Kata's bar scene is moderate rather than wild — most visitors who want a serious night out head north to Patong. Locally, the action is along Kata Centre Road and the side streets running back from the beach.
Open-air sports bars, low-key beer bars with bar girls (mostly polite and contained, much less aggressive than Patong's Bangla Road), and a handful of cocktail places on the headland between Kata and Kata Noi give a reasonable choice. For a sunset drink with a view, the rooftops of the south-end hotels are open to non-guests.