Brea in Stirling

Highly recommend. We had a wonderful experience dining at Brea on Wednesday night. Couldn’t decide what to get from the array of very tempting options on the menu, decided on a starter of monkfish, chorizo jam, Stornaway black pudding and crispy Parma ham starter, which was devine, followed by haggis, neeps and wholegrain mustard mash with a fab creamy whisky sauce and perfectly cooked veggies on the side. The food was incredible and service flawless. Such a lovely atmosphere, left feeling full and happy. We will definitely return soon!

Absolutely fabulous as always! Food was fantastic and service impeccable. We really struggle to find fresh food and also dishes which aren't the standard ones you get in most places and this place does it so well! Fab selection of drinks and even an organic wine by the glass which is very rare! Highly recommend!! Can’t wait to return!

Tried Brea for late lunch on Saturday afternoon. Have to say we were underwhelmed. The food was ok, but there was nothing outstanding. The bread starter was ordinary - bread was a bit doughy, with a soft crust, expected a bit better from home made bread. The risotto was ok, but the very strong garlic overwhelmed any other flavour. The duck breast was ok, but lacked flavour and texture. Would have preferred the skin a but more crispy and even with the cherry sauce it was a tad bland. Maybe we were unlucky and caught Brea on a poor day. The dining experience wasn’t bad, it was just not very good.

Our last night in Scotland and being Monday there wasn't much on offer in Stirling. I was wrong, we were waiting more than 1 hour for some olives that we ordered to share and 1:15 hours for the dishes, thank goodness it was only 1 main dish, it also took a while for dessert and that was putting the ice cream in the bowl. At no point did the waitress apologize for the delay and there were only 4 tables, I can't imagine when it's full. To fix the night we had a table next to us with 4 rowdy Scots who couldn't stop laughing, we had the most romantic dinner 🤦🏻‍♀️

Best food in Stirling, fresh local produce and cooked and presented to perfection. I recommend the haggis as the whiskey sauce is amazing. Staff are very friendly and efficient.

AVOID! Completely empty restaurant but they didn’t have a table for a quick dinner for two walk-ins? WEIRD! Host was rude and not understanding and she seemed like she really did not want us there. Weird space, extremely unfriendly and rude as their comments to criticism and reviews clearly show. The pub right across the street was waaaay fuller and they did have space for us with absolutely delicious beers and food! When we left said pub they were still half empty and still had many tables available. From reading other comments it truly seems like they just don’t want to serve tourists… PS: The response to my review is proof of how unfriendly and unprofessional this “family-run” business is. Highly recommend avoiding this place all together!!!

Had a king prawn in vegan butter with stem ginger, absolutely amazing!!! Also had a risotto for the main that was to die for. Portions are so worth the price too 🥰😍😍😍

Heaven! Try haggis for the first time and it’s incredible good honestly🤩 Chinese stomach can be washed, an appetizer of three kinds of Haggis + Kinks soup

The dishes we ate were pretty good. The welcome and service were correct. We found that the prices were not justified in relation to the quantity offered. £6 for a 75ml bottle of still water is exaggerated. Mixed overall impression, especially since the room was noisy and the music was of average quality compared to the standard that this establishment aims to achieve.

We ordered and unfortunately had forgotten that we had to be at the castle within an hour. The staff was very polite when we asked them to pack it for take away and to hold it for us. The food was amazing even 3 hours later when we ate it. We weren’t the best guests and they still treated us very nice

The food and service are pretty good👌. If you have enough budget and are not very hungry, you can try this restaurant.

Absolutely fantastic restaurant, the staff were incredibly helpful and friendly, the food was absolutely phenomenal, I would highly recommend the haggis. The selection of local ales was outstanding, with a few very nice IPA's and fun stouts like Engine Oil. The atmosphere is very pleasant and well suited.

Very good Scottish cuisine, wonderful atmosphere, very nice service. I highly recommend it ❤️

Pretty well unique! We came here twice in the week. The specials are amazing, the staff is lovely and the portions are generous. Window table is bright even on a rainy day. Hopefully coming back tomorrow to taste the famous brisket! Thank you for such an enjoyable time.

