-notch, and the staff are absolute gems. Catch you there, then? 😉 . . About the pictures, I have done them, and they were on the ‘other review’, so no, …. I was too busy tucking in to take some more.

Small family birthday dinner. Thoroughly enjoyed meal, very tasty and good sized portions. Staff attentive and chirpy. Will certainly be back perhaps to try lunch.

Great service, special mention to Holly and Alishea. Appreciate the gesture

Great staff good well made food in a renovated and extended premises. Table tops very rock but manageable Dogs now welcome, but only at the outside seats. I had the the small Niche breakfast and it was excellent

Lunch. Good varied choice on the menu prices reasonable. I chose the Teriyaki King Prawn £16.50. Good value with plenty of prawns, flavoursome and a healthy portion. My preference would have been a touch of spice (chilli) this would have enhanced the dish. My wife chose the burger a choice of French fries or hand cut chips. What a great idea hope other restraunts are reading this (doubt it) would anyone chose frozen French fries over hand cut chips!!!!! Slight disappointment the hand cut chips turned out to be more like wedges but still nice and a very generous portion. Service efficient, good value for money.

Great food, big portions, and friendly staff. I'll definitely be back.

Ordered the special which my friend and we both heard 2 steaks for £16. Not told what sort of steak. Went to pay and was told £60 . Also this special was highlighted by waitress and we both said that's a great deal for steak. Very disappointed as I used these premises on a regular basis and feel I've been totally let down. Don't think I'll be back again.

Good value breakfast in a nice setting. Irvine harbourside is a beautiful area.

A delightful place ...superb food and lovely staff..thank you

Fantastic place, with excellent food and service ❤️

Outstanding experience. Foned to book including pram, large table waiting for us. Nothing any trouble. Staff brilliant. Food incredible and excellent price too. Will be there on a regular basis. Thank you Niche, you are all fabulous 😊

We finally made it along to The Niche and it didn’t disappoint. I had the full vegan breakfast and my husband had the French toast and both were amazing. Our server Charlotte was lovely, too! Highly recommend, we will go back to try their lunch menu and epic sounding cocktails.

Previous review from five years ago was a 4 but returned a few weeks ago and it was a 1. The waitress who 'greeted' us made us feel like we were more of an annoyance because we hadn't booked a table - this is despite walk-ins being allowed. Given a table next to the door so had to keep our coats on as hit by the cold air everytime the main door opened and shut. The poached egg and toast I ordered was extortionate for what I was given. The bread looked like cheap Kingsmill toastie bread and poached eggs were hard. Would have had a nicer breakfast if I'd stayed home. Really disappointed as my previous visit had friendly servers and super tasty food.

Just had a lovely meal here. The staff have been exceptionally helpful and patient with my elderly mum (89yrs). The food was cooked to perfection, the portions were generous and we were even offered a box for the food mum couldn't manage. Thank you everyone for a fantastic experience. I will be back.

£13 for two takeaway brownies is ridiculous .Even West End coffee shops don’t charge this . There are several places in Harbour who do cakes and not one of them is charging £6.50 a cake .

Great food. Great atmosphere. Will be back.

Expensive for what we had .Went because the had great reviews .Note to self dont believe all you read

Myself and my partner went here for a big birthday dinner out. I can say it was memorable for my important big day as it was terribly memorable... I ordered fillet steak and my partner ordered fish, the steak was a thick cut piece of meat so I'm not a chef but I would not cook fish at the same time as the steak which clearly was the case as when the food, half and hour later came out the fish was a soggy mess with what looked like McDonald's fries. My steak which I don't like rare was still living in the middle as it was red raw.... also the plate was just floating in some kind of oil/ grease, NOT GOOD

Had afternoon tea yesterday. Unlike the negative review below, my review is the polar opposite. We had a great time. Lovely atmosphere and stunning presentation. Friendly staff. At £25.95 per person, I feel it was well worth it. My wife and I had a fantastic time and will be back again. Thank You!

