Food was tasty and the ambiance is intimate and relaxing. This place is run by a man and his wife…read moreso service was relaxed and slower, but it was worth it. He was so kind and everything was plated beautifully. Wish we were in town longer to try more things. Prices are very reasonable.

We got the Greek salad, chicken taouk, moussaka and a pitcher of sangria. Everything was very tasty…read moreand the presentation attractive. The service was very good and the owner very friendly. (The sangria was a little weak, though, but we would definitely go back.)

Good beer, Australian themed. Special thanks to Archie, he gave great tips for us things to do…read more Cheers Archie!

A group of friends of mine get together once a month and this is the venue of their choosing as you…read morecan reserve the big room upstairs. I'm not a fan. Being able to reserve the room is about the only thing I like about this place...oh and street parking. It is a completely over the top "Aussie" themed bar. Themed as in it has all the terribly tacky, tourist ideas of Australia. The toilets are named Blokes and Sheilas, there is swamp/beach style decor, and not a single aussie accent on the staff, which I'm actually quite pleased they weren't required to imitate an Australian accent. It's fairly priced, and the food, although I didn't get any this time, is...adequate. The upstairs room has it's own bar, but they have never had it staffed when we've been. It gets quite busy and loud in the main bar area, and is honestly somewhere I'd rather avoid.

Just minutes from Stirling castle, Cowane's Hospital's been around since the 17th Century and is…read morefilled to the brim with Scots history. I'm no historian but a swift Google search had me clued me in. I do like going to Cowane's Hospital for events and feeling all regal and fancy. - It certainly calls for some pearls and your best shoes. Portraits of important-looking people, beautiful architecture and some wonderful stained glass windows surround you in Cowane's Hospital. It's a stunning place to spend the evening and luckily enough, the hospital is becoming quite the cultural hot-spot with an increasing number of events taking place within the building. I'd previously been to a string quartet performance during the Stirling Fringe last year and most recently attended, local foodie favourite, Loving Food's first pop-up restaurant. The large seated balcony area upstairs is great for performances, whilst the bottom area is good for more informal social events. Just perfect for the pop-up restaurant. I do hope that the hospital continues to be used in this way, as it's just perfect for smaller-scale events and it certainly makes for a unique, hearty venue.

I went for dinner here with a friend as part of Lovin Food's pop up event, and I will be performing…read morehere in September with my folk band. A very unusual venue, this has played host to the Stirling Fringe Festival, and will do so again this year. It is truly beautiful, with period features intact. It has atmosphere and presence. A unique location and a hidden gem of a venue.

The Cowane Centre is so near to me and yet, four years in Stirling, I'd yet to have entered its…read moredoors. That changed recently when local theatre group Stirling On Stage performed their most recent play here. It's simple as community halls tend to be but it did the job and is definitely a venue I enjoyed visiting. It's more than just your standard community hall. With a flowing red curtain and tiered seating, it's definitely the place for local theatre and I'd love to see more of that here. It's certainly got the facilities to become quite the local hub and I'd be inclined to seek out more events in the Cowane Centre. I have no personal experience of hiring the centre but I did hear, from a friend in the theatre group, that is rather expensive and for a short period of time at that. So much so that the first time they performed there was on the night! Regardless, it's perfect for intimate local theatre! And I heard they operate as a cafe during the afternoon daily and that you can buy a mean pack of organic vegetables here over the winter months! Lovely!

My band supported Three Blind Wolves at the Tolbooth last year and the venue holds itself really…read morewell as Stirling's main music and arts venue. Aside from it being a really great place for a gig, the bar area has a really nice vibe. It's relaxed and friendly and I don't remember it being too expensive. I like that the band have to walk past the crowd to get to the stage and although the main hall seems rather small, it is just the perfect sort of cosey for an intimate gig. It's versatile too. - I went to see the comedian Daniel Sloss and the main hall had been rearranged to suit the night. I felt like I was in a different venue! Tolbooth doesn't match the size of venues to be found in Glasgow or Edinburgh, but it sure does pack a punch.

