Vista Bar and Restaurant at the Horizon Hotel in South Ayrshire

Sadly, my reviews on food and disability /accessibility has been deleted by hotel on numerous occasions. Owner has needs to address but ignores to connect me.

Fabulous Sunday lunch at not ridiculous price. Great service too. Beautifully presented, tasty. Veggies beautifully cooked - still had bite rather than baby food texture you get elsewhere. Fabulous!

Wow the food was fabulous. Staff were really great too. I'm staying here a few days for work in Ayr and will definately be bringing the others tomorrow when they arrive. Tempura haggis was beautiful, so much meat in the steak pie and the sticky toffee pudding was wow

Food was delicious very large portions & very reasonably priced. Cocktails were amazing. Lovely relaxed atmosphere & staff very friendly. Will definitely return.

We ate in the restaurant a few of the nights we were staying, food was lovely with good size portions, very reasonable price-wise for a hotel.

We stayed for 3 nights with our dog. Ground floor room with king size bed. Bedroom : bed comfortable and clean , facilities tea coffee. Hair dryer, tv smart. En-suite clean good shower Breakfast excellent choice cooked to order along with buffet and a sausage for the dog . Restaurant, ate in every night. Dog friendly lounge again excellent choice and very tasty. Portion size wow. Location just across the car park and onto the beach. Quiet area close enough to walk into the town. Definitely recommend New owners who are gradually renovating

Dropped in for breakfast. Front door said "non residents welcome" and redirected us via reception. Was expecting to pay £15 a head, the entire restaurant was empty but we were told breakfast was not open to non-residents - presumsbly due to high demand at 8am on a Sunday. The three staff were very kind and pleasant and clearly under orders and helpfully redirected us to Wetherspoons where we had breakfast for two including coffee for a tenner. To the owner/manager: Not exactly great business sense in my view! I suggest allowing non-residents in should they occasionally turn up.

We had Steak & Ale Pie & Fish n Chips and two Full Breakfasts. We were only booked in for Breakfast but one of the lovely staff members - Nicola, convinced us to stay for tea and we were glad we did. Food was plenty and very nice - just what we needed after a long walk.

Excellent food, tomato & lentil soup was heavenly and the veggie burger was delicious. Partner has chicken & haggis which he rated very highly. Service was very quick and staff were lovely.

We chose this restaurant for our first evening meal in Ayr as it was within walking distance. The quality of the food exceeded our expectations. My husband and I both enjoyed chicken breast with black pudding. It was a very generous portion , well presented and delicious. Service was prompt and attentive. The house wine was good and reasonably priced. My husband had his favourite pudding,sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and ice cream. He declared it was one of the best he had tasted. All in all a very pleasant evening and a great price at under 50£ which included a bottle of wine.

Lunch deal 2 course for about £12. Good variety and value. Staff were really nice and friendly. Good weather meant we could finish our meal with a drink at the outdoor tables. Restaurant is at the esplanade. Well worth a visit.

Had a lunch and breakfast in here within a week. Food was fantastic, large portions of quality food and service was impeccable

Had the beef lasagne. Very nice and a good portion.The curry was good too price was as per restaurant price just average

Hello horizon , my sister and her husband have been a frequent visitors to the hotel . We always join them for dinner for one of the evenings .. I was very saddened to experience the decline of the evening dinners .. not in the same league as it used to be a couple of years ago... come on get your act together and do something about it . Regards Dave Elvis Lennard.

Haven’t been for a while and in the meantime the menu has changed. The only vegetarian dish I could see was cheese salad. There always used to be a pasta dish and I think I remember seeing a veggie burger option although I never tried it. Next choice fish. Again was disappointed to see only two choices and they were both deep fried fish. There used to be grilled sea bass. While most restaurants are stepping up their meat free options in place with the current trends, I’m surprised this one appears to be doing the opposite. My partner had a mixture of deep fried fish and said it wasn’t very good. The calamari was inedible and a lot of the fish pieces were very insubstantial. I hope they re-think the menu soon. I must say, however, that the staff and in particular Margaret, couldn’t be nicer.

