Taste — Restaurant in Great Britain

I should first of all note that I did work here, part-time, for two years. But I'm in the South of England now, and have no vested interest in Taste doing well.

I first arrived in St Andrews for a Master's in 2009, and found Taste pretty quickly; I stayed there for hours, talking shop with classmates and working on papers for hours on end; I soon fell in love with the place and it really felt like home. I started working there because I really wanted to as much as for the money. It never lost its warm, relaxed, welcoming atmosphere, and I never felt that there was any of the snobbery or social closedness this type of café is liable to have: there are plenty of student hipsters, to be sure, but it is a favourite haunt of everyone who doesn't mind the limited seating.

The coffee - three grinds, which change periodically - is as good as you'll get outside of an artisan coffee shop, and, depending on your barista, can be every iota as good. All the sandwiches and a lot of the cakes are made in the upstairs kitchen, and are fantastic every single time, because Jan - the cook and manager - loves food, and doesn't cut any corners with it (he even uses, for example, organic butter, because he thinks it tastes better - but he never advertises this, informally or formally, because he does it for the love of the food).

I can't...

Very very busy, popular, great coffee & “green” products but the biggest drawback is always the space at the counter. Once you place your order you cannot easily stand back & let someone else from the Q in to order without blocking the door or seating area ... then you cannot easily get back to collect your drinks when ready. A no win situation. So stay put I guess, but then look like your blocking the place. Otherwise woulda...

Tight quarters, hot drinks: a coffee bar that is so small it reminds you of a ship's galley, this place serves up what looks like the most popular, and certainly the most original, coffee experience in St Andrews: far from the overly clean vibe provided by the chains on Market Street, here steamy windows, sparse but cosy seating and extremely friendly and agile staff serve the most perfect and smooth of coffee & tea...