The Tolbooth is a venue for music in the arts in the heart of Stirling's Old Town…read more I've been frequenting here about as long as I've been alive - when I was a child and a young fiddle player my parents would take me to see people like Alasdair Fraser. I've learned fiddle tunes, songs, creative writing, and discovered that I love free jazz in this building. Highlights of my adult years have included Treacherous Orchestra, Lau, The Weekend jazz/alt music festival (sadly discontinued), Distil Showcase of new compositions, Jenna Reid Band and The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc. As long as I live in the central belt I'll be happy to support this trad venue, with its fantastic sound engineers and everything it does for traditional music. It's one of few venues outside the big cities that brings Scotland's best trad musicians to the masses, and continues to host both the beset of up-and-coming artists and established names like Breabach and Dick Gaughan. Nothing but praise for this noble wee venue that punches well above its weight.

If you have seen Outlander then you may recognize that many scenes were filmed here. More important…read morethis is a very important historical place and former Royal Palace. After all Mary Queen of Scots was crowned here. I joined one of the free tours offered (they do deserve a great tip!) and got about 50 minutes you get a great introduction and a lot of history. Some people chose self-guided tours but I preferred the opportunity to ask our guide questions. We enjoyed a nice sunny day and although it was a winter day, it was also nice to explore their gardens. A place worth visiting!

This was one of the last castles that my mother and I stopped at when we went to Scotland earlier…read morethis year and it didn't disappoint. The signage all over was good and informational. The employees that were working were very helpful. The mini museums across the castle were really cool and informational as well. This is one of the coolest castles that we saw in Scotland and I would definitely go back.

I'm sorry, Peak, I'm sorry. Can you forgive me for my last review?…read more So we didn't get off to a great start but that's okay! I paid a second visit in the form of the Cannie Gingers versus the Parma Violents Roller Derby match. (GO, BRIONY, GO!) This time round, I can honestly say that as a sporting venue, it's fabulous for events. The main hall was a really good size, perfect for the various Roller Derby team stalls and the spectators were treated to bleachers, meaning you could get a great view of the action from wherever you were seated. (I really loved this, it made me feel like I was at an All-American game!) The hall's size meant minimal queuing so we really were in in no time! Whilst I can't comment on the ticketing and organisation side of things, as that was all done by Roller Derby, (They did a really good job!) the venue really did feel suited to the day and made for an all-round great experience. I can't say I'm completely enamoured by the Peak just yet since there was a leak just above my spot which meant avoiding the drips during the game! (Eek!) But in all fairness, I do think that it deserves some props for managing to host bigger scale events, similar to those held in larger cities. I may well come and try that ice rink. I'm holding out on you, Peak!

Visited here for a roller derby bout so this review might not have a lot of relevance if you're…read moreconsidering it as a gym or climbing venue! We were in the main hall which has banked seating at one end for a crowd which was good although normally a crowd would sit along the long side of the track rather than the bend. The floor itself is a normal basketball court and was very good for skating on. The changing rooms we used were very clean and fit in about 20 of us while we got ready for the game. The staff made sure to lock the room while we were playing so we didn't have to worry about our valuables which was appreciated. There was a good amount of toilet facilities which meant there weren't any queues at halftime. In the foyer area there's a shop as well as a cafe and a climbing wall which I didn't notice until we were on our way out (clearly I was too focused on the game). The car park was large enough that we got a spot easily and didn't have to wait ages to leave the car park again at the end, and it was easy to get to from Glasgow. All round, an impressive venue.

I've been to the Albert Halls on serveral occasions, most recently playing a private event as a…read moreband in the lesser hall upstairs.The venue itself is extremely versatile and, in the past, I'd attended several wedding fairs for work and left impressed with just how well the building suited the event and how lovely staff were.There's the large, main hall downstairs and the adaquately-sezed lesser hall upstairs. Whilst it's not the sort of place I'd find myself in for a night of music, as it mainly caters to tribute acts, there's occasionally some great acts booked that aren't quie suited to the Tolbooth music venue in town. When we found out we were going to be fed at the private event, we had no idea what to expect but were pleasantly surprised when the in-house Henderson's Bistro served up delicious offerings of Balmoral Chicken for main course. Delightful! Whilst Albert Halls doesn't quite have the personality or quaintness of other venues in town, it's certainly a good size and is extremely versatile. And you can't go wrong if you need a catered event!