We ate both nights in the restaurant beautiful meals both nights very friendly staff and helpful answered our questions about size of meals to help our son out whether to have a starter or not

Nice spot by the water front. Dog friendly in the lounge area, which is quiet and relaxed and water was brought for the dog. Food was good and well presented. Waitress was really friendly and nice and completely comfortable with a big dog. Very nice food and the dog loved a run on the beach after :)

Enjoyed the food and the staff were nice and brought our shepherd some water she enjoyed a run on the beach nearby after and they do nice onion rings ;)

We enjoyed well cooked food, nicely presented. Friendly attentive service. Very tasty, good sized portions. The sea views from the restaurant are fab no matter what the weather is.

Went there for a meal just because it was close to where I was staying. I was very impressed with the whole experience. Staff attitude and performance was first class, ean and modern, a lovely seat at the window with a view of the Clyde, food was well presented and very tasty. A good selection of beers and wine and the whole meal was very enjoyable. Not expensive for the quality of food that was served,I will be back with friends

We were down for a family wedding and ten of us had dinner in the restaurant the night before which was lovely with a very good choice on the menu , staff were extremely friendly and nothing was too much trouble.

Just arrived home from a overnight stay in this hotel we had the dog and was 1st for us taking him to a hotel it's a fab idea letting dogs stay the bar and lounge is very modern but we had to sit in reception area with the dog reception staff very friendly our room was basic but spotless and we asked for low level floor which we were glad we got the cocktails were yummy and reasonably priced the food however wasn't as good very disappointed as 4 desserts were not on the menu so I never had one my husband had sticky toffee pudding he said it was really good the hotel is expensive to stay over I would definitely return when some of the offers go on but would not pay full price.

We were searching around the area for somewhere that would accept children & a dog and this was recommended by one that wasn't (child or dog friendly in the same area). My first thought was a dubious, but the staff were very attentive & the food was absolutely delicious, couldn't fault it at all. Thank you Horizon Hotel.

Visitando a mi hija en Ayr y busca un lugar para comer. Tuvimos nuestros perros con nosotros, así que buscó un amable perro restaurante. Este restaurante apareció. No estaba seguro, ya que el edificio parece bastante simple desde el exterior. Decidimos probarlo. Por dentro es precioso. Moderno y muy limpio. Buen menú variado. El personal es encantador. La comida era muy agradable. Caliente y bien presentada. Los postres también. También es muy razonable. Yo aconsejaría que le da una oportunidad. Bonitas vistas del mar una ventaja también. ¡Bien hecho!

Visited Ayr with family on a day trip and had lunch here lovely surroundings great staff and a lovely freshly made lunch helped makes this a really nice day out

Efficient and prompt service but not intrusive. Great tasty food which is always well presented.Vegetarian options also available Good views of the sea too!

La comida parecía estar principalmente tradicional y casero, y era muy sabroso y bien presentado sin tratar de ser demasiado pretencioso. El menú fijo tenía 6 utilizamos entrantes, platos principales y postres y probablemente podría haber atrapado un pin en cada uno de los campos para hacer mis elecciones y estamos satisfechos con lo que me dieron

Tenía un aspecto en comentarios y decidí probarlo, y de haberlo hecho, la comida era muy buena, era agradable, ştaff estaba impecable, los precios son razonables, volveremos.

La comida es excelente. Sólo suficiente variedad y selección de comidas a un precio muy razonable. El personal era muy agradable y cortés.

Sunday Carvery meal excellent for quantity, quality and value.Pre 5 p.m. Menu inadequate. Excellent service.

Very nice and modern surroundings also bar staff are really friendly and chatty we felt really comfortable in bar could not fault the service we were given.

We were in the area for 3 days and visited this hotel for lunch. Days we were there weather was lovely and hot and we initially sat outside in the Beer Garden to have a cold beer. No umbrellas to shade us from hot sun and we realised very quickly that we would be more comfortable having lunch inside. Really enjoyed a lovely lunch of fresh fish, chips and salad at a reasonable cost. Nice pleasant friendly bar staff. Would recommend.

Have eaten in Vista on numerous occasions, food has always been of the highest quality as has the service, would not hesitate in recommending this bar and restaurant.

Great food freshly prepared. Really good choice from either the main menu or the daily special menus. Bar and eating area are modernly furnished with a good atmosphere. Staff were very helpful and provided very good service during all our meals in this restaurant. overall an excellent experience.

Called last minute to book a table for 14 people, due to family member being up from England on holiday, was ment to be going else where for dinner however when we arrived there they told us they could no longer accommodate us. Called around a few places an due to the party size a few that we called couldn't takes up, an am defo glad they couldnt cause this visit was amazing from start to finish, nothing could be fault, even working within a hotel background myself i can be so picky when going out for a meal. Food, drinks and staff were amazing from start to finish would defo be back an will recommend to others!!!!