Always a treat and leave full yet not bloated. The food is exquisite and truely cannot be matched anywhere else in Stirling. The team bring out the very best in Scottish cuisine with second to none service and excellent mocktails for those not partaking in the variety of drinks which also compliment the meals. Will always be grateful for this little gem and will always return.

Wow. Quite shocked at the experience we had tonight. The service from the offset was below average. Slow and emotionless. We ordered the bread for 2. We waited 20mins, naively thinking this may be getting baked (as advertised) but it came. 4 cold bits of above average bread,a big pot of olives & I mean BIG pot. Seemed very out of place. A 3/10 start. Next came the mains. Two steak burgers. My mum thankfully cut hers open to find various bits of raw meat. Not just cooked rare, raw. At this point we had enough and asked to just pay for the starter & leave. We did this, whilst receiving no apology until asked for one. Dire stuff. Maybe an off night, everywhere can have them but you at least expect the basics done right even on off nights. Places like this have the "posh" effect I call it. People don't like to leave bad reviews as it may make them look like they don't know a good establishment. Nonsense. Anyone who was reviewing and had our experience tonight would be being disingenuous if they gave anything other than the alloted 1 star. It didn't even deserve that.

Great evening, wonderful food and great service from Emily & Megan. It was a busier night than expected and they did great.

Had lunch today great food actually the best I've had in a long time. Amazing service from Jill and stu your foods to die for .I will be back .I would highly recommend brea

What an amazing find! Great service, great food. 100/100 for burgers, haggis and ice cream.

The food is excellent but was let down a bit by very slow service (20 minute wait to pay bill). Parking in the area is very limited. Book ahead or you may not get a table.

Hello, we are French! Unfortunately, I don't know how to speak English like my companion so I wanted to tell you: the fish soup starter was really delicious! Never eaten so well. The burger also also sorry if I couldn't finish my dish because I was sick but my husband's haggis dish was very good. Unfortunately I was pregnant otherwise I would have taken it. Thank you sincerely for the service and the very beautiful restaurant!! Kisses from France

Sadly we didn’t experience what others have enjoyed! We arrived on time for our reservation and were seated immediately. Fifteen (15!) minutes later someone came to our table and asked us for our drink AND entree order! 20 minuets later (yes 35 minutes after arriving) our drinks were brought to the table. In another 30 minutes our food came. They have a sign at the door - never a good indication - that they don’t serve “fast food.” But they seem confused that good service and the pace of service are the same. Good service is attentive and allows patrons to enjoy a slow paced evening with freshly prepared food to order. So - our idea of savoring a nice evening at a highly rated restaurant with a drink, perhaps sharing appetizers and a good leisurely evening totally evaporated! The food was good but not exceptional and didn’t make up for the disinterest the staff had about engaging. After our food was served we were never asked about our dishes and were never offered another drink.

Came here from out of town because of the great reviews. The skink and haggis my partner ordered were delicious, and drink selection was awesome. Unfortunately I ordered the pear salad for my main, assuming that since it was 20 pounds it would be a pretty special salad. It not only wasn't remarkable, but didn't even come with pears at all! Left me feeling pretty disappointed about the place.

First time in Scotland!!! Woot, woot! Mind the roundabouts-iykyk. And what an amazing dining experience!!!! Skye was an absolutely delightful & energetic waitress, we took all of her suggestions for appetizers, main and wine. And man, was she on point with her suggestions! The Cullen Skink was delicous. My friend had the haggis trio, and he loved it. Not a crumb was left on his plate. The steak burger was an excellent suggestion, my friend cut it in half, licked the knife (he's tacky as hell, lol) and smiled-he said even the juice and sauces on the knife were yummy. He ate only half his burger, nodding and smiling with every bite, just so he could eat some of my rolled haddock stuffed with smoked salmon-this dish was truly enjoyable as well. Fish cooked perfectly. The mashed potatoes were good, just a wee bit salty. Highly recommend this restaurant!

