4 Best Restaurants in Stirling, Stirling and the Central Highlands

This lively pub in a converted whitewashed farmhouse is a little hard to find but worth the effort for the very extensive menu---from burgers and steaks to jambalaya, curry, and chicken chimichangas. This is all good home cooking without pretension, and the servings are more than generous. Inside, the buzz of conversation bounces off dark-wood walls decorated with a fashionable collection of bric-a-brac. From the outside terrace you can look across fields to the hills beyond.

Run by the Bechelli family for four generations, this casual, light, and airy café in Bridge of Allan, just a couple of miles from Stirling, is a popular spot with locals. It is a well-tried Scottish combination of fish-and-chip restaurant and ice-cream parlor. Try the traditional "fish tea"—here confusingly called "catch of the day"—which consists of fish-and-chips served with tea or coffee and bread and butter. This place is time-honored, always busy, and a good value. There's a tantalizing selection of Italian ice cream too—if you have room.

At this very popular spot in Stirling/Bridge of Allan, you'll find an adventurous menu that includes Chinese bao buns and a cheerful use of spices (the sriracha chicken burger is a delight). The brunch menu features flavors from around the world too, and there are excellent choices for vegetarians such as cauliflower steak and squash and black bean tacos. The long drink menu embraces wine, unusual juices, and gin, perhaps best enjoyed on the pavement terrace.

At this shop that represents the new generation of coffee producers, where in-house roasting and single origin beans are celebrated, the coffee is indeed very good and the cakes are a tasty accompaniment. There are also sandwiches for lunch and a romantic courtyard at the back of the shop where you can enjoy them. The shop also sells beans and various brewing paraphernalia.