Re visited this establishment A shining example of how a restaurant should be run was part of about 100 people and from entering the upstairs dining room the discipline and professionalism of the trained staff was military fashion Well laid out tables with a sea-view Fast and freshly prepared food to order A choice of 3 mains served piping hot with minimal delay (Compliments to the Chef and staff in the kitchen) An extensive choice of sweets and an abundance of bread scones and cakes Choice of coffee or tea and was constantly asked if a top required Not to be missed if in Ayr

Rooms very clean..on seafront. Staff all really helpful. Breakfast really good standard and had a Scottish twist. Makes a nice change to have 'fresh fruit salad' instead of tinned fruit cocktail!! Highly recommend for good standard hotel. Fiona (Northampton).

Lovely fresh food cooked to order, great prices and customer service was second to none, Will be back regularly new favourite place to eat.Has great deals for Morning rolls and scones with tea/coffee. Well worth a visit

Great ambience and very friendly service. I had asked for my starter to be made up to a main with a couple of side orders. The side orders were charged, however, when I questioned it, they took it off the bill straightaway and said it was just the way it went through the till.

Always a pleasure to return here for a meal. Friendly staff, lovely menu in a great seaside position with great views.Our food was cooked to perfection and the vegetables and other fresh ingredients were a joy.The next surprise you will find is the cost. One of the best value places locally and not to be missed if dining in Ayr.

On a recent short break in Ayr we stopped here twice for coffee and scones etc. Excellent value for money and friendly staff.

The Vista bar provides a varied and plentiful selection of food to suit all tastes. We love the crispy chicken tempura starters and the build your own Cajun chicken burgers - which we have had may I add on many occasions, which are always delicious. There are great deals on almost every night of the week from pasta/pizza nights to burger nights and represent great value.The daily coffee deals are also a favourite and again can't be missed.Great food and great value, you can not go wrong.

Having stayed for a few weeks never got board of food as along with main menu the hotel offers theme nights. Loved dinner and cocktail but home made pittza was my favourite. For An individual who is a very fussy eater I left having put on weight lol

Booked resturant for lunch today with family & Australian visitor. After placing order waitress returned on 2 seperate occasions to tell us that starter choices were not available (one was off the festive menus!!). Once, passible; twice embarrassing - when entertaining a visitor. Festive Turkey was poor quality meat. Service was slow as on our previous visit. Unlikely to return for lunch / dinner. Resturant was not busy at 13:00 yet another nearby venue couldn't take our booking as they were too busy!! Maybe that tells its own story.

Lovely Hotel,nice rooms with tv,nice friendly staff very helpful.Very nice breakfast and evening meals.

A year ago we had a very good meal here. This year was very disappointing . All the meats we had were very salty. Maybe to help the bar till, out who knows . Only saving grace was the dessert which they refrained from putting salt in.

Yes, I still visit The Horizon Hotel on a regular basis. I wasn't in BUT I heard they had a great time a couple of weekends ago - when they were looking after roughly 30 collies for a local dog show. The dogs were made very welcome and caused no trouble at all. Hopefully their owners enjoyed the weekend as much as they did.There was a comment in the Herald Diary recently (to Quote)- These Hotels that don't take dogs, but allow kids, don't really know much about kids!

Had a lovely lunch overlooking Ayr beach in the background. Range of items and prices. Two course bar lunch was 9.95 pounds, toasted sandwich with salad and fries was 4.95 and my mum had a chicken breast withhaggis stuffing, mash and vegetables for 11.00 pounds.Lovely courteous staff, clean venue . Definitely will return.

good selection of well cooked food served promptly and great value for money. werent rushed and staff eager to please

The views from the window Are gorgeous here, lovely ambiance but very quiet wouldn't really take my wee girl back but would go back with my partner or friends. The food was amazing! Everything tasted great and the portions are decently sized

We had lunch and it was over priced for what we had. The service wasn't great. My sister in law bought cocktails because it was my birthday and they were awful..

