Black Bull Gartmore

Four of us ate here on 20th April and it was excellent - definitely recommend and would return again. Polite efficient staff and obviously a great team in the kitchen

We booked a big table for 17 with Karina for a family birthday dinner. She was extremely helpful and we arrived a couple of weeks later at our booked slot to find our table wasn’t quite how we had requested but it was fine. Still looked nice as it was a special occasion. Slight misunderstanding with another member of staff over the time we had it booked and my brother was sent back outside….! However…after reading my email confirming the booking time- allowed us in. Wasn’t the best start. However the rest of our visit was faultless. Karina and Callum specifically did a fantastic job looking after our table. The food was out in great timing, top quality and hot, which for the number of people we had was a very difficult job in itself. They both really made our experience stress free and very enjoyable. We will definitely be back. The chef/kitchen staff are clearly a brilliant team. To cater for this amount of people at one table isn’t easy and they handled it faultlessly. We strongly recommend booking a large event here, everyone in my family enjoyed everything, shame about the arrival issue as that was really the only issue that we had. Brilliant team at the Blackbull.

I read the reviews online as well as the website history. I was intrigued so booked the Inn for nearly a week. At first I was irritated: the late check-in (5pm); the lack of place to sit while waiting to check in (i.e., no proper lobby but rather a small dining room in which to sit), and the fact that I would have to find other places to dine on Monday and Tuesday given that the kitchen is closed on those nights. Normally not a big deal but the fact that I did not have a car, and that the buses stopped early evening did make it a big deal for me. Other things that annoyed: nearly slipping in the shower (uhh, shower mats or anti-slip *****s?); bathroom amenities in tiny plastic containers rather than in large refillable containers?; no shelf in shower? And yada yada. That said, the place grew on me. Gartmore, as I learned, is a village of creatives. Musicians, artists, theatre people choose to live here. There is so much history on the walls of the Inn that it is a museum onto itself. Come evenings, the bar fills with its community owners, and if you are around long enough, you will come to recognize them in the painting on the wall of the bar that was inspired by the Robert Burn's poem, Tam O'Shanter. It was painted by known Scottish artist Craig Campbell, who used to be a resident of Gartmore. The Inn is cosy and quirky. It's not a B&B, and it is not a hotel. It is something in between. It provides a cooked breakfast, which was served up to me by one of its shareholders who I discovered offered foraging hikes in the spring and late summer. (Attention mushroom hunters!) And I ate several evening meals here which would contend with any upscale city dining venue. A welcome relief from standard pub fare. The community shareholders and staff were engaging, and tried to accommodate in every way possible.If you are looking for something different, a taste of Scotland, and appreciate creative and humorous energy, then the Black Bull Inn will be for you!

A lovely stay at the Black Bull. The room was comfortable and had everything we needed, the evening meal was great and breakfast was very good. It was the staff who made the trip memorable - they were so interesting to talk to about the history of the pub and area and extended the warmest welcome possible. Would definitely recommend.

Fabulous accommodation with a beautiful spacious room & bathroom. Delicious home cooked breakfast. The pub is lovely with a great convivial atmosphere. Just check that the kitchen is open if you want to eat there in the evening. The pub is full of history in a beautiful location just 30 minutes from Stirling centre

The staff couldn’t have done enough to make this such a special break for my parents! We are very grateful! And my parents had a fabulous time; the accommodation was perfect, the food was spectacular, the staff were extremely helpful and they chatted to lots of local prople. Overall a 1st class break. Thank you.

This was our second visit to the Black Bull. We stayed for 2 nights on 13-15 March. The room was lovely, very comfortable, clean and tastefully decorated. We had dinner in the bar both evenings and found the food to be delicious. The staff are very helpful and welcoming. We really enjoyed the breakfast each morning. We will definitely return to this beautiful hotel in one of our favourite places in Scotland.

We arrived on a busy evening, as there was an event on, but were welcomed by friendly folk and enjoyed dinner before spending the night in our luxury room, which was lovely and fresh. Breakfast was very good and attention to my Gluten Free diet was good too.

Had a lovely stay with a friend. Both the dinner and breakfast were amazing and staff/locals were very friendly. Our room was tastefully decorated. A lovely wee place and everyone clearly very proud of their wee village! Will definitely be back! Can’t recommend the Black Bull enough.