The Ship in North Ayrshire

We were down introducing our pup to the beach and after a cold and blustery walk we were looking for somewhere to heat our toes. A quick search on a Facebook dog friendly group and The Ship popped up. Perfect! They have little snugs set up with clips for dog leash, cosy bed, water bowls and a full pup menu including a roast! Just some drinks and snacks for us this time around. However we were so impressed by the cleanliness, attention to detail and dog friendly snug that we will be heading back soon for a meal with family.

Fantastic breakfast. We had the ‘big wan,’ and it was delicious. Service from the team was outstanding and Lexie was attentive and couldn’t do enough for us. Thank you , we will definitely be back!

My wife, me and Archie (our dog) were down Irvine harbourside and decided to go for something to eat. We saw the dog friendly sign outside the Ship and decided that'll do us. I have to say, the place was spotless. A friendly young lass showed us to our seats and brought us the menus. My wife and me opted for Italian. Archie had a bowl of chicken. We both agreed the meal was outstanding. No complaints from Archie either. Spotless restaurant - friendly staff - outstanding food and a great restaurant to take your dog.

We recently moved to Irvine and this is our new favourite place. We regularly meet up with our grown up kids and their dogs for dinner. Food is always fantastic and the service is second to none. Our server last night 21/9/24 (tall guy with hair in a ponytail) was particularly fab and very funny. Hubby never usually orders fish when we go out to eat as we are a family of butchers but he’s had the fish and chips our last 3 visits. It’s fantastic that we can bring the dogs with us after a walk at the beach park and you never feel like they are an inconvenience. Steak pie is lovely and the “Wee Wan” is such a good size. Everyone is so pleasant and this is a fab location. Can’t wait for our next visit, thanks once again for being so welcoming

We visited Friday for the fact not only did The Ship win Scottish bar and pub award 2024 but Dog friendly pub of the year too and also had Gluten Free choices on the menu. Firstly the inside decor gives vibes of the Nautical/ Historical and has wee nooks and crannies to be seated in with your dog. Separate bar/lounge is cracking too as is outside area with lovely booths to keep off the chill. Lovely relaxed atmosphere and the service from the team was brilliant. Dog mats/ beds and water bowls at side of table ensures your furry friend stays comfortable while you tuck into an incredible meal. Mac cheese came with garlic bread and fries and Mrs T enjoyed every bite. Myself and the mother-in-law opted for fish, chips, mushy peas and the best tartar sauce ever ( home made I believe) and that all comes gluten free as standard and we added gf onion rings. Tasty. Even comes with separate bottle of GF vinegar so absolutely no cross contamination or worry if your a Celiac which I am. Washed down with a pint of cider, vino a couple of coffees we all had a magic meal. Leaving the pub stuffed we agreed we shall return. I for one can’t wait. 10/10

We visited the ship on Saturday with family just by chance it was very welcoming and friendly staff and the food was excellent we did notice that it was dog friendly but to our amazement we didn’t realise how friendly a dog sat on a dining chair drinking a pupachino from the table 🤮 sorry will not be returned

Last minute decision after a long walk at nearby beach with dogs. Managed to get a table for 2. Very dog friendly. Food was amazing. Presentation perfect. Service was to a very high standard. Millie was extremely polite & friendly. Cleanliness of restaurant,toilets and outside area was spotless. Will be returning very soon with my dog and will be recommending to friends & family.

Absolutely fabulous little inn for good quality reasonable food. Try it, you won’t nave dissapointed! Well run place.

Very disappointed, my husband ordered the steak pie, the pastry was limp, the gravy inside was watery oxo and there was only 4 pieces of diced meat. I had the chicken in pastry. It was over cooked, the mashed potatoes are the instant variety not real potatoes mashed. I objected to the 10% service charge, if I wanted to tip I would, I object to being forced. The staff were very nice but I was still chewing my last mouthful of food when my plate was taken away. Disappointed at paying £47 for two main meals and two drinks, not value for money at all.