We were given a £50 voucher for a meal which we thought great, the meal was very nice and staff courteous until we were told that drinks are not included, and on presenting the voucher for the meal which only cost £33 were handed it over with the monies for our drinks, the waiter put it in the till and walked away. We stood there and waited till he came back and he asked if there was anything else, we said we were waiting on the change from the voucher or a voucher to cover the cost which we had not used. He explained that they don't normally give a voucher for the remaining monies, he went and spoke to somebody and finally came back with a voucher for the remainder. Do the expect people to hand over £17 as a tip?????? will never be getting a voucher from here again its a RIP OFF...

My partner and i visited the Horizon Hotel on Wednesday the 25th of February for lunch. On arrival,we looked around and the place had on two people drinking coffee. We sat for at least ten minutes before we actually had to ask the waitress for a menu. Whilst looking through the menu,we waited and waited for some service. Fifteen minutes later,we looked at the bar and the waitress was being coached by another member of staff. We had enough so walked out,and on leaving the senior member asked what was wrong. I pointed out that not only were we ignored,but by both staff. I walked to the reception desk to complain,and low and behold the same senior member explained she was coaching the waitress as it was her first day.? Her excuse was ..the newly appointed waitress was lacking in confidence and did not know what to say. Anyone would immediately approach the customer and at least ask us if we wanted a menu or a drink. The receptionist blamed the whole episode on the new appointee,and accepted no responsibility for her poor training. We will not go back.

situated on the Esplanade Ayr this bar/restaurant has good food served speedily and friendly informative waiting staff.Parking available out front

Had a bad experience last year at this restaurant but willing to give another visit, had heard this hotel was in liquidation so was very happy to find it open when 4 of us visited for morning coffee/ tea and scones .Very happy with tea/ coffees and scones but service lady definitely should NOT be in service industry as everything was such a problem to her We did return for a light bite later that day and a very helpful lad served us , toasties were lovely and experience very acceptableWe were back in Ayr next day and visited once again for the lovely coffee/ tea and scones and again a very helpful lad pointed out the new additions to menus.Once more we returned for light bites early afternoon and although food was again good the very 'not friendly' waitress was server.We will return ,pleased that hotel is still open but would prefer if the 'not friendly' waitress was replaced or sent on customer focused training course

Well presented food,looked good,tasted good.a good selection of fish,and meat dishes.The service was good,nice timing for each course

Visited this restaurant based on a review I read in a newspaper that sounded good.Lovely location by the sea front just 5-10 minutes walk from the heart of Ayr town center in a nice newly renovated building (could still smell the fresh paint).Me and my wife were here for a valentines day meal which they were doing two steaks and a bottle of wine for £32.Two sirloin steaks cooked to perfection, with a delicious peppercorn sauce, two large onion rings and a small bowl of chips.Nice enough surroundings, staff were really pleasant and nice (if a little slow to take our orders and bring us our bill, when it was not that busy).Would consider another visit, but not any time soon.

Despite being immediately greeted by a very nice guy around 25 who offered us lunch menus and asked about drinks. We made our choice of food which was 2 Fish and chips with mushy peas. One scampi and chips with mushy peas, and a starter order of haggis and black pudding with a side order if onion rings. The drinks arrived in no time but 1 hour later no sign of the food. Having looked at the size of the restaurant when we first arrived with approx. room for 30/40 covers you are probably saying it must have been really busy. WRONG !!! there were about 4 people in at most when we arrived. We were told at the beginning that there were no mushy peas New menus they said, but yet the chef cannot order in the food ??? Anyway the food came and you would expect it to be so hot we would have to wait for ages for it to cool down. Sorry WRONG !!!! the food was cold. This was taken away and within a few minutes it was returned. There was so much grease in the fish, the chips were not cooked correctly. The onion rings again were covered in a huge amount of fatty batter for cooking. We finished with a lot of the food being left on the plates (all four of them). The young guy never said anything at the time when picking up the plates, but did take off the price of the drinks and openly admitted the length of time we waited was ridiculous. It was not the drinks that were the problem but the food. On hindsight we should have refused to pay for this. Will we return?......I'll leave that thought with you. The hotel itself looked lovely, but I am surprised that management employs a chef that obviously is not, when there are so many talented unemployed chefs out there that would jump at being offered a job. That chef should hold him/her self to shame. I wish I could get a response.

What a lovely surprise we had when we went down to evening meal at the Horizon Hotel, Ayr.There was a good choice on the menu and also Chef's specials.The food was presented very well and after eating our delicious starters and main meals we unfortunately did not have enough room for desert.The dining room has sea views and in the evenings it has a lovely cosy feel. Afterwards you can relax in the bar which has comfortable settees and which also serves lovely cocktails.We highly recommend this restaurant.