Used to come here a lot, never again Afternoon tea for 4 people …. £104 absolute rip off advertising as tea for 2, then charging per person it was nice enough but certainly not worth anything like £25.99 each!

Visited on a Saturday evening when in full flow and plenty of friendly staff. Varied menu and very good quality of food. Would recommend this restaurant and be sure to book.

Had the macaroni last night and the sauce was full of flour . Really disappointed . Service was poor and the girl didn’t even ask if we enjoyed our meal when we finished and I hardly touched mine

The atmosphere is welcoming and relaxed, staff are absolutely lovely and the food is amazing, this is my favourite place to eat in this area and if you fancy a bit of desert the chocolate cake is super yummy!

Popped in for some coffee and had lunch instead. What a great I had the philly steak and loaded fries.. Cheese and Bacon. Loved them both. Mix of age groups and the place had a very nice feel. It was busy for a Wednesday lunchtime. I had apple caramel sponge....fantastic. The service was great and very attentive. Can see why it has won awards. Will be back,

Picked Niche because we were going to a tribute night at a hotel in Irvine and only booked as it was No1 on trip advisor. Best decision we made! Food was fabulous, cocktails were amazing the staff couldn't have been more helpful. If we lived closer to Irvine we would be here every weekend. Not one complaint from a group of 6 women - says it all surely!!!

Met up with friends here for lunch. Portions were large and food was lovely. Staff friendly and although busy service was quick. I would advise booking as this is a popular little Niche.

Attended niche yesterday with 12 friends for birthday celebration I cannot rate this place highly enough. Stef and her team went over and above to ensure we all , especially the birthday girl, had a fabulous afternoon. Food was superb and very reasonable. I would thoroughly reccomend for any celebrations , lunch with friends, date night venue or any excuse you can come up with for a lovely meal out Thanks again

Great food, friendly staff, quick service

Been here twice in the last couple of weeks, food excellent and staff very helpful would highly recommend.

Day out to visit maritime museum Irvine Fab day in niche! Cosy warm welcome from all staff Food delisciius Coffee perfect Nothing a bother Thank you to all Especially Chloe ! Be back soon

What a lovely meal we had tonight at Niche. Food was delicious. Staff were attentive - Alesha looked after us. But the Tunnocks traybake was def the highlight of our visit. Perfect end to the meal.

Their burgers are outstanding! Really well cooked, seasoned and a great selection to choose from. I’ve seen some people complain about the price, but what you get is a fresh 6oz Aberdeen Angus, and your choice of toppings. It’s a pretty standard price for a really good burger!

Mal & Chloe giving excellent service as do the entire team:) The atmosphere is very conducive to creative thinking and positive actions.

French toast out of this world and Mal’s service was fantastic. Thoroughly recommend, always. Thanks very much. Scott & Amy

Delicious food & attentive staff. The restaurant is super clean. Will be back the next time I visit Irvine.

Any restaurant is only as good as it's last meal. I've changed this review from 5 to a 1. It was chicken wings (salt is not a spice) and very poor fish and chips, apple caramel sponge, (no apple and dry sponge. Don't be complacent be consistent. Service a wee bit too cheeky/informal, some may like this.

Lovely French toast, tip to ad Cinnamon Good service from Nel a good relaxed atmosphere. We will certainly come back.

Great spot with lovely service from Mal(?). Very quick service and food was great too! The coffee was just how I like it! Thank you niche!

The Niche was the perfect place to go for a spot of lunch with my husband! We both had the haggis spring rolls for starters and haddock and chips for main which was delicious! Mal our waitress was friendly and attentive as were all the...

food and ice coffee was amazing, mal gave a lovely service and was very nice to me and my dad she was very talkative and friendly

My husband and I nipped along to The Niche for some lunch this afternoon. We were seated straight away in a really cosy spot which was much appreciated as it was freezing outside. We were served by Mal who was really friendly and went over...

