The Portcullis

This place should deserve more than three stars, but I just can’t bring myself to give them.
There’s nothing wrong with it if you like traditional pub grub and atmosphere, but I had serious trouble ordering any main course from the menu that I could eat (due to my dietary restrictions) except for haddock and chips. To be fair, the haddock was enormous and was served with a lovely side order of salad — the sculpted spring onions were a wee work of art in themselves and deserve a special mention. I could REALLY have done without the cheese, though — please list this on the menu, some of us are lactose intolerant you know? Chips came in a cup separately as there was no room left on the plate!
The beer selection was pretty average, nothing too outstanding — I settled on a pint of Timothy Taylors. Can’t we have a better range of Scottish ales on tap?
The service was hurried and lacklustre — it was busy and we were a group of 8, but even so, a little less sighing from the obviously harassed waitress would have gone a long way towards a better dining experience.
Prices a little high for what it was, but I guess that’s inevitable given the proximity to the castle.

My husband found The Portcullis by googling castle hotels, and this was a wild success. The Portcullis is quite literally built into the walls of Stirling Castle– in its past lives, it’s been a school for boys and a military store; now, it’s a pub downstairs and hotel upstairs.
The rooms aren’t the fanciest rooms I’ve ever stayed in, but the beds were comfortable and the showers worked great. Most importantly, the views are great– the window in our bathroom in room one looked directly at the castle, and the other windows gave us a look at the town. Our rate included breakfast– we didn’t end up taking them up on the hot breakfast, but they had quite a few options that looked great.
The pub is great as well– we stopped there for dinner, lunch and after-​dinner drinks during our few nights in town. At dinner I had a delicious salmon and shrimp pasta special, and my husband had a steak stir fry special. At lunch, my husband enjoyed the fish and chips– they were probably some of the best either of us tried in Scotland. I had a baked potato topped with smoked salmon– how had I not thought of this before? Not fancy, but a delicious combo, for a very reasonable price. They had a great selection of beers on tap, both Scottish and otherwise, as well as a nice variety of whiskies and other drinks.
Stirling is definitely worth a visit, and Portcullis is a great place to stay to do it!

A pub in Stirling that I haven’t been to?! This cannot be!
And so, after a gin or two, we had our hearts set on new territory within Stirling town. Headed up to the castle, we caught sight of the Portcullis. Of course, I’d been past so many times before but now, I was venturing inside. It’s cosy. — So, so cosy. A very traditional pub. It was just a one drink stop but it was a pleasant one nonetheless.
The drinks were a little bit more expensive than the pubs down in the town centre, but it’s quite a touristy little pub, being so close to the castle. I ordered a gin and tonic, which I asked for with a slice of lime. They had none behind the bar, so the lady serving me said she’d head to the kitchen. After a little wait, she came back down to say the kitchen staff were on a hunt for lime for me. It wasn’t worth all the trouble, I was fine with the drink as it was so told them that it was really okay without. Though, I was grateful that they were on a mission to find some for me. It’s strange that they didn’t have some behind the bar. Perhaps they had run out.
I may well be back for food!

The Portcullis is a fantastic, cosy pub that used to be a historic grammar school. It’s conveniently located at the foot of the Stirling Castle and it makes for a lovely stop before or after a trip to the castle.
After a trip to the castle today which was beautiful but very chilly, we were eager to find some lunch and hot drinks. We were lured in by our stomachs and our choice was confirmed when we saw the roaring fire! The warm tapestry-​style decorations, the fire and our coffees and hot chocolates warmed us up as we admired the old stone walls and thought of the history behind this place. The food menu consisted of standard pub food and lots of paninis and sandwiches. My brie and cranberry sandwich was delicious and the staff were friendly. This pub was a great find!