Eating and drinking in Stirling, from schnitzel to a tasting menu

Stirling's eating is split by the hill. The shops and the station are at the bottom of the town, and most of the places below are close by, around King Street, Baker Street and Friars Street. The Top of Town has fewer places, and the castle has its own café. Here is where we would send a visitor, with what each place says about itself and how to book.

Brea, Baker Street

Brea is the safe choice for a day visit, because it is open every day from noon, closing at 21:00 Sunday to Thursday and 22:00 on Friday and Saturday, and it books online. The menu is Scottish: its own site lists seafood from the west coast and the islands, burgers, steaks and haggis, and Scottish craft beers and ciders. Harden's guide notes that it is handy for both the castle and the station, and lists it as the Food Awards Scotland Restaurant of the Year for Scotland in 2022. The Courier's 2024 round-up mentions vegan options.

Hermann's, Broad Street

If you are already up in the Top of Town, Hermann's is on Broad Street, a few minutes down from the castle. The owner and chef, Hermann Aschaber, is from the Tyrol, and the menu sets Austrian dishes such as schnitzel and strudel alongside Scottish produce. The restaurant's own site marks thirty years in business. It opens from noon for lunch and 18:00 for dinner. It does not have online booking: use the contact form on its site, or phone 01786 450632 for a table in the next five days.

An Dárna, Friars Street

For a proper evening out, An Dárna on Friars Street serves only a five-course tasting menu, with optional wine and drinks pairings. Its own site lists dinner from Wednesday to Sunday and lunch at weekends. The Courier reported in 2024 that the menu changes every five weeks, and Claire Sawers reviewed it in The Times that June, describing ambitious cooking that borrows from several cuisines. Book through its site, and say if you have dietary needs, because there is no à la carte to fall back on.

Fletcher's, Upper Craigs

Fletcher's is a restaurant and bar in a converted Georgian building on Upper Craigs, south of the station, with six rooms upstairs. It is the one for breakfast: its own site says it serves breakfast from 09:30 to 11:45 every day in the summer months and brunch until 16:00, before an evening menu that runs from Scottish venison and beef to burgers, pizza and pasta, with a children's menu. It opens until 22:30 Sunday to Thursday and 23:00 on Friday and Saturday, though the site warns that closing times and last food orders vary by day. Tables book online.

Two pubs

The Settle Inn on St Mary's Wynd, on the climb toward the castle, is dated to 1733 by CAMRA's pub guide, which calls it the oldest pub in Stirling. The Courier, writing in January 2026, calls it Stirling's oldest alehouse but also says Nicky-Tams on Baker Street has been open since 1718, so the title depends on whom you ask. CAMRA lists three changing real ales at the Settle Inn, and The Courier describes open fires, folk sessions and quizzes. There is no website.

The Curly Coo on Barnton Street is a few minutes from the station and is the whisky pub: The Courier counts more than 100 single malts and mentions the chess sets, and CAMRA calls it a cosy wee traditional pub with one changing real ale. It also has no website, so just walk in.

Something to take home

Stirling Distillery, in the Old Smiddy on Lower Castlehill at the foot of the castle, makes Stirling Gin with hand-foraged Stirlingshire nettles and has been making whisky, with the first release due on 19 June 2027. Walk-in tastings start at £15 and need no booking; the gin and whisky experiences start at £32. The shop opens Monday to Saturday 11:00 to 17:00 and Sunday 12:00 to 17:00. Down in the centre, Made in Stirling on King Street sells the work of over 100 local artists and makers, and is open every day from 10:00 to 17:00. On listed Saturdays, the Port Street market brings independent food producers and makers to Port Street from 10:00 to 16:00; the remaining 2026 dates are 24 October, 14 and 28 November, and 12 and 19 December.