Always enjoy coming here. Loads to offer and always really good food. Will be back again

After a recent visit Service was terrible and they cannot make coffee

Enjoyed food alot and had no issues at all, very lovely waitress, pretty decor, had no issues ordering food for taking away even when dining in

My partner and I had our first date in Niche 4 years ago and have been coming back every year since. This year we had anniversary balloons and flowers on our table, which we didn’t request. Our desserts had “happy anniversary” written in chocolate and...

Brilliant breakfast, as good as you'll find anywhere. Nice atmosphere and great service.

Outstanding as always great food nice staff

We had a lovely dinner on New Year's Day - great to find the place open and the staff were very friendly. Service was prompt and food was excellent, cajun chicken with pasta and rice respectively.

The service was really poor… Only got asked if we wanted drinks upon arrival. Once we had our food which took around 30 minutes to arrive no one asked us how our meal was if we needed any refreshments etc. The “Salt and Chilli Chicken”...

Brilliant wee restaurant we found in Irvine

Eating here never 😞. The all round service is excellent. Staff are very attentive, food is just delicious and the decor is lovely.

Went for my birthday dinner and niche never disappoints! I ordered the haggis spring roll and a well deserved fillet steak as a birthday main. Not exaggerating, best steak I've ever had..most restaurants I find struggle to cook a rare and get the perfect amount of moisture, tender and blood. Niche, you got it spot on! Well done to the staff for amazing cocktails and service and well done to the talented chefs. Can't wait to be back on valentine's xx

Love The Niche. Staff and friendly and welcoming. Food is amazing, especially the teriyaki noodles . The cheesecakes are so good . It's my favourite place in Irvine. Food has always been 1st class.

First time eating here and all was great.

Works Christmas meal out. I am veggie so got to pick a la Carte. So so tasty and good portions. Very reasonable and beautifully decorated.

Guter Platz für ein reichhaltiges Frühstück.

Average food, wasn't bad, just nothing special. Certainly doesn't warrant the price tag. Service was good, and staff were friendly enough. Atmosphere was weird, felt like being in a portacabin with candles, the place was nearly empty, but it still felt cramped.

A bit slow on the service but altogether it was good.

We popped into the niche for breakfast as its been a while since we last visited. It's looking a lot better since the refurbishment and the menu is alot better too. We had the French toast and biscoff pancakes, which were all delicious. It's definitely...

I don’t usually leave reviews but this place deserves it. A table of two, two mains, two sauces, one side and two drinks, close to £60. Fine happy to pay that for good food which this place is meant to be. Restaurants small and cosy,...

Fantastic breakfast...the Vegan Sausages are amazing! Coffees were fantastic too. Staff were very friendly and we didn't feel rushed in picking what we wanted for breakfast

Food was lovely, plenty to choose from. Service was very good, was served by Hollie, who was very friendly and took time to make sure we had everything.

I highly recommend the sticky sesame cauliflower! Their burgers are the best burgers I've ever eaten! I got some kind of pasta, I don't remember the name of it...it had linguine type noodles, shrimp, red peppers....it was amazing! Oh and the strawberry daiquiri was delish as well.

Good food and not at exorbitant prices. Staff and service were top class

What a cracking wee place! We had an excellent evening meal here that we loved that much, we went back for breakfast the following morning. Excellent quality food with great portion size. Will definitely return again when visiting Irvine. Great job Niche team

Been here before no issues but this time my burger was disgusting. 2 cheap rubbery burgers with wilted salad on and cheap burger cheese. Skinny fries barely warm, under cooked and limp. Definitely not worth £16!!! Won't be returning.

Lovely food friendly staff excellent

Had a great time at Niche for my daughters birthday. Food and service were first class!

Lovely food. Finally managed to come on 2 for 1 Tuesday. We really enjoyed our burgers.

5 of us went for our daughters 17th birthday, service exceptional, food delicious and plenty of choice. Burgers are amazing. Huge thanks to the team who sang happy birthday to my daughter and gave her a brownie with a sparkling candle. It really made her...

