The Cross Keys

A lovely evening meal was had by all and I am looking forward to another visit soon. The pub itself has all the charm of a country pub, warm, welcoming, open fire, relaxed atmosphere, dog friendly and amazing food! I had the Cullen skint for starter, braised ox cheeks for my main and the apple turnover for dessert all washed down with a perfectly chilled bottle of sauvignon blanc. Absolutely delicious and all plates in our group was scrapped clean! Don’t hesitate to try out this place!

I really like this place, lovely country pub and they serve really tasty food too! The first thing that hits you when you walk in is the lovely smell from the open fire and a nice welcome from the staff. The pub itself is all a country pub should be in my opinion, rustic, full of character and charm. A nice place to come for a few drinks, dog friendly and they also have some books and games if you are in that kind of mood. The food is lovely and the portion size allows you to try a few courses. On my recent visit I had the beetroot and feta risotto to start which was very pleasant. For mains I had the tasty Moroccan lamb, followed by bread and butter pudding which was just lovely. All washed down with a very nice sauvignon blanc. Everyone in the group enjoyed their food, other highlights were the ox cheek, apple turnover and the pistachio ice cream. I’m very much looking forward to my next visit.

Not often a place gets five stars from me but I can’t think of a single thing to mark them down for. Superb food served in generous portions in a comfortable surrounding with friendly staff (and an even friendlier pub dog)
I had slow cooked wild boar and chorizo with herbed dumplings and thin ribbons of fried veg on top. The missus had Moroccan Lamb with large Israeli Couscous and a yoghurt dressing. Both were superb. Kids had fish supper and bangers and mash, all totally home made and equally delicious.
There’s a beer garden and play area out the back for when it’s not utterly pissing town with rain (is never) and they have rooms upstairs too — great wee place and really glad we made the journey. Would definitely return (it’s about a 80 minute journey for us) for birthday or other special occasions.

I don’t know where to start with this extraordinary pub. This is what all pubs aspire to be. Absolutely delicious local food, five steps up from traditional pub fare but still hewing to the classics. Fantastic local cask ales on draught and a very good whisky collection. The owner is a true publican, friendly, professional, and conscious of ensuring his guests enjoy their stay. We ate and we ate and we drank and we drank and then we stayed for hours listening to a group of locals jamming on traditional Scottish instruments. If I hadn’t been there in person, I would have thought this was a movie version of a small local pub. We had many, many delicious meals on the Isle of Skye, in the Highlands, and in Edinburgh, but this evening, in tiny little Kippen, was our favorite night of our entire Scottish vacation.
We stayed in one of the rooms upstairs which was simple but quaint, and again felt exactly as a room above a small pub in a small Scottish town should. Breakfast the next morning was delicious including fresh yogurt and jams, muesli, and a hot cooked Scottish breakfast.
This really is everything a pub should be. Don’t just go if you’re in Stirlingshire: go out of your way to spend the night there.

I have to give this pub five stars cos it succeeds on every level — atmosphere, staff, food, and drink.
Kippen isn’t much of a destination but it’s worth making the trip for this pub, esp if yer a fan of Sunday lunch! The food in here is classic British/​Scottish fair — stuff like oxtail with gravy and horseradish mash is on offer, full beef roast with yorkshire puddings, cullen skink, various game options, and great desserts. More exotic stuff turns up from time to time — Paella, for example.
It has a roaring log fire, a great range of both alcoholic and soft drinks (My favourite San Pellegrino fruit sodas are on offer) and good hot drinks too.
The pub fills up on Sundays for the local folk session. It is child-​friendly before 8 and it is dog-​friendly too.
The staff are efficient and attentive, and friendly. The décor is appropriate/​tasteful and makes it a nice place to sit. It’s also pretty comfortable!
Overall, proper traditional local pub, good to while away an afternoon or an evening in. Great homemade traditional food, well cooked with fresh ingredients.

