It’s autumn. Fiery leaves have begun falling from the trees, crinkling and crunching underfoot on pavement that perpetually smells of petrichor. Pumpkin spice, maple, and cinnamon are back on the shelves, and banana bread is baking in the oven. The time has come again for cable-knit sleeves to be wrapped around a steaming mug.
Sadly, it is also the time of those dreaded deadlines and I have been going stir-crazy rotating between the same three study spots: my kitchen table, the main library, and the union cafés.
So, it’s time for a change of location. I’m not talking about a quick reading week trip to Venice or Paris (as much as I wish that was the case). No, I’m talking about a change of study scenery. I am determined to find the best, non uni-affiliated, non flat-affiliated, study spot in town — after all, if there is one thing that St Andrews doesn’t lack, it’s coffee shops.
Accordingly, myself and my flatmate embarked on a quest to find the best place to tackle those impending deadlines.
For the purpose of this experiment, I intentionally wanted to avoid my usual spots and look more for the cafes I had always passed by in the street and told myself I would pop into ‘one day’. This list consisted of Spoiled Life, Gorgeous Cafe, Cafe in the Square, Fisher & Donaldson, and Five Acres. This article serves in no way to review or offer criticism to any of these places. It is simply a reflection of my own views and how I found the experience of studying within them.
Our first stop was Spoiled where we sat upstairs and got to work. I ordered a latte and my flatmate, who’s not such a fan of coffee, opted for a hot chocolate. If you’re looking for aesthetics, Spoiled Life has it in plenty—bright and vibrant yet chilled and laidback. I thoroughly enjoyed studying in Spoiled, and I managed to make a decent dent in my readings. They also have plug sockets and WiFi, perfect for laptop or tablet users. One of the only downsides to working in Spoiled is they have a 45-minute cap on tables during peak times, which makes it better suited for a quick study session in between classes than long-haul essay writing.
Honorary flatmate comment: “The hot chocolate was very good; the spoons were very aesthetic; good for when you have no heating at home—it was boiling inside.”
Up next was Five Acres. Wanting to switch things up, I ordered a chai. My flatmate, again, ordered a hot chocolate. (Slight aside but this was the best chai I’ve ever had, just saying.) Five Acres took me pleasantly by surprise. From the outside, it appears very small so I didn’t think we would have much luck finding a table. Yet, it’s relatively spacious and a table became available within a few minutes.
If autumn vibes are what you’re interested in, look no further than Five Acres. It was so cosy inside and it felt so cute to get readings done there. It also has WiFi, making it another good option for when you need to bring along your electronics. As it is a smaller place, however, I did feel bad taking up space at a table for too long.
Honorary flatmate comment: “My favourite so far.”
Then, it was time for Cafe in the Square. Sadly, it was closed on that particular day—a slight inconvenience for when you’re looking to study inside. So, unfortunately, Cafe in the Square remains a mystery to me for now.
Up next was Gorgeous. By this point on our whirlwind tour, we had both had enough of hot drinks and decided to order scones before tragically finding out that they had sold out of every single one—a rookie error on our part, I fear, for not going earlier. Both of us too awkward to leave, we ordered some Earl Grey tea and a cake. Overall, Gorgeous is very pretty inside, but as soon as we were seated at our table, we knew it wasn’t a study kind of café. It had more of a restaurant vibe, like Northpoint for example—not necessary a bad thing, just not the right fit for a study spot.
Honorary (non-flatmate) comment from a boy at the table next to us: “It’s almost as hot as Ibiza in here!”
A wonderful place to escape the cold and catch up with friends in the coming cooler months.
And last, but definitely not least, was Fisher & Donaldson—the café, not the bakery. Now, I know I said at the beginning that I was trying to avoid my usual spots. In my defence, I’ve never tried to work in Fisher & Donaldson before, so it was new in that sense, and their hot chocolate is to die for. It turned out to be a highly productive study session. We were sat by the window looking out onto a very moody and rainy South Street. It truly was, I think, one of the most aesthetic spots of the day. As I only did readings there, I didn’t need any WiFi or plug sockets so I’m unfortunately unable to comment on that regard.
Honorary flatmate comment: “I’m so sick of hot chocolate now but I have to keep drinking this because it’s so good!”
To round things up, St Andrews has no shortage of café study spots. Yet, I have a terrible feeling that the kitchen table (or the Main Library) will always reign supreme. If, however, you ever do need to leave the house and see the outside world again during deadline or exam season, I recommend Five Acres and Fisher & Donaldson to help provide a change of scenery and some amazing hot drinks.
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