Wee day out in my hometown not been for years loved it

Lovely place, staff very friendly, excellent portion sizes, lovely hot food. Service was quick. Excellent food presentation. The taste was amazing! Brilliant choices! Defenetly worth a visit. We'll done ✔️

First time there, amazing food, great portions, mallteaser cheese 🧀 epic,thanks for the girls for being patient while picking, keep the good work going, will definitely be back, well done. 👍

Overpriced not a great atmosphere its ok but not for me

Love The Niche, called in not last but Tuesday before, with my son, for a quick bite to eat. We'd been at Irvine Beach, walking the dog, and wasn't expecting it to be so busy. Therefore highly recommend you pre-book especially on a Tuesday, as no tables available to dine in, and no take away available either, due to the high demand for their Tuesday special offer on burgers. I was in a local shop in Irvine the other day, and a girl in their was saying she had the same issue last Tuesday. Highly recommend, but advise you pre-book to avoid disappointment.

This is simply the best place for a Breakfast, the service is first class, the breakfast is freshly made with quality ingredients, and the guys in the kitchen present it beautifully, if I can say that about a breakfast, we’ll done Niche

Sehr schönes Restaurant mit guter vielseitiger Karte, tollem freundlichem Service und schönem modernen Ambiente. Ich war durch Zufall dorthin geraten und dann 4 Mal dort zum Dinner. Immer was Anderes gegessen und jedesmal begeistert... Ihr habt mir meinen Urlaub versüßt...

Music was so loud the waitress misheard my order and brought me the wrong dish. Also because the music was overly load all customers were having to shout to have a conversation. Not a restaurant feel at all

I came to The Niche as part of a booking for 7 people to celebrate my 26th birthday. I have recently moved to Irvine and this was the first time I got to show off the local restaurants to my parents and I was chuffed to bits with the experience we all received. Our table was perfect for us and we were all made to feel very comfortable. The food was utterly faultless; absolutely piping hot and everyone’s individual order was perfect. I had the salt and chilli bao buns and I think it was genuinely one of the best meals out I have ever had. I suspect I will become a regular just for this. The staff very kindly also surprised me with dessert and a most impressive sparkler to mark my birthday which was most kind indeed and was the cherry on top of a fab evening. I cannot wait to find an excuse to return as soon as possible.

I found my first experience just fab, with the food,delicious with service and atmosphere to match. My advice is to book your table before arriving as I witnessed a lot of people being turned away, unfortunately !

Was in yesterday had the steak wraps were delicious. The cheesecake also yummy. I would thoroughly recommend this place

Popped in for a morning coffee and scone. Would recommend both. Staff are great and service was quick. Well done!

A nice cosy spot with phenomenal food and a fine selection of drink and cocktails!! Service is top notch!!

Loved the Bao buns .. super spicy

Great food, good service and a nice atmosphere.

Fantastic service friendly staff and will definitely be back.

Hadn't booked but they fitted six of us in for lunch, both food and service was excellent, will definitely be back again 🥰

Everything amazing!! Repeat customer so that says it all xx

The niche is amazing, staff are lovely and food is delicious. Definitely recommend❤️

Good food, excellent service! Value for money. Love it definitely we be back.

Outstanding restaurant with great service and huge portions! :)

Amazing food, lovely drinks, super friendly staff and just a great experience overall :)

Fantastisch gastvrij onthaald en heerlijk gegeten. Restaurant heeft heerlijke gerechten op de kaart, zeker ook vegetariër/veganist vriendelijk. Super aardig personeel, ontspannen sfeer. We hebben genoten!

Absolutely amazing place for breakfast, such a lovely vibe! Great staff, music and atmosphere. Thankyou xx

The staff were very accommodating for us, would highly recommend.

Had a lovely lunch with some friends today the food was delicious the service was excellent and Jamie was amazing so polite and friendly will definitely be back and recommend to others Thank you 🤩

Food was really nice. I had the Cajun chicken with curry sauce and it was nice and spicy. The only downside was some of the pricing is too dear. £20 for burger and loaded chips is crazy

Take away order. Tasty food. Big portions. Friendly and efficient service.