Got 2 large steak pie 2 cans of juice £47 . Food was good but the price was very expensive . Plus they automatically added a graduity tip of £4.32. . Disappointed as I prefer to tip if I want. Probably won't be back as there prices on menu were bit over the top . Good service

Last minute decision to eat out and we certainly were not disappointed. Venue is beautiful. Food was cooked to perfection. All 3 courses. Service was so welcoming. Shout out to Millie who was extremely polite & helpful. Will be returning soon. 10/10

This was our second visit to The Ship. The last time we can't fault the food and the staff. Based on this we returned (for the last time won't be back) Once again the staff were very good but the food was so bad I felt my burger had been marinated in a bucket of salt for a year. The lasagna my wife got was so bad she only took two spoonful's. With lumpy mince and the cooks favorite flavoring salt (dish was tasteless ) we thought it had black pudding at the bottom of the dish but it was burnt black. The dish was sent back and we didn't get charged for the wrongly named dish "Lasagna" it was not. Can't fault the staff but the Cook either had a bad day or his taste buds need sorted. As you can tell from the review I'm not a happy spoilt our day won't be back.

My Husband and I with our 2 dogs had a lovely lunch hear today we sat in one of the pods outside. We thoroughly enjoyed the food we ordered and found all the staff very helpful. We would definitely return when visiting irvine again.

Our 2nd and last visit to the ship inn, first time a few months ago the food was exceptional today it was almost inedible, same wonderful staff but a very limited lunch menu not exciting at all unlike last time. I had the braised lamb shank with sauté potatoes roasted veg and a red wine jus, the lamb was tough, stringy and tasteless whereas it should fall off the bone and there was no mint sauce available the sauté potatoes were chips cut as rounds, the roasted vegetables had never been near a roasting pan, no nice caramelisation and rich flavours just anemic tastelessness bits of hard uncooked veg even though I had requested mine to be cooked until soft and if the red wine jus had ever seen red wine it would have been through the bottle the word bistro gravy springs to mind my partner had the chicken supreme, what a weird concoction this was, chicken fillet stuffed with cream cheese and garlic wrapped in pastry of some description and a very sweet odd tasting orange jus along with the same uncooked vegetables We gave feedback to the kitchen to be told by the waitress they had acknowledged our comments and would make sure next time it would be better - there won’t be a next time The staff were friendly and efficient and in view of our comments did not charge us for our drinks however that doesn’t make up for a totaly disastrous lunch out

Absolutely delicious food, great atmosphere. Very friendly service too and a good menu. We will be back soon and would recommend it to friends and family.

Ordered 3 cheese macaroni my wife opted for a sandwich the mac cheese was very bland bone dry .I think 2 of the cheeses were away on holiday it was obviously micro waved as it was so dry my wife’s sandwich was over priced Too the service charge was the last straw it was pointed out after I paid .cash only restaurant this visit is a one off won’t return will inform friends and family To avoid this restaurant

Extremely disappointed with both the service and the meal. Very sullen waitress presented us with the specials menu after we had decided from the main menu. The place was very cold and most diners were sitting with coats on including our party. We had chosen fish and chips and the meal arrived and it didn't look appetising in the least. The chips were pale and limp and the fish was covered in a very greasy batter with not a lot of fish. Would have appreciated the peas and tartar sause in small individual dishes instead of just pored on the plate.. Waitress never asked if we required the menu for a sweet. Not worth the money spent and won't be back.

Does not take cash, will not use again, no hot water in toilets, broken heating and no fire on, would go to harbour lights or niche instead

Amazingly delicious fresh cooked food with the finest ingredients, so tasty and with excellent service too. A local family business that deserves more support in these very difficult economic times! I had the chicken & haggis pie - a proper pie with lots of filling, lots of pastry and great crunchy veg with mash. Mum had the lamb shank - enormous and cooked to perfection. Desserts also delicious and inventive - my cheesecake was gorgeous.