Service was hit or miss but food was more than adequate. I was in a group of 16, but I got to choose my starter entry and dessert from the daily menu for our group. Breakfast laid out was continental and then we could order eggs, etc. Beware of the toaster... we had a couple in our group who were "smoking"...lol

Food was ok but absolutely nothing to write home about. The order was messed up & when i discretely asked that one item be deducted from the bill the waitress called the manager who came to the table, created a scene in front of everyone, threatened me with the Police & actually called them before backing down with a petulant flourish. It was like something out of Fawlty Towers.

I was with a party of 26 elderly people. We were booked for lunch, but since it was cold and raining, some people wanted scones as well as the ice cream which had been ordered. We were quite willing to, pay the extra, but the waiter told us that they had to keep their scones in case 'other people' came in the afternoon and wanted them! The 'take it or leave it' attitude of the staff was rated by all of us as poor.

Food was out of this world 100% compliments to the chef. Service in the dining area was fantastic. Staff are very friendly and can't do enough for you.

In Ayr for the day, we went to The Horizon for lunch. An excellent menu, two courses for £9.95. Food was excellent, although portions not large but it was lunch. Excellent value for money. Nice atmosphere, friendly staff.

Brought my mum here as a birthday treat. She is over 80 now and does not eat large portions so High Tea is perfect for her.For those of you who don't know what High Tea is, it's an early evening meal usually served between 4 30pm and 6pm and consists of a (usually) simple hot main course such as fish and chips, steak pie, gammon.... accompanied by bread and butter and tea or coffee. It is followed by a selection of scones and cakes. It is a very traditional Scottish meal which unfortunately seems to be slipping out of fashion.We ate at 5pm and despite being very busy we were served promptly and politely by our waitress. My wife and mother had fish and chips and I the scampi. As I mentioned the portions are not huge by were more than ample. The fish was lovely, the best my mum had had in ages and my scampi was better than the average offering.The scones butter and jam which followed were great. Fresh baked and crumbly. The other cakes on offer were also very nice especially the lemon sponge. We were so full, and so was the cake plate, that we could not manage them all.The restaurant in right on the sea front and if it hadn't been raining offers a great view out to sea.If in Ayr and looking for a good value light(ish) tea time treat you could not go far wrong with a visit here.

good food served most of the day staff were very friendly and helpful .lovely views from the vista resturant

MY husband and I had a great short two day break, the duty manager was really chatty and all the staff looked after our needs. My husband has parkinson,s disease and they looked after his needs very well. Room 5 is a large room and the bathroom is large enough for a wheelchair. We are looking forward to going back.

givin a voucher as a christmas present for a 2 day stay Hope we get another one !!!! Room immaculate ,food really good as was the free bottle of wine Staff very friendly and helpful !!

Stayed here using a voucher deal and was very pleased with what we found. the room was lovely, when we booked we requested a ground floor floor room due to having a dog and we got a great room with doors out to the front. The room itself was big and well furnished, the bathroom was however a bit of a let down very small and the shower not very powerful.The food was A +, quick service and well presented. Would make a return visit for sure.

We got a two-course meal included in our room deal. The service was good and the food was nice enough. We just weren't blown away. But decent value for money, and filling.

Saturday 16th of December 7 members of my family met at the Vista Bar & Restaurant for pre Christmas Lunch spoiled by the abrasive attitude of staff and the food was of poor quality. Not an enjoyable experience at all would not recommend it

The Horizon is well known as an hotel but the restaurant is well worth a visit for a meal, steaks are particularly good and the king prawn starter with chillie is as good as you will get anywhere.

Have visited this Hotel on a few occasions for a meal and stayed, rooms are lovely especially the sea view ones, terrific meal well presented and plenty to eat, Good wine well worth a visit

We recently visited the Vista bar and restaurant in Ayr as I had won a mea for two inrecent competition.Staff were all very friendly from when we entered and the food my husband and I gotwas very good along with a bottle of wine. We stayed on in the bar for drink after our mealand it was a very relaxed atmsophere. Will definitely visit this restaurant again if down in Ayr as food is excellent and great choicefor each course.