Very good food, the quality of the raw materials can be felt. Almost the entire menu offers vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free variations. The only flaw: a little too expensive considering the size of the portions, £20 for a slightly skimpy salad as a main dish seems excessive to me. £9 a starter with literally 6 slices of beetroot carpaccio and the same goes for the rest. If you don't have any problems spending a little more you can easily get the starter, main dish and dessert without bursting at the seams. It depends what one is looking for from a dinner in Scotland.

Fantastic dinner; basically a white-tablecloth-restaurant quality meal with a somewhat more casual and friendly atmosphere. I had the rolled haddock which was impressively prepared because it was neither under- nor overcooked at any point in the roll--which I know from experience is difficult to do. Very fresh. Side vegetables were a nice mix and perfectly cooked as well. I had cranachan for dessert (a new dish for me) which was also very tasty, but definitely large enough to split.

Omg amazing food Had the pigeon (with a cheeky haggis side), then steak and whisky sauce, followed by crème brûlée ice cream Fantastic meal Service really good with the owner checking every table was happy (I was !)

Having dropped our daughter off to start Uni at Stirling we couldn’t miss out on a meal at Brea. We’d been before so had booked in advance. It’s had a refit since we last came but it’s still amazing. The menu has a few changes although the staple Cullen Skink is still there. Opted for the Specials; a Filo parcel with goats cheese and strawberry (I think) for starter plus the Salmon and Mussels for main. Along with 2 steak orders, scallops and carpaccio of beetroot we were set. Nothing disappointed when it arrived. All looked great and tasted even better. On the service front we met Skye who knew her stuff and was always there to help if needed. An amazing lady who chatted to all the tables of guests. A really good “front of house”. The other staff were equally friendly and helpful. We had no room for dessert, sadly. Once again a pleasant evening. We will be back on a regular basis going forwards as we pop up to visit our daughter. Thanks again.

My boyfriend and I had an amazing dinner at Brae. Definitely the best meal we’ve had in Scotland so far. The burger, Cullen Skink and haggis were all incredible, and the Creme Brûlée ice cream was delicious. Our server Skye was very knowledgeable about the menu and drink pairings. Her service went above and beyond, making our dinner an overall great experience.

Food was delicious. It's a family run restaurant and it's run with passion. Make sure you book though as it's really popular.

The food was delicious and Skye looked after us so well we will absolutely be back! We experienced proper Scottish hospitality, I think Skye needs a pay raise 😁 xx

delicious food, very kind and attentive staff

Great place to enjoy an authentic Scottish meal

It's a charming place with great service and the best haggis I've ever tasted! Highly recommend!

My servers were very nice. My food here was perfect loved my ribeye steak and home fries. My garlic bread was also nicely flavored. This is a very popular spot among locals and tourists alike. Make sure to book ahead or come before the dinner rush.

Wonderful evening celebrating my birthday. Food was outstanding, service was helpful and friendly. Would happily return and happily recommend.

Just another medicore restaurant in Stirling.

A place that we found thanks to Google Maps reviews and was also recommended to us by the hotel. The delay was approximately 40 minutes to receive the food, but everything was very good. We ordered the pasta with mushrooms and truffle, beef burger and a lentil stew with salmon and mussels. Very good service; They recommend you and always with a smile. The bathrooms, very clean. Advisable.

Great food. Great hosts. Great service. We went on a recommendation from someone we met earlier in the day, Connor, and he was right. So good. 👍

We visited few weeks ago and sadly the place fell well short of out expectation. My wife's haggis had whisky sause badly split, and my hamburger meat was way to salty, so that raised some questions about how fresh it was. The waiter told us about junior chef and was willing to get us new plates, but we had plane to catch so could not wait. The food was edible, but left us very dissapointed really.

We ordered 6 dishes: Cullen skink, scallops with a carrot..., trio of haggis..., seared pigeon all..., rolled haddock... and spiced poached... everything was delicious. Decide to try desserts and order two: Sticky Toffee Pudding and Traditional Cranachan are not for me

First time having haggis here and I can fairly say that The Brea elevates dining to an exceptional experience. Worth a visit after a long tour at the Castle.

