There’s nothing quite like finding a new favourite place to eat in your hometown.
Sadly, Stirling and its surroundings saw several beloved local businesses close down during 2024.
Still, things are looking bright (not to mention delicious) for the year ahead, with plenty of new restaurant and cafe openings already on the cards.
Here are the Stirlingshire eateries due to open their doors for the first time in 2025, as well as a couple you might have missed at the tail end of last year.
The Cup and Saucer
Located on the ground floor of the Thistles shopping centre, inside Stirling’s bus station, new cafe The Cup and Saucer is due to open in spring 2025.
It will offer hot drinks, homemade cakes and light bites for commuters, shoppers and anyone who happens to be passing by.
The aim is for the cafe to be “a cosy space to relax, recharge, and catch up with friends.”
Address: Stirling Bus Station, Goosecroft Road, Stirling, FK8 1PF
Piotsa Pizza
There was a great deal of excitement back in September when it was announced that Piotsa Pizza will open on the site of the former King Street Strathcarron Hospice charity shop.
The Stirling city centre venture is being masterminded by Alex Sorlei, who used to run the popular Napizza on Friars Street, and David Atkins.
Work is currently under way to fit out the restaurant, which will have space to seat 25 diners.
Customers will also be able to take food away with them.
Piotsa – which means pizza in Gaelic – will sell a variety of pizzas, from Italian classics to some with a Scottish twist.
Pizza making workshops, wine tasting and other events are also planned.
In October, Piotsa’s owners said they had encountered some unexpected issues, including securing licences, but that they were close to announcing their official opening date.
Address: 33-35 King Street, Stirling, FK8 1DN
Wan Fir The Road
Need pizza now? No problem.
Five minutes from Piotsa, Wan Fir The Road is serving up 10-inch pizzas with toppings including prosciutto ham, meatballs and pepperoni.
The restaurant, which has opened where the former Tutti Pizza was, started welcoming guests for lunch and dinner in mid-November.
There’s plenty more on the menu, from pasta and burgers to comfort food favourites, like steak pie or fish and chips.
Since launching, Wan Fir The Road has started offering a traditional Sunday roast and varied chef’s specials, such as mussels and Balmoral chicken.
Address: 21 Dumbarton Road, Stirling, FK8 2LQ
Doune Snacks and Rolls
Last month, Stirling Council approved a planning permission request to open a hot food takeaway facility on Doune’s Innes Park industrial estate, in a former business unit.
There isn’t much information out there about Doune’s Snacks and Rolls at the moment, but its name suggests it will sell light bites and breakfast or lunch rolls to the locals living and working nearby.
An opening date isn’t yet confirmed, but the proposed operating hours for the business are 7am to 3pm.
Address: Innes Park, Station Wynd, Doune, FK16 6EH
Chickaros
Fast food company Chickaros has secured council planning permission to operate as a Class 3 food and drink business on Port Street in Stirling city centre.
The chain has 14 branches across the UK, with several more planned.
Chickaros serves everything from southern fried chicken to gourmet burgers, as well as sweet treats like waffles and milkshakes.
Though there is currently no set opening date for the Stirling restaurant, plans have been in the works for some time so we hope to see its doors open during 2025.
Address: 13 Port Street, Stirling, FK8 2EJ
The Red Herring
Bridge of Allan restaurant The Red Herring was ready to welcome diners in early December, after a refurbishment.
Taking the place of Nick Nairn’s former eatery, The Red Herring offers breakfast, brunch, lunch and evening meals, with a focus on Italian favourites like pizza and pasta.
The new restaurant is currently open from Wednesday to Sunday until spring, when it will be open seven days a week.
Address: 28 Henderson Street, Bridge of Allan, FK9 4HR
Starbucks drive-thru
It isn’t confirmed yet, but Stirling’s next Starbucks branch could open this year, since permission for its signage was granted by the council in late-October.
Serving all the hot and cold drinks and snacks the global brand has become famous for, the coffee shop will be located on Borrowmeadow Road and will be the city’s second Starbucks drive-thru.
The first one opened off the A84 Drip Road roundabout in late-2021.
Another Starbucks also opened in the Thistles shopping centre in late-September.
Address: Borrowmeadow Road, Stirling, FK7 7UW
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