Merry Chest Cafe food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Dartford
Merry Chest Cafe holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The restaurant met the legal standard, but the inspector recorded enough minor issues that it fell short of a good or very good rating.
The rating: 3 - Generally satisfactory
The rating dates from 20 January 2026, 5 months ago. Councils typically re-inspect higher-risk businesses every six months to two years, with well-run, low-risk places visited least often, so this is a normal gap.
Address: Watling Street, Bean, Kent, DA2 8AH
How it compares in Dartford
In Dartford, 77% of rated places manage a 5, so Merry Chest Cafe sits behind roughly 844 nearby businesses. 6% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 713 | 77% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 131 | 14% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 53 | 6% | ← Merry Chest Cafe | |
| 2 out of 5 | 17 | 2% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 9 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 153 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Generally satisfactory
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Good
- How well they manage food safety Generally satisfactory
An inspection scores three things: how food is handled, the physical condition of the premises, and how much the inspector trusts management to keep standards up. At Merry Chest Cafe none of the three raised a concern, the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, so a clean sweep is what produces a high score.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to Merry Chest Cafe, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bean Primary School Breakfast Club School/college/university | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 20 June 2024 |
| Ballerz Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 12 November 2024 |
| Emin's Canteen Other catering premises | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 25 July 2024 |
| Bubbleology Retailers - other | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 27 February 2026 |
| Ask Italian Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 1 April 2026 |
| Co-operative Food Retailers - other | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 17 December 2024 |
| Dinotropolis Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.8 miles away | 5 - Very good | 6 February 2026 |
| Bills Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.9 miles away | 5 - Very good | 17 March 2026 |
Questions about Merry Chest Cafe
What is Merry Chest Cafe's food hygiene rating?
Merry Chest Cafe has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by Dartford Council on 20 January 2026.
Is Merry Chest Cafe safe to eat at?
A 3 means the restaurant met the legal standard, so it is lawful to eat there, but the inspector recorded issues that stopped it scoring higher. It is the middle of the scale.
When was Merry Chest Cafe last inspected?
Merry Chest Cafe was last inspected on 20 January 2026, 5 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Dartford Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Merry Chest Cafe?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", the cleanliness and condition of the building "good", and confidence in the management of food safety "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Merry Chest Cafe compare to other places in Dartford?
77% of the 923 rated food businesses in Dartford hold the top rating of 5, while Merry Chest Cafe holds a 3. 53 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Dartford Council inspects Merry Chest Cafe and sets the rating; the Food Standards Agency publishes it. Neither the business nor this site can change a rating, a business that disagrees can appeal to its council, and can request a re-inspection once it has fixed the problems.
Tell me when this changes
The Food Standards Agency publishes only a business's rating today, not what it scored before, and not when it moves. We check every UK rating each night. Watch Merry Chest Cafe and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Dartford inspects and rates 1,076 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Dartford →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.dartford.gov.uk/foodsafety/index.htm
Rating from the Food Standards Agency under the Open Government Licence. Ratings reflect standards found at the time of inspection and can change. If you think a rating is wrong, the official record is held by the FSA and the local authority; corrections there flow through here. How ratings work →