The Boozy Cow storms into Stirling
Theatrical, urban and edgy, The Boozy Cow – a burger specialist restaurant and cocktail bar with attitude bordering on punk style – has just opened in 28 King Street, Stirling and is currently doing a roaring trade.
This is the third Boozy Cow venue for Speratus group owner and rare true philanthropist, Garreth Wood, who donates all profits taken from these bars to local charities.
The Speratus Group launched their initiative #fromMoo2U, committing all annual profits from the restaurants to charities and is confident that, by the end of 2018’s financial year, the combined donations on an annual basis will be more than £1million.
The Stirling venue was transformed from a space previously occupied by Bar Buddha in an eight week project to create a fun place to eat from a menu including hot dogs and burgers, as well as to enjoy cocktails and craft beers.
Located adjacent to the Stirling Arcade, this latest venture follows The Boozy Cow openings in Aberdeen in 2014, and Edinburgh in February 2015 – with all three having been designed by Tibbatts Abel.
In Stirling, artistically executed graffiti, splashes of paint, slogans and pop art cover the brick and chipboard lined walls lit by red neon signs, whilst industrial chains supported by scaffold poles hang above varnished chipboard tables, lit by oversized bare light bulbs.
Design highlights include giant murals – such as two embracing skeletons near the entrance, images of panthers and tigers a devil woman peering out from beneath a wall of chains, and a mirror featuring a pop art-style portrait of a skeletal Mary Queen of Scots.
Ablaze with a predominantly black and red colour scheme, the interior is divided into two sections, with a 150 capacity bar area at the front of the space and further seating to the rear adjacent to the kitchen.
Flooring is in wood marked with occasional lines of black and red, and the ceiling is painted in grey and incorporates yellow spotlights.
The lefthand wall of the venue comprises large windows painted with pink skulls, black roses and orange tigers facing directly into the Stirling Arcade shopping centre.
Seating in the bar includes tall stools at high tables of various sizes, with chipboard tops and metal pipe legs. To the left of the bar are two brown leather booths divided by metal frames hung with black PVC strips. To the left of the booths, steps lead down to a further seating area.
Perfectly in keeping with the ambience of the venue, the feature bar has a tiled top and a frontage clad in corrugated iron sheets, offset by quirky bar stools with seats made from beer kegs cut in half and painted red, to which steel legs have been added. Bare light bulbs in metal cages hang above the bar on chains.
Behind the bar a wooden shelving display showcases wines and spirits, illuminated by a red neon sign.
Upstairs the toilets are a work of art in themselves with tigers, slogans, dripping red and black paint and other distinctive imagery.
The Boozy Cow menu includes cheese burger with red onion, pickles, lettuce, beef tomato and mustard ketchup; Maple Bacon cheese burger; Holy Cow burger with double burger patty, caramelised chilli onions, sliced mature cheddar, crispy streaky bacon and hot chipotle mesquite sauce, and Phili Cheesesteak with heaps of shaved steak, onions and peppers, cheese sauce, ketchup, mustard and jalapenos in a soft brioche sub.