I have only been to this venue to see a live music performance and to be honest it's not very well…read moresuited for the job. The sound didn't carry particularly well. There was no proper bar, a folding table with a limited choice of drinks was all that was on offer. There were no drinks allowed in the main hall so you couldn't enjoy a drink while watching the band which was a bit of an inconvenience. However, the venue was quite nice in itself and would maybe be better suited to another type of performance.

I confess that I have not stayed in a Youth Hostel for many years - about the same length of time…read moresince I last considered myself to inhabit the 'youth' category in fact - but in looking for venues to host a small conference, I came across the Stirling hostel, which turned out to be the perfect solution. Located just down from the castle in the heart of the town, the hostel was built in 1994 behind the façade of an 1826 church, so the facilities are in reasonably good order throughout. They have a good selection of private en-suite rooms (mostly twins), and a licensed kitchen where you can pre-order breakfast and evening meals. There's a good DIY kitchen area too, and common areas to chill out in, with TV and free Wi-Fi (although I could never get that to work). The location is just dripping with history - a huge monument out front marks the site of the original church and the grave of Rev. Ebenezer Erskine, leader of the Secessionist movement in 1733 that split from the Church of Scotland and eventually became the Presbyterian Church. The grounds still have plenty of interesting gravestones around, and I suspect that some of these denizens may still inhabit the darker corners of the hostel..! The conference room accommodates up to 30 people and comes with tables, chairs, a screen and flip-boards (you'll need to provide your own projector); we had exclusive use of this room and were able to lock it when not in use so our equipment was secure. It's a hostel, so you can't expect hotel standards of accommodation of course; however it's a lot better than many student halls that I've stayed in at other conferences, and very reasonably priced too, even if you're not a member of SYHA.

I'll be honest, I was puzzled by the location of this boutique hotel and wine bar. Having lived in…read moreStirling for five and a bit years, I knew that Friars Street was the street which students ascended/descended to reach either the club on the street at the bottom or the club at the street at the top. After all, I was a Stirling student for four years - a reasonably well-behaved one! - and had seen firsthand the havoc that takes over Friars street in the wee hours. So, I was a little perplexed that they'd picked such a central location for the hotel, all things considered. And, not long after Friars Wynd had opened its doors, there was a deadly attack on the street. Jeez. Forgetting the location, Friars Wynd is completely different from its much-loved predecessor, The Junk Rooms. And they have done such a good job of making the place look so fresh and bright. There's a lovely bar in the corner and ample room for seating, and a selection of fresh cakes displayed by the window. You can tell instantly that Friars Wynd is worthy of the 'Boutique hotel' title because it feels so luxurious from the moment you step inside. And if the rooms are adequately soundproofed then I'm sure a night's stay would be a blissful one. I've had both lunch and drinks at Friars Wynd and I was impressed by both. The owner is a really lovely, passionate lady who, on both my visits, welcomed me and even remembered me the second time. Lunch was delicious and it was just the spot for the kind of evening drink we were after. My only comment would be that some background music would really do good in creating even more of an atmosphere, especially in the evenings. I do know that the owner is looking to branch out to live music and jazz would be just perfect for Friars Wynd! I do hope Friars Wynd grows, because they've got just the right attitude for a new business; in aiming to impress absolutely everyone that comes through their doors.

I'm. Never this quick at adding a review but this place deserves it. Early on a Sunday morning…read morewell 8am. In the back and beyond of sterling in search of an elusive breakfast we stumble upon what is apparently the only place that seems to realise that people want to eat before 10am. We came in and both ordered the full Scottish breakfast and wow was it worth it. Locally sourced meats and cooked to perfection. My only slight down point is my tattie scone was a little hard for my liking however the other half likes hers hard enough to hit a nail with so I won't mark them down for this. The food was freshly cooked and bacon was crispy. Coffee was nice and well made. The service was impeccable. While we were in another customer came in and asked for something off the menu and it was instantly accommodated. If I could give 6 stars I would.