There’s something about St Andrews Beach that feels different from the rest of the Peninsula. The air is saltier, the dunes rise higher, and the ocean doesn’t ask for your attention — it takes it. At the gateway to this rugged stretch of coast, you’ll find a modest 80s brick veneer, part of a tiny hamlet of local shops. It’s not flashy, but it doesn’t need to be. This is St Andrews Kitchen, the sibling to The Kitchen Tootgarook — same ethos, same people, same food, different location — and it has quietly become a lifeline for the community that orbits this ocean edge for the past three years.

Where Tootgarook glows as a roadside beacon, St Andrews hums to the rhythm of the tides. Doors open at 6:30am, welcoming early risers with strong coffee, pastries, and the promise of a day about to begin. Surfers heading out, locals grabbing their morning ritual, walkers brushing the sand from their shoes — everyone comes through these doors.

From 8am until 2pm, the all-day breakfast and lunch menu keeps the kitchen moving. It’s food that works for all tastes and dietary needs, made with the same commitment to quality and consistency that defines The Kitchen Group. And just when you think service might slow, the doors stay open until 3pm, catching the stragglers: the late lunches, the last-minute snackers, the ones in search of a final caffeine hit before the day turns.

What sets St Andrews Kitchen apart isn’t just its hours or its menu. It’s the way it doubles as a pantry and storehouse for the community. Shelves are stacked with homemade jams, chutneys, and relishes; pies, pasties, sausage rolls, and bread; milk, gifts, and pantry staples. It’s a place where you can pick up dinner on the way home, find a jar of something new, or grab the missing ingredient without trekking into town.

New shelving arrives faster than it can be filled, but that’s part of the charm — the place is always evolving, responding to what the community needs. It’s equal parts café, general store, and gathering point.

If there’s one thing that elevates St Andrews Kitchen beyond its modest exterior, it’s the deck. Facing northwest, it catches the light in a way that makes afternoons linger. On a clear day, the sun dips and paints the space gold; in winter, it becomes a pocket of warmth against the coastal chill. It’s the kind of spot you don’t rush from — coffee in hand, chatter around you, the ocean just out of sight but always present in the breeze.

Behind it all is the same ethos that drives The Kitchen in Tootgarook. Bob Coley’s vision of hospitality without pretence, delivered alongside head chef Andrew “Sharkey” Sharkey and their team, translates seamlessly here. It’s about making people feel at home, delivering consistency every single day, and serving food with love.

St Andrews Kitchen may look like a modest brick veneer at the edge of the world, but step inside and you’ll feel its aura — warm, dependable, and deeply human. It’s proof that even at the wildest parts of the Peninsula, there’s always a place to pause, refuel, and belong.