Cruize Bar Brasserie — Restaurant in Scotland

We visited Cruize Bar and Brasserie at the Auchrannie Resort on 28/08/25 with friends who were spending their final night with us on the Isle of Arran. We hadn’t booked a table, as in previous visits this was never necessary and there were usually plenty of seats available. This was again the case on the evening, yet when we were approached by the greeter the first words we heard were not a friendly welcome but rather, “Do you have a reservation?” While I understand this is standard practice for many restaurants, it felt uninviting and set the wrong tone for what should have been a warm experience. Even my friends immediately commented that it gave off a “you’re not welcome” impression. When I replied, “No, we don’t, is that okay?” the gentleman simply said, “Oh,” before leading us to a table. The interaction was fine in essence, but it felt cold unexpected for one of the island’s premier dining spots.

Menus were provided, and after a bit of a wait, our drinks order was taken and served promptly. Soon after, we placed our food orders. Starters arrived roughly 25 minutes later, during which time we noticed other tables being seated and served more quickly. Three of us ordered the haggis nachos, while one chose the pork tacos. The tacos were excellent well presented, full of flavour, and described as a “new favourite.” Unfortunately, the nachos, usually a reliable choice, were disappointing this time. The cheese had cooled and congealed, the corn chips were somewhat stale, and the dish was lukewarm overall, though still tasty enough to finish.

Once our starters were cleared, we waited around 40 minutes for the mains. The delay was long, but we enjoyed chatting and soaking up the atmosphere. When the dishes did arrive, two burgers, a lasagne, and chicken fajitas, we were pleased. Portions were generous, the presentation was good, and everything was piping hot. Everyone enjoyed their meals, and the value was fair for the quality.

Where the service faltered again was in drink refills. Our water and original drinks ran out, and though we tried to get the attention of passing waiters, we were unsuccessful and eventually gave up asking. By the time mains were finished, we were too full for dessert, so we asked for the bill. The waiter who brought it seemed less than happy about us splitting it between us. Despite us working out the amounts ourselves, the eye-rolling felt unnecessary and detracted from the experience.

Cruize Bar and Brasserie still serves good-quality food in a lively, welcoming setting, and the mains in particular were excellent. However, the overall service left something to be desired, with slow timings, missed opportunities for attentive hospitality, and a lack of warmth in customer interaction. For a restaurant of Auchrannie’s standing, expectations are understandably higher, and while the food made up for many of the shortcomings, the service didn’t...

This restaurant is in the Auchrannie resort, alongside the excellent Brambles and eighteen69.

Unfortunately, it’s a bit below the standard of its neighbours. The food was good, nothing to write home about, but equally no complaints.

However the atmosphere and service let it down when viewed alongside Brambles. Indeed this almost feels like where the staff that weren’t quite good enough to serve in Brambles ended up.

One or two of the staff looked like they had no interest at all in being there, there was a couple of miscommunications about orders, indeed even when booking and asking for a table for two, them reading that back to us, and then giving us a time etc, the last question was “and how many for?” … two. It’s a little thing but just exemplifies the inattentiveness you experience in the restaurant itself. The general lack of professionalism extended to the staff yelling at each other to get another’s attention etc - you maybe expect this at a fast food outlet or Wetherspoons, but not a resort like Auchrannie.

The atmosphere as well is disappointing, at almost 9pm it’s still full of noisy children (I appreciate this is the “family” offering on the resort, but I expected later in the day it to be quieter, or the team to seat family groups and individual adults / couples further part where possible, but they didn’t) - the decor is disturbed by glarey LCD advertising screens promoting the resort’s other brands (and indeed carrying advertising for Cruize - the very restaurant we’re already sitting in, and eighteen69 - which was closed for months at the time of writing)

Maybe in the quieter season it’s better, but in future summer visits we’ll be sticking to Brambles - second to none around this area of the island - for great food, attentive professional service, and a warm and welcoming atmosphere...

Amazing restaurant. Food cooked, as expected, to a very high standard consistently. My wife, child and myself were treated to excellent dishes picking different things across 2 different evenings. Service was prompt, efficient and very friendly with our wee family group made to feel welcome at every sitting. Staying in Auchenrannie so was the obvious choice if not picking other Arran eateries but glad we chose this one 😀. Sirloin steak tonight was cooked slightly over for a med rare but the meat was so succulent it could be forgiven a few extra seconds in the pan. It was fantastic. The risotto I had the previous visit was superb in every effort. Rice was soft and succulent with perfectly cooked fish, and salted just to my taste (very lightly). Would look forward to returning if we...