For the cheesiest, gooiest cheese toasties, a trip to The Cheesy Toast Shack in St Andrews is a must.
If you’re looking for a filthy yet gorgeous lunch that is packed with calories, carbs and cheese, then a visit to St Andrews East Sands Beachfront is exactly where you need to be headed.
Along the front of the last line of buildings at the beach’s entrance, you will find The Cheesy Toast Shack on Woodburn Place.
A popular haunt for foodies and tourists alike, the business has built itself up to be one of the best places for cheese toasties, and I can see why after paying a recent visit.
Located in what I guess can only be described as a shack, the firm has plenty of social distancing measures in place, with a railing erected to keep customers apart and off of the boardwalk.
We patiently queued one Saturday morning, pitching up for an early lunch at 11.45am. The line was already rather full so if you are looking to get a bite to eat around noon at the weekend, be sharp.
The Food
I ordered the “famous” macaroni and cheese toastie while my other half opted for the red leister and chorizo toastie.
My boyfriend is also a massive banana lover so when he spied the banana milkshake on the board, it was immediately added to our order. He was even more delighted by the fact they also use fresh banana in it, unlike some venues that use artificial flavourings.
We paid at the same window at which we ordered and patiently waited at the side for the staff to call our names.
It took around 10 minutes for our order to be ready, however we were given the banana milkshake when we paid for it, so that was gone before we’d even got our hands on the toasties.
The milkshake was incredibly sweet and had a real strong banana flavour to it which he loved. The more banana the better and the sweetness of it had come from the caramel sauce that had been poured down the cup, lining it and giving it a more banoffee flavour finish.
When our name was called I headed up to the window and was met with the biggest and most monstrous mac and cheese toastie I’ve ever seen sitting in a cardboard box. My boyfriend’s choice was housed in a paper bag and weighed a lot less than mine – his face was priceless when he got a glimpse of them both side-by-side.
We took our toasties to East Sands Beach in St Andrews, although if you are going to brave eating your toastie on the beach, be aware that the local seagulls may also want to join you.
The red leister number was a little thin in comparison to my beefy macaroni version which was packed to the gunnels with cheesy pasta.
His toastie was more streamlined but that didn’t compromise the flavour as it had delicious chunks of chorizo, wild rocket and jalapeno chutney. The chutney was especially delicious and the chorizo was just lovely, with a real smokiness to it.
Mine on the other hand was a beast to eat, however it did hold well and was a delight to devour.
The macaroni pasta was beautifully cooked and nice and soft, and it was oh-so gooey, stinging out of my mouth bite after bite. My boyfriend’s red leister number was equally as stringy.
I was surprised there was little to no cheese on our faces after the experience, to be honest.
Both were incredibly filling, although the macaroni version is definitely for those with more of an appetite as it was a real feast and one I had to pace myself for.
The Verdict:
If you are looking for a hearty, quick lunch, then The Cheesy Toast Shack is the perfect place to go.
While they only really offer cheese toasties, if this is what you’re looking for – or are on the hunt for an alternative lunch – then I can’t recommend it more. My only advice would be to go early as it does get busy, and don’t order too much either.
I had a bottle of water to hand, so if you don’t be sure to get one from the shack – trust me, you’ll need it.
The shack is open seven days a week at East Sands and its second venue, Kingsbarns, is open everyday minus Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
You can also watch our Instagram Reel of the experience here.
Information
Address: Woodburn Place, St Andrews, KY16 8LA or Kingsbarns, St Andrews, KY16 8QE
Price: £13