5 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.

This unpretentious and popular place with wooden tables and chairs has a menu that celebrates Scottish food, though well-made burgers and steaks are also permanent features. The food offers some new takes on traditional favorites such as the rolled haddock with salmon, the Cullen skink soup, and haggis in various guises. Unusually, the desserts are house-made, and it shows. A range of Scottish beers and gins are available, too.

Located in Stirling's city center, meals here are based on a tasting menu where diners choose one dish from five groups that roughly correspond to starters, mains, and desserts. Ingredients are locally sourced as well as imaginatively prepared—often over an open flame—such as rabbit with vegan cheese or ox heart with Jerusalem artichokes. These tasting menus are moderately priced and served in a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere.

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.