Had visited this Hotel restaurant on a few previous occasions and been very pleasedOn Monday we travelled to Ayr with friends from Newcastle, went here around 11am for morning tea/ coffees and scones, everything was lovely as previously (tasty fresh scones and coffees/ teas)We decided to return around 3pm for a light bite Ordered bottle of Rose wine,soft drinks and water along with choice of sandwiches etc. Very pleasant waiter took our order , after almost an hour I approached a waitress to ask ' if they had a problem in the kitchen' as we were still waiting for our ordered food!!The waitress checked and was horrified that the waiter had not put any food order to kitchen but quickly offered the now almost finished drinks as way of apology, another lady appeared and profusely apologised and offered to get the food as soon as possible which we declined as we were by now going to get snarled up in work traffic on way back to hotel.Around this time the waiter who had taken our order was seen but made no attempt to come and personally apologise for the rotten serviceWe were so disappointed as had always visited this Restaurant and recommended to others

Nine of us dined here on a sunday afternoon,we had booked a table which was ready and waiting, the views from the majority of seats are great and the restaurant is comfortable with plenty room to move. Service was prompt with the drinks to start although the cost of soft drinks i felt was far too high, we had to wait quite some time for our meals,i think due to a very large party being there before us. the meals we had were good with decent portions and the cost here was better,of course we had to have pudding which all were very good. All in we had a very nice family meal which kept us all happy.

The Vista Bar is the ideal place to eat or have a coffee when visiting the seafront at Ayr. The meals in this bar are wholesome and inexpensive and the surroundings are very pleasant with a car park at the front and side of Hotel. Give it a try!

Have eaten here a few times on my visits to the area, usually Girvan, so its a bit of a trek. Staff are friendly and the food is good, hot and a decent portion. Service can be a little slow, but I live in edinburgh and am used to snappy service and out the door :)The meat is fresh and locally sourced, as are the vegetables, and it makes a difference.under £45 for a 3 course meal for 2, including 2 cocktails. Cant complain..

eaten here many times with family. good choice and service-with a fabulous view. we have always went at the mealdeal times and find this good value for money.(another group of diners were having a high tea deal which looked great) food always excellent.

I've eaten here many times - with my husband and with friends and only once did I send a meal back to the kitchen - not because the food was poor but it wasn't what I'd ordered. This was smoothed out quickly with a huge apology from the manager and we weren't charged for that particular meal.We took our family there on Christmas Day 2010, were extremely well looked after and the service was second-to-none. We find all the waiting staff very helpful - especially Kirsty who's a gem. Afternoon tea served in the relaxing lounge is also an enjoyable way to pass an hour or two.We recommended the hotel to friends who stayed there last week and gave us excellent reports of their stay, including the HUGE breakfast!During the winter months the hotel has Italian nights - great Italian menu and genuine Italian entertainment with the musical genius of Tony Palermo. This should not be missed.The hotel is situated on the Esplanade and has a beautiful outlook over the beach/sea.

Over priced and poor service! As my party orderred prdinner drink one of the waitersdecided to remove the wine glasses from the table!The service from then on was not too bad until anotherwaiter appeared with a jug of water, plonked it on the table and said he was going to bring some glasses, he then reappeared and took the jug from the table, no explanation!When I got the bill I noticed that the beer was charged at £3.40 a pint! This is in AYR the same beer in Peterborough is £2.70 and that's just gone up! All I can say is the food was "Adequate" and I'm sure that my Bream came on a pile of "Smash" powedered potato, I have.t tasted that for araound 30 odd years!

Excellent! I dined at the restaurant for breakfast while staying at the Horizon Hotel. The food was absolutely lovely and very good portions. We were fortunate enough to have a view that looked onto the beach and sea which added to the experience. Excellent!

Really good choice and excellent value to suit all tastes. Staff very friendly and attentive. Would recommend this restaurant if staying at the hotel or passing through the area.

went here in december on a tribute night thought it was over priced entetainment not very good left early

Always great food and very reasonable prices. Very nice surroundings. I use it regularly for business meetings and lunch and I have never had cause to be disappointed.

In Ayr for 5 days and had a spare night free . We found an add in our hotel for restaurant and we thought we would try it . Very nice looking place with 4 other couples having meals . We were shown to our table and the waitress took our order . The red wine was very good and the steak pie was full of meat . The desert was very nice and we said if we had another night free we would have returned .

