5

Costa Coffee food hygiene rating

Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · St Albans City

Costa Coffee holds a 5, the highest food hygiene rating there is. At its last inspection the restaurant met every standard the inspector checked, with nothing needing attention.

The rating: 5 - Very good

The rating dates from 23 August 2024, 22 months ago. That is getting on for the longest gap councils usually leave, so the score may not reflect how the business is run today.

Address: 11 High Street, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2RT

How it compares in St Albans City

That puts Costa Coffee among the 818 places in St Albans City holding top marks, 77% of everywhere the council rates. A 5 is the norm here rather than the exception, so it is the rating to expect, not to be impressed by.

Every rated food business in St Albans City
5 out of 5 818 77% ← Costa Coffee
4 out of 5 157 15%
3 out of 5 63 6%
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

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 Costa Coffee 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 Costa Coffee, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.

Business Distance Rating Inspected
Simmons Bakers Retailers - other 37 yards away 5 - Very good 1 June 2026
Gail's Bakery (Harpenden) Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 63 yards away 5 - Very good 19 July 2024
Domino's Pizza Takeaway/sandwich shop 72 yards away 5 - Very good 18 February 2026
Graffiti Restaurant Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 72 yards away 5 - Very good 15 September 2022
R & M Family Butchers Retailers - other 72 yards away 5 - Very good 9 July 2024
Silver Palate Delicatessen Retailers - other 72 yards away 5 - Very good 4 March 2025
Silver Palate Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 80 yards away 5 - Very good 4 March 2025
PizzaExpress/Mac & Wings Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen 82 yards away 5 - Very good 9 March 2026

Questions about Costa Coffee

What is Costa Coffee's food hygiene rating?

Costa Coffee has a food hygiene rating of 5 out of 5 (very good), given by St Albans City Council on 23 August 2024.

Is Costa Coffee safe to eat at?

The rating covers hygiene standards found at inspection, not the food itself. At 5 out of 5, the inspector found hygiene standards at this restaurant to be very good, the top end of the scale.

When was Costa Coffee last inspected?

Costa Coffee was last inspected on 23 August 2024, 22 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 Costa Coffee?

The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "good", the cleanliness and condition of the building "good", and confidence in the management of food safety "good". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.

How does Costa Coffee 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, and Costa Coffee is one of them.

Who decides the rating?

St Albans City Council inspects Costa Coffee 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 Costa Coffee 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 →

Understanding this rating

More food hygiene ratings near here

Costa Coffee is one of 193 rated food businesses in Harpenden. See every hygiene rating in Harpenden

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 →