Brilliant food. Just our ideal. Will return if we ever come to Stirling again and will recommend. Several staff served us and all were lovely. Skye was particularly welcoming and pleasant. Would highly recommend.

A bit overpriced for what it is.

Lovely Scottish themed restaurant. Food was excellent, a lovely modern twist on some dishes, others kept pretty traditional. Our mixed age group, 7-75 years old, all enjoyed our experience here. Service was also lovely and with a smile, Thank you.

Very good dinner with friends while on vacation. I had the steak, which was good. My husband got the burger which was too large to comfortably eat. But that's a common issue with burgers - they're too tall!

Went here for a quick and early dinner. The food was very good and nicely served.

Only popped in for a 'snack' of starters at lunch. Skye was really lovely and knowledgeable and even asked the chef about the sauce on the prawns. My partner had the pigeon breast (not pictured) which was also delicious. Food was fantastic, wish we had made time to pop back in for dinner on our trip to Stirling

Tasty food, well presented, but large portions. Struggled to eat it all. Person next to us had two starters which might have been a good idea. Rolled haddock was too salty. Service good. Nice decor/ambience, but it was quite hot, which added to our discomfort of feeling over full at the end. Big list of regional gins but only one tonic on offer. Overall a pleasant experience though, due to tasty regional food. Would visit again.

I rarely ate such good food. This is really high quality plates worthy of the best restaurants. I highly recomend the grilled sea bream with its delicious red wine sauce 😍😋

Really nice meal, pricier than normal but worth it. Nice vegetarian options

I had a lovely time at this place! They were very welcoming and kind, and the service was excellent. I appreciated the server’s recommendations and her passion for the restaurant’s offerings! (Shout out to Skye!) The food was delicious—local, fresh, and beautifully presented. Next time I’m in Stirling, I’ll definitely be back!

The food was delicious, the service friendly and welcoming, the space was well laid out and not overcrowded. Booking is a must!

We just had the best of experiences at this restaurant. Fabulous food, Haggis, and Cullen Skink were amazing!! Service was wonderful and helpful. Do not miss this gem if you go to Stirling!!! Thanks Brea staff for everything.

The most delicious food has just been had, mouthwatering! Nice location, nice restaurant. Service Staff were a little unresponsive but nice. We will be back again.

I highly recommend this classy restaurant in Stirling for an exceptional dining experience. The haggis there is simply delicious, perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection. Each dish, from start to finish, is a true treat for the taste buds, prepared with high quality ingredients and presented with elegance. The refined atmosphere and impeccable service complete a memorable lunch. A must for gourmets looking for authentic and refined flavors!

Brea Excellent Scottish Restaurant using locally sourced produce 👍🏻. Great Menu includes Vegetarian options and wine selection

This restaurant was great ! The wait staff & Kitchen was Excellent the bar keep sky was. Very knowledgeable and help us fine 2 new whiskeys . Only wish I could go back sooner but we were only in Stirling for a day . 😪 but Awsome

Fortunately we'd booked, as it was very busy. Fantastic staff, helpful and friendly. The food was amazing. We'd been before and this was a much anticipated return visit. Next time we're in Stirling, we'll be sure to book again. A special mention for Greg the chef. My steak was sublime. The sauce was incredible. Thankyou. Can't wait to come back.

The ribeye steaks were pitcher perfect! The bar keep of the day was Sky she knows whiskey ! Everything was Awsome! From the hostess the waitress, the chef & the meals . Thank you the whole team was Awsome!! July 7th 2024

My boyfriend booked this restaurant for us as we were staying nearby overnight. Wow! Beautiful restaurant with a great menu selection & food was out of this world. Staff were also very friendly & helpful. Would definitely return.

We stopped on a Monday evening. You really need to make a reservation. It is a small place and fills up quickly. We had the sea bream- it was excellent. Tasty and beautifully served. The haddock stuffed with salmon was good, but not at the level of the bream. For dessert the crunchy lemon ice cream was superb. The chocolate ice cream with Laphroaig whisky was also good - perfect pairing.

