The Crown food hygiene rating
Pub/bar/nightclub · St Albans City
The Crown holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The pub 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 2 February 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: The Crown Ph, 144 Hatfield Road, St Albans, AL1 4JA
How it compares in St Albans City
In St Albans City, 77% of rated places manage a 5, so The Crown sits behind roughly 975 nearby businesses. 6% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 818 | 77% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 157 | 15% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 63 | 6% | ← The Crown | |
| 2 out of 5 | 10 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 10 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 105 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 Generally satisfactory
- 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 The Crown 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 The Crown, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Coffee Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 342 yards away | 5 - Very good | 7 June 2024 |
| Cheers Pizza Takeaway/sandwich shop | 402 yards away | 5 - Very good | 6 February 2025 |
| Brock House Nursery School Caring Premises | 430 yards away | 5 - Very good | 8 April 2025 |
| Ayos Restaurant Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 432 yards away | 5 - Very good | 24 January 2026 |
| Coddess Fish and Chips Takeaway/sandwich shop | 438 yards away | 5 - Very good | 13 February 2025 |
| Be Me Day Nurseries Caring Premises | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 13 May 2025 |
| County Constitutional Club Pub/bar/nightclub | 0.3 miles away | 5 - Very good | 18 May 2024 |
| Cafe Alfresco Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 0.4 miles away | 5 - Very good | 9 December 2024 |
Questions about The Crown
What is The Crown's food hygiene rating?
The Crown has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by St Albans City Council on 2 February 2026.
Is The Crown safe to eat at?
A 3 means the pub 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 The Crown last inspected?
The Crown was last inspected on 2 February 2026, 5 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by St Albans City Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at The Crown?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", and confidence in the management of food safety "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does The Crown compare to other places in St Albans City?
77% of the 1,058 rated food businesses in St Albans City hold the top rating of 5, while The Crown holds a 3. 63 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
St Albans City Council inspects The Crown 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 The Crown and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
St Albans City inspects and rates 1,163 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in St Albans City →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/business/Health-and-safety/food-safety/foodHygieneRating.aspx
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 →