Boozy milkshakes and steak souvlaki at Dook Café in St Andrews

West Sands has always been a regular escape for me – whether to walk the dogs, paddleboard, or swim in the sea. But it wasn’t until 2022, when Dook opened, that the area truly became a full-day destination.

There was the Seashell café on that spot before, but it had a modest offering. The location was crying out for something more and Dook has delivered exactly that, and then some.

A peaked canopy outside a café with picnic tables beneath and a silver food truck by a beach with sea gulls flying overhead. — Dook at West Sands, St Andrews. Image: Rick Booth / DC Thomson

Founded by brothers Robbie and Sam Larg, who also owns The Cheesy Toast Shack with his wife Kate, Dook took over the neglected beachfront hut and reimagined it as a laid-back, music-filled, foodie hub beside the dunes.

“I was in the oil industry for 27 years,” says Robbie. “Me and the younger brother, Sam, decided to go in with this together.”

How did it all start?

Robbie had long had his eye on the spot. “I’d been asking the Links Trust if we could lease it from them, and I think I must’ve just called them at the right time.”

Once they got the green light, it was full steam ahead. “We didn’t have a business plan. We kind of winged it. But Sam has the experience so we were able to learn from his mistakes and successes.”

A man in a black T shirt stands in front of bust picnic tables beneath a canopy at Dook Cafe. — Robbie Larg, owner of Dook in St Andrews. Image: Rick Booth / DC Thomson

But what they lacked in planning, they made up for in vision. “We wanted it to be a kind of family place where people hang out. You’ve got kids, dogs, teenagers, everyone,” Robbie explains.

“Our customers range from four-year-old kids to the putting ladies from The Himalayas Putting Course that come up every Thursday – some of them are in their 80s.”

A welcoming, friendly vibe

That open, welcoming spirit is clear the moment you arrive. The staff are lovely – happy to adapt any order. I can be a bit tricky with gluten-free requests and fussy preferences, and they never blink an eye.

Two young women behind a counter smiling while serving customers in a café. — Friendly staff serving customers at Dook. Image: Rick Booth / DC Thomson

“We try to make them feel happier than when they came in,” Robbie says. “Even if it’s really busy and queued out, we’ll see everyone spend that extra minute just being friendly.”

And the food really is excellent. Robbie’s personal favourite? “The chorizo sandwich,” he says without hesitation. “Especially now that we’re getting our bread delivered fresh every morning from Barnett’s Bakery in Fife.”

Food truck fiestas!

We went during one of their food truck weekends, when Feta, a Greek street food pop-up, was in residence. Their halloumi gyros (£10) – served gluten-free with a red pepper hummus and whipped feta – was absolutely delicious.

A blond woman sitting on an orange deck chair feed a piece of food to her husband in a red cap and black hoodie while their young daughter sits on another orange deckchair next to them. — Rachel and her family enjoyed a Greek feast from Feta food truck. Image: Rick Booth / DC Thomson

The halloumi had a light cornflour coating and the gluten-free pitta helped me scoop all the generous ingredients into tasty, summery mouthfuls.

A brown cardboard tub with fries, red sauce and white sauce and long chunks of fried halloumi. — The gluten-free halloumi gyros has the pitta below the fillings. Image: Rick Booth / DC Thomson

My husband had the mushroom souvlaki (£12), with chestnut and oyster mushrooms cooked sous vide, finished on the grill, and served with fries and Greek salad.

A brown cardboard tub filled with fries, mushrooms, flatbread and a white sauce. — Mushroom souvlaki from Feta food truck. Image: Rick Booth / DC Thomson

It was so good he forgot to pinch any of my halloumi.

How was the food?

We also had the filo-wrapped honey feta bites (£6), perfect for snacking on the go, and the Greek poutine: oregano-coated fries topped with big chunks of feta £6.50.

A woman in a white sweatshirt holds three cardboard dishes on feta-covered fries and a Greek salad. — The salad, Greek poutine and honey bites from Feta. Image: Rick Booth / DC Thomson

And since we are recently back from Cyprus and missing the cuisine, we also ordered the Horiatiki salad, which was full of fresh flavour and delicious olives for our daughter to pinch and scoff.

