Nightlife in Ayr

If it’s a traditional Scottish pub you’re after, you’ll find few better than the Twa Dugs. Named after a Robert Burns poem from 1789, the Killoch Place pub is best known for its amazing selection of hard to find whiskies and cask ales, as well as their traditional Scottish music nights which will have you high kicking well into the next morning.

Another traditional Scottish pub, the Tam O’Shanter Inn is a quiet, laid-back thatched roof pub with a small beer garden. One of the oldest pubs in Ayr, they do a decent range of pub grub, several guest ales, regular live music and open mic nights.

Just off Newmarket Street, Wee Windaes is a no-frills pub that relies on its atmosphere, busy kitchen and solid range of beers to keep it busy – and as it’s packed with locals and tourists throughout the week, it’s fair to say it’s mission accomplished.

With seven draft beers and ales and over a dozen bottles of beer from across Scotland, The Meridian Bier Café more than lives up to its name. A short walk from the train station on Killoch Place, they also have a large gin, whisky and cocktail menu and a mean range of food, including breakfast, cakes and pastries, burgers, tapas, steaks, pasta and pizza.

Another impressive bar and eatery is Treehouse, a stylish all-day venue that’s as adept at 10am breakfast and coffee as it is at those 10pm espresso martinis. The food covers British classics, tapas and steaks, while they also host weekly quiz nights and live acoustic music.

A short distance away towards the River Ayr is The Smoking Goat, an intriguingly named basement bar that expertly marries good music with good cocktails. With an impressive range of coffee, loose leaf tea, craft ales and wines by the glass, it’s a fine place to grab a drink whatever the time of day.

It would take more than three months to work your way through The Newmarket’s gin collection as it nears 100, with 11 different tonics. They have made life a little easier, however, with their Gin Flight tasting menu. With a resident DJ in the bar until 2.30am every Friday and Saturday night and an impressive wine, beer and cocktail menu, this lively bar is a great weekend hangout.

Open Wednesday to Sunday, Furys is a vibrant club with cheap drink deals and an open-minded DJ playlist that spans RnB, dance music, disco and house. Located on High Street in the centre of the action, the back-lit dance floor will illuminate your best dance moves, while the nearby Newmarket Bar makes for a great pre-club warm-up venue.