Clarets, St Andrews

A new café‑brasserie from The Rocca Group, Clarets pairs brasserie style cooking with panoramic views over the Old Course and West Sands — a relaxed, confident addition to St Andrews’ dining scene.

Clarets, open May 1 2026, is the latest addition to The Rocca Group portfolio, perched on level one of The R&A World Golf Museum with sweeping views over the Old Course and West Sands in St Andrews.

Sitting along from Managing Director Stefano Pieraccini’s fine dining restaurant The Seafood Ristorante, this new venue sits firmly in café–brasserie territory, with a simple, crowd-pleasing menu executed with finesse.

Mr Bite and I settle in with our sundowners - a beer and a dry martini respectively.

The room is polished wood, steel and glass with warm maroon accents — but with such panoramic views you don’t need to do much; that iconic shoreline, the big skies, Tentsmuir Forest on the horizon. Chariots of Fire by Vangelis plays in my head until the arrival of Pork Cheek Croquettes, Wye Valley Asparagus with East Neuk White Crab, and Haggis Hash with Fried Duck Egg make me pivot back to the table.

The croquettes, packed with juicy pulled meat, are the size of fish fingers and come with a fruity homemade brown sauce. The grassy asparagus spears are elegantly sliced lengthways. “We work with the seasons,” Stefano tells me later, and this plate is the essence of spring — pure and pristine. Across the table, an immaculately presented fried egg sits on a spicy puck of haggis; pure white, no lacy edges, and a quivering, brilliant golden yolk.

Mains more than stay the course. I choose Cod Kiev — robust flesh, a clever match for the generous, oozy filling of emerald coloured wild garlic butter. Roasted cauliflower and a dish of buttered greens are cooked al dente. Mr Bite has the Claret Burger: dry‑aged beef, candied bacon, smoked cheese, house sauce. We add Koffmann fries. He asks why they’re so special; I reply that they’re crisp outside, fluffy inside, and crucially hold their heat. No one wants a cold, floppy fry.

We’re full to the gills but share a Semifreddo with Coconut & Blood Orange reckoning it the lightest option among a line-up of Scottish cheese, sticky toffee pudding and ice‑cream. It’s a sophisticated, superlative dessert: cold cream folded with generous coconut, sweetness coming mainly from juicy segments of seasonal orange and a raspberry sorbet.

I chat briefly with Stefano — always hands‑on — and ask how he keeps everything so on point. He talks about details, recruiting the best people and letting chefs cook the food they believe in. We agree tasting menus are out; casual classics, executed perfectly in an unpretentious setting, are in. People want to enjoy good, tasty food in an unstuffy environment.

I would love to eat breakfast or lunch here too but would secure a booking early. Clarets is a welcoming brasserie in a world‑class setting.

Clarets St Andrews, First Floor, R&A World Golf Museum, Bruce Embankment, St Andrews, KY16 9AB

Open 7 days a week: 8:30am to 12pm for breakfast, 12pm to 4pm for lunch and 5pm to 9:30pm for dinner.