Went for lunch with my son and got a table straight away. Food was nice but so disappointed to have a service charge of 10% on to the bill. Won’t return due to this. I’m have no problem tipping for good service but not to be added to the bill

We haven't been to The Ship Inn since before covid, and thought we'd give it a try again yesterday as it kind of fell off our radar....WOW we had an amazing lunch with the largest Wee Wan steak pie we've ever had!....food was amazing, staff were so nice and helpful and the atmosphere was very friendly and relaxed.....a great price for a lovely experience and we'll definitely be back very soon!....and if you haven't tried the Ship Inn yet, I'd highly recommend you do as you'll not be disappointed :)

We went a few weeks ago and what we had was lovely. Went today again (not good). My fish had hard crispy batter of there was more than the fish, my partner had a lamb shank which was tough. We got 1 beer 1 soft drink and we were £49. Not as good as it used to be n not value for money.

We sat at the huts with two dogs, the staff was very helpful, the food was lovely didn't have to wait long and the portions was huge, the vegetables was cooked to perfection and was very tasty, the service was good, desserts was brilliant, I went in to pay and the guy said that it was there first day having the huts available and that they wished they could of done more but they was very short staffed, if there service is that good when short staffed then must say it all about the place when it has more, it was pretty pricey however happy to pay for good quality food and decent size portions. Lots of people queuing for the dog friendly part of the pub so best to book ahead but it is first come first serve for outside seating.

Went on a Sunday afternoon after 2pm. It was busy which as someone who worked in the Ship a long time ago was nice to see. That was there the pleasantries ended. We were just looking for a light bite. 4 of us had 1 Cullen Skink, 1 kids nuggets and a main course macaroni. 2 coffees and 1 coke and we were nearly £40. I was horrified. The chicken nuggets weren’t even home made, shop bought is not what I would expect with the steep price. The service wasn’t much better, I can only assume someone who works in the place was at a table next to us, service couldn’t have been better for them, they even sat down after us and ordered before us! Staff walked past us several times to see to them. All in all, we won’t be back, appreciate times are tough for hospitality however we should still expect quality which the Ship doesn’t have anymore!

Slower than molasses for service, tiny cups, lukewarm coffee, chill crab cake really heavy on chilli/pepper. Salad with crab cakes mediocre at best couldn't really taste much because of aforementioned chill pepper.... Partner had small steak pie, it was piping hot that was the best thing about it... lovely smell of sewage, thought it was the sea at first but when we went outside there was no rotten smell. Such a pity as this place used to be really decent, no wonder the place was empty where once it used to be full of doggie lovers we were the only two yet service was so so slow. Wasn't charged for crab cakes as didn't take more than two bites. I can see why they impose service charge otherwise there would be much less tip! Won't be back.

First time in since the revamp to this welcoming cosy restaurant. The staff are welcoming and the food (both meat and plant based) is fantastic. They provide a good range of beers and wines too. Wish we didn't stay so close though as I'm going to get very fat very quickly. 😂🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺🌎

First time back at The Ship since it re-opened and it didn't disappoint. Loving the new decor, the Chesterfield sofas and parquet flooring but it still had that warm fuzzy feeling. Hubbie had the Ship Supreme an old favourite but better and I had the tomato Tarte with salad and fries we even managed sticky toffee pudding and a brownie sundae. Great to have you back and great to be back xx

Friendly staff + chatty locals + good beer + great food = spot on. Will definitely visit & eat there again next time we’re in the area.

Spent a delightful hour and a half in The Ship Inn taking lunch with my wife. Great service, friendly staff, a warm, welcoming atmosphere, and excellent food. After eating, the waiter suggested we finish our drinks in the bar area beside the fire. What a...

Great service, very friendly staff and got to meet thee owner who is passionate about his pub and gis customers. The coffee was fab too and an amazing location

It has been a very long awaited return of The Ship (inn)... Such fond memories of many amazing meals had in Irvine's oldest pub. 18.30 reservation for 2, we arrived and were seated straight away. Walking through there's evidence of a fair bit of work...