Coffee Link food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Colchester
Coffee Link holds a 0, the lowest food hygiene rating possible, meaning urgent improvement is necessary. The inspector found serious problems at the restaurant requiring immediate action.
The rating: 0 - Urgent improvement necessary
The rating dates from 22 April 2025, 14 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: Colchester North Railway Station, North Station Road, Colchester, CO1 1XD
How it compares in Colchester
A 0 is rare: only 2 of 1,335 rated places in Colchester score this low, about one in 668. By contrast 89% of the borough holds a 5, so this is well below what the council's inspectors normally find.
| 5 out of 5 | 1,191 | 89% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 82 | 6% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 48 | 4% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 3 | <1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 9 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% | ← Coffee Link |
A further 296 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Major improvement necessary
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Improvement necessary
- How well they manage food safety Major improvement necessary
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 Coffee Link the inspector recorded concerns over how food is handled, the condition of the premises and confidence in management. Because the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, that is what holds the score down.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to Coffee Link, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cafe Local Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | at this address | 5 - Very good | 5 October 2023 |
| Alderwood Care Home Caring Premises | 138 yards away | 5 - Very good | 31 October 2024 |
| Belle Vue Social Club Pub/bar/nightclub | 414 yards away | 5 - Very good | 22 January 2024 |
| ASDA Instore Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 422 yards away | 5 - Very good | 22 October 2024 |
| ASDA Stores Ltd Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 422 yards away | 5 - Very good | 20 May 2024 |
| Childsplay Day Nursery Caring Premises | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 6 November 2025 |
| B and M Retail Ltd Retailers - other | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 9 April 2025 |
| Airhop Trampoline Park Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 19 June 2026 |
Questions about Coffee Link
What is Coffee Link's food hygiene rating?
Coffee Link has a food hygiene rating of 0 out of 5 (urgent improvement necessary), given by Colchester Council on 22 April 2025.
Is Coffee Link safe to eat at?
A 0 means urgent improvement is necessary: the inspector found serious problems. The restaurant may still be trading, because a rating is not a closure order, but this is the lowest score the scheme gives.
When was Coffee Link last inspected?
Coffee Link was last inspected on 22 April 2025, 14 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Colchester Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Coffee Link?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "major improvement necessary", the cleanliness and condition of the building "improvement necessary", and confidence in the management of food safety "major improvement necessary". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Coffee Link compare to other places in Colchester?
89% of the 1,335 rated food businesses in Colchester hold the top rating of 5, while Coffee Link holds a 0. 2 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Colchester Council inspects Coffee Link 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 Coffee Link and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
Free, for three businesses, forever. No password, we send you a link. How rating alerts work →
Is this your business?
A rating of 0 is public, and most customers look. Only 18% of people say they would order from a business rated 2 or below, against 94% from one rated 4. Delivery platforms may decline to list you.
We cannot change this rating, and nor can you. It was set by an environmental health officer at Colchester, and it stands until they inspect again. What you can do:
- Fix what the inspector found, then ask the council for a re-inspection. Most charge between £120 and £316, and will not re-visit within three months of the original inspection.
- If you believe the rating is simply wrong, you have 21 days from being notified to appeal to the council. That is 21 calendar days, not working days.
- You may submit a right to reply at any time. It is published alongside the rating, here, and on the FSA's own site.
What a low rating means → · How re-inspections and appeals work →
Your council: Colchester
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Colchester inspects and rates 1,631 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Colchester →
The official record is held by the council: https://www.colchester.gov.uk/
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 →