Pleasant local pub with a proper roaring log fire and consequently a very snug smokey atmosphere! Recommend the bangers and mash which seems to use the sausages from the local butchers across the road. Standard gastro pub prices.

For the life of me I cannot recall how we came to discover the Cross Keys Inn but boy am I glad that we did (it may have been because we were searching for a dog friendly hotel).
Anyway, describing the Cross Keys as merely a pub-​with-​rooms is to do it a serious disservice. This is lovely traditional Scottish inn with a fantastic welcoming atmosphere and a great selection of ales.
For dinner I had chickens livers to start followed by the steak and ale pie which is something of a signature dish. V had chowder to start followed by lamb roulade and every mouthful of every dish was just great. it seems that the new chef knows both his marketplace and his way round a kitchen.
Afterwards we retired to our room which was simply furnished and small but tasteful, modern and spotless. it also featured the comfiest beds you will ever sleep in. At only 45 minutes from both Glasgow and Edinburgh the Cross Keys is a perfectly placed getaway and we will certainly be back soon.

The Cross Keys is an adorable pet friendly Bed and Breakfast on the Main Street in Kippen. The owners Debbie and Brian are wonderful people! Brian is a phenomenal chef and also made some great recommendations of the local sites in the area. Our room had a great view of the country side, it was clean and minimalistic, which crisp white cotton sheets and fluffy pillows. The bathroom had wonderful heated floors, I could have stayed in there all day to stay warm from the crisp Scottish chill. I hear there is a great beer garden outside, but it was a little chilly to go out there.
The breakfast area is sun drenched in a private space away from the communal pub area, with three tables, one set for each room, there is an assortment of cereal, yogurt coffee and juices to munch one before the start of the meal, the full Scottish breakfast hot portion is really delicious. Jessie, the Labradoodle sat with us one morning while we were having our tea and coffee whil reading the paper. It is a really great way to start off your morning. Note: breakfast is only served if you stay at the inn, otherwise, they are only open for lunch and dinner.
There is currently a special where you can get a room for 55 pounds if you have dinner or lunch there, which again I would highly recommend!
The pub area is a rustic dark and cozy space. The menu consists of local fare and as I said before Brian is a wonderful chef. I had the pork belly with wild rice and my husband had the short rib tagliatelle, both entrees were massive and well worth the sterling spent. I wish we had a couple more meals during our stay. You can tell that the locals really love this place as it’s seems to be the neighborhood watering hole. There is always a warm fire simmering in the fireplace.
If you are in the area, I would highly recommend stopping in to soak up the charm of this wonderful hidden gem!

Chose this place for lunch randomly online yeaterday (random inasmuch as it looked the better of the 2 options 5pm presented me with) and was well rewarded. Only one real ale on tap but that’s no doubt governed by how much trade the place gets and the sauce on the crowdie cheesecake was rather overbearing but otherwise no complaints service was excellent (with even a celebrity waiter just in for that day, either Colin or Justin), the pheasant, partridge & ham-​hock terrine tasted great and came with enough oatcakes, the shin of beef chili was a well proportioned size and the ale was well kept. Dessert could have tipped me over the edge but it turned out I’d just enough room for it. Good vfm, pleasant atmosphere, clearly a popular choice for locals and those in the know alike and therefore somewhere I look forward to returning to.

My friends and I were basically just heading from Loch Lomond over to Edinburgh and were looking for a good place to eat. Based on a suggestion in «Scotland the Best» we headed over to The Cross Keys, just for dinner and not for the night. By sheer coincidence we were lucky enough to enjoy some live music too, and to be quite frank, it couldn’t have been much better.
Just judging by the staff I assume that the rooms are worthwhile as well. It’s also perfectly situated an odd 45 minutes from Glasgow and 45 minutes from Edinburgh.
The food was fantastic, the staff was ever so friendly, and they have a good selection of ales too! One thing is for sure: when I’m back in the area I’ll definitely head there for more!
If you ever find yourself near the south east tip of Loch Lomond and you’re driving around not sure where to go for a decent bite, head on over to Kippen.