This was our worst experience on our four day trip to Ayr. We booked this restaurant from our hotel guide and went early on Sunday night. First impressions were good as it looked quite stylish but it was empty except for one table of four. Staff were slow at all times but eventually we got a couple of G&T's and chose our meals. Most of the dishes on the menu were unavailable.The starters were OK but my soup had been heated in a microwave, was roasting hot and had a crust round the rim.The main course was a disaster. My wife got a rancid steak. It tasted disgusting.I got well-done fillet medallions although I ordered rare, the mushrooms were little black worms and the fries were the pre-cooked type you get in a Chinese restaurant.We had also ordered a bottle of Chablis which tasted like lime cordial.We decided to leave and went to the manager to complain about the standard of cooking. He was very blase and said he'd get my bill. This is the funny bit. He decided to charge us for the food you get free when you order the steaks even though he could see we'd eaten none of it, if he'd bothered to go and look. I said I would pay even though the rotten steak had put us off the other food and we were unable to eat it but he relented then and charged us for the drinks only, again though, we had only a sip of the bad Chablis. I paid £32 which, I believe, any decent establishment would have waived in light of the circumstances.At no time did anyone apologise to us and we left feeling we were the guilty party but just glad to get away. I'm registered severely disabled with a steel cage in my spine and unable to walk any distance but we had to walk over a mile to get a taxi as we felt unable to ask for a phone number due to the frosty atmosphere as we were leaving. Overall an extremely unpleasant experience but we should have guessed there was something not right when we saw how empty the place was at such a peak time.JIM & ITA STEPHENSON. N.IRELAND.

We went to Vista for lunch 12th Nov and they are having a promotional £10 2-course lunch deal (any main £6.95 or combination of any two from starters/mains/desserts, including chef's specials, £10).It was very quiet - hardly surprising since it was a terrible day - but we were welcomed at once and the service was good. The haddock and chips was good although the batter was slightly soggy in places. Excellent chips! Husband had stirfry chicken and veg which was pronounced excellent. Good sized portions and good presentation too. Had banana pancake with toffee sauce and icecream to follow which was gorgeous. Husband had chocolate brownie, also v good. Tea afterwards came with homemade shortbread which was a nice touch, so all in all excellent value and we enjoyed the experience. Would certainly go there again if in Ayr.

I went into the Vista last Sunday about 6pm, only about 2 or 3 tables with people eating. We waited over 5 minutes & no one approached us!! Didnt see any staff.Not to worry..easy come easy go...walked out & enjoyed a meal at Carrick lodge. Wont attempt again!

I've considered a visit on many occasions, but have held back on seeing few diners in the restaurant at what should be busy times. Rightly or wrongly I tend to take that as a bad sign. However I was determined to give Vista a try as they had clearly given some consideration to vegetarians, and that must be applauded.We went on a saturday lunchtime and thankfully there was plenty of seating. We walked into the bar area and waited for quite a while to be acknowledged by the waiting staff and shown to a table, which was in a sunny spot in the conservatory. Once I had brushed the crumbs off my seat, we got down to ordering our meal, which was a great value for lunchtime and early evening diners. I wanted to sample something off the veggie menu; there were some weird and wonderful sounding concoctions, one of which I think was noodles with hoi sin sauce and feta cheese (!) but the freshly battered haddock and chips were calling me.In fact we both had the haddock, which came nicely presented with tartar sauce, lemon and a bit of salad. Sadly the vinegar was of the distilled variety - for me only malted vinegar will do. I absolutely love freshly battered fish and chips, but there was something strange about the fish. Both of us commented that it didn't seem like haddock at all, and the flakes of flesh were so small that they were hard to keep on the fork. The meal was also strangely lacking in flavour and despite it's attractive presentation I found the meal disappointing. We decided that it might be best to skip dessert so tried for quite a while to get someone's attention for the bill. Once we'd got the bill we waited and waited but no-one came for the money. The two waitresses, as jolly nice as they were, remained behind the bar chatting, so we gave up and went to the bar to offer our money.Possibly we were just there on an 'off' day, so it's worth mentioning that Vista has some positives. They are in a handy location for strolls along the prom, there is plenty of parking available as well as a beer garden area, and plenty of room in the restaurant for a large crowd. I must admit that I am not likely to return, but perhaps shouldn't rule it out completely. After all some guy called Tam Cowan of the Daily Record seems to like the place, so it must be ok then; right?