The Kebab Club: Courtyard Cafe

I seem to have a soft spot for late-night food in St Andrews. It probably appeals to the American Dream in me: a hard-working immigrant comes to these golden shores hoping for a better life… pretty high thoughts for someone really just too lazy to cook for himself. 

Courtyard Café is the joint across from Tesco and from the outside, the décor suggests Christmas is an all-year celebration. The owner can be recognized as the man in the baseball hat, practicing his French language skills in his spare time. Chat him up while you wait and see if he knows what the French are really famous for (that was a joke about kissing, not WWII). The place is small with outdoor and upstairs seating, and they bring your order to you, which adds a nice touch. There is less yelling than some other places.

Aside from the kickin’ lights, Courtyard stands apart for two reasons. First, the owner and operator is not of Turkish descent (though, Eastern European). Secondly, they do not actually sell doner kebab. 

Please do not let that put you off. Despite the lack of kebab, Courtyard Café probably has the most unique menu off all late-night shops. Care for some baklava or chocolate cake? They have it. Hungry for a toastie but it isn’t Friday night? They have that too, though at a steeper rate than the charming folks at Toastie Bar. 

Once when it was not too busy, I ordered only one slice. The generous owner gave me the whole pizza for the same price. On this occasion I ordered the pizza rustica (I’m a growing boy), rustica being a fancy name for pepperoni and mushrooms. The pizzas here are surprisingly good, though a bit greasy. To be honest, I didn’t feel too well after eating the whole thing but I don’t blame the food preparation. I felt even worse after eating from the Domino’s truck last year. 

On a separate occasion, I also tried the chicken, cheese and pineapple panini. If you are not afraid of new things, I’d highly recommend one of the pineapple paninis. I enjoyed it, and I’ve heard others agree it was surprisingly good. Courtyard Café is probably better than Le Rendezvous in terms of food and general style (I hear they also speak French, wink wink). 

In summary, if you like pizza then go for it. If not get a pineapple panini. And ask for baklava! 

Bonne soirée.

Would write home about – 8/10