Afternoon meal for four with drinks. Cost £270... Four star restaurant food, served up at four star restaurant prices in a two star cafe environment. The recent tweek of the interior hasn't improved the venue enough to match the quality or cost of the food experience. Shame.

I dined into the restaurant and got the roasted tomato soup which clearly had a fish stock that was very fishy. Also, I got the wrapped salmon dish as well which seemed overcooked. Either one of those two dishes made me sick as that was the only thing I ate in the past 12 hours and about 4 hours after the meal I became quite ill. I’d like to ask the restaurant to examine their seafood handling practices in the future to avoid such issues.

We took a late reservation because we really wanted to try it. Upon arrival the hostess said that the reservation didn't show up on her system. She offered no solution, so on top of losing our reservation we were left with no where to eat (because of Scottish law not allow guest under 16 after 9pm. This is the worst experience of an overall great trip.

Loads of gluten free options, and staff well-versed in coeliac disease. Delicious food, nice wines, and a lovely feel inside. Highly recommend, especially to coeliacs.

If you are looking for a restaurant with gluten-free food, this is highly recommended for its variety, very good quality and exquisite service.

Loved trying some of the Scottish specialties. I really loved the Cullen skink soup. That was really delicious. The stuffed haddock was a bit too salty for me, probably because of the smoked salmon. The carachan was really interesting to try, maybe a bit too sweet for me.

Been twice before and it’s been excellent. Service has slipped a touch on our last/3rd visit, but still really good food and a beautiful restaurant in a great location. We’ll go back and hope they have some more staff on. They got our order wrong twice and didn’t believe me when I asked to have the correct dish. Weird

Excellent cuisine. Waitress beginner but pleasant. Restaurant a little noisy. Great experience.

I recently took a group of 20+ visitors to Stirling for a meal at Brea to give them an authentic flavour of Scotland. Rob and Charlene were great when it came to accommodating our large group and were flexible with arrangements including pre-ordering. The staff on the evening were also fantastic, dealing with last minute order changes and requests with a can-do attitude which made all the difference. My group were delighted with the experience and came away with not only a positive impression of Brea, but a positive impression of the friendly and welcoming people who live and work within the city of Stirling. I'll definitely be back and would encourage others entertaining visitors in Stirling to consider bringing groups to Brea.

Very helpful with gluten free. Tried the pigeon, which was served very gourmetly.

Service far too long. Why wait so long for a poor plate of steak and rice when we arrived first. More than an hour of waiting is not possible. Food ok but nothing more but addition much too expensive. Damage...

Disappointed with the waiting time. An hour's wait for a dish and a mini buger for children.... We regret that not all the dishes offered are available. Nice atmosphere, smiling staff but the wait spoils everything. A little expensive...

Cullen skink is very similar to seafood chowder soup, it is full of potato chunks, and the haggies are a bit salty.

Great customer service, relaxed friendly atmosphere and delicious food- highly recommend.

Good food with friendly, efficient service. We had pigeon breast, Cullen skink, side vegetables, and crème brûlée ice cream. Pigeon breast was tender and flavourful. Mushroom underneath was too salty for my taste but I don’t eat that much salt. Likely personal preference. Portion size of the pigeon breast is very small, likely an appetiser. Cullen skink was absolutely delicious. Crème brûlée ice cream was the perfect finish.

Excellent haggis and pistachio ice cream (and god knows I'm picky with the latter). Smily and prompt service. A perfect start to our Scottish trip!

It's a small place but it's got big heart! The plates were all wonderfully presented and the taste of each one was exquisite. Nice warm atmosphere too. Lovely place recommend it greately

This was a lovely surprise and a a warm inviting restaurant. Emily and Finola were wonderful servers along with a third women whose name I cannot remember. The first night I had the haddock stuffed with smoke salmon. Amazing tasty the right size portion ingredients simple and delicious. The second night the Cullen Skink. Best one we ate in Scotland. This lovely little treasure should not be missed when visiting Stirling.

The staff were so friendly and accommodating (we had to move our reservation by 30 mins - no problem, we had an unsettled toddler with us - staff brought over colouring books and pens), they really couldn't do enough for us. And then there was the food. Between us we had salads, steaks, cullen skink, haggis, burgers and it was all incredible. I had the cullen skink which was smoky and creamy, served with a couple of slices of lovely bread and butter to mop everything up as well as a trio of haggis (one breadcrumbed, one coated in pine nuts (I think!) and one incorporated into mashed potato and turnip) served with a whisky cream sauce that blew my mind. Honestly I sounded like a fool saying after every mouthful, "that is incredible". Great selection of drinks, mostly locally (Scottish) sourced. One of the best meals I've ever had.

Great menu for a wide range of picky people! Staff were very good at their jobs and engaged well. Presentation of the meals was well done. Good range of drinks. Noise level was good enough for you to have a conversation at the table!

We had a great lunch here after visiting the castle.

Here they serve delicious cullen skink, what a gem! Everything is prepared with the same care, using fresh local ingredients and tastes excellent. Recommended!!

Absolutely lovely restaurant, pigeon breast starter and sea bream main, even had a lovely Scottish dessert with a lovely local IPA. Loved it, if I had to be picky the pigeon breast was slightly overcooked but I still enjoyed it. Do recommend this place 👌

A place with delicious, very Scottish food ❤️

Very nice lunch. Friendly staff, good food at a good price.

I was having unpleasant experience today with very basic but over price starter King Prawns. The taste was not good and weird but I wasn’t sure why and thought maybe because it was frozen prawns. My husband tried and said it was not cooked. I didn’t believe because it shouldn’t be the case in a high rated restaurant. Until the afternoon I was extremely sick. I’m pregnant and it’s dangerous for my health if I eat uncooked food. Will never come back.

Had lunch there today. Food was excellent. Highly recommend the Haddock stuffed with smoked salmon and the Haggis. Staff were pleasant and attentive. Would highly recommend a visit.

It is an award winning restaurant and you can clearly see why. It was for my boyfriends birthday and we had booked to go to the Stirling Distillery for a gin tour and tasting. Before we went we wanted to book somewhere for dinner. It was on a Monday and we tried to book dinner in the Friars Wynd. The girl told us that the kitchen was closed that evening however recommended Brea which was just on the street up from Friars. The girl that took our booking was very accommodating and explained they had a large party due in that evening. We got to book a table for the time we were looking for. The ambiance of the restaurant and the decor is lovely. The food was superb it was not only delicious but was presented beautifully. I had the salmon stuffed haddock on a bed of mashed potato with a creamy cheese sauce served with vegetables. My boyfriend went for the surf and turf. I tasted the skin on fries and the steak looked and tasted amazing. The meal was superb and I would highly recommend the restaurant.

A really tasty meal, attentive staff and good value for money

Wonderful food especially the haggis. Service and food excellent.

Dissappointing visit to what I hoped would be great lunch with a Scottish theme. Service was average at best. The food was dissappointing and over priced. Not restuarant I would re-visit or recommend.

Great meal. Great service. Nice atmosphere.

Everything was delicious, including the haggis which i tried for the first time. Great selection of whisky. Our server, Pamela was terrific!

The food is good in a cozy place, but it is overpriced.

Came to Brea for a family birthday and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The food was delicious and portions substantial- almost couldn’t finish desert which is unheard of for me! Staff were really friendly and helpful and didn’t rush us. Lovely relaxed place for a nice special dinner

Fantastic food and wonderful service, Jill our server was very attentive and knowledgeable also good fun . I would definitely recommend to anyone visiting Stirling and book ahead as it was full on a Tuesday night.

The food was lovely but we would have to say the service was a bit lacking. The level of service was not up to the same level as the food. Shame really.

What a wonderful restaurant with lovely staff, our meal was fabulous cooked too perfection. Our waitress Jill was so friendly and accommodating 5 star to you all