We honestly felt like we were dining beachside on a Greek island.

A man in a red cap hands food out to a customer at a silver food truck. — The guys from Feta serving customers at Dook. Image: Rick Booth / DC Thomson

These summer pop-ups rotate throughout the season. “For the next two weekends we’ve got the guys from Feta. Then after that, for four weeks, we’ve got Shrimp Wreck from Portobello,” Robbie says.

Between the beach and Blown Away watersports, beside the new sauna, Dook is central to the bustling West Sands scene. And this summer it is the place to be.

A wooden walkway leads from the beach to a café with a large canopy stretched over picnic tables. — Dook at West Sands. Image: Rick Booth / DC Thomson

That laid-back, all-ages vibe carries through the music as well. “We decided to put music on every weekend, all year,” says Robbie.

A man with brown hair and a short beard in a white shirt places music with a mixing deck and smiles at the camera. — The DJ keeps spirits high at Dook. Image: Rick Booth / DC Thomson

“When we started, it was sometimes one guy playing to just one person. But we just kept going – every Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

Live music and DJs

“And now we get people coming down just for the music.”

Our daughter loved it – dancing non-stop to the weekend DJ set. There were couples sunbathing with Aperol spritzes, dogs lounging under picnic tables, and retirees enjoying coffee with a sea view.

A bald man smiles at the camera while reaching for cutlery to go with his food outside a silver foodtruck. — Customers enjoying the summer vibes and food at Dook. Image: Rick Booth / DC Thomson

It’s the kind of atmosphere that’s hard to manufacture but easy to fall into.

And it’s not just a fair-weather operation. Dook has adapted to the challenges of a Scottish summer. “Last year was a really bad summer,” Robbie says.

“The stretch canopy has really helped,” he says. And it also provides shade on those cherished scorcher days.

Boozy milkshake and smooth coffee

On the drinks side, there’s everything from flat whites made by trained baristas (mine was genuinely one of the best I’ve had) to boozy milkshakes.

I was thrilled to try their mango milkshake with Malibu and cream – it tasted like a summer holiday in a cup.

A smiling blond woman in a white sweatshirt hold a plastic milkshake cup with a straw - the milkshake is yellow and white with cream on top. — Rachel tries Dook’s mango and Malibu boozy milkshake.

“We go for a smooth flavour with our coffee,” Robbie explains. “All our staff are trained and we really want our coffee to be the best quality”

Dook has changed Robbie’s life

Since starting the café, Robbie’s life has changed dramatically as he is now able to spend more time with his family. “I can take the kids to school now and I try to pick them up too. And if I need to be in the café, they can often come too.

“Being back home rather than offshore has made me realise and appreciate everything that my wife has done while I was away.”

A man in a black T shirt pours coffee from a commercial coffee machine. — Robbie ensures their coffee is top quality. Image: Rick Booth / DC Thomson

Behind the scenes, the work is nonstop. “Everybody thinks you’re queued out the door, you must be a millionaire,” he says. “But every business will tell you the same, it’s hard to keep things even with all the costs going up.”

Winter is especially tough. “We were advised to close during the winter, but I wanted to give the team year-round employment. We’ve got great staff, I didn’t want to lose them.

“But this winter past, we broke even, which was great.”

Will a Dook pop up near you?

Plans are in the works for expansion. “Sam and I would like to open up another place similar to this,” he says.

A red neon light sign in a café says Good Vibrations. — Dook at West Sands in St Andrews. Image: Rick Booth / DC Thomson.

“We are looking at locations now, Broughty Ferry or somewhere on the Angus coast would be good.”

And if they do, I’ll be first in line. For now, though, West Sands is all the better for Dook.

A welcoming place where you can bring the dog, get a cold Prosecco or a hot coffee, enjoy a souvlaki with your toes in the sand, and stay for sunset